Search Results for 'popular' (3006 matches)

Match: Sort By:


My First Smile Card Experience - But Not the Last!

On a recent trip to California, I was introduced to Smile Cards. I promised myself to initiate an act of kindness before I left California. I kept thinking about it but I didn't know how or what to do.  I reached the airport and the boarding was about to begin, when something just suddenly clicked. I saw an ice-cream store and I went to the store and told the guy at the store (Jose) that I want to do an act of kindness. He looked confused. I kind of expected that! Then I told him I had just attended a conference, met an incredible and humble human being who inspired me to do an act of kindness, and told me about Smile Cards. Jose was intrigued, and was curious about what I was going to say next.  I told Jose, "Whoever is your next customer, treat them to a single scoop of ... Read Full Story >>

2509 Reads
  • Posted by icecream
  • Jan 6, 2018
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

How to Make a Friend

My son Wynn has autism. As a result, his social skills are stunted. Neverless, he still longs for friendship and human kinship even though he rarely knows how to properly initiate conversations. When he was 7 or 8, he went through a phase where he would approach strangers with survey-type questions such as: "Excuse me, Sir. Are you married or are you happy?" or "Excuse me, Lady. Have you always been so old?" or, my personal favorite, "Excuse me, Girl. How did you grow up to be a fat woman?" As you can imagine, he didn't make many friends for either one of us, and I spent a lot of time apologizing and feeling embarrassed (though I have to say, his questions were actually quite relevant).  When Wynn was 10, he entered the phase of being totally enamored with men who had facial hair. In his attempt to interact with his subject of interest, he would approach each ... Read Full Story >>

4529 Reads
  • Posted by shannonj
  • Dec 9, 2008
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

Lost and Found: A Ten Dollar Bill

Last week I was visiting my best friend in Cincinnati.  One morning as we walked to breakfast, I spotted a piece of paper on the street and it turned out to be a $10 bill!  I was determined to use it as a special treat and carried it around for two days as we brainstormed ways to spend it. Since we are both huge fans of Dairy Queen, we decided to head there after dinner on my last day in town. His blizzard and my sundae came to $5, so when the employee handed me $5 bill as change, I turned around to the lady (and her son) behind me and said, "Here, this is for you!"  Seeing her startled reaction, I told her, "I found $10 the other day and since we've already received our treat, you guys should enjoy the rest!"  She was very gracious and took the money and ... Read Full Story >>

4432 Reads

Heaven and Hell Story

A man spoke with the God about heaven and hell. The God said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell."

They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.

"Come, now I will show you heaven," the God said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first -- the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"

The God smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."

9602 Reads

Pay-it-Forward Coffee Karma

Every day I go into the same coffee shop on the way to work. It's part of a large chain here in the UK. I am new to the anonymous act of kindness concept.  I came across it recently, and a few weeks ago I worked up the courage to ask the Barista if I could pay for a coffee for someone later that day. He looked at me kind of strangely and said "okay" and then put the  money in the till. I walked out feeling doubtful that this would ever happen (and privately thinking he might just add the money to his tips).  This chain stamps a card every time you buy a coffee and when you get 9 stamps, the 10th coffee is free.  I had just completed my card today and was due a free coffee next time, so I cheered up as I headed out of the ... Read Full Story >>

8324 Reads

My Neighbor's Encounter With Death

My neighbor was diagnosed with Leukemia.  He was told that he didn't have many days to live. While most would get depressed, he was as happy as ever!  I was confused and decided to ask him why. He was gardening when I finally asked the question.  With a smile, he responded, "Why be angry at the world when we are blessed with the knowledge of our death?  Why not embrace it give back something to our society?" The next day, I read in the newspaper that he was among the many who volunteered to help out the poverty stricken people in South Africa. He was already packing when I entered his house.  He said he want to go and enjoy the last few moments of his life helping people.   With his usual wisdom, he also noted, "It's better to live a life happily in the short amount of time then to live a ... Read Full Story >>

3597 Reads

Wings of Joy Shared

My elderly neighbor, who is housebound, has always enjoyed watching birds. Since she is no longer able to get close to nature, I brought the birds closer by hanging a hummingbird feeder from a hook off her home's gutter edge, where she could see it well.

Now that the hummingbirds have migrated to warmer climates for the approaching winter, I will replace the hummingbird feeder with a sunflower-hearts seed feeder, designed for perching birdsonly. That way, there will be no mess and my neighbor can enjoy the various birds, such as chickadees, finches, etc. We are so blessed to be able to share these gifts with our feathered friends. Their wings uplift us to much joy!

3309 Reads

The Lady in The Antique Stall

I visited an Antiques market this weekend. A friend of mine needed to buy items for her house. I often enjoy looking at all those beautiful 'old' things, love to imagine who used them and what they were used for. I noticed a very fragile lady who had her stall nearby.

I watched for a while (always do...observe). I decided to go and talk to her. Most people I observed only asked for prices and bargained, many left without even saying thank you. I felt she needed 'more'. I always try to talk to people who seem sad or lonely.

We talked about her stall, I asked her about her items and a bit of the story behind some of them, told her about some of my Grandma and Mum's collections, etc. She was so kind and tender, her face changed, smiled a lot, and thanked me dearly for spending time with her. I was even more delighted!

2397 Reads

Smile Cards Take Australia By A Storm

On Sunday 30th of September 2007 over 70 beautiful people in my life (family and friends) staged a Random Act of Kindness Project in our local community. We distributed over 600 SMILE cards on the day and the project is now set to be an annual event!   The day was perfect and we had plenty of volunteers. Over 30 businesses and individuals sponsored and donated and supported in one way or another. The day started off with a brief welcome from me, followed by a poem written by my 9 year old son about Random Acts of Kindness. He read this out aloud for all volunteers to hear which surely got everyone into the spirit of things! My gorgeous fiancé Steven took the reigns and lead the day.   We surprised our community with a free car and window wash, coffee, balloons, sweets, biscuits, gift vouchers, BBQ and lawn mowing. We also fed the homeless, visited local rest homes ... Read Full Story >>

3128 Reads
  • Posted by jacqueline
  • Mar 5, 2008
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

Anything helps!

I was just stopping by the grocery store yesterday when I saw a guy outside with a sign that said, "Anything helps". As I turned my car around and he was just about to pack up and leave. I asked what he needed in the store. He asked for a can of ravioli. I picked him up ravioli, spaghetti, and beef stroganoff in the car. He seemed to be appreciative when I gave them to him. 

2883 Reads

A Day Full Of Blessings

Some days are just so full of blessings you don't know what to do! Today was one of those. My neighbor needed to avoid a utility shut-off, so I helped her round up the money to cover it. It was mutually beneficial and not really a favor but she appreciated the help. (I bought some stuff from her that she had no use for but I would have probably purchased anyway.)      When I got home I found a wet $20 bill plastered to the ground in the street.    Another friend had coupons and rewards and treated me to a good movie and wonderful dinner at a little cafe. At the diner, I saw a man and his three adorable little girls having a frugal meal. He looked a little stressed, so I used the $20 bill I had found and paid for their meal.    The waitress was so surprised by this that she ... Read Full Story >>

5675 Reads

Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner. But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn. He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing ... Read Full Story >>

9148 Reads
  • Posted by Serendipity
  • Mar 28, 2008
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

Spreading Smiles, Smile Cards And Chocolate :)

Yesterday afternoon, I bought a few things from the supermarket. I decided to buy a chocolate bar for the checkout operator, and gift it with a smile card. The woman at the check-out counter was an older lady, and at first, she seemed very grumpy. After paying, I was nervous to give my gift to her, because for the whole time we interacted, she didn't smile at all. Nevertheless, I picked up the courage and gave it to her, explaining that it was for her.   It was the most amazing reaction ever! :) She seemed shocked at first but then a huuuge smile spread across her face, and she was so happy and thankful! She told me that no customers had ever done anything nice for her before. I felt so happy that I was able to make her smile! :) Then I went out to wait for the bus at the bus ... Read Full Story >>

6800 Reads

Giving Flowers That Give In Return

My husband and I were at a discount grocery store waiting in line.  We were behind a mother and her boy who was probably about seven years old. She had a beautiful purple bouquet in her basket. The flowers brought a smile to my face. I remarked to the lady how lovely her flowers were and she said her son picked them out. He just beamed at the compliment so I asked if he would like to pick some out for me.  He was off like a shot down the aisle to pick out a bouquet for me. When he returned he was so obviously pleased at having done a two-fold good job:  picking out nice flowers and helping an "old lady."  When I thanked him, he said a very loud and clear "You're welcome." So, by then Mama is beaming at her helpful polite son who feels great about doing a good deed. ... Read Full Story >>

4292 Reads

What I Want on My Birthday

I'm a Director overseeing 5 departments, at work. Last Friday was my birthday. After lunch, I walked with my administrative assistant over to the cafeteria to get a soda only to find all of my staff currently on shift was there, waiting for me. They got me a cake and made my whole afternoon better. I choked up a bit when they sang me happy Birthday.

I know it's late - but here's what I ask of everyone each year for my birthday (from my post on FB):

"My birthday message is the same as last year: For my Birthday this year, I once again ask for something from each of you. Do something nice for somebody today. Stranger, friend, I don't care. Just something nice with no need of a reward or thank you. No need to tell me, I'd rather not know. That feeling afterward? That's my gift to you"

 

3317 Reads
  • Posted by stypica
  • Oct 9, 2015
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

A Cake For The Man Who Waves

I baked two cakes last night - one for my children and another to give away today. 

When I have the opportunity to go walking or jogging outside I often see a man in a wheelchair. He sits outside his home and smiles and waves at passers-by. 

So, my daughter and I packed the cake in tissue paper and colorful yarn, then placed it in a bag with a Smile Card. 

She was so excited to give him this gift! Her excitement and his happiness made it all so worthwhile.

2615 Reads

An Unexpected Tip from an Unlikely Customer

This happened to me years ago when I was a waitress, but I still remember this specific incident so vividly. As the end of the night was approaching, fifteen minutes before our restaurant closed, a gentleman came in.  I was the unfortunate waitress who got to stay after closing to take his order and serve him his food. The customer was impeccably difficult was quite openly upset with how his food was prepared, slightly overdone, perhaps a medium rare when he had requested rare. He sent his order back twice. When it eventually arrived to his liking, he needed a pot of coffee brewed fresh. Meanwhile, my managers and our cooks were breathing down my neck, as they wanted the last customer of the day to finally leave so that we could close up shop and go home.   At this point I was frustrated and tired. I had stayed 45 ... Read Full Story >>

4418 Reads
  • Posted by katlampi
  • May 11, 2008
  • 16 Comments
  • Share Story

Anger Management Gift Economy Style

Several years ago I wrote a book entitled “Anger Work: How to Express Your Anger and Still Be Kind.” I am a clinical psychologist working in private practice and wanted to help people who struggle with emotional pain and trauma. Over years of working with children and adults, I had learned that anger, if expressed correctly, could help people to heal instead of causing more pain and suffering. After I wrote the book, I decided to offer to send it out for free to anyone who couldn’t afford it. Then, a couple of months ago, someone e-mailed and suggested that I offer my book for free as a download from my website. Last month, I thought I would try and see if I could create an unabridged audio recording of my book and offer this for free from my website (so many people prefer audio to print books). The company ... Read Full Story >>

4703 Reads

The Journey of a Spanish Smile Card

At 2:00am this past Friday morning, I received a text message from a friend, asking if I had any Smile Cards in Spanish. I immediately replied back saying I didn’t have any smile cards in Spanish. However, I also asked her why she wanted them specifically in Spanish and if smile cards in English would be acceptable. To my surprise, she said she had been one of the few selected by her high-school to go on a service trip to Nicaragua. She was going to spend four weeks in the villages teaching English to children & teens between the ages of five and eighteen. She wanted to share the concept of Smile Cards and kindness. By now, I was totally rocked and excited with hearing the news! :) So I decided to stop texting and call her to get more information about her service trip and ask when she was leaving for ... Read Full Story >>

8529 Reads

Hats For The Homeless

A true kindness soul! ❤️Bless this man.

 A 91-year-old man fighting cancer is knitting warm hats for the homeless while bedridden in hospice care. Despite being weak and frail, with a mass on his kidney, Morrie Boogart, has knitted more than 18,000 hats.



2748 Reads




Submit your own
story of Kindness

Search by keyword

Tags

Subscribe to the Kindness Newsletter

143K subscribers

About Us

KindSpring is a place to practice small acts of kindness. For over a decade the KindSpring user community has focused on inner transformation, while collectively changing the world with generosity, gratitude, and trust. The site is 100% volunteer-run and totally non-commercial. It is a shared labor of love.

Other servicespace Projects Include

KindSpring.org is a project of ServiceSpace. BY-NC-ND 4.0