Here’s the deal, my friends. I’m having a bad day. I’m having the kind of bad day that makes me question the point of my very existence. Stress from work and all of the related baggage has just piled up to the point that I’m certain it’s going to squish me like a boiled pea under the sole of a shoe. Yes, it’s been that kind of bad day. It would take a miracle to snap me out of these bad day blues or maybe it would just take a polite reminder from the internet that the world isn’t the crapfest it currently looks like from my perspective. The ten random acts of kindness I’ve included on this list have lifted my spirits and made me feel like things are a little less bleak. Maybe if you’re having the kind of day I’m having, they’ll do the same for you. I decided not to put them in order because I don’t think one person’s kind gesture should be compared to another’s. Kindness is kindness.
Man Risks His Life to Save Woman’s Dog
I love this story. I absolutely love it. While scattering his grandmother’s ashes on a pier in Melbourne, Australia, Raden Soemawinata saw a distressed woman standing not far away from him. The woman, Sue Drummond, had been walking her dog, Bibi, when a strong gust of wind blew her beloved pet into the bay. Without hesitating, Raden stripped off his pants and dove into the rough waters to retrieve Sue’s otherwise doomed dog. He safely retrieved Bibi from the water and reunited the likely frightened doggy with his very grateful owner. Just a beautiful story with such a wonderfully happy ending.
This is What Tolerance Looks Like
Gay pride parades are about openness and acceptance. They’re about being who you are and loving who you are. That doesn’t mean there isn’t more than a little hate tossed around at these events thanks to the protesters who like to show up with their signs decrying homosexuality. You see photos of these protesters all the time. Sometimes the photos are used to further a cause on one side of the argument or the other. Sometimes the photos show someone cleverly infiltrating the group with a sign mocking the protesters. Photos like this one though? You don’t see them nearly as often. This photo was taken at a gay pride parade in Chicago and shows Chicago Christians wearing their t-shirts and holding up their signs but sending a much different message. That message is simple. “We’re sorry.”
Helping the Less Fortunate
This just gave me the warm and fuzzies from head to toe. The idea that a major company like Subway would offer free meals to anyone really surprised me. I guess in this day and age, it’s hard to believe that profit isn’t the bottom line for every big company in the country. Sure a lot of companies set up charities to help the less fortunate but this is a very hands on, real world way to give people who need help the help that they actually need. What do homeless people need? Shelter, warm clothes and food. At least Subway is serious about helping with the latter.
Speaking of Helping the Homeless …
So Subway is helping the homeless by offering them free food but what about the homeless that are fighting to get their lives back on track but can’t seem to get ahead? Plaza Cleaners in Portland, Oregon is taking another approach. Instead of offering them food or a place to stay, offering them a helping hand to get back on their feet. It’s extremely hard for a homeless person to find work as it’s often hard for them to find clean clothes they can wear to job interviews. This dry cleaner is making at least that part of the problem a bit easier by offering to clean an outfit for a homeless person for free. If you’ve ever taken something to the dry cleaner, you know that’s a pretty big deal financially. Now if only some kind cell phone company would get the message that helping the homeless could be good for your business in terms of good publicity and started offering basic cell phones with basic plans to homeless people free of charge (even just incoming calls allowed would work).
Helping Out the Stranger with Terrible Luck
I don’t have a picture for this one but I had to share it anyway. So a man named Barry Eastwood was heading out to pay his car insurance and probably thought nothing at all out of the ordinary could happen while undertaking such an incredibly ordinary task. He stopped by the bank to withdrew the £1,000 he needed to make the payment and headed back to his car, went to the insurance office, paid his bill and was on his way. Just kidding. That’s not at all what happened. On the way back to his car, the poor guy tripped and flat on his face, his freshly withdrawn money flying off in every direction. Just put yourself in that moment, will you? You’ve literally just thrown away £1, 000. Barry, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened, laid there for a moment, watching his money drift away on the breeze. He was certain it was gone, hoping he could at least get back a tiny portion of it. He started feeling a little less optimistic about even that as a group of people – by Barry’s description, all of them young people between the ages of 18-25 – began rushing into the street and grabbing as much as they could grab with both hands. What did they do with it? Well, they could’ve stuffed it into their pockets and taken off but they didn’t. They brought it to him. Each and every one of them. When their hands were full, they’d take the money to Barry then rush off to grab more. In the end, he didn’t lose any of it.
Saving Even the Tiniest Lives
This photo just makes me lost my mind every time I see it. My good heavens. It’s just too much. Firefighters have an extremely tough job. They have to face things few others ever face. It has to be exhausting work both mentally and physically. I have nothing but respect for these brave men and women. I think that’s part of the reason this picture chokes me up the way it does. Firefighters must have a lot to worry about. When this man found a kitten inside a house fire, he went above and beyond what was asked of him, rescued the kitten and have it oxygen to save its tiny life.
Speaking of Kittens
After much of Cuttack City, India was left submerged in flood waters, villagers scrambled to get to dry land. This man took it all a step further, rescuing a basket full of kittens by carrying it through the flood waters on his head. While I believe that’s Mama Cat swimming in the background, don’t assume she didn’t make it out okay. Most cats dislike water, of course, but they have still been known to swim when necessary. Considering mama kitties can be pretty protective of their little ones, I have to assume Mama made it to dry land and was reunited happily with her babies.
A Birthday Wish Granted
There are some truly horrifying stories out there about the atrocities committed by soldiers and high ranking officials in the armed forces. We hear about them all the time. It’s hard to remember that the stories of the few do not always represent the intentions of the many. I believe that to my core and this photo really serves to reinforce that belief. So what are we actually seeing here? This is the aftermath of a very sweet moment between a General and a protester in Brazil. Upon seeing what looked to be an impending conflict, the general made a simple request. “Do not fight, please. Not on my birthday.” How did the protesters respond? By not fighting, for starters but they went a step further and made the man a cake.
An Act of Parental Kindness
So a young husband and wife head out to dinner with their one year old child. They have a perfectly pleasant meal but things take an even more positive turn when they receive their bill. Instead of seeing the amount they owed, they instead saw that they found the above note. It says: “Someone once bought our dinner when we were young parents. It made quite a mark on us. The foundation of this gesture was good parenting. Keep up the good work. Time goes by so fast.” I hope this young family takes it upon themselves to pay it forward. Imagine the chain reaction this could create.
Birthday Kindness
I unfortunately do not have a photo for this one because it happened to a dear friend of mine a few days ago and she has refused to allow me to share her photo on the big scary internet. Anyway, on to the story. My friend is a hairdresser. She works long hours, puts up with rude customers with a smile and somehow manages to keep that smile on her face most of the time. While her irrepressible positivity goes unnoticed by many, it wasn’t lost on one of her regular customers. This customer turned 32 the other day and as part of her birthday celebration, she decided to perform 32 acts of kindness for the people she loves and even for strangers. Imagine my friend’s surprise when this customer came in for her regularly scheduled appointment with pizza, garlic fingers and coffee for everyone in the salon. The kindness didn’t stop there though. She also had flowers for my friend and a beautiful card with a $20 gift card for coffee tucked inside. My friend was so moved that she intends to do 29 acts of kindness on her next birthday as she’ll be turning 29. I’ll be doing 31.
Article was written with the help of Volunteer Aid Nepal
