Kindness and a happy life

I was sitting on a wall waiting for a friend one hot summer day. An older lady came and sat next to me. We started to chat and realised we both loved nature. She opened her bag and pulled out a brand new book on nature which she had bought for someone else. She asked me my name. I told her and she wrote inside the book a note to me from her. We kept in touch and remained friends for over 10 years until she died. I still have the book together with some nature poems which she sent me.

My grandmother always used to say to anyone who called at the door, including salesmen. "Come in five minutes and have a cup of tea" She was a great believer in the idea that anything you gave away came back to you three fold.

A Big Issue seller out selling on a cold and dark Scottish night, recently asked me if I would buy one and as I had no cash (note to self, carry cash), I said no. We had a chat though and I passed a few minutes with them talking about the cost of living, how cold it was and family. While I was inside a shop nearby I thought about their long journey home in the cold, so picked up a pack of pancakes and some jam to give them something nice to look forward to on their return home that they could share with family. The next time I saw them, they hugged me. It cost me a few pounds and it cheered them up - just a little bit of thoughtfulness can go a long way.

My DS was telling me what a good school report my DGS had had. I asked how my DGD had done and he replied the only thing they could say about her was that she was kind.
I said that is the best thing they could have said about her.

I love the Charley Mackesy book The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.
When the mole asks the boy what he would like to be when he grows up, he replies ‘I want to be kind’. How lovely is that! 💗

A lovely idea for a thread applegran.

I travel a lot by train. On many occasions I have seen the platform staff at my local station patiently and kindly help all sorts of people - young, old, unhappy, angry sometimes - always with consideration and courtesy.

To acknowledge my appreciation of this I sometimes take a tin of biscuits for their staff room tea kitty.

Being cynical, I sometimes think people in general are quicker to be kinder to strangers, pets and those whole live abroad, than they are to family.

Many years ago I was going through a sad and difficult time. One day I mentioned to a stranger that it was my birthday. She went on her way and I didn't think any more of it. An hour or so later, she came back and gave me a tiny posy of wild flowers in a little glass pot - so tiny it would have fitted in my pocket (if it wasn't for the water!). There were daisies, buttercups and little fronds of greenery. She was a nun and had no money of her own, so she'd taken the time and trouble to find something "free of charge" in a weed patch. I learned so many things from that - human kindness, not placing importance on money, the unspoken sympathy of someone without going over the top with gushing words.

I once asked the way somewhere in a town I did not know well and the people I asked insisted on driving me there as it was quite complicated to explain. This was several years ago, and I still remember it with gratitude.

Years back, I frequented early morning service in Rome. A man with a beautiful black dog would squat on the ground outside the church entrance, head bowed, begging for money.

One morning I stopped and asked if he wanted a coffee and he looked up, surprised, and said yes. Me bringing him a hot coffee became a habit (he shared it with his dog!) but, one day I was in a hurry and simply dropped some coins in his hat and went inside. As I left, he stood up and stopped me. He looked angry and told me he didn't want my money. I apologized and from there a friendship started. He helped me improve my Italian. He was fairly cultured and living on the street was a life choice. He disappeared one morning and I never saw him again but I still miss that period in my life: he gave me much more than I gave him - all he wanted was a hot coffee and a chat.

By the way, the dog, which was in excellent health, was regularly checked by a vet living in the area, so the man told me (another kindness).

There are two types of people in this world -1 givers and takers. 2 thoughtful and thoughtless
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Sometimes it's the small, unexpected kindnesses that mean a lot. A couple of times I turned my ankle over in uneven pavements and went flying. Each time it was a young, scruffyish man who rushed to help me.

I agree somewhat, Luckygirl. There are plenty of people who claim to be Christian but don't behave like one. Or maybe they're just unobservant and thoughtless...

Its harder to write about times when you yourself were kind, but it would be good to share those too. Doing an act of sincere kindness seems to give us more sense of being at ease and feeling ok than giving ourselves 'a treat'. I hope others will feel able to share kind things they have done. It is too easy to fear being seen as 'boasting' when you are actually sharing in a way we can all benefit from. So here is a small thing I did, long ago now, and still remember with a good feeling. I saw a young mother, with bags to carry, and a toddler who would not sit in the child seat of the supermarket trolly. I went over and asked the mum if I could help, and she nodded. So I chatted to the little girl and smiled and held the trolly steady while her mum easily got her smiling daughter into the seat. It was a tiny act on my part and took not long at all. But I felt glad to have done it.

I have received kindness from strangers, neighbours and family and am grateful to them all.
I think most people are basically kind.

I prefer the word 'generous.'

Being kind can mean anything really, but generosity implies you went over and above what was required and demands a certain self-sacrifice.

Simple kindness should be a given part of anyone's life shouldn't it?

I try hard to be kind, I brought my children up to be kind.

I have also received many acts of kindness from both those I know and sometimes complete strangers.

I try to “pay it forward” if I can

I have also received kindness from strangers and always try to be kind to others.
I'm looking forward to see how this thread progresses.

Kindness started in my childhood with my parents and I have tried and sometimes failed to emulate them during my life.

Kindness is my religion - it is safer and more profound than any formal religion. Sometimes I am good at it, sometimes less good - but it is all that matters really.

The kindness of strangers never fails to astound or impress me of which I am truly grateful

Since my sight and mobility have deteriorated I’ve found great kindness with complete strangers helping me when I’m out and about. It’s a great antidote to all the talk about increased rudeness etc.