Stories by donothing (6 matches)

The Bridge We Were Meant To Cross

 My brother and I were driving home together and became engrossed in a conversation. Because of this distraction, my brother took a wrong turn.   Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us towards a bridge and we had no way to turn back. Grudgingly, my brother paid the bridge toll and drove on. He was clearly frustrated by the mistake and the needless waste of $4.   We eventually reached an exit slip-way and, as we took it, my brother noticed a beat-up black Mustang pulled over to the side of the road. A young guy was standing nearby trying to phone someone. I was busy trying to figure out which way we went next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat tire and needed a wrench to get it off. My brother gave him a wrench, then proceed to help him ... Read Full Story >>

A Traveling Truck of Sweetness

I was on my school's campus the other day and there was an ice cream truck parked right in front of one of the main common areas of the school. Since I had primarily seen ice cream men drive their musical trucks around neighborhoods for elementary school kids, I never thought an ice cream man would circle our campus and come for us, overgrown kids, such as myself.  I was intrigued and was prompted to investigate further. I was quite surprised when the sweet and rather chubby man in the truck called out, "free ice cream!". I questioned him just to confirm his words saying, "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "Free ice cream, you have your choice of these four frozen treats: the rocket pop, the chocolate eclair, the strawberry shortcake, or the drumstick ." After I got the confirmation that this guy is just giving away free ice cream, I talked with the man for a while. He told me that his dream had always ... 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 >>

Anonymous Pizza Party

I am a student at Stanford, and last week I got an email from a wonderful student group on campus. The email said that they would be holding a meeting that evening, but unfortunately no food would be served because of the short notice in calling the meeting. Taking this as an opportunity to treat a great group of students, I biked over to a local pizza restaurant and ordered two large pizzas for the group. It was a little difficult explaining to the workers that I wanted this to be an anonymous delivery, but in the end they understood :) Pleased with my gesture, the manager taking my order even gave me a 15% discount, more than what was normal for an order of this size and completely unsolicited! I knew things would work out after that.  :) I asked for the pizzas to be delivered at the beginning of the ... Read Full Story >>

Open Hearts On A Crammed Bus

Riding the bus in India can be a disconcerting experience. First, getting on the bus is itself an imposing proposition. Usually, the bus slows to a coast at your stop and you literally have to jump on, all the while jostling for a grip amongst a crowd of others also trying to board. Once you get on, it doesn't get any easier. Indian buses are crowded, dusty, stuffy, uncomfortable. You seldom find a place to sit; most of the time you are crammed into the aisles, clinging for a grip someplace. Today I was on an especially busy bus. I was standing in the aisle when the seat right next to me opened up. Typically when this happens there is a mad scramble to fill the seat, like when the music suddenly stops in a game of musical chairs. But when one opens up in front of me I like to first ... Read Full Story >>

Countering the Culture of Suffering

I was at the emergency room of a local hospital yesterday helping my brother-in-law who had injured his knee. I hadn't been to the ER in a while, so I was a little taken aback by all the people in there with their various ailments and sufferings. We sat down by one woman who was just crying and crying, while her husband sat looking stunned and in shock. I guessed that they had a relative in there and it was bad, perhaps life-threatening. I realized that the ER is a place where suffering is the culture; it is blended into the walls. This made me a little down but also eager to be of service. Surely I could do something small to put a smile on someone's face... perhaps counteract the thick cake of suffering that gripped the walls. My chance came when my sister and I brought some food back to ... Read Full Story >>

Walking Away with an Open Heart

Nightshift at the Marriott

Being There When He Needed It Most

The Battle For Change