Search Results for 'popular' (3005 matches)

Turning Rain Into Sunshine - For A Dollar!

I go to one of those "everything's a dollar" stores and purchase several umbrellas to keep in my car. When I am driving somewhere in the rain and see someone stranded without any shelter I pull up by the roadside and hand them an umbrella. 

A Different Kind of Pep Rally

A group of us decided to start a Kindness Pep Rally, where we hold signs with messages like, "Honk if you love someone," "You Are Awesome," "Kindness is Good for the Heart," and "Dont Give Up, Ok?" We are well into the third week of it, and still going strong! Our "Pep Squad" began two weeks ago with two friends, and today something amazing happened! An hour into our "Pep Rally," a total stranger stopped by to chat. During the conversation, the stranger revealed that her name was Amanda and that she had just moved to the area. She said that she was touched by what we were trying to accomplish.  "This may sound strange, but I believe that meeting you and seeing the amazing thing that you both are doing is a sign that I belong here in this city. I want to become part of this."  We shared that our next event would be holding signs that ... Read Full Story >>

Bank of Candy

It was such a nice day today, with storms expected tomorrow, so I put the laundry on hold and treated my adopted mom to lunch. <3

We walked around the entire mall, and I found a bank of candy machines that I filled with quarters. :) My mom said she had never seen anyone do anything like that!

Contagious Kindness Everywhere?

I always come by the site to read an off-the-wall sort of story, but since joining the site a few days ago, I'm experiencing an amazing transformation -- I see kindness EVERYWHERE!

The bus driver who waited for this old man, then bent the rules and let him out where he wanted to get off (rather than at the next stop).

The man smiling at the little boy playing.

The Dr who rushed round to a (nearly) closed clinic to give my mum the all-clear, rather than make her wait two-weeks for the usual paperwork/report to be written.

The driver who spent 5 minutes giving me accurate directions when I was lost.

My neighbor who brought round a bag of fresh fruit.

The shop-assistant who hurried up my order because she thought I was waiting too long for it.

The receptionist who understood that patients should come before Doctors.

The almost-stranger who gave me some good, unexpected advice.

 
Is this unique to me, or are you all going through this amazing experience?

He Was There For Her When No One Else Was

I have never had a birthday party before, so at this "ripe-old" age, I decided to throw one for myself. Approximately 20 people confirmed that they were coming. I don't have a lot of money but splurged in the $1 store to buy decorations, plates. I had a tiny budget in order to feed all of them. I sat, I waited, I pondered, and, although all of my "friends" said they were coming, no one showed up! The celebration was supposed to start at 12 noon. Here it was, 4:00pm, and still, no one was here. The expensive cake was melting, the food on the BBQ was burnt beyond recognition. I tried, really hard, not to cry. I decided to sit out back, reflect on the wonderful things that I did have, and read "Chicken Soup." All of a sudden, I heard a screech and a roar of an engine, just outside ... Read Full Story >>

A Boy's First Watch

I had gone to my bank (in Nigeria) to withdraw some money and was given a beautiful, blue, customized watch as a free gift.    As I left there, I thought to myself that I didn't need the watch. I was already wearing one! I thought that there were people who needed that watch more than me, people who had never worn one before.    My sister came around and I handed her the watch to give any of the boys who go around begging with their physically-disabled parents. My sister's hostel is very close to where they usually stay.    A few days later one of the boys, about 14 years old, came around my sister's lecture hall with his blind mother to beg for money as usual. My sister then walked up to him and asked him if he had a watch. He said, "No." And my sister gave the watch to him. She ... Read Full Story >>

Aren't We All Family?

I noticed elderly man was wobbly on his feet and was trying to steady himself by grabbing at a bush outside the rest area facility, but then sort of slowly collapsed to the concrete sidewalk as another bystander. My husband and I ran to his aide. Thankfully, he didn't hit his head on the sidewalk! A few more of us gathered around, assessing the situation. I gave my cell phone to husband to call 911. It seemed lot happened all at once, but there were at least 4 or 5 of us by the man's side. <3 His wife was alerted (she had been walking their dog in the pet area) and then she brought his oxygen. Someone took his pulse; another cushioned his head. Waiting for the ambulance to get there, I held his hand and looked in his eyes. I patted his face and touched his forehead. I assured him that ... Read Full Story >>

This Buck Doesn't Stop

About a year back, I got off the train and was waiting for my ride to come pick me up. Suddenly I felt the inspiration to write a poem. I looked around and found a pen, but no paper. There was not even a scrap of paper in site. Bummer! So I sat there for a moment in a predicament, alone with the stunted inspiration. Then looked around a little more. It turned out that in my wallet I had a dollar bill. Looking at it a little more thoroughly, it became clear that there was very little writing surface on the dollar. But I could write something... So I took my pen and wrote something like this: "This is a very special dollar - given to you with love. Do not keep it. Do not spend it. Pass it on. Give it to someone else with love, and watch ... Read Full Story >>

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted

Yesterday, I was at the grocery store buying myself supper.  I actually borrowed money from my boss/friend because I was totally broke.  On my way out, there was a lady there who looked to be in her thirties with a little girl about nine or ten years old.  They had a ridiculous amount of bags filled with empty cans.  We get a five cent refund for each can returned.  Although they had  a lot of cans, their refund most likely only added up to a few dollars.  Maybe they were just doing some spring cleaning, but when I bring that many cans or bottles for refunds, it's generally because I really need money for something.  (Sometimes I'll spend all a lot of time collecting my cans and counting it all out so that I can afford a loaf of bread to eat.) Seeing the two of them there really struck me. I walked by ... Read Full Story >>

Smile Card Magic In The Sky

I was at Karma Kitchen, a gift economy project, when a volunteer asked if anyone could use some free drink coupons for a particular airline.  I enthusiastically accepted, knowing that even though I don't usually drink, I could use those free drink coupons to "tag" someone with a smilecard.  I loved the idea of "tagging" someone with a smilecard and a free drink coupon on an airplane! Fast forward a month or two later, when my girlfriend and I were on a flight to Las Vegas as the first stop of a trip to the Grand Canyon.  I had several drink coupons and smilecards ready, and it was just a matter of figuring out the "Who" and the "How" of tagging someone on an airplane, while still trying to stay completely anonymous. As luck would have it, we had an awesome, amazing, hilarious flight attendant, who was very, very funny (he really could have been ... Read Full Story >>

A Saturday Well Spent

Today my heart is full of joy and gratefulness for my family and for the beautiful people I encountered today.  My husband worked all night as a police volunteer and got home at 5.30 a.m. in the morning and then left at 4 p.m. this afternoon for another shift. My daughter spent the morning with some friends and neighbors raising money  for a very famous charity in our town and also helped one of her friend's dad raise money for a sponsored climb of a mountain in Morocco. And what did I do? Well, I bought some cakes for my daughter and her friend and gave a smile card to the gentleman that was selling the cakes, plus a card that said,  "May all your days be filled with Love." I went to the library and left the cards inside the magazines and books and on the shelves so people could find them. I ... Read Full Story >>

A Profound Urge To Do Something Outrageously Kind

Yesterday, I wasn't having the greatest day. I lost my wallet, and luckily I found it, but the whole mishap messed up the rest of my day. In the evening, I was reading stories on My Life is Average, and then switched to Gives Me Hope. Reading about so many positive experiences and contributions to society from so many different people made me feel very cheerful. After reading, I was getting ready for bed in an altogether happy mood, and as I was getting out of the shower, I had a wonderful idea. I had this profoud urge to do something outrageously nice for someone whom I don't feel like I've ever done anything explicitly nice, my mother. That's not to say that I don't love her and tell her as such, but doing the little acts of kindness, those usually escape me. And it's not just me that forgets to do ... Read Full Story >>

Listening to the little voice within

A friend's mother recently told me how she has been going through some hard times lately. She knows I practice a feminine yoga called "tigress" and often asks about it. I told her about an upcoming trial taster class. She told me that if finances permit, she would attend.

So tonight as I was thinking about her and about Tigress yoga, I heard a voice in my head say, "Pay for her Nicole." And so I did!  

I told her I would love to pay for her class and asked her if it were ok. To which she instantly replied, "Yes!" I love a woman who can so easily and graciously receive as I was nervous asking because I don't know her too well.  

Mocha for Me

I live on a very busy street and the morning commute can sometimes be almost unbearable. 

One morning, I let a car out of a side street and proceeded on my way to my favorite drive thru coffee shop.  When it was my turn I ordered my mocha and as I went to pay she told me that the car in front of me had paid for me because I had let them out in traffic and they noticed I had gone to the same coffee place that they had!!! 

Now that inspired me to do likewise and occassionally that is what I do---pay it forward!!!   A small kindness like letting someone out in traffic can make someone's day!   And the bonus this time was a mocha!! Totally unexpected blessing!  It works both ways!

Sharing A Laughter Break

It was a rainy day and I noticed that the lady coming into the senior center had holes in both shoes. Her toes were sticking through the shoes! It wasn't really time for a break but I decided to take one so I could chat with this lady.   She told me that she does have other shoes but they are not as comfortable as the old ones. She also told me she was going blind and could barely see, and that she has a friend who took her in and helps care for her. Her children live in other states and can't afford to visit.   She started sharing some jokes and we both laughed. Laughter is good for the soul!    When it was time for lunch, she said, "Thank You for taking the time to sit with me and listen to my jokes!"   We all need someone, sometimes, to just sit and listen and let ... Read Full Story >>

A Compassion Buddy Overseas

I have a friend who I was put into contact with through my Narrative Therapist. She is also unwell and under going huge hardships. We live in different countries, and our situations are quite different from one another. But despite this, we find we can connect to each others hearts through a few compassionate words. Each day, we send each other something to 'lift' one another up. Whether it be the lyrics to an inspirational song, a capturing quote, or just some thoughtful, comforting words. The impact this has on me is incredible. And it works two ways- the fact that I've made her feel good, makes me feel good inside, and the fact that she's made me feel good, makes her feel good. I guess I'm trying to say- a compassionate heart is the most priceless thing in the world. And to be compassionate, you do not need to 'know', you need not understand, ... Read Full Story >>

Something To Sit On

We have five fantastic children.  As they've grown older, from high school to college and so on, we found ourselves cleaning out our home of furniture only to replace it with something new. We had this one living room set consisting of a sofa, loveseat and chair. It went through a couple of the kids, hauling it up the stairs to their third floor apartments and back down again to the next apartment. Our son was the last to have the set when he finally asked for a place to store it because he was going out of town for a semester.  We told him we would hold it for him in our garage.  So we picked the furniture up and brought it back to the house. One day, while at work, I heard a couple of people talking in the hallway.  A mother and her two children were kicked out of their ... Read Full Story >>

Candy Care from the Kindness Contest

In early December, I had a fun idea. I thought it would be a good idea to provide care packages for my students who were heading into their final exams. I teach two classes at CWRU in Ohio, which is a difficult, research oriented, private school.I also teach two classes at Tri-C, a community college made up of more mature college students who worked and had families. They had their own stresses.  I found this site, HelpOthers.org and the kindness contest, and wrote in with my idea to use the $100 to provide care packages for my students.   Before I even knew if I would win the kindness contest, I spent $50 of my own cash. I used it to get the supplies for my CWRU students' care packages. I pondered this for awhile before I did it, because $50 is a lot of money to me, but it quickly became an obsession.  I decided to do it ... Read Full Story >>

Spreading Smiles On a Father-Daughter Date Night!

At least once a month one of my little kindness kids Rachel and I try to have a father/daughter date night. Last night we were out for dinner together after doing some fun things. We talked about some of her kindness activities she did at school for their 100 Acts of Kindness challenge her class had. It was great to listen to the little things she and her classmates did to spread kindness. Many times on our date nights we try to do an act of kindness of our own, as she is often my sidekick on our kindness adventures. My latest Smile Deck card is one about anonymously buying a stranger's meal so I asked Rachel if we should find someone in the restaurant and buy their dinner. She loved the idea so we chose an older couple sitting behind us. I had a few Smile Cards on me (as always!) ... Read Full Story >>

For My Birthday - 50 Smiles in 50 Days for 50 Years of Joy

I turn 50 in December, so for 50 days leading up to the day, I have recruited 50 friends (it's really up to 70) to spread smiles, share happiness and promote love by performing an act of kindness each day! I created cards for them to share, in the hopes that the recipient will pay it forward! 2500 acts (or more) to celebrate 50 years of happiness and joy. We are only on day three and I am already blown away by the joy we are spreading! #50smilesin50days https://www.facebook.com/groups/50smilesin50days/