Search Results for 'popular' (3005 matches)

Life is Like Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.  During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.  Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.  While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of ... Read Full Story >>

Groceries Bought And Left Behind

The other day I was in the grocery store. I was hurrying to get a few things I needed in between soccer games. In the line behind me was the sweetest lady who was quietly searching through her wallet to find the money she needed to purchase the seven or eight items she had in her cart. I imagined she probably lived on a limited income and might benefit, even just a little, from having her groceries paid for her.   I turned to the cashier and said, "Go ahead. Run her items through. I'd like to pay for her groceries."    My children, aged twelve, seven and three, quietly watched what was going on.   "I can't let you do that," the lady said.    "But I just did," I replied. "Have a great day!" And then, smiling, I walked with my children out the doors.   As I walked away, I heard her ask the cashier, "Did he just ... Read Full Story >>

Uncle Unconditional

I went to visit my parents this past holiday weekend. During the trip, we went to visit my ailing uncle. He was in the hospital due to a heart attack. It was the second heart attack he had in the last four months and this time the doctors said it is really quite serious. The whole family has been wishing him thoughts and blessings of healing since he is the eldest one in our family and particularly because we hope he can live to see his son's upcoming wedding which is scheduled for next month.  As I looked at the situation with all of its uncertainty, I began to think about the life this man lead. He is 60 years old. He has spent his whole life teaching low-income inner city school children whose families are primarily broken, that these youngsters have hope, because hope is priceless. When I went to see him one last time before I left to head back to my home, I brought my uncle a fruit basket with ... Read Full Story >>

Just Doing The Right Thing

I was on a walk with a friend yesterday when I found a BlackBerry cell phone in a puddle of melted snow.  I picked it up and it still worked!  I started scrolling through the contact list and calling numbers to see if I could figure out whose phone it was.  Unfortunately, only one person answered and she didn't recognize the number that I was calling from.  She made a comment of "It is just so nice that you are trying to find out whose phone it is."  Since that lady didn't know whose phone it was, my friend suggested that we go back to the street and the house that we found the BlackBerry in front of.  I knocked on the door and two college-age people answered.  They hadn't lost their phones, but as I told them the story and mentioned some names on the contact list, the young man said that he had those names ... Read Full Story >>

A Box of Smiles With A Letter

A few months ago I posted a story about a woman struggling with alcoholism who reached out to me. I sent her a care pack full of smiles, encouraging words and some treats to help her out, along with a special letter I wrote to her. It has been almost 3 months and she is still doing great. She sends me updates and I send her encouraging notes. But, as I have said before, you never know how much something you say or do means to someone else. What happened next reminds me of how true that is. She read a story that another woman posted about being an alcoholic and how she needed to stop drinking, if only for her children. I read it too but she was quick to act. She e-mailed me and asked if I would put a "box of smiles" together for this woman and send ... Read Full Story >>

Gratitude For The Kindness Of Strangers...

As I was walking along the river this evening, enjoying some hot chocolate with the sun shining down on me on this nice spring day, I was in the mood to do something nice for a stranger and started to look around for an opportunity to do a random act of kindness.  Two minutes later I was approached from across the pathway by a complete stranger.  I wasn't sure why he was approaching me, when from out of nowhere he started talking to me really aggressively and harrassing me.  I could tell he was probably drunk or high or who-knows-what so I just stayed calm and kept walking ahead.  There were hundreds of people sitting on benches nearby and walking along the South Bank with me, so I wasn't really worried.  As I tried to walk along he kept saying offensive things to me and trying to get my attention.  ... Read Full Story >>

Overwhelmed by Unexpected Loving Kindness

The car went through the stop sign and into the intersection. With no where to go or time to get there, my taxi hit the car dead on. For the next three months I was out of work. I had no savings to speak of. No family to help me. I was in dire straights to be sure.  The lady who ran the stop sign had little insurance, barely enough to cover the medical expenses with little left over to pay my living expenses. Just after the accident Justin came to see me in the hospital. We had been co-drivers with the taxi company. We knew each other and worked well together. We were not what one might consider to be friends but we liked each other. He asked me what was going to happen and I told him I didn't know. I was in deep trouble financially until a settlement ... Read Full Story >>

How Babemba Tribe Forgives

In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the centre of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman, and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused individual.

Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a  time, each recalling the good things the person in the centre of the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy, is recounted.  All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length.  This tribal ceremony often lasts for several days.

At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration  takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe.

She Ran To Give an Elderly Man Back His Walking Cane, And Received Far More In Return

I met a man yesterday. Didn't get his name. And I'm confident, I'll probably never ever see him again. And that's ok. The purpose of our meeting, it's destiny, and it's fate, was fulfilled in the 5 minutes we spoke. He was an elderly man. Quite elderly. I'd say with no more than a few years left in him, on this earth. If he's lucky. I didn't see him at first. Had to search for him. Search for the owner of a very worn and old wooden walking stick, which was left half hanging outside of a shopping cart. I called out to a man who was walking away. I knew it was his. Had to be. It was. And he returned (slowly) to get it. I was in a friendly mood so started a conversation. And that's when it happened. That's when this man blessed me, with his story. And what a story. I ... Read Full Story >>

Making My Life Worth It

One day, after I finished my classes at university and was heading towards the bus station to go home, I kept thinking about how miserable my life was and how I couldn't succeed in anything. I was really sad and I thought I'd never do anything worth it in my life.

Then, I arrived at the bus station. I was looking around and watching people passing by.  I saw this very old lady who was carrying a very heavy bag. I kept watching her for a while and noticed that she was struggling to walk while carrying this bag. So, I decided to go up to her and offer to carry the bag and walk with her to wherever she was going.  She looked at me, shocked at first, but then she gave me the bag and smiled :) I walked with her until she reached her destination and I handed her the bag. She was still smiling and kept thanking me and wishing me the best of everything.

I really can't describe how happy I felt after she left. Yes, I made her happy but I was the happiest person on earth at this moment. It feels great to help people and makes my life feel worth it!!

An Elderly Woman's Cry Led To This Beautiful Act Of Kindness And Connection

As I was walking around Residential care this afternoon, I heard a lot of yelling and crying coming from one of the rooms. I had actually tried to connect with this little lady a few weeks ago but she can't speak English and has dementia. A caregiver was in with her and speaking but the lady wasn't responding. I took the lady into the bathroom and she was crying and looking in the mirror. To calm her down I started to brush her hair, it was soaking. The caregiver left and I grabbed a small towel and dried her hair as well as gently rubbing her head. She just kept crying and was terribly upset. So I wrapped my arms around her, rubbed her back and hugged her. At the same time, I was talking very quietly to her and rocking her. She sobbed in my arms. When she calmed down I sat ... Read Full Story >>

Hugathon

I set up the stand "Free Loving Hugs" on the side walk on one of busiest days in town - Fair on the Square. Over a period of two hours standing there I gave out about 300 hugs including 3 puppies, one kitten, and 1 kick in the butt.

What? Kick in a butt? Yea! One man came to me and he said that he really needs a hug. I gave him a hug, and then after he told me that he was going through some tough times in his life, I gave him a second hug. He said that he also needs a nice kick in the butt and so I happily, but gently, obliged, to help “kick”-start him into action. =)

Another memorable request was from a lady who came to me with tear filled eyes, and told me that she really, really needed a hug today. I gave her a nice loving squeezy hug, and then she told me that she was just diagnosed with cancer. Then I felt like I needed to give her a really, really long healing hug. We stood there hugging and the emotion of the moment overcame me and we both stood their crying for a while... =)

Thanks For Rocking With Me!

There was once an elderly, despondent woman in a nursing home. She wouldn't speak to anyone or request anything. She merely existed - rocking in her creaky old rocking chair.

The old woman didn't have many visitors. But every couple mornings, a concerned and wise young nurse would go into her room. She didn't try to speak or ask questions of the old lady. She simply pulled up another rocking chair beside the old woman and rocked with her.

Weeks or months later, the old woman finally spoke.

'Thank you,' she said. 'Thank you for rocking with me.'"

Clay Hearts

I just joined the challenge yesterday and have been thinking of some creative ways to lift some spirits. I have started on a batch of clay hearts which I will paint and add a inspirational word. I plan on leaving them in random spots for others to pick up. Hopefully they will bring a smile to those who find them :) 

Below is a photo of the clay hearts. I hope they get picked up and regifted again and again!

Let Someone Know You Are There

My son’s kindergarten class did a performance yesterday for the parents and rest of the school. It was great but one particular thing made me think a little more about life in general. I was in the back videotaping it since my wife could not attend. About 10 minutes into the program, I could see the change at the exact moment my son saw that I was there. He was doing great and being a wonderful participant before that moment, but I could tell how seeing me there made such a difference and meant so much to him. His smile, wave, and frequent “thumbs up” directed to me, made me laugh as I was able to relive them over and over later. It made me think. Sometimes just letting someone know you are there for them can make all the difference. They may not call on you or ask anything of ... Read Full Story >>

The Old Man on the Highway

As I turned off the highway onto the ramp to go home, I encountered a little old man on the side of the road.  His sign read, "Stranded, need ride to get to friend."  He had a bag, a cane and the clothes on his back. I turned my car to the right, the traffic horrific, no one letting me turn around.  So I went around the block and pulled a u-turn so that I could drive by this little man to offer him help.  A s I got turned, he had already begun walking up the road towards me.  It was like he knew what I was doing.  I stopped beside him and asked him what he was doing. He responded, "Well pretty lady, I am trying to get to my friend who is dying.  We have been friends for almost 50 years and now he lay dying -- I want to be with ... Read Full Story >>

A Frustration Pinata

Someone I know was going through a tough time and feeling pretty depressed.

Children Watch and Learn From Us

Teenagers! What can I say? My daughter is 12. Sometimes she is a crazy bundle of fun and sometimes she seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. This was one of her down days. She was bored and sad (and making a meal out of it!).  Every time she complained about being bored I would suggest something she could do, but there were always bucketloads of reasons why she couldn't do any of them. The suggestion that she might enjoy tidying her bedroom just provoked a look that reminded me of thunderclouds -- she's been good at that look since she was two! I was getting a little fed up with all this negativity, but I kept my patience.  I gently suggested that possibly the very best way in the world to have a good day was to try and make it a better day for someone else.  Then I suggested ... Read Full Story >>

The Smile Card Exchange

About a month ago, while in the drive through at Starbucks, I noticed a woman in a car behind me who appeared to be having a bad day. There were two kids in the back who looked to have too much energy at 8am on a Sunday morning.  The line moved slowly and at one point while pulling forward, the woman behind me bumped my car. I could tell this worried and concerned her. The entire time that I waited in line for my coffee this woman didn't smile. Looking back at her I could tell she was looking at the side view mirror wondering "Why me? Why today?" When I pulled up and paid for my coffee I requested that the Starbucks barista give the woman behind me a Smile Card and paid for her muffin and latte. Just 30 mins ago I was again waiting in line at the Starbucks. I heard a car door ... Read Full Story >>

1:30AM at the Grocery Store

I'm in line getting some groceries at the 24-hour grocery up the road from me.

The woman in front of me looks to be about 72 years old, and very much reminds me so much my grandmother!  Her bill was about 170 , she halls out a stack of $5.00 bills and is about 22.00 short.  She starts trying to decide what she doesn't need and starts putting things back in her cart. 

I felt so bad for this woman that I gave the cashier 25.00 and told the lady not to worry about it.  She wanted my name, address, phone # to pay me back but I wanted nothing to do with it.  I just told her that the next time she's in a restaurant, or coffeeshop, perhaps she can pay for someone's order behind her and just to pass it along.

She got all teary eyed and wanted to give me a hug, so I said "why not". :)  It was a great hug, as if I was hugging my own grandmother.

This just made my day.  And it also made me wonder why there was a 70 year old woman at the grocery store at 1:30am in the morning.