Search Results for 'popular' (3006 matches)

The More I Help, The Lighter My Heart Feels

This morning I got up early and went for a walk at 5 a.m. to the teashop. I was wondering whether I could do an act of kindness and immediately an opportunity was presented. An old, poor gentleman arrived at the teashop on his bicycle and I seized the moment to offer him a cup of tea. He was happy and that act made me feel happy. As  I was walking back, I helped a family to reach the right bus stop so that they can reach the main bus stand at Koyambedu. They too were thankful. And then I was off to go help a family of four to pay the rent. The family consists of  a widow, her daughter (18 years old), son (19), and her husband's brother. Yesterday I heard my inner voice asking me to help them pay the rent. By the way this family lives in a slum.   In order to help ... Read Full Story >>

Just A Little Bit Of Butterscotch

My friend A was dying of breast cancer. We knew it, but we didn't know she would descend so rapidly. Her husband, H, called to tell me she was in the hospital. I spent as much time with them as I could in the next couple of weeks. I held her hand and read her Rumi's poetry until she fell asleep. I swabbed out her mouth with a wet sponge and helped where I could, but my most important contribution was supporting H. This was the second wife H was losing to this horrible disease. He was valiant and selfless, but I could see that he was troubled. H is a very quiet man and isn't prone to complain. I gently probed. Near tears, finally he said, "Well, I just feel so badly that I didn't have the house ready so she could die at home. I didn't expect her to fail ... Read Full Story >>

Two Wolves - A Cherokee Tale

A Cherokee is telling his grandson about a fight
that is going on inside himself.

He said it is between 2 wolves.
One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
fearful thinking, greed, arrogance, self-pity,
guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

A Dollar Can Make a Difference

I was in the lobby of my doctor's office waiting for my appointment. As I was sitting there, an elderly couple came in. The gentleman had trouble breathing and looked as if he was in poor health. As they were checking in at the front desk, I overheard the receptionist say that they were on Medicaid and had an outstanding balance of $1.50. The woman only had 50 cents.

The woman and her husband both looked upset and embarassed. The receptionist said that the balance would need to be paid before they could see the doctor. I was sitting far away from the front desk so I walked up and said that I would pay the remaining  $1.00. They were so thankful and gave me many blesssings.

I always thought $1.00 wasn't enough to help anyone, but I was reminded that day that $1.00 really can make a difference!

Kindness, Happiness and Health

Ever since I finished the 29-Day Giving Challenge, I have felt a lot happier and have a much more optimistic outlook on life.  I think the secret to happiness is always counting your "thank yous," giving, and smiling.  I've done some research lately on the health benefits of kindness, and some say that the kinder you are, the happier you will be.  Is this the secret to happiness? This is new to me, but some of you may know that the actual act of giving results in a small or big rush of what's called "endorphins," aka a "helpers high".  Kindness in general has both physical and mental benefits. For example, in my case prior to starting the challenge, I felt tired, unenthusiastic, and lacking vitality. However, after just a couple days, along with some gifts, my energy started to increase, I felt more alive so to speak, and I was ... Read Full Story >>

A Second Chance To Help

Yesterday I was returning from Boston by bus. My wife was planning to leave work to pick me up from the the bus station. I called her to say not to bother, I would just take the local transit bus to her. This was the first time I had ever ridden the local bus system. While I was sitting on the bus a young woman with a dog got on. She was carrying several bags of heavy books. I noticed the dog was an emergency dog, one that is trained to warn the owner of a possible seizure. I heard the young women mention to someone else that she still had two miles to walk with the heavy books after she got off the bus. I thought maybe I should ask if she wanted a ride but I wasn't sure which stop she was getting off at so I hesitated and  didn't ask. The bus dropped ... Read Full Story >>

Giving my first smile card

Today I received my very first smile cards, and I couldn't wait to share one. I wasn't sure at first what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted my first card to accompany a random act of kindness for a stranger.

Since I was meeting my son for coffee at the conclusion of our work days, I put my first card and a bit of money into an envelope, and wrote on the outside "Have a nice day," thinking I could pass it on to one of the coffee shop's employees.

When we arrived, I ordered our coffees and handed the envelope to the woman who greeted us, telling her as I did so that she was doing a great job. Her face lit up with a big smile and she thanked me, though no thanks were needed. I was just glad to see my smile card blossom into the first of many smiles to come.


 

A Little Girl Remembers A Little Smile

Remembering Not To Hold Back

I was new at church and I knew nobody. I felt lonely the first time.  After heading back home I just said to myself that I was never going there again. Another situation came up and I had to go back to that "unfriendly" church again. I was quite disturbed that night, thinking how it was going to be.

Then I thought, ''Why am I complaining now? Why didn't I make a friendly gesture? Why was I holding back?"  

The next day at the church, I smiled at every possible person I met there. To my surprise, I was showered with smiles and blessings. I gave that wonderful smile and got back too many to take home.

Being Able to Rely on my Community

My mother's coworker relayed a story to us.  Due to some unfortunate circumstances she was left in the snow, far away from her cabin and friends during a trip to the mountains.  She was lucky because a man on his snow plow at 2 AM (!) found her and took her to the hospital. The hospital first pronounced her dead (she had been in the snow for quite a few hours), but miraculously, they were able to revive her. She's been in the hospital since. When she awoke from her coma, the doctor couldn't assure her sister that she would be entirely the same person as before (e.g. personality), but it seems like her sister will be okay and back to normal soon! My mother's coworker was short on money, and she's in a pinch since she needs to pay for her sister's hospital fees. She came by today to ask if my ... Read Full Story >>

Inspired By The Bravery of My Boss

 My boss has cancer. He was diagnosed a few years ago; he went through treatment and chemotherapy. His cancer went into remission but returned recently. He is now currently having chemotherapy 3 times a week and fighting for his life yet a gain. I’m sharing this because never in my life have I ever seen someone so brave. Every day my boss comes to work with a smile on his face. Many times I can look at him and tell he is having a hard time but you could never tell. Every time I see him I make it a point to stop and ask, “How are you doing today?” I don’t ask as a courteous greeting, but rather out of concern. He can hear it in my voice and know what I mean so he looks back at me and tells me how he is doing. Every time I have asked, ... Read Full Story >>

Weekly Groceries With An Extra Portion of Kindness

I did my monthly shopping today.  I went in to a cool room to buy my meat where they sometimes have specials on.  I picked up as much as I thought I could afford.  We have been going through tough times lately and I had saved up $60 for meat.   When the checkout lady rang it all up, the total came to $71.85.

I begun to explain that I would need to put some of the meat back.  She stopped me from reaching into the pile and told me not to worry about the extra amount.  I had taken out the dog bones but she put them back in to some carry bags and just wished me a good day...WOW!

I was so happy and moved by this gesture.  I thanked her before I left. I wish I had had a smile card to give to her.  As soon as I get some more, I will definitely head over and hand her one or two cards with a big thank you smile on my face.  The extra meat will definitely be welcomed. 

An Opportunity to Give

After many months of illness, the resulting financial troubles and the love and generosity of dear friends, family members and even strangers that helped me and my children through those difficult times, my life regained balance. On a trip to the grocery store I spotted  a young couple hitchhiking with two puppies. They were obviously tired and discouraged and had made a sign, which simply read, "Just Food." Praying that they would stay, I hurried into the grocery store and bought a bag full of  nutritious foods, puppy chow for the dogs along with items I needed. To my relief they were still there when I came out. I drove up beside them and the young man approached at my beckoning him. I handed him the bag full of groceries, saying, "this is for you..." then the bag of chow, "this is for your puppies", and then a ten dollar bill, "And here's ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Needed No Translation

We traveled to Moscow Russia for a river cruise. I had never been to Russia and my impressions of that country were formed by what I hear and see on television and the newspaper. We were to be met at the airport by a driver who would then take us to the hotel as we decided to see Moscow before the cruise. We arrived on time, got our baggage and went to the gate, no one was waiting holding a sign with our name. We had the phone number of the driver and travel agency but no phone that would work in Russia. I noticed a young woman sitting next to me with a cell phone so I asked her if she spoke English and she replied "yes". Would she please call our driver, I would pay for the call, I asked. "No problem" she replied and called both numbers but ... Read Full Story >>

My Savior Angel

A year ago, I was a mess!    I was going through one of those phases that every teenager goes through in high school. I had made some new friends who were part of the popular gang of our school. Hanging out with them made me overconfident and feel like I could treat other people in whatever way I wanted.   Also, under the influence of these people, I would make up these unbelievably silly lies to cover up for all my mistakes. And, as you probably know, one lie leads to another and then another, and it keeps going on.    Among my new friends there was one girl who was very kind, compassionate and down to earth. She wouldn't judge people on their looks or their crowd. Since we had friends in common and went to the same classes we ended up hanging out a lot.    I remember being extremely surprised at her honesty. And ... Read Full Story >>

On The Subway

Every morning I take the subway to work. Usually I am still tired and would love to sit. No one ever offers their seat, which is okay. I see advertisements for random acts of kindness on the subway and they touch my heart, but on several occasions I have seen pregnant ladies get on and no one offer them their seat.    Today I got on and a seat was available! So, I sat down. At the next stop a gentleman with a walking disability got on and to my surprise no one moved, so I stood up and offered him my seat. He was grateful.    As we approached his station he tried to get off but people would not move, even after he said excuse me. So I pushed my way through the crowd and tried to help him off the train. But people just didn't seem to care and even with my ... Read Full Story >>

A Craving For Ice Cream

This morning I was running errands and had a sudden urge for an ice cream from McDonald's.   I tried talking myself out of it; I hadn't had lunch yet; I really didn't need it; I already passed McDonald's! But I gave into my craving and turned around.   A homeless man was begging for change at the traffic lights. He looked so tired and defeated. I pulled a couple of dollars out of my wallet and gave them to him. I asked him if he was hungry and he said yes, but that the money I had given him would buy something to eat.   I pulled up to the drive-thru to get my ice cream and decided to go ahead and order him a burger, fries and a coke.    When I handed him the bag I told him I had gotten him some lunch and he stared at me in disbelief. He immediately started ... Read Full Story >>

Coffee Shop Kindness - With Extra Ripples

The other day I was in a popular coffee shop. I got my order and looked around the crowded cafe for a table to sit at.  I asked a woman sitting at a large table if the seat in front of her was available. She said, "No. I'm waiting for a few people." 'Okay,' I thought. 'Fair enough.'   I went on to the next person, a young man who had his coat covering the chair opposite him. I asked if the seat was available and he happily lifted his coat from the chair. I sat there, sharing his table, eating my sandwich and drinking my tea. Then I noticed another young lady walk up to the woman I had talked to. I watched her looking around for any other available seats.    Next to me was another young lady on her phone with an available spot but no chair. I looked around some more ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Bit of Kindness Goes a Long Way

En Route to Ubud

I have been living in Ubud in Bali for the last 9 months, and am really loving it. One of the many things I enjoy about it is that I get to travel without going anywhere, because friends regularly fly in from different parts of the world to visit. When I happen to be the one traveling places, I love being welcomed at the airport, and so I try to do the same for friends whenever I can.   Two days ago, I headed to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in from Paris to visit for three weeks.  I don't own a car so I hired the services of my friend, Wayan Yoga, a really sweet Balinese driver. Wayan is also my informal Indonesian tutor, so I always look forward to riding with him.  We had a wonderful chat on our way to the airport about what ... Read Full Story >>