Stories Matching 'Inspiration' Tag (165)Environment Research New Ideas Public Transportation Children Inspiration Teachers Seniors OnThe Road Grocery Store Money Workplace Animals At Home Anonymous Friendship Kindness Kindness of Strangers Courage Small Acts of Kindness Health and Wellness Generosity Sharing Family Respect Neighbors Reconciliation Smile Cards Advice Good Samaritan Giving Money Giving Ability School Church Youth Collective Arts Creative Kindness Random Act of Kindness Homeless Travel/Vacation College/University Holidays Internet Birthday Sharing Food Emergency/Disaster Community Relationships Paying-It-Forward Coffee Shop/Restaurants $100 Kindness Idea Smile Decks Thank You Serendipity This Buck Doesn't Stop--posted by Ashish, on Jan 14, 2006
comments (7) | email this | print | permalink Custodian Finds A Card!--posted by A Custodian, on Jan 14, 2006 How did you hear about us? My Friend handed me a card. What inspired you to join? The joy of doing good things. --Joshua, in New York This is my second time emailing you. First, I only asked for a few cards to try this at our school and the response has been great. Both teachers and students have been coming to my office in the Guidance, where I am Academically Gifted Resource Teacher, asking for more cards and wanting to join in this game. Also, some were quite excited when they had been tagged. Your cards really brighten our school days. If ... comments (5) | email this | print | permalink Small Acts of Trix-Mix--posted by Anita, on Jan 27, 2006
Some deeds are big some are small, but the point is for us to think of other people. comments (5) | email this | print | permalink Anonymous act of kindness--posted by Colleen Schmidt, on Feb 13, 2006 My kids and I bought inexpensive fresh flowers from a store and randomly picked 2 women from the supermarket parking lot to give them to and said "these are just for you... have a great day". The response was touching: The first woman started crying and said she just lost her husband of 50 years a few weeks ago and she was just sitting in her car thinking about him. We cried and hugged each other and talked about her loss...I told her I think we were sent to her that day ...maybe her husband sent us to give her the flowers. The other woman stated that she could really use the flowers because she was really sad that her mother was ill in the hospital. My kids are always retelling this story... "Mom remember when we gave those flowers to those ladies and they cried because they were so happy". comments (5) | email this | print | permalink DMV Guy and a Stolen Car--posted by Sudha, on Feb 18, 2006
Mondays are usually pretty hectic for me. On one of these typical Mondays, I get ready to go to work thinking about all the things I have to accomplish on that day and walk down to get to my car scolding myself for being late to work, but surprisingly the car was nowhere to be found. I parked right across my apartment the previous night but it wasn’t there that morning. comments (5) | email this | print | permalink On Grey Days of the Soul--posted by Pavi, on Apr 11, 2006
The three of us met this morning at a crowded cafe in downtown Manhattan. The streets outside wet-gleaming in the rain and blossoming with umbrellas. Me, and K and M. K a young woman I'd met only just this morning. A person with a wonderful spirit working towards finding balance through a challenging period in her life. M a woman I met two years ago in the park. A writer struggling with comments (4) | email this | print | permalink Miles of Smiles--posted by JZ, on Apr 24, 2006
comments (59) | email this | print | permalink One Size Fits All--posted by Camilion, on May 1, 2006
We were recently at a concert. The young artists were playing their hearts out but unfortunately, the audience was largely empty. comments (5) | email this | print | permalink A Little Red Book--posted by JZ, on May 9, 2006 When you buy things with money, you feel like its owed to you. But when you receive something as an offering from someone else, the gift is a reminder of something bigger than yourself and you are filled with a humble reverance for all life. Well, this is a story of one of those gifts. In our middle-class living room, we have three shelves of books. We call it the "open source" bookshelf because any of our guests can take any book and contribute any book to it. No one tracks it; it's all based on trust, even though ... comments (2) | email this | print | permalink I Bow to the Paint on my Walls--posted by Sukh Chugh, on May 12, 2006
comments (24) | email this | print | permalink Sunflower and a Frog--posted by JZ, on Feb 23, 2008
comments (24) | email this | print | permalink What I'm Doing With Smile Cards--posted by KC, on Jun 5, 2006
comments (3) | email this | print | permalink Tagging the Whole Entire Plane!--posted by Anon, on Jun 16, 2006
What better way to start a journey than to tag the passengers on my flight? comments (11) | email this | print | permalink Do Not Fear, Smile Retrievers Are Here!--posted by anita, on Jun 28, 2008 Last-weekend, my kids along with few other kids from the neighborhood volunteered to help me wash my car. We embarked on our car cleaning mission when my 10 year old came up with the idea of washing other people's cars as well. It was pretty hot outside and I had no plans to continue being in the bright sun. She further wanted to give lemonade to passerby's for free. I had seen little kids serve and sell fresh lemonade for a small cost (may be 25 cents) but not free. I felt fuzzy and decided to help her out. ... comments (9) | email this | print | permalink An Unforgettable Birthday Gift--posted by Laksmi, on Jul 24, 2006
My daughter's birthday is May 29. She was 6 by then. As it was Monday, we prefered to celebrate it earlier, i.e. on Saturday 27 May. This was easier for me as I'm free on Saturdays. On Thursday the entire family was busy packing the presents and putting funny pins on them. I promised my litte princess that I would wake her up early in the morning and distribute the presents to her classmates. comments (7) | email this | print | permalink Breast Cancer Blessing--posted by Donna, on Aug 4, 2006
Wow! What a diagnosis. I just kept telling myself that if I can get through this Chemo, I will give back and help others. comments (3) | email this | print | permalink A Day At Bell Mobility--posted by Christina, on Aug 9, 2006
I work for Bell Mobility. comments (4) | email this | print | permalink An Interview With Sharon Salzberg--posted by Joey, on Aug 27, 2006
comments (2) | email this | print | permalink 300 Rupees and a Blind Man--posted by Raghu, on Oct 11, 2006
comments (6) | email this | print | permalink Lessons From My Daddy--posted by millie, on Oct 3, 2006 well, im millie, im 15 years old, and im going to tell you about my daddy =) i dont see him much anymore, but i learnt so much when i was with him. i remember one time, dad, my little brother and i were on our way back to sydney on a plane...we were stuck inside the plane for an hour and a half after we landed because some trailer wouldnt work. anyway, a little girl and her brother were sitting in frount of us, they were about 4 or 5, and they were afraid of being stuck in the plane...the little girl was crying. So my dad started to do "magic" tricks, he had a yo yo and was making it "dissapear" and making funny faces, in no time at all, my dad, me, and my little brother had a small audience, the people next to us and the people behind and in frount. the parents of the kids thanked us, and we havnt seen them since, but i learnt from my dad that day...Laughter is the best medicine. comments (6) | email this | print | permalink The Japanese Man, Frank, and Michael--posted by keymaker, on Oct 6, 2006
comments (16) | email this | print | permalink Eleven Envelopes with 101 Dollars--posted by Sukh, on Oct 13, 2006
comments (15) | email this | print | permalink Music of a Stolen Symphony--posted by keymaker, on Nov 17, 2008 It's a late night on the streets of New York. Larger-than-life size billboards come alive with their glitz, trying to make you want things that you don't really need. Up ahead, I notice a homeless man who doesn't have the things he really does need. Ironic. "Gift size chocolate bar, one dollar, one dollar," he says while showing a candy bar to people walking by. He's rejected. "Just one dollar." Rejected again. "Candy bar, candy bar for you," he shows it to a child walking with her mom. The mom jerks her ... comments (52) | email this | print | permalink Supplies for the Troops--posted by siegelks, on Dec 10, 2006
I am a middle school counselor. Earlier this week, I had a very caring, compassionate student tell me about a project she has undertaken. She said she has started a collection for supplies for the troops to make their holiday's more joyful. I asked her what organization she was doing this through and she was confused by my question. Finally, she said, "No, see my sister who is in 5th grade and I are doing this on our own!" I was amazed that they had thought this up on their own. I asked their mother about it and she said that they had come to her to tell her about it. I was happy to help her. I told her to put a box in the main office with a sign and a list of supplies (which she had already typed up!). She brought the box in the next day and students have already begun to add to it. comments (11) | email this | print | permalink Not An Ordinary World Cup--posted by DailyGood, on Dec 15, 2006
The soccer ball sounds like the clatter of a rattlesnake's tail, fans are barred from cheering too loudly and the sidelines are clear plastic walls meant to keep the players in-bounds -- clearly not an ordinary World Cup. Save for the goalkeepers, all of the athletes are legally blind. Welcome to the fourth World Championships of Soccer for the Blind. Spectator Marcelo Gonzalez, who coaches blind teenagers and 20-somethings in Argentina, said he still marvels how sightless players are so attuned to sounds, vibrations and the fast-changing position of their competitors. Read more at http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/24/america/LA_GEN_Argentina_Blind_World_Cup.php comments (1) | email this | print | permalink "Mahalo Nui Loa"--posted by hiloecho, on Dec 16, 2006 I just finished my Human Services practicum and as much as I loved the class and the instructor, I was dissapointed with my classmates. It was a small class - just 12 of us - and the other students took advantage of the instructor's kindness with late work, excuses for not completing assignments, etc. During the last 3 weeks of class, she was expressing her dissatisfaction and how she was going to have to re-think how she taught the class next semester. I really felt bad for her as she is a great inspiration to me and I could relate to her ... comments (6) | email this | print | permalink Children Have The Best Hearts--posted by ljcrowefamily, on Dec 24, 2006
comments (20) | email this | print | permalink Postal workers--posted by adriansgrammy, on Jan 6, 2007
I frequent a small postal outlet that is always busy at Christmas. (Aren't they all?) There are only 4 staff members and they work HARD at Christmas time. Not all the customers smile at them. The day before Christmas, I take in small gift bags. This year, the bag had a single serving of flavoured hot chocolate, a mug, a scratch ticket, one yummy chocolate and a really silly fridge magnet. I sign the gift tag with my postal box number! One of the girls actually scratched her ticket and won $3!!! I got 4 smiles that day. The gifts cost me a total of $10 and was worth the time and effort to assemble. While I don't get any special rates on postage during the year, I do get return smiles all year long. comments (9) | email this | print | permalink Living on the Street--posted by strider, on Jan 16, 2007 I was headed to the UMW womens basketball game yesterday, and I saw an older man, maybe 65, sitting next to a stop sign on William Street at the intersection of Route One and William Street. He was sitting down wearing tattered clothes, and an oversized jacket. A homeless man holding a sign that said: "Hold care in your hearts Thanks very much And God Bless!" I parked my car in the Goolrick Gymnasium parking lot and walked up to the old man and asked "How are you doing?" He looked at me suprised, like I was going to injure him, kind of caught up in words he just said ... comments (10) | email this | print | permalink Giving someone a chance to recharge--posted by KingHartuc, on Jan 20, 2007
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About a year back, I got off the train and was waiting for my ride to come pick me up. Suddenly I felt the inspiration to write a poem. I looked around and found a pen, but no paper. There was not even a scrap of paper in site. Bummer! 
"Right on. This is my kind of protest," he says while going past me. I hadn't thought of it way before. But perhaps it is a protest for lack of smiles in the world.
About 15 of us gathered earlier today to create poster boards that we would proudly hold up on busy street intersections of San Francisco. The posters would say simple things like "smile" or "smile anyways" or "spare a smile?" or "smile, it's free". We weren't doing this as a part of any organization but rather as friends and well-meaning citizens of the ... 
Wow! I got seriously tagged with an act of anonymous kindness last week. Actually, its more like ’seriously pummeled’ with kindness. I spent 26 days at a meditation retreat, mainly to begin the process of self purification through self discovery...I guess you could call it a renovation of the interior walls of my mind. As I walked back into my studio home on Sunday, WOW, a few folks had decided that they would self-purify my home and renovate its interior walls as well. The place has been tiled, every corner has been painted, fridge has been stocked, light switches ... 
I'm having a lot of fun with my smile cards! Thanks you so much for all that you guys do, it really is awesome! 
At Manav Sadhna, a non-profit organization in India, it’s a common site to see people come in asking to see Jayeshbhai (one of the Founders). One day, I was milling around when I saw an elderly man come in using a walking stick. It was obvious that the man was blind and as I went to him to offer my assistance, I found out that he was blind in both eyes. 
What people appreciate the most is the people. That’s what we learn at the annual "Walk for Hope" each year. Sure the quotes are great. This year they were even hand made and literally took over three months to create. The activity stations are great too, they give the walkers a chance to pause, interact and reflect. But year after year, people always say that the best part of the walk is interacting with all the people that are there. What a concept, just your mere presence becomes a gift at the walk for ... 
Good day,
I was recently traveling and bad weather had surrounded the airport, causing many flights to get canceled or delayed. I was sitting by the gate, having changed my flight to another one already and was watching the unfortunate airline rep at the gate counter. She was being bombarded by a number of people who seemed to assume that the poor weather, flight cancellations and everything else causing them grief was her fault and each one in turn laid all of their grief on her and I could see she was being pushed to the brink.
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