Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Car Wash, Heart Wash

I used my smile card the other day! It was awesome!

I went to get a carwash and bought a car wash for the anonymous person who came after me ... as i was waiting for my car, I saw a turqouise car drive up, and I thought that must be the person I'm randomly connecting with! It was so cool!

I felt like I was actually giving something to someone else purely out of generosity, and it felt good inside...I kind of felt like I was part of a church group when I was explaining what I wanted to do, to the confused cashier, but she eventually understood the concept.:)

Anyways, so that was great and my car was clean! Just wanted to share the good feeling with you and thank you for the idea!

3112 Reads

People in Uniform

I have given out all of the original cards you sent me, mostly at a Safeway store near Luke Air Force Base. I buy the Safeway gift cards and leave them, along with the Smile cards asking the clerks to give them to people in uniform.

1628 Reads

What I'm Doing With Smile Cards

I'm having a lot of fun with my smile cards! Thanks you so much for all that you guys do, it really is awesome!

I just recieved some great news! I recently won the Violet Richardson Award for starting my STARS, a volunteer club, and my club was given a grant and we have already planned our next project! It's called "Operation Bear Hugs!" We are going to purchase a lot of teddy bears for little kids at our local safe house and we are going to attach smile cards on them! We are so excited!

We also are making gifts for a children's hospital that we hope to visit later this summer ... they are called "Smile in a Box." It is a small brown box that has a poem attached and when you open it there is a smiley face tap light that when you push it it lights up! It's for kid's who are scared at the hospital ... they can have a warm smile anytime they need it! Even late at night! And of course, what would the smile be without a smile card!

Again, thanks for all you guys do! I know that it takes a lot of work! Keep it up! And remember, smiles are contagious ...

3861 Reads

You are Beautiful People

Dear whoever you are,

I think that this is quite the service you offer. You all have kindred hearts, and are beautiful people.

I hope that you have a great day. Thank-you for all your beautiful ideas.

God Bless!

1738 Reads

A Smile is Universal

My time at Aravind has been going well so far. Yesterday, I went to an eye camp, which is basically a van of doctors and nurses that goes out to remote villages to do eye screening. I've realized that Tamil and Malayalam are not as similar as I thought, so I have had a difficult time communicating with the patients. But, the patients here are all so receptive of a nice smile that can sometimes understandably be compromised by the doctors here due to the large number of patients that they see. This was especially true with a lot of the patients yesterday. I would smile at them and they would begin to talk to me in Tamil. When I told them that I didn't understand Tamil...a phrase that I have found very useful...some still continued to talk to me in words that they knew Tamil and Malayalam shared. It was great! I've realized that a smile is really universal!

1715 Reads

For whom the bell tolls

One of my favorite tags has been to pay for the person behined me on a bridge toll, and to ask the toll booth operator to give them a smile card.

I've always wondered what kind of ripples that would generate ..

Today a friend told me a talk he heard at a local Zen center. The speaker, an accomplished woman with many ongoing projects was describing how sometimes when she gets overwhelmed with responsibilities, she will roll up the windows to her car and scream. One day she was doing this right before reaching a tollbooth and found out someone had paid for her. As she described it, this completely turned her mentality around and literally made her day. It also made the day of my friend who heard the story today and decided to share.

That bridge is one I frequent.

3122 Reads

Taking Time For Others

I try to take time every week to go and visit with people in the nursing home.

I am disabled in a power wheelchair and my Church helped me get a van with a wheelchair lift. It really makes people happy to have a visit.

God Bless, Tommy L Harmon

1815 Reads
  • Posted by Tommy L Harmon
  • Jun 1, 2006
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Laundry mat Veggies

I have a big veggie garden and every year i plant a little more than i can handle. It's something like my eyes are bigger than my appetite. I decided to take all of my excess veggies down to the laundry mat with a sign that read "free veggies". I guess that those who use the laundry may prbably rent places and might not be able to plant a garden. I did this all summer and each time when i went to collect the box...it was empty!

3368 Reads

how to be treated nice

To be treated nice you have to be nice to those you meet on your way going because they are the same people you will meet on your way coming. Treat any elderly person as you will treat your parents for your days to be happy on earth.

1704 Reads
  • Posted by Gloria Anokye
  • May 30, 2006
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Surprise on Public Transporation

I use public transport quite often. Trains, buses, subway, trams...all of the above. I'm hardly ever able to leave books or CD's behind on the train, as they cost way too much. So I had been thinking about cheaper things to leave behind.

Yesterday as I was sitting in the train I had a big bag filled with little sachets of candy with me. I was going to give it to some younger family members, but they would never be able to eat all of it. Then I remembered I had some smile cards with me and put one of the candy sachets with a smilecard in between one of the foldable tables in front of me.

The next passenger unfolding the table would hopefully be in for a nice surprise!

1372 Reads

Making a Receptionist Smile

Our receptionist at the dental office where I work has been a widow since age 38. She is now 77. Last week she lost her oldest son (57) to a massive stroke. We (three girls in the office) plan to use them on her for several weeks, to do random anonymous kindnesses towards her. She is lonely and bitter. Hopefully this will soften her and make her feel loved.

Thank you so much.

1350 Reads
  • Posted by Sandi Hester
  • May 29, 2006
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Plants and Flowers

i grow lots of plants and flowers. I'm guessing some of them are going to show up in unexpected places with your card. What an absolutely wonderful idea -- keep up the good work!

1501 Reads
  • Posted by Marian Iannuzzi
  • May 28, 2006
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Cleaning with New Eyes

I can't really throw stuff out. Call me a packrat or blame on my parents who grew up with very little and instilled the idea of keeping everything, I simply can't throw stuff out. Now you can imagine what packing up my apartment was like after living there for three years. We didn't grow through the annual purging process typical of college students, instead my possessions simply grew over the years. Finally the time came, it was time to pack up and move all my stuff... across the continent. You can imagine that space was somewhat of a constraint on what I could keep. As I watched my roomate pack up within a day, either throwing stuff out or packing it up, I couldn't follow suit. The environmentalist in me could never throw away paper, it always had to be recycled, and now how could ... Read Full Story >>

1993 Reads

Good Foods, Good Smile Tags

A good friend of mine lives about 1 hour away. I called her last week and found out that she wasn't doing too well. Nothing big, but just bummed because a lot of things fell through which would make the following year a little more challenging. After hanging up with her, she was put on my smile list, but I couldn't think of what to do, but opportunities present themselves when you're not even looking. A few days later, some friends and I happened to be in her city eating at a restaurant with fabulous desserts. As we pored over the dessert menu, I got it. I turned to my friends and asked them if they wanted to join in on a game of tag. After explaining the idea, they were up to take 15 minutes more after a long day to make someone's day. ... Read Full Story >>

6437 Reads

Thankfulness Chocolates

We recently bought some furniture from a shop, and they really worked hard to make sure it reached us within 2 days. So I just thought I’d buy a box of chocolates for the salesman, who really did a good job on selling us on it. I walked into the store, and Daniel sees me, and I can tell, there's a little bit of apprehension in the air, as I’m guessing that most customers go back to complain. He says "Hello, Sir! How are you doing?" And I'm holding the chocolates in front of me, and so I tell him, "Good. I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful furniture, and working with us to make it happen. Our whole family loves it, we've even taken pictures and sent them to other family and they love it too. Thanks for going the extra mile for us! These chocolates ... Read Full Story >>

9814 Reads

A Small Act For My Dad

Sometimes it is the small acts of kindness and of just common hospitality that can make a difference in someone's life. Most stories I have read on this website have been gracious gifts of some form.

My Dad was in his car when he took a bite of his food and started to choke. He got out of the car and was bent over trying to breath when a big man came and asked if he needed help. He could not speak but the man could tell by his face changing colors that he needed it. Being a large guy, he shook up my Dad so the piece of food in his throat belted out. The man was gone before he could fully recover. And though it was an obvious thing to do, helping a choking person, it still meant life or death. It was a big gift, a kind gift. If the man was not around, as scary as it sounds, neither would my Dad be today.

1567 Reads

Drive-thru Pooh Bear

Right after Christmas my husband and I were shopping at Wal-Mart. Everything was 75% off so we did some early Christmas shopping for next year.

We bought this one gift that was four mugs and a canister of different kind of hot cocoa. It was "Pooh Bear and Friends" collectors edition.

Afterwards, we over to the local Hardees to grab a bit to eat. It had been a long day, so we quickly went through the drive-thru. The drive-thru girl was probably 18 and had worked all day long; still, she was very polite and had a smile that could light up any room.

My husband reaches behind his seat and asks her if she likes Pooh Bear things. She immedatly replied "Oh Yeah, I love him." My husband said, "Well Merry Christmas." She was quite shocked and asked us if this was a joke. We replied no and she took it and ran around the store showing everyone.

She ended up giving us our meal for half off which was pretty cool. But everytime we go to Hardees and see her she remembers us and is very sweet and nice to us.

1753 Reads
  • Posted by Elisabeth
  • May 25, 2006
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Random Kindness at the Mall

hi, i'm 14 years old and here is what happened i was in the mall with my mom my sister and my brother-in-law. My sister was looking at these cool star necklaces and the girl who worked there said those are really cool i wish i could have one.

After a while my sister decides to buy the star necklace and it was 20 bucks so i bought the one for my sister and then i thought what the heck and i bought both of them and gave one to the cashier and she was so shocked but i felt good inside.

1685 Reads

Remembering the Elderly

I am a mother of two and always have had a special spot in my heart for people that have spent many years on this earth. I somehow fall into these peoples lives for some reason or another. One elderly woman needed a lot of care such as cooking, cleaning, dr. appts and so on which I was more than happy to help until she passed. Of course it broke my heart. Since then, I've befriended several others -- some just want to have lunch and tell their stories while others need help going to the store and getting their hair fixed every week. The main thing I have noticed is that when you get older for some reason people start to ignore you and they lose their voice? I understand that sometimes there is memory loss, however, it upsets me to see dr's and even family treat them ... Read Full Story >>

4094 Reads

My Most Prized Possession

When I was on CBS's Survivor - Africa all I had with me were the clothes on my back and my one luxury item of choice: a hackey sack. My hackey sack was my most prized possession, the one item that took me temporarily away from the Survivor game and home to the familiar... and I gave it away. It may sound silly, but it was a tough decision - a real moment of personal truth. I was with a group of other Survivor contestants distributing HIV/AIDS testing kits to a small village in Kenya when I met Milton. Milton didn't have any of the luxuries I had growing up- no TV, no bike, no PlayStation. But Milton's eyes were full of laughter, and they lit up when I produced my hackey sack. I knew exactly how Milton felt, and that I would be leaving my beloved hackey sack with him ... Read Full Story >>

7690 Reads




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