Stories by hinashah4 (7 matches)

Birthday Gift of a Compliment

Recently, I switched to a different cell phone service provider. We visited the new service provider's store and one of the sales managers assisted us with our request. He was a very efficient and charming person. He was very good at what he was doing, gave us some honest opinions, and got us involved in some interesting conversations while we were waiting for our order to get processed. When we were about to leave, he politely told us that we could leave our feedback about today's service through a phone survey, which we'd receive soon. I asked him whether there was another way to leave feedback because I am not very good at attending phone calls. He replied that the phone call would be the only way. Before leaving, I quickly registered the name of the sales manager in my mind. The next day was my birthday. I really wanted to do something special for ... Read Full Story >>

The Mumbai Bus Conductor

I use to travel from one crowded part of Mumbai city to another bus in the peak travel hours.  During the forty-five minute journey I couldn't help but notice the conductor doing his job. I saw that he was very diligent and dedicated to his work. After a few days of regular travel on his bus we started sharing smiles. Its very strange to have any interactions with conductors in Mumbai local buses apart from the transaction of buying a travel ticket.  But, something about his way of working always intrigued me.    The more I observed him the more I felt I could learn from him; how he did this seemingly boring job so gracefully. I observed how he controlled annoying passengers on super-crowded buses, young naughty kids traveling on half ticket, and cheats who didn't want to buy tickets.    On the last day of my journeys on this bus I wrote him ... Read Full Story >>

Neighbours, Furniture, and Paint

Today, after finishing dinner in town, my husband and I were driving back home. As we pulled over to park, we saw a couple painting their furniture. I went inside our home, changed, and then went back out again to ask our neighbors if they needed any help. While leaving my home, I was plagued by  thoughts of embarrassment, denial, and being received and looked down on suspiciously. Nevertheless, I gathered the guts to go down and ask them anyway! Learning: Its tough to step out of your comfort zone, even to do a good deed. Initially, the woman denied. Then, the man said, "Sure", and he handed me a spray paint bottle. We rolled into some good conversations while painting. When we finished, I briefly chatted with them before leaving. In the end, I not only enjoyed helping them, but also learned about my neighbours. On the way home, I must admit, I couldn't help but ... Read Full Story >>

An Award For The Janitor

Recently, I spent two months at a guesthousefor work purpose. One day I encountered a very unique and honest janitor at the guesthouse. Below is the e-mail I wrote to the Human Resources Department regarding the incident.       Hi HR-Person,   Can I request that you forward this to the department concerned with housekeeping?    I want to highlight one of the best experiences I have had at your organization to date. It might come as a surprise, but this experience was with one of your janitors [insert Janitor's name] (I really hope I have his name correct, please correct me if I dont have the name right.)    He was suppose to help me exchange rooms within the guesthouse. He was very sincere and dedicated to his job. After the shifting was complete I offered him a tip. His reply was what impressed me the most. He said, "No ma'am, we get paid." I mention that ... Read Full Story >>

Smiles Over Broken Glass

It was a windy day. I had kept an empty, washed glass bottle on the patio for drying, which I intended to use for some craft project.  Because of the wind, the bottle rolled, fell and broke on my downstairs neighbor's patio. My neighbor uses his patio frequently, so I immediately went down to warn him about the broken glass. However, he was not at home. I took a broom and cleaned up most of the mess around his patio from outside, but there was still some broken glass left inside his patio. I didn't want to intrude into his property, so I left him a note that explained what happened and asked him to contact me, so I could clean up the mess.  After an hour, he called me, and asked if I could help clean up inside, because he didn't have a broom. I went to his place and happily swept ... Read Full Story >>

Lightening a Load on London's Underground

I was traveling on the London underground subway, and got off at my destination station. I started climbing up the stairs when I saw a couple carrying luggage up the stairs. They were each dragging two heavy bags up the stairs. The gentleman was doing a decent job, but the lady was struggling to lift them. I offered to help her, but she said that it was really heavy. I still insisted to help. Then, I squatted, lifted the bag from the wheels side, and together we smoothly carried the distributed weight up the stairs.

By doing it together, it took us less than a minute to reach up the stairs, and we were able to avoid further wear and tear to the bag!

The couple thanked me, and as I was walking away, I heard them talking about how we still have such sweet people who help others. :) I smiled and said to myself, "You should visit kindspring.org to find a world full of them!" 

Gratitude for all of you, for inspiring me to grow in kindness! 

With Nothing Left to Ask For

Last year was very successful for my husband and me. My husband had made really good progress at work, done some extra-curricular activities, and was able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I had successfully completed one of my major milestones in my Ph.D. program, had won an award for my research, traveled to few countries abroad, and visited my family and spent a quality time with them.   What more can one ask for, right?  My husband and I agreed that because we were so blessed this year, we wanted to help someone else. I soon realized, though, that finding someone genuinely in need of help can be a very tough task. We are relatively new to the US, so our community here is not very big. I couldn't think of anyone who might need the extra help. I even emailed an American friend of mine to ask if she knew anyone. But by the ... Read Full Story >>

A Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #8 - An Anonymous Gift I'll Always Remember

A Stranger Becomes A Friend

When Rice Krispie Treats Meet a Grudge

Meeting Michael

A Reason To Celebrate

On Passing Around Smiles...

My Best Friend Saved My Life

Offering a Helping Hand at Sea World

Chocolate Crepe Kindness

A Big Urge To Do A Little Bit More

The Traffic Warden's Toes

Believing in Kindness