KindLoook

I was invited to a friends house to participate in a cooking class and had an incredible afternoon. Giovanni had prepared recipes, ready to go pizza dough, potatoes ready for our gnocchi making, lit his incredible pizza oven hours early, had a delicious assortment of ingredients for the pizzas as well as a sauce for the gnocchi and then kindly told us we didn't need to wash up. Such an incredible host and a lovely afternoon! Thanks for having us and sharing your knowledge!

My father was battling his suitcase and a very aggressive tram in Melbourne this week. A man standing nearby grabbed his arm to support him as the tram took off and made sure he didn't fall over. My dad thanked the man and said he was a "good man". The man responded that he wishes his wife thought that! It made me sad for a moment, but then glad my dad made him feel better with just a few kind words.....This was a Double Kindness in one interraction!

Sitting in a bar, in the distance I notice an elderly man, with a younger man who looked like he might be his son, approach the steps of the front door, with a walking frame. It got awkward fairly quickly.

The younger man sought help getting in. A staff member helped with the door then opened the second door to get it wide enough to help the elderly man get in. The staff member was running out of hands unable to tend to both doors as the younger man helped the elderly man.

I noticed a patron sitting nearby had begun paying attention as the situation compounded. It was the kind of attention that looked helpful. I could see him mouthing something, I'm guessing to offer help, because in the instant the staff member was clearly short of hands, he got to his feet and helped hold one of the doors open.

The two of them stood there holding the doors, it felt like a guard of honour, as the elderly man with help from his son ascended the steps and safely into the venue.

I smiled.

Have you ever had a nightmare run with customer support at a national level telecommunications company, to the point where it doesn’t matter who you talk to, they automatically start behind the 8 ball because of the previously poor interactions.

Well that was me last weekend. Frustrated. Expending time money and energy I really shouldn’t needed to.

I had to go in store for a replacement of the faulty device, which is a half hours drive away. The customer service representative in store could tell I was frustrated, and it didn’t make things better when they told me that the swap that the online team instructed me to go in store for wasn’t possible.

They were kind. They were polite. Because of this I was able to keep my frustration under control, and together we were able to find a creative way forward on the next step.

Just experienced a lovely random act of kindness at Whitebox Aldi. Cashier Nikolle (I think I spelt that correctly) paid for a girl's couple of items in front of me, when her card declined. You beat me to it, Nikolle! Thankyou for doing your bit to restore humanity and the art of compassion and kindness. 🙏

Giving When You Don't Have Enough

Being broken inside doesn't make us incapable of giving kindness, but it can hinder our ability to choose it.
When I think about generosity, I don’t just see it as simply giving things. To me, generosity means "giving even when you don’t have enough." And it’s not just about sharing things or possessions, but also offering kindness, forgiveness, empathy, and understanding—even when we’re going through tough times ourselves.

I saw kindness everywhere, but let me share about this one person I worked with for about three years.. Every day was a struggle—constant hustle, sleepless nights, and stress. Yet, this person remained kind everyday. The truth is, she was going through some of the worst challenges. I won’t go into details, but it was something most people would have a hard time handling gracefully. But despite her financial, mental, physical, and emotional struggles, she stayed kind. She shared what little she had, she listened with empathy, and was always helpful.

I watched her in those years, and she never changed. I made sure to thanked her and tell her that she was the kindest person in that crowded room, and I often told my colleagues that she has a golden heart. I pray for her a successful life. ❤️

Kindness in Richmond, Virginia

We were in RVA visiting my daughter and her young family. I had made a tray of roasted vegetables, but that was not nearly enough to feed four adults, one a big eater. My daughter suggested ordering take-out Chinese. Everyone was on board with the idea and offered menu options for ordering. My daughter placed the order and made the payment online. Two minutes later, she remembered her husband wanted the sweet and sour soup. It was too late to add to the order online, so she called the establishment. A kind woman answered the phone, and my daughter explained the snafu. "No problem," the lady said, "I give you free soup - no charge." She then added for good measure, "You give big orders, so no charge for soup." My daughter and I looked at each other, and I immediately exclaimed, "This is a micro-kindness." Simple, easy, and the complimentary soup offer on our order made our evening even sweeter! Thank you!

My friend came over this morning and listened to me talk for 30 minutes straight. She didn't interrupt me. She listened and smiled. That's a long time for a person to listen without adding anything, subtracting anything. Just being present.
A big kindess to me, it did cost her 30 minutes, it did require her attention, but other than that, it cost her nothing. I am so grateful.

Writing is a solitary occupation and it's easy to get discouraged. I have met a wonderful independent bookseller who loves authors. She freely admits, "I'm not a writer, I have no ambition to be a writer," but she supports local writers. She opens her bookshop one night a month for a growing group of authors to gather and learn from each other, to share stories and a warm drink, and to build a community. She does this simply to be kind--recogniizing our work and using what she has to encourage and support us.

I've joined in with a group online that is moving through December with daily check-ins around health, diet, movement, and general wellbeing goals. I was invited by an old friend I hadn't caught up with in ages I recently reconnected with.

Today, one woman shared such a simple story that when I read and reflected on it, it was far bigger than on first appearance. She shared a story of 'meeting a guy almost 92 at the gym' and chatting to him about his day.

That was really the crux of it aside from the details and it conjured up quite a bit for me as I pictured the scene. I shared about this in reply to her because her kindness to him really stood out and had me feeling quite wonderful about it...

I always love it how simply some people use an expression like 'I met' as if it just happens naturally and yet it's anything but, of course. It happens because people like you intentionally stay alert for the chance to meet and connect with people. These connection moments are where community has a chance to live and thrive. I'm certain Jeff would have appreciated a younger person who brought this posture and showed interest in him. It quite likely made his day. Well done to you! It actually reminds me of how much my wife loved it when people would stop to talk to her Dad when he'd go for a walk into his 90's and people would chat to him, because it was such an important part of his joy and happiness in his day to still feel connected with community. And this can be a huge challenge for our elderly community members.

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-standing-surrounded-by-exercise-equipment-CQfNt66ttZM

A friend came over to my house to drop some things off to me. We had a quick chat, and I headed back to work.
I then receive a message from him saying “These were sitting on your lawn. Now in one of your pots at the front.”
Can not express the relief I felt that these (earbuds) where no longer on the front lawn as rain was on its way and these would have been ruined. Had no idea they where even missing.
They fell out of my son’s pocket on this way to work. They are used daily and extremely important to him. My friend could have seen them and kept walking to his car, it would have just looked like a lack box amongst my unmown lawn, but that’s not who he is. He saw something and acted. Such a beautifully kind human that saved some potential freak outs in my household that night. Thankyou my friend

Walked into a bustling reception area with loads of people waiting in line and only one receptionist.
As I stood in line, I watched as the receptionist made time to acknowledge every single person in the line with a beautiful heartfelt smile and a simple “sorry about the wait, please feel free to take a seat if you would like and Ill come out to you, I won’t be long”.
She was so calm and moved through everyone with a smile. She saw an elderly gentleman that wasn’t very mobile and quickly moved to helped him get to a chair in the waiting room.
Got to my turn and she quickly booked me in and thanked me for my patience.
Whilst waiting I was reflecting on how beautifully she navigated the huge influx of people in such a calm and positive way.
I had my appointment and went to pay again the receptionist was polite and wished me a lovely day as I was leaving.
I got to the door, turned around and approached her. Again, I was greeted with a beautiful smile and a “can I help you with anything”. I replied with “I just wanted to let you know how beautifullly I felt you were managing the influx of people earlier and I wanted to say thank you for showing suck kindness” her smile got bigger, and she replied with “Thank you, I try to be” I reaffirmed her and headed off.

There’s a movement happening, in a place of fragmented communities, of churches coming together for the good of others. A group of churches donating their time and skills to help renovate school playgrounds and public parks for the benefit of all. Their latest project was to renovate a primary school playground for the kids to use.

I saw my sister give an extra $50 to the Lion's Club when we bought our tree today. They donate all the profits locally and she gets her tree from them every year. And each year she gives extra. I saw the people who run the spot on the side of the road beam with gratitude...not to mention the happiness it brought ot my sister. Once again, there is no question in my mind that we get as much, if not more, from our kind acts.

A friend sent me a message a couple of days after we'd had coffee. She had seen that I was feeling tired and wanted to check in and see that I was able to get a good night's rest.

There was a moment in my life when everything fell apart. You may know what I'm talking about, it happens. Between jobs, evicted, the entire community turned on me from lies and were actively blocking me from employment. My savings were running out and Centrelink wasn't even paying anything.

I was down to one person still talking to me in the community.

In the midst of the turmoil, a farmer reached out to me. They were about to slaughter some of their lambs which weren't suitable for market, and needed to clear space in their freezer.

And they gave me a stack of their deep frozen meat. Top quality stuff too. They didn't hold back.

Deep kindness, and it made a huge difference.

A friend sent me this link to a video series called Something Beautiful in the World. Three filmmakers, four continents, 12 short films. Starting in January 2024 they set out to make and send videos that enlighten, lighten, inform, cuddle and cradle the viewer. A KindLook for sure.

Walked into a bustling reception area with loads of people waiting in line and only one receptionist.
As I stood in line, I watched as the receptionist made time to acknowledge every single person in the line with a beautiful heartfelt smile and a simple “sorry about the wait, please feel free to take a seat if you would like and Ill come out to you, I won’t be long”.
She was so calm and moved through everyone with a smile. She saw an elderly gentleman that wasn’t very mobile and quickly moved to helped him get to a chair in the waiting room.
Got to my turn and she quickly booked me in and thanked me for my patience.
Whilst waiting I was reflecting on how beautifully she navigated the huge influx of people in such a calm and positive way.
I had my appointment and went to pay again the receptionist was polite and wished me a lovely day as I was leaving.
I got to the door, turned around and approached her. Again, I was greeted with a beautiful smile and a “can I help you with anything”. I replied with “I just wanted to let you know how kind I felt you were managing the influx of people earlier and I wanted to say thank you” her smile got even bigger, and she replied with “Thank you, I try to be” I reaffirmed her and headed off.

I'm in the middle of writing book 3 in my series and I post chapters on Ethos. I have a friend who faithfully reads each post and then takes time-- a lot of time!-- to send me feedback. She's careful to be modest and thoughtful, no "you should do XYZ." Her insight is brilliant and she makes my writing better every single day. She's not a paid editor and she's knee deep in alligators finishing her own project. Yet she honors me with her time and her expertise. It's an immense kindness and I'm deeply grateful.

Let me paint a picture for you.
A pensioner, walking home down the street, in the middle of the day.
It's a clear sky day, hot spring weather, a light breeze stirring a couple hairs on their head.
They turn, and out of their bag falls their wallet, with what's left of their pension for the next fortnight.
Imagine the devastation, on reaching the supermarket, their money gone. And with it, their ability to eat for the next week.
Desperately they retrace their steps, searching for the wallet and their pension, but nowhere was it found.
They turn to the one thing left they can. They put out a public plea on Facebook for the return of their wallet.
Silence.
No one volunteered to return it.
Silence until a stranger reached out.
They didn't have the wallet.
They didn't have any relation to the pensioner.
They gave the pensioner the same as what was lost.
They were simply kind.