http://www.helpothers.org/ Extraordinary, positive changes are happening all around the world and are often overlooked. These are stories of smile cards, that encourage small acts of anonymous kindness around the globe. inspiration, kindness, good news, service en-us pif@helpothers.org Been saving all kinds of plastic bags..cereal inserts, shipping bags, lightly used zip lock, etc. inorder to give to my friend for scooping up kitty litter box. Also been tipping extra for my door dash deliveries, what with the cost of gas Being kind, pleasant and chatty with all I meet ... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209926 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 Sharing : At last I took out my disabled cousin Chinni (63) as I had promised myself sometime back. He is in a wheelchair. So I pushed him to local metro railway station and travelled to the next station and went out on the road to a local restaurant and had breakfast. Next we went back to the station and travelled for few stations within the city and he wanted to visit a local Hindu temple. I said okay even though I am a Christian and we had to go out pushing his wheel chair on the road. After that we went to an air conditioned mall nearby and to a food court on third floor. We spent considerable time in the mall doing window shopping exploring it.We had lunch in a quiet restaurant and spent a long time over the meal chatting. Finally after six hours we started home by the same metro train. In all eight hours he never left the wheelchair once and at times I asked some strangers to help me push the wheelchair as it was becoming a stain for me.People were very obliging. Thank goodness. We had to use the elevator so many times in our travel. He thoroughly enjoyed the outing as he rarely goes out of the house. Recently he purchased a wheel chair. I suggest he goes out more often. Thank you for reading !... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209919 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 I've been traveling a lot lately, both inside and outside of the country, and I've made a point to switch from English to Spanish when I learn the other person is a native Spanish speaker. It helps me practice the language and maintain my fluency, but it also breaks the language barrier and helps people feel comfortable and happy. Flew into Florida a day early so I could meet up with my Ukrainian friends. I brought them a fresh baked loaf of bread -- they brought one of theirs for me so we did a bread swap! -- and a bouquet of sunflowers for the three of them (the national flower of Ukraine), including N's mom who is visiting from Kyiv. We had tea, sat outside in the Florida sunshine, and I practiced my Ukrainian while N practiced her English :) Bought lunch for one of the doctors I train with. We had a little extra time for a lunch break, so we left the conference at the hotel to drive up the road for lunch. On the flight yesterday the girl sitting beside me seemed confused about the outlet under the seats and wasn't able to charge her phone. Helped her with the plug and showed her how to use those tricky outlets in the future. Flying back from Florida yesterday, I stopped to chat with one of the police officers standing off to the side. I thanked him for keeping us safe, and told him that my mom is still a police officer. Had a nice chat with him.... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209924 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 Yesterday while volunteering at the soup kitchen, an older gentleman (whom I often have conversations with while serving him coffee) surprised me with a beautiful gardenia flower from his garden. He gently put it into a cup of water and I smiled and thanked him many times. The smell of the gardenia is so fragrant and beautiful...for the next two hours, every person who came to my coffee station was given the gift of stopping for a moment to inhale its fragrance as I lifted it up to them to smell. I would tell them--while I'm making your coffee, please smell this! And you could just see their face light up with the inhalation of this heavenly scent. The kids were very curious too and enjoyed seeing and smelling the flower in a cup :-) Another young man who came, said to me--wow that guy gave the flower to the right person because you appreciated it so much and are sharing it with everyone else! The metaphor of the fragrant flower reminded me that everyone has a divine fragrance and light inside which can never be depleted when it is given --no matter how many people inhaled its scent, the flower still continued to emit its fragrance unconditionally. It also reminded me of the kindness ripples and how that gentleman's one kind act could keep on giving :-) " The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose." --Gandhi... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209922 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 Yesterday, while filling my reusable cup with yerba mate at the locally-owned health food store, I gently asked for the space I needed in the cozy prep area. The person responded they were distracted, or something, & I replied with kind patient intention to show understanding. As I was finishing up with preparing my tea, I complimented the person's top which appealed to me with uplifting beauty. Their prior lower expressions seemed to lift along their face and I heard words of gratitude, in response, and something to the effect of, "I needed that." I understood from their reply that it was one of their favorites for similar reason, especially with whatever they were going through inside, then. This was affirming to me just how valuable giving a compliment is to someone, and a good reminder for me to give them more often, as well as to be a little more mindful of what I choose to wear that may also uplift another sometimes. By being present and in heart-space of gratitude and Love, I feel I was able to give intentionally, in loving alignment to those around me. In turn, there was this unexpected gift that filled my heart, too. I left the precious moment in time while saying a prayer of Love inside for whatever the person was processing, at that time. ... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209921 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 Today in the laundry room, I am grateful to have met a younger neighbor, about the age of my daughter. As I was leaving, I heard a slam of the wash machine, and stopped to ask if the person was okay. That led to an emotional sharing conversation, releasing tears, and a caring hug. It seemed I gave some hope, inspiration and upliftment by sharing some of my insights into a change of perspective, my own vulnerable experiences and transitions, and that I, too, can relate with the heavy feelings that humans can have. I offered to share a meal together some time and she seemed to welcome that possibility, and we later exchanged numbers. ... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209920 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700 There was an older woman sitting under the shade of an umbrella in the hot sun outside our local grocery store. She had lots of bags etc. and seemed to be just sitting there in between parking spaces. I went to speak to her and asked if she needed water or something cold to drink and she perked up and said she would love a cold drink. I went back into the store and got some cold water, juices etc. for her. When I came back I talked to her for a little while to find out if she had a place to stay and she told me she was just charging her device there but has a room to rent. She said someone gave her the umbrella to keep her in the shade and that she was doing just fine--and the reason she was sitting in that spot was because she did not want to take up a parking space! We exchanged names and if I see her again I'll talk to her and see if she needs anything. The reason I'm sharing this is because I was just blown away by her consideration for her others--not wanting to occupy a parking space and to just squeeze in between where she sits not disturbing anyone else.... http://helpothers.org/story.php?sid=209923 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700