"Random Acts of Kindness"

Hi folks.  In our community we often hear about people going through difficult times.  Their relationship may be having trouble, they may have gone through a recent painful break up, they may have an issue with a friend that makes them sad, or they may have depression or anxiety.  All can leave someone feeling empty inside.

A recommendation that really can help is to do something kind or giving for another.  It makes US feel better to do that and can help heal our pain.  I find when I look for ways to show another kindness throughout my day it is a better one.  

So, what about we make a list of ways that we have shown other's kindness (randomly or otherwise) and ways others have shown us.  Let's see how many we get and then we can have all the more ideas to choose from in our own life with others.  

"I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore there be any kindness I can show . . . let me do it now:
William Penn

[specialmom]

Here are a few to get started.

***  I was at the museum center this past week with my kids.  I was in the pizza line at lunch.  There was a boy behind me in line (which was long) and he was digging coins out of his pockets.  He was trying to make sure he had enough money to buy a piece of pizza and it looked tight.  As we got to the counter, I ordered and turned to him and asked if I could buy him lunch.  He stared open mouthed at me--------  and I just asked him if he wanted cheese, pepporoni, or sausage.  He answered and I ordered him two slices and a drink.  He was almost silent but said thank you as I went to my table with my kids.  He was maybe 15 years old.  That made me feel really good.

***  okay, trapped in my house with my two little guys and it had snowed all night like crazy.  My husband was out of town and I was alone and I think my kids were about 2 and 3 at the time.  Our driveway is LONG and our sidewalk up to our house has steps and gives anyone a moderate workout just to make it to our front door.  I hadn't looked outside but we had a doctor's appointment to go to that day and I knew it was going to be crazy to get out of the driveway.  When I looked-----------  someone had shoveled our driveway and our side walk to it.  I still don't know who.  It was clean as a whistle.  I'm guessing a neighbor took pity on me.

****  with the above story in mind, this past winter I took my two boys who are now 7 and 6 with me and we all had shovels.  We shoveled a new mom's drive in our neighborhood whose husband was out of town.  (luckily hers is a lot shorter than mine!)  Kids helped which I think is a good lesson for them.

[RockRose]

This last Spring Break,  my family went to Port Aransas beach.  Great place.  My two college sons were there too,  great vacation for us.  

So we spent the first night there in the condo and in the morning,   my son (who is an architecture student)  was looking for his camera.  He looked and looked and looked and became more and more panicked as the minutes went by.  The camera itself with lenses is worth about $850,  but more than that,  on the memory card in the camera was his whole semester worth of work that wasn't backed up anywhere else.    The work,  and the semester,  and the YEAR (architecture students go year to year,  first year,  second year,  third year,  etc.  and if you fail a semester you fail the year) would be lost.  He'd have to start the year again,  there was no way to recover the projects that were on the camera that were yet to be graded at year end.

As he searched the condo in his complete panic,  and he searched the van in the parking lot,  I had a memory of what had happened.   We had arrived the prior evening and were loading the suitcases from the van into the luggage cart,  when suddenly the luggage cart started rolling backwards and he quickly put his camera down on the nearby bench and ran to grab the cart.  That was where the camera was.  On a  bench in the parking lot.  I knew it.  When I went to the bench,  of course it wasn't there.

I went to the front desk, and it had been turned in by two teenage boys the evening before.  What an absolute gift of kindness.  This was a GREAT camera,  lesser boys would say finders keepers.  I told the girl at the desk to please keep her eye out for the boys and if she saw them again,  please get their names and I'll come down and give them some kind of wonderful reward.   She never was able to identify them or see them again.

Those boys have no idea,  at ALL,  the gift they gave my son by returning that camera.   Sometimes the very simplest act of decency - returning a found camera - can make the most profound difference to someone's life.

Thanks,  SM,  for starting this thread.  I still am so in debt to those boys.  

[RockRose]

I have another to add,  and this time I won't be so long winded.  ;D  I just really am so grateful for simple acts of civic duty,  that have had a profound affect on my family.

My oldest son's labrador mix escaped the house while we were packing for a vacation.  The dog was located about a mile away,  by a 12 year old boy who was home alone with his younger brother while his mother ran errands.  The 12 year old was astute enough to call the 1-800 number on the "home again" tag,  and then follow up by reaching us by cell phone that our dog was at his house.  We were then quickly able to pick up the dog,  take him to the boarding kennel and barely catch the plane.  

Thank God for this kid.  Because he's my neighbor,  I was later able to make it worth his while with a reward and great praise,  but he wasn't doing it for that.  He was just trying to be helpful.

;D  Thank the Lord for people who are trying to be helpful.  

[sweetpea03]

I was walking through the Target store with my fiance looking for some things for his apartment, when I saw an iphone on one of the shelves(in the grocery section). I picked it up and had brought it to the front to give to the clerk at customer service, when I see this frantic woman asking about her missing phone. When she describes it, I knew it was the one in my hand and handed it over to her. The look of relief on her face made my day to see her so happy. She told me about pictures she has on that phone that she doesn't have anywhere else of her 4 month old son. I'm glad to see that I could help in a small way, that made a big difference to her.

[ChitChatNine]

That was soooo nice with the phone ... I have called the last # dialed and returned a phone more than once .. but I didn't want to get too involved, so I left it at my police station and they picked it up there because once when my daughter did this, the person accused her of stealing the phone!

[specialmom]

I just love these.  I feel good just reading them!!  
Rockrose----------  the way you tell the story of that camera . . . I can tell it is quite a memory!  Two 'boys' had that much integrity!  I love it.  I wish it didn't surprise me.  I sure hope my boys would do the same!  I might tell them about that in one of our 'what if' conversations.  
And sweetpea------ that was awesome as well.

Ha, chit chat nine . . . I'd have your daughter's luck, I'm sure.  Glad you still turned the phone in . . . somewhere, right?

Here is my rescued dog store . . .  so my very first baby was my black and white cockapoo that I adored.  I got her as a pup when I got my first bachlorette pad and she was just a great dog.  She remained the apple of my eye for years and years.  To this day, I feel kind of guilty for having a child and knocking her off her throne.  I was an older mom and she was my older dog when my husband and I had our first child.  I had wanted that baby so bad . . . and worked so hard for it (those of you who have had fertility problems KNOW what I mean) . . . and he was my pride and joy.  I wanted everything to be perfect for that baby.  I had him in the dead of winter and he had colic and most of my time was spent caring for him.  My beloved princess became a . . . dog.  Poor girl.  I wasn't giving her the love and attention I always had.  I, in fact, would tell her to go away if she was going to bother the baby.  (oh . . . the guilt).  Anyway, doggie must have had hurt feelings so she ran away.  It took me a while to notice she wasn't in our yard because I was with that baby of mine . . . of course.  So, I searched the neighborhood when I discovered she was gone.  No dog.  As it became dark, panic set in.  I stayed up all night walking and driving around looking for her.  This was a dog that never left my side.  Gone all night????  I was so worried.  By 6 am I was at kinkos making flyers.  I posted them everywhere.  I searched all day.  Now my fine prince turned into just a . . . baby.  I HAD to find my dog!!!  A second night went by.  I was sure she was dead. Then the phone rang.  Someone said they spotted my dog about two miles away.  It was Sunday . . . I yelled for the hubs to grab the kid and let's go find the dog!   I showed up and I'm not sure the car was fully stopped before I jumped out.  Oh lordy.  I hadn't showered in two days . . . I had on something that looked like rags with a robe top over it.  My eyes were wild looking with black circles due to no sleep and crying.  I was frantic and I'm sure half screaming at her.  She pointed to some woods.  I yanked out my baby's car seat and handed it to this young woman.  Then my husband and I went into the woods to find the dog.  It took forever and she was so disoriented that she kept running from us.  When we got back to the car---------- here was this stranger playing with and singing to my son.  Not only had this stranger taken the time to call us and say she had spotted our dog in the woods --------- Five miles from our house but she also babysat our kid while we tried to capture her. I'll never forget her because once she saw we had our dog---------  she looked so thrilled for us. My husband who is this kind of gruff man and on the "thrifty side" if you know what I mean had tears in his eyes (which I chalk up to emotion but could have been the sprained ankle he got scaling a hill in the woods) and then pulled out his wallet.  He gave her every dollar in it and it was almost a hundred dollars.  She wouldn't take it.  He kept saying we are so thankful and this is a reward.  She wouldn't take it.  I never saw her again but will never forget her.  

-------- ha.  I'll keep mine short and sweet from now on.