Acts of Kindness -Stories to Inspire You

Kindness, One Heart Opening to Another

With the Random Act of Kindness week coming up, our dear friend Patti suggested that we “honor, celebrate and spread kindness”. She suggested we perform a random act of kindness and document it somehow. We all jumped on the idea!

But as it got closer to actually doing the “document”-ing part… I think we all started to feel a little self-conscious.

We soon realized that kindness, especially a random act of, is perhaps personal, private even.

It is one heart opening to another, it is that moment of “insidewink”, of compassion communicated, of the realization that we are all in this together.

So, in order to do what I committed to, here’s what I’ve got:

• Paying parking meters for strangers
• A blanket for a homeless man
• Driving a tired daughter
• Helping at a gas station

Random Acts can be big or small, can be seen or unseen – that is the beauty of them, right?

And the best thing is the feeling you are left with, like a little surprise party for the soul. Thanks, Patti for reminding me!

-Alison Martin

Showing Kindness to Those You love

I love my mother’s wedding dish set.  I inherited it from her a few years ago when she had to move.  I have fond memories of our family gathered around a beautifully set table for Thanksgiving or Christmas with these dishes displayed, the turkey cut on the large platter, the gravy in the bowl, the dishes dressing the table up for the occasion.  I’ve used it often myself, enjoying putting it out for guests and parties.  But today I said goodbye to it.  You see, my nephew and niece lost everything recently in the Camp Fire.  And so it was time for my mother’s wedding dishes to go to someone else in the family.  Someone who needs it, and will appreciate it, even more than I have done.  My niece teared up as she told me how they planned on using it for family dinner time, to create a tradition with their children to remember, as I remember mine.

Handing down memories to those you love – it’s part of what kindness is all about.

-Jeanette Dubois

Everyday Compassion and Kindness

Wow, it’s challenging for me, just like Alison and Jeanette, to write about my acts of kindness. It seems to me that it sort of defeats the purpose, however I will say that making note of my acts of kindness throughout the day, helped me to see that I do have a compassionate heart, because it’s so easy for me to play down the kindness that comes through me to others.  I don’t give myself enough credit for that!

Here are some loving acts…that I spontaneously did today~

1.  At the grocery store, it was hard to get a shopping cart free, and I gave the one I finally pulled out to the young girl watching me, and waiting to get hers.
2.  I offered to help my friend Robin with floral deliveries on Valentines (before or after my insidewink meeting)  😉
3.  I gave a sweet couple some money to enjoy a Valentine’s day dinner together.
4.  I rubbed my husband’s back.
5.  I offered to bring the food for a Board meeting, because I knew that person who was scheduled to do it was having a very challenging week with his dog passing.

I think Diana Ross’ song “Reach Out and Touch Someone” says it all.

-Jean Trebek

Kindness is Contagious

These ladies are a hard act to follow.
Kindness comes so naturally to each of them… like breathing.

I chose to intentionally show kindness to a random someone who I will never meet and never know how it made them feel.

I went to the corner store, paid for a bottle, tied a note on it and put it back on the shelf with the hope of making someone feel special. If they share it with a friend, it doubles the goodness. And I like to think that they will pay the kindness forward in some way. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know how this story ends, because it made me feel good just knowing I was adding a random surprise to someone’s day.

One simple act. One compliment. One smile. One Kindness.

One small act of kindness can uplift a person in an instant, improve their mood and is likely inspire them to show kindness to others. One gesture of kindness can have this amazing ripple effect that reaches way beyond a moment and touches the lives of many. How great is that?!

-Patti Ring

Be kind. It’ll make you feel good.