Search Results for 'popular' (3006 matches)

A Message That Arrived 4 Years Later, Right On Time

My teenage daughter has always taken special delight in receiving anything in the mail. She squeals with glee and rips open every envelope and package the moment she takes it in her hands. A few nights ago, when we were sorting through a basket of cards and stationery, she discovered an unopened, brightly colored envelope addressed to her, bearing a postage date of over four years ago. "What is this?" she asked, incredulous. "How did I miss this? How did it get here?" I had idea and was just as curious to see what it could have been. She opened it up and inside was a beautiful greeting card and hand-written note from a school administrator at her former middle school. The woman had written a note to my daughter in praise of how much progress she had shown with her struggle in math class, and it noted how proud she was and how much my daughter should take pride in what she ... Read Full Story >>

Learning From A Co-Workers Compassion To A Plant

I have a plant that sits on my desk.  Yesterday, the two ladies that clean the office came in right before I was leaving and looked at me with with angry eyes. They do not speak English and I do not speak Spanish, but I practice with them every chance that I get so I’m getting a lot better at understanding and communicating with them. With the plant in her hands, she looked at me and asked me why I had not watered the plant since it was wilting. Ironically, I was holding a bottle of drinking water in my hand taking a sip as she was saying that. S he said a few words in Spanish that completely flew over my head so I asked the other lady to translate. She said, “You drink water all the time but you neglect to water the plant! She left the office with the ... Read Full Story >>

Like The Flowing River!

[ One of my favorite stories from Paulo Coelho’s 'Like the Flowing River', in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.]


My wife and I met her on the corner of Rua Constante Ramos in Copacbana.  She was about sixty years old, sitting in a wheelchair, lost in the crowd. My wife offered to help her and the woman accepted the offer, asking us to take her to Rua Santa Clara.

There were a few plastic bags hanging from the back of the wheelchair. On the way, she told us that they contained all her belongings. She slept in shop doorways and lived off handouts.

We reached the place where she wanted to go. Other beggars were gathered there. The woman took out two packets of long-life milk from one of the plastic bags and gave it to the other members of the group.

“People are charitable to me, and so I must be charitable to others,” she said.

Running On Empty

Not so long ago on my half-hour commute to work, I passed by a large white van stopped at the side of the road.  At first, I didn't think too much of the situation as it's not out of the ordinary in this area to see vehicles temporarily abandoned while the owners decide what should be done with them. Inside the van was a girl looking obviously distressed.  She sat in the passenger seat with her eyes fixated forward, ignoring everything.  Up ahead I noticed the only thing she could have been looking at -- about 300 feet up the road was a fellow about my age walking towards town with a red plastic gas can in his hands. Within a split second, I realized that he had run out of gas and was trying to fill it up.  While the drive to the nearest gas station was only about 5-10 minutes, ... Read Full Story >>

Offering More Love, Less Fear

I'm sort of new to this small acts of kindness game, so I'm not sure how people feel about picking up hitchhikers. I've always felt that as long as you don't put your self in a completely unsafe position, it is an OK thing to do. But I'd never done it before until this week. It was about 9pm and I was walking in my school's campus from my office to my car. On the way, I ran into an fellow who was obviously lost. He asked me for directions, saying he needed to get to East Palo Alto. But the problem was he was walking in the complete opposite direction! I pointed him in the correct direction, but warned him it was a long ways off. He didn't speak English very well, and generally seemed disoriented. I quickly felt like helping him. Though he was a big guy, the vibe I ... Read Full Story >>

Oreo Smiles

I work in a busy department store. With the seasons changing right now the women's clothing department has been extra busy and our fitting rooms are loaded with clothing to be returned to the racks. 

I am like a "mom" figure to the girls and am always reminding them to stay busy and keep smiling when the going gets tough.

Today I wen out and bought chocolate covered Oreo cookies individually wrapped in bright colored foil. Towards the end of our day I went to my locker and got the cookies. I drew smiley faces on the foil and wrote Thank You on them. 

I gave each girl a cookie and  let them know that I appreciate them trying hard to keep everything neat and clean with a smile on their faces! 

I am not their manager, just a co-worker, but I know it made them feel special and appreciated. They couldn't wait for their shift to end so they could go eat their special treat.

Little things mean a lot. 

The Story of a Wallet

I just joined today, but have been reading your wonderful and inspiring posts for several weeks now. I would like to add a story that occured to me this week as a result of two related acts of kindness. Last Thursday I was pumping gas and set my wallet on top of my car after removing my debit card. I pumped my gas, drove away, and after realizing that my wallet had flown off the car roof, scanned the route I had traveled four times to no avail. Luckily I had no cash and my debit card was in my pocket, but this came at an already stressful time as I was getting married in six days, planning to move and trying to find a new job. This Monday at 5 a.m., I received a call from a Sheriff's Dept. three hours away in Marietta. The man said that a gentleman had ... Read Full Story >>

An Extra Special Candlelight Christmas Eve

I am a geriatric care manager and many of my clients families live out of state. This year, a sweet old lady that I care for, Alice, had gone through a particularly rough time. She had been in the hospital twice and then to a rehab nursing facility. In November I was finally able to get her back to her "home" in to an 'assisted living facility'. Alice has dementia and thought her daughter was coming to visit on Christmas day and that they were going to have the whole family together like the old days. When she finally realized that was not going to happen she was so sad and tearful. Knowing that her daughter was coming after Christmas was not enough to cheer her. I hated the idea of her being alone on the holiday! On Christmas Eve, I surprised her by asking if she would like to go to a candlelight service at church that night. Instead ... Read Full Story >>

Pennies For A Loving Cause

I am collecting pennies at work for a co-worker. He doesn't know I'm doing this. 

"Because You Are A Giver"

Many winters ago I was working at a community college when a homeless woman came in wearing only a slip on and a hospital bracelet. She started coughing as she laid back on a sofa in the student lounge. Clearly, she wasn't well.  Without thinking too much about it I went to the Student Affairs office where I knew I could find clothes in the "Lost and Found" bin. I gathered her up an entire outfit and made my way back. That's when a co-worker told me I should not help this person, as it would only lead to her wanting more help. I ignored her and carried on, despite the warnings. Two weeks later a lovely elderly man came to my office and asked to speak with me in private. Curious, I gave him my full attention. He proceeded to tell me that he had overheard the conversation with the co-worker ... Read Full Story >>

World Kindness Week Day 3- A 100 Days Of Kindness

Yesterday I made a decision to do an act of kindness every day for 100 days and write it on a chart.  It can be something really small.  No sooner had I made my decision than an opportunity came along.

I saw a little girl lose the ribbon from her hair.  He mum didn't notice.  I ran over, picked it up and went running after them.  I gave the mum the ribbon and she gave me something - a lovely smile.

I think it will be fun looking for opportunities to be kind.

A 5 AM Thank-You Note

Sometimes, I need to arrive at work early in the morning, around 6 AM, which means I have to leave my house around 5 AM (yes, it is quite difficult to wake up at 4 AM :)). Luckily, our work arranges for a cab driver to pick up employees from their respective homes before 5:30 AM. But since we don't have one consistent cab making the rounds every morning, the drivers often are not familiar with the employees' addresses. They end up having to roam around early in the morning to pick up close to fifteen people. During my (not so often) early morning commute to office, I have been watching an employee who seems to come to the office early on a regular basis. He also generally gets picked up first by the drivers. Since he usually travels at the same time, he happens to know the addresses of most ... Read Full Story >>

Pumping Gas For An Old Lady

Not a really stupendous story, but I was really jazzed after this small act.

I'd stopped to fill up the gas tank on my pickup and noticed an older lady (in her 80s) in the next lane. She was walking with one of the canes with outriggers and seemed to be having a problem getting around.

I watched for a bit, not wanting to insult her if she was making it. I finally asked her if I could help. Got a look like, "I don't know you." Then I asked if I could carry something in to the attendant for her. She considered this for a moment and handed me $30.00 to take in.

I did, and then pumped the gas for her.

It turns out that this woman, with the prettiest brown eyes, had hurt her knee, and was trying to get to her doctor.   I'm glad I was able to lend a hand.

Kindness Doesn't Stop Even At Age 80!

I'm part of a social action group of eight inspiring women (men didn't want to join our group!) and we are looking at a response to homeless women in our city. At present men are catered for in a very small way. We met with an 86 yr old woman, who was asked by the Police to accommodate a single homeless woman, and there was nothing suitable for her.

We have Women's Refuge, but they only accept women with children. This 86 yr old woman now runs a home with 6 beds for single women in need. How amazing is that? Her message to us was "One person CAN make a difference"

The Long Life of a Short Friendship

My son's day care provider experienced a tragic sudden death of a friend. She had just met this fellow and had sensed a deep connection before dropping him off at his car. He had a car accident that night, and was killed. Deeply moved by the sadness that my friend was experiencing, I was compelled to write her some comforting words about being able to see the positives of how her friend had influenced her life and suggested that he possibly came to her as an angel of change for her life. This trajedy, impacted her deeply and encouraged her to reevaluate her life, as tragedy often does. I encouraged her to look past the normal conditionings that would have us concentrate on the drama of a trajedy and suggested she instead reflect on the positive message this friend's life gave her and the people around her. This approach would ... Read Full Story >>

The Madrone Seedlings!

I have a strong affinity for madrone trees. Though they grow along most of the west coast, their abundance at sea level and especially on islands in the Pacific Northwest is such that I feel they reflect the soul of this place. Their nonconforming and sensual nature has a way of attracting artists to their midst. In my immediate area, they grow in a few coastal places on the mainland and especially on the nearby islands. My dream is to live among them, but the real estate prices on the mainland where they grow is astronomical and living on an island cuts you off from your family. So instead I have been studying their very specific growing conditions and learning how to propagate them myself to plant them where I live. Last year I purchased 150 seedlings from a native plant sale at the community college in Bellingham. About 25 of these trees ... Read Full Story >>

The Little Girl Who Changed Me

At first, I didn't know what was happening to me, I started feeling sad, bored and empty. I told my mom about my feelings and she suggested that I should start helping others. I was confused because I didn't get how by helping others I could start feeling full and happy. So I thought I should give it a try. The next day, I went to a house called "Las niñas de Jesus". This house is a catholic house for young women that were abandoned or taken by the DIF. When I arrived I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know how to talk to them or what to talk about. I started helping them to do their homework. I started going very often and really enjoying it. One day, I met this little girl in the house of las niñas de Jesus, she started asking me about my parents, my ... Read Full Story >>

Community Compassion

Last Sunday, I walked into the house in the afternoon to find my brother scurrying around in a hurry.  As soon I had taken my coat off, he placed a bunch of papers in my hands and asked if I could start folding them up (so they could fit into an envelope) as quickly as possible.  He said it needed to get done quickly before it turned dark.  I assumed it was probably something for his business and just got right to it, although I was a little surprised that something could be so urgent on a Sunday.  It wasn’t until I was halfway through that I actually looked at what I was folding – and when I did – it put the biggest smile on my face!  It was a lovely letter to all the residents of my street and the nearby streets in my neighbourhood. My brother was asking everyone to ... Read Full Story >>

Post it Note Kindness at the Mall

December kindness for today.  I visited the mall, went into ladies' fitting rooms and bathroom, left positive messages on heart post-its. One of my favorite RAKS (random acts of kindness) to do! Our words matter. They can encourage and build people up, or shame and tear them down. 

When I was putting the hearts on the bathroom mirror a little girl saw me and kept saying, "hearts, hearts, I love hearts!" :)

I left a stack of blank post-its and a pen behind in the bathroom for others to add messages if they'd like. ♡ 

Beautiful Outfit Beautiful Smile

I was out shopping earlier today. 

On my way out of one store I noticed this rather large women sitting on a bench waiting. She was dressed in a brightly colored long dress and had pretty shoes too. Sometimes I think people overlook larger sized women but I am always looking to compliment. So, that's what I did!

As I passed by I smiled widely and said, "I love your outfit! You look very pretty in it." 

She gave me the biggest smile in return and said, "Thank You."  

I knew right then I made a difference in her day!