Kind World

Stories of kindness and the profound effect that one act can have on our lives. Subscribe to the podcast. Presented by WBUR Boston.

[kindworld]

User submission: The Exponential Growth of Kindness and Compassion

Imagine being cooped up in your house all day at the age of 12 because of the circumstances you live in. Imagine your single mom not being able to speak English or drive you to a friend’s house because you guys don’t own a car. That’s the life of a 7th grader named Angie. There are many kids like her, living all across this country. In a situation like this, it’s hard to even think you can make a difference in your community. That’s when Mrs. Okimoto came to Angie’s school like a beacon of hope. With her, Leah brought the gift of endless opportunities. Her organization, Aaron’s Presents, gives hundreds of kids like Angie the possibility to have an idea and lead a project that impacts thousands of people across many different towns and cities. In just one year, a 12 year old Angie impacted the lives of over 100 people.

But all of this comes back to Mrs. Okimoto. When her young son passed away just 8 ½ days after he was born, she made the choice of celebrating his life and inspiring other young children to give their gift to the world. Her kindness and commitment to helping each kid reach her or his full potential is something that will forever be instilled in a person. Day in and day out, Mrs. Okimoto leads by example. She is an exemplary figure when it comes to going to great lengths to achieve one’s dream. Whether it’s picking five kids up from different locations, taking them to purchase supplies from the store, or even sitting with them to talk through project ideas, her compassion resonates with everyone around her. The way she makes a connection with each participant is incredibly inspiring and it has undoubtedly had an effect on each child’s experience with Aaron’s Presents.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with some participants from Lowell. That was when I forged a friendship with Angie. During our car ride, I observed the way Angie spoke to Mrs. Okimoto. Constantly cracking up and making jokes, I could see that Leah was like a second mom to her. At one point, she even said, “Mrs. Okimoto, you’re basically my second mom, okay? You’re never going to get rid of me. I will do anything I have to, so I can be part of Aaron’s Presents forever.” That was when I had an epiphany: every kid who has ever participated in Aaron’s Presents doesn’t just make a difference in the world; there’s a new and permanent sense of kindness instilled in each them. Whether it’s a story heard during a project, the attitude of the mentor who was there for you each step of the way, or the beginning of a new friendship, the footprints of kindness are forever ingrained in your heart.

Thank you, Mangai Sundaram, for sharing your story about how kindness can change lives.

Do you have a story of kindness? We’d love to hear it! Share it with us via message or email us directly: [email protected]

[kindworld]

Always be a little kinder than necessary.

James M. Barrie, author of “Peter Pan”

[webofgoodnews]

Have some more of this faith in humanity stuff!

[kindworld]

There are so many ways to spread love and kindness. How do you do it?

[kindworld]

Reddit is an enormous, expansive -- and sometimes weird -- community. This is how Reddit helped one man in his final days.

Listen to the full story here.

[thedailyst]

This Brother Duo

Noah and Lucas Aldrich, ages 8 and 6, have completed two kids’ triathlons together. Lucas has lissenchephaly, which means he can’t walk, talk or feed himself. So Noah carries him the entire way – in the 200-meter swim, 3-mile bike ride, and 1-mile run.

[kindworld]

Go Noah and Lucas! What a lovely pair of brothers.

[kindworld]

User submission: Being Kind to My Runaway Dog

Several years ago on a cold February night, our young dog ran away.  With deep snow on the ground, the “electric fence” did not give him the “beep” signal which kept him in the yard.  He unexpectedly ran across the street, was grazed by a passing car and took off, terrified.

We didn’t have a clue as to where we could have gone.  My children searched through the neighborhood calling his name while I waited at home, praying he would show up and trying to decide what to do if he did not.  It was probably the longest hour of my life.

As I stood despairing in the yard a minivan similar to ours pulled into our driveway.  A woman opened her window and asked “Did you lose a dog?"  And sure enough there he was, cowering on the floor in the back.  He was so frightened we had to carry him into the house, but he was physically unharmed.

As it turned out, he had run about a half a mile through the neighborhood and ended up in the middle of a very busy street during the evening rush.  Traffic slowed as people drove around him but he was in serious danger of being hit and clearly did not know what to do.  And then this woman in a minivan pushed the button to open her back door, and our dog leapt in.  She pulled over, read the tag on his collar, punched our address into her nav system, and delivered him to our driveway.

She had never owned a dog and did not consider herself a dog person.  What made her stop and open her door to a strange dog in the middle of the street in the dark?  She had to know she was taking a risk, especially getting close enough to be able to read the address on his tags.  And she would have been in a difficult spot if she had not been able to find us.  I can’t see myself doing that in my pre-dog life, although I like to think I would do it now. We don’t know her name, but we certainly remember her with deep gratitude.

Thank you for your story of kindness, Robin. No act of kindness is too small for recognition! Have a wonderful weekend, Tumblr friends, and be sure to spread kindness and love!

[nbcnightlynews]

WATCH: Meet the dogs helping hospital patients bounce back from intensive care.

[kindworld]

Kindness from our four-legged friends!

[kindworld]

For more than 40 years, Sister Sue Kintzele - a sister of the Holy Cross in South Bend, Indiana - has visited the county jail. As the last remaining overseer of a bail bond fund, Sister Sue helps low-income individuals post bail, so they can continue working while they await trial. She does this work voluntarily, because, she says, "the people that are there are people...and they need the same things that all of us need."

Listen to Sister Sue’s story here.

[modernamericanwomen]

[kindworld]

Cate Blanchett speaking the truth. Be kind out there, friends!

[kindworld]

You've got until July 15 to submit to the #KindWorld contest. Here's some insider advice on how to give your entry a boost.

Submit your story of kindness here.

[themudcrusher]

Yes! ✨

H/t @afreerangehuman

[thedailyst]

Officer Luke Bonin

Massachusetts State Trooper Luke Bonin was on his way back from court when he saw a woman panhandling on the side of the road. He drove by her, straight to a local  restaurant, where he ordered two meals. Then he returned to the woman. Thinking Bonin was going to tell her to leave, she immediately said she’d go. “I’m not here to kick you out,” he said. Instead, he told her to pick which lunch she wanted. The two sat and had a meal and talked on the side of the road. (via Facebook)

[kindworld]

User submission: A House Has a Soul

I left my husband on December 26 of 2011 after years of trying to make an unhealthy marriage work. My daughter was 11 at the time and although she was tired of the turmoil in our house, like most 11 year olds she would have preferred that her parents remain together. At the time we owned a second home in Rockport, MA that we rented when we could and enjoyed on the weekends and for weeks at a time over the summer. We had only owned it for a couple of years but it had quickly become a haven from our small, open condo in an industrial part of Boston. Buying the house was kind of like that strange notion of thinking having a baby would save a marriage. Not surprisingly the house did nothing to save our marriage. In fact it made our marriage more stressful because of the financial and logistical worries this new property brought into our lives. A second home was not something we could really afford which is why we rented it when we we could. It did give us some space between us all because we no longer only lived in one big loft apartment. In Rockport, we could shut doors, go down into the kitchen, (an old 50’s style kitchen with its red Formica countertops and white wood cabinets), and we could go outside.

My daughter was a city girl but she loved being in nature. Unlike her suburban friends, she appreciated the large grassy front yard, the fireflies in the spring, the little dipper over our house that greeted us when we arrived late on Friday evenings, and the rocky cove down the street. She became close friends with the creative, quirky younger girl next door and another closer to her age down the street. In Rockport she had the freedom to meet her friend on the boulder in between our two houses, ride her bike around the neighborhood, swing on the hammock made out of parachute material that we tied between two trees in the front of the house, and go for walks in the trails behind our house. She built fairy houses and played “Harry Potter” in the woods with her new friends.

I vividly remember the night I told my daughter we would have to sell the Rockport house because of the divorce. It was nighttime and we were standing in her bedroom that we had painted bright orange and purple, equipped with a blackboard wall that we had painted near her bed. She cried out like a wounded animal and sobbed uncontrollably. She called her dad and hiccupped through an emotional conversation with him. She was devastated. It was as if all of her feelings about the separation came out that night. She was angry, raging mad; she was stricken with grief.

We did wind up selling the house in the spring of that year. My daughter, the dog and I went up the weekend before to say goodbye. But my daughter couldn’t. While I walked through the soon-to-be empty rooms my daughter waited in the car with the dog who was always afraid we were going to leave the house without him. She was stoic on the ride home but I knew how much she was hurting.

The Cambridge couple who bought the house seemed very nice but I didn’t know how nice Kate and Keiran were until I emailed them the following winter about renting the house for a week or two in the summer. They too were using it as a second home since they lived in Cambridge year round. Kate told me that they weren’t planning to rent the house but because we were not “your average renters” they would let us use the house for a week or two. When I politely refused, they insisted over and over that this was something they wanted us to do and they only wanted us to pay for the utilities during our stay. Kate said, “I feel that a house has a soul and this house wants you to be there.”

This summer was our second summer staying at out old house free of charge. Last summer I thanked Kate and Keiran for their generosity by leaving gift cards to the Dogtown Book Store, one of the many excellent local restaurants, and the Cape Ann Cinema for a “night out in Gloucester,” and this year I gave them a gift certificate to Rockport Music-Shalin Lui Performance Center and a membership to the Peabody Essex Museum. But these small tokens cannot begin to repay Kate and Keiran’s act of kindness. Their gesture has helped both my daughter and I properly grieve and heal. It has provided us a level of closure that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. And it has given us additional memories of a special home on Haven Ave in one of the most wonderful communities I have ever come across. Thank you Kate and Keiran for your selfless gift. It has meant a lot to us and we are very grateful.

Thank you, Michele, for your beautiful tale of kindness. Has anyone ever done something kind for you that left a mark on you and your family? Share your story with us: [email protected].

[peoplearegood]

Meet Josh Marshall and his 8-year-old son, Gabriel. When Gabriel was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March of 2015, it was understandably difficult for him. Making matters worse, Gabriel was left with a noticeable scar on his head. He told his father the scar made him feel like a “monster.”

And so, Josh Marshall, clearly contending for Father of the decade, told his son he’d get the identical scar tattooed on HIS head. “I told him if people wanted to stare, they could stare at both of us.“

Gabriel is now doing well and has been out of treatment for 9 months.

The adorable duo went on to win a photo contest with St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Alison Sutton of the foundation noted it was "the first time we’ve seen an entry where a dad went above and beyond shaving his head in solidarity with his child and got a tattoo to build his son’s self-confidence.”

‪#‎LoveWhatMatters‬

Photo Credit: Josh Marshall/Facebook

HT BuzzFeed News

[kindworld]

What a beautiful story! Celebrate kindness this weekend, Tumblr friends, and share your story of kindness with us!

[justfortheheart]

You deserve it. 

[kindworld]

Listen to Kathy and Heather’s story here.

[good-news-network]

Virginia Mom Takes in 6 Kids of Friend Who Died of Cancer (Video)

[kindworld]

Wow. Just incredible.