Remember a few weeks ago I posted about the fabulous String-Ring™? If you haven't seen it, I recommend you check out this post. To summarize, the String-Ring is a stylish reminder to be a kinder person.
Tina, over at String-Ring, was so generous and offered one up as a giveaway to my readers! Fantastic, right?!
Same rules as last time. To enter, leave a comment right here with your NICE anecdote. Some way that NICE has affected your life. It can be as simple as a sentence. I'll choose a random winner next Thursday, October 9th, and that person will receive a beautiful String-Ring in the size of their choosing! For those of you that have entered the last three giveaways, I'm sure you can scrape up a new story. Here's mine. Shannon Nora's comment in the last giveaway reminded me of this.
The summer after my freshman year in college, I got a job as a hostess in a neighborhood chain restaurant. By the end of the summer, I started to hate people. Hungry people are rude and impatient and sometimes just plain mean. One rough Saturday night, we were experiencing an hour long wait. This usually resulted in people coming up to the hostess podium after 30 minutes, claiming that they had been waiting five hours for a table. I was not a happy camper.
I called a party's name and these two women and one gentleman, in their mid to late 50's, walked up with smiles. Not even sporting my usual smile, I apologized for the wait and they told me there was no need to apologize, they didn't mind. My mood was already softening. As I sat them, I routinely told them the specials (probably still not smiling), which included an Oreo Cookie Pie. The gentleman said, "Ooh, how is that?" I told him I hadn't tried it, but it looked and sounded amazing.
About an hour later, the restaurant was emptying out. I was able to catch my breath for a bit when the gentleman walked up to the hostess podium and held his hand out for me to take. Kind of startled, I put my hand in his and he walked me back to the booth where he and the two ladies had dinner. On the table was a big slice of Orea Cookie Pie and four forks. He said, "We wanted you to have the first bite."
I was speechless! After a long, cranky night, I had met the nicest people in the world! I sat with them and they told me how they were visiting from the Midwest and I told them how I was thinking about switching college majors. It was one of the best desserts of my life, and not because of the pie.
Alrighty, let's hear yours! Good luck!
100 comments:
About 9 months ago, when my now one year old daughter (where did the time go???) was a mere three months old, I had to take her with me to get the groceries.
We were tired, and hungry, and Gracie (who wasn't so keen on the Supermarket at the best of times) did not want to be there.
It is a constant amazement to me how much noise a tired, angry three month old child can make - and how much louder it sounds when you are in a public place.
I was pushing the trolley around, feeling like the worst Mum in the world, trying to comfort Grace, and pick up what we needed, avoid running into a) the shelves & b) the customers and get out of there as fast as I could manage.
At one stage I had Grace in my arms and was standing in the middle of the aisle contemplating just giving up and heading home when a LOVELY lady came over and offered to push my trolley for me while I got the rest of the groceries. I have never been so grateful!!
The other day I was entering the subway, which is usually crowded to say the least, and while I was walking down the stairs I noticed an elderly women clutching to the side railing. She was obviously struggling to get down the stairs and people were rushing by her, seemingly oblivious to her need. I'm sure that it was overwhelming and only increased her anxiety about trying to make it to the platform. As I walked by her I stopped and asked if she would like my help. She was so happy, so I took her arm and led her down the rest of the stairs, blocking her from the frenzy all around. We got to the bottom and parted ways, but those moments still remain so significant to me.
In a busy place like Manhattan, you meet a wide variety of people. There are just as many gracious, kind people, as there are those who are self-centered and self-satisfying. When I moved out here I told myself I wouldn't let the city kill my inherent faith in humanity. And it hasn't, because even when I get a rude comment or have a run-in with an inconsiderate, I remember that the real act of courage in these moments is to see past the situation to the human being there. Hopefully I can help rub some nice off on this city instead of picking its cynicism.
This is a quickie, but it made an impact: I was on my way to a Photoshop seminar in the city the other day and as I was waiting in the left-hand turn lane for the light to change I looked to my right. The gentleman in the car next to me had his window rolled down, waved and hollered over, "Good morning!" and gave me the biggest morning smile. It was a simple act of kindness, but it caught me totally off guard and really made my day. More people should catch strangers off guard with a morning hello.
My sweet husband got up with the baby 3 TIMES last night and let me sleep. I think that was VERY nice!
This is one of my all-time favorite memories. When I was in the 8th grade HyperColor Tshirts were SO extremely popular. I wanted one so badly, but the basic shirt was about $40 - and that was a lot for just a Tshirt. That year was also the middle of a long drought of work in my family. My dad had been laid off for almost 2 years and had been working on & off in his field during that time, but it was hard for him to find permanent work. He had even taken a job that require that he work in Oklahoma! My mom worked, but with me and my brother, we were just scraping by.
We had the discussion that there would be no Christmas presents that year. My brother (who was in college at that time) and I were fine with that - we understood.
However, Christmas morning, I saw one package under the tree and it was for me. My mom had bought me a hypercolor Tshirt. It was blue and it turned pink when it got warm. I was so happy and surprised.
I realized how sad it made my parents feel that they couldn't participate in Christmas the way they would have liked.
But,it was really the best Christmas ever because we were all together and happy.
BTW, I still have the shirt. It hangs in my closet as my "nice reminder". It still works too! I hand-washed it everytime I wore it and never ever put it in the dryer.
Just after I graduated, I was job-hunting and broke-ity broke broke! I had an interview one morning in an area of the city I wasn't familiar with, so I started out early to make sure I got there on time. I wound up being waaaay too early, so I ducked into a coffee shop/restaurant to wait.
When I got to the counter, I realised I only had $2 on me. And interac wasn't a common thing yet (not that it would have mattered, the account was dry). I asked the girl how much a coffee was and she said $2.75. I was mortified - I didn't even have enough to buy a coffee! I tried to act all cool, like "oh, thanks, I was just wondering", and I asked her if it was okay for me to wait at one of the tables for my appointment. She said sure and I sat down. No sooner had I gotten settled, when she came over and placed a cup of coffee in front of me, and said "On the house!" I said she didn't have to do that, but she insisted and we chatted for a few minutes. I admit, I was a shade embarrassed at being so openly penniless, but grateful all the same for her kind gesture. When I was leaving, she called out "Good luck on your interview!"
It makes me feel good all over again to remember that story.
This last week I've made a lot of major decisions (graduation, applying to law schools, applying for real jobs, dating, etc.). It's been really draining to try and figure out my entire life at 21 and with a really limited perspective. So one day my friend showed up with some flowers and asked how my life was. She listened to my drama, and then told me she trusted my decisions and would be there to help me, whatever happened. Flowers = a really small thought, and listening = not that hard. But those flowers have reminded me be positive all week and her vote of confidence was so encouraging.
I was having a bad day at work and one of our customers came in and placed a chocolate bar on my desk for me. It really made my day.
In a graphic arts class my junior year of high school (8 years ago), I sat next to a kid to whom no one ever really spoke. He always had his hood up, he was quiet except to give teachers a hard time, and people thought he seemed a little scary, honestly. One day I overheard him saying that he was hungry. At the time, a boyfriend used to leave Snickers bars in my locker almost every day, so I pulled that day's candy out of my backpack and offered it to him. He looked at me like I'd just given him a fist full of 50s. "You're really going to give this to me? Why?" he asked. "Why not?" I said, with a smile.
Jump to four years later; I was home from college, visiting my mom, when I stopped in Wawa for a snack. I grabbed a Snickers and went to the counter. I was digging around in my purse, when I heard the person at the counter say, "It's on me." I didn't understand why, looking up, because I didn't recognize the person behind the counter. All cleaned up, a smile I'd never seen before, it was the same kid from high school. He'd remembered a simple act of kindness and returned the favor, saying, "No one had ever been that nice to me back then." I still think about that day.
The other day I was at the supermarket and had my hands full of stuff. I always go in thinking that I just need a couple of things, and end up overflowing. As I made my way through the produce section, I knocked over a plastic (thankfully!) bottle of dressing. Before I could even stoop down, this little old lady bent down and picked up the bottle for me. She handed it to me and I told her that it wasn't mine, and that I just knocked it off of the display. She joked, "You're an awful lot of trouble, aren't you?" and I laughed and said, "Look out - I'm wrecking the place!" She was really sweet. I thanked her again, and as I went up to the register, I saw some pretty flower bouquets. I grabbed the prettiest one and paid for it. I asked the cashier to put a paid sticker on it because I wanted to give it to the woman who helped me. She seemed puzzled. "You know that you don't have to do that, don't you?", and I said, "Of course. I WANT to do it." I made my way back and handed to woman the flowers and she teared up. She thanked me profusely and we hugged and talked for a few minutes. She said, "I guess being 92 has its perks." I told her that I was hitting 40 soon and she gave me some advice. She said that people my age don't realize how much time we have left, and that we still have plenty of time to do whatever we want. I agreed and told her a little about how I own my own business and how I'm a mom. (I truly do feel like I can do anything, even in my late 30's.) She was happy about that. We said your goodbyes and I walked away elated! I didn't get her name and she didn't get mine, but we hugged and talked like old friends. I don't think either one of us will ever forget it.
I also wanted to tell you what I saw this morning while driving. I saw a house that had a barn attached (common here in NH) and painted on the barn were the words "Why Worry?" and "Smile". I have driven by that house many, many times and never noticed that. Isn't it funny how you get little messages when you need them? The market is scary and we have been trying to sell our house since early summer, and I really needed that little message this morning! I'll try to take a picture later on.
Last night while at a charity house tour meeting, I was asked by several people to do "little" projects for them. I of course said yes to each as they *were* just small projects that would not take much time. My friend gently reminded me, in front of those asking for a piece of my time, that each little project adds up and I'm already doing A LOT for the project. It was so sweet of her to realize I was taking too much on because I felt badly saying no and the fact that she did it in front of those asking let me off the hook without making me feel uncomfortable. Now that's a NICE friend!
I stumbled upon this site yesterday and I have to tell you, I'm absolutely addicted to it!
Yesterday, Oct 1 was my birthday. Since moving to another state 5 years ago I've had some difficulty finding new friendships. I recently began serving on a design team for my son's cross country team and work with some of the moms to create locker tags for the boys. A couple nights ago we were all together working on a project for the boys and I mentioned that I can't keep a candy dish full at home because my boys finish it off the same day I put it out, especially the m&ms. Yesterday at a track meet one of the moms gave me a birthday gift. How she found out it was my birthday, I have no idea. Anyway, it was a big bag of peanut m&ms! There is no way that they could know what that gift meant to me.
A couple weeks ago we had some MAJOR heavy rains here in Gastonia. My fiance and I were running out to our car, and we saw this young boy with an unbrellla, sitting half in, half out of a car door, obviously holding up a towel to a linking sun roof inside. We were like, "Oh, man that is going to be a drag, and not really work." We ran and got our big blue tarp and helped the boy throw it over the car and anchor it. He was SO grateful, and went inside. We thought nothing more of it, went on to do our shopping, and of course the tarp came back to us a couple days later when the rain stopped.
A few days after that, we opened our front door to find a little card with a flower on the front. In side was a very heartfelt thank you from the young boy and his mom for helping them, and preventing their car from getting ruined.
It SO MADE OUR DAY! It was just sweet, and nice, and just so lovely. It was in the young boy's handwriting, which made even more special. I put it on the fridge and it makes me happy every time I look at it.
It's always the little things, isn't it?
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area proved to be even more exciting once I "grew-up" and got my driver's license. The first time I drove across the Bay Bridge on my own I got one of the nicest surprises ever. As I pulled up to the toll booth and went to hand over my toll (then a mere $1) the toll taker said "the car in front of you already paid for you." I was dumbfounded, and absolutely delighted. I was later to find that I had stumbled onto a Bay Area tradition - someone starts by paying for their own toll and the toll for the car behind them. The next car pays for the car behind THEM. Sometimes I imagine it goes on for a long, long time. It never failed to make my day - even though I was still paying bridge toll it felt different - better! - to be paying it for someone else.
I moved away in 1999, the tolls have risen to $4, and many people have "fast track" which enables them to zoom through the toll booth as their account is charged electronically. So it probably doesn't happen as much. But for awhile, it was niceness on wheels!
I just discovered your site and think it’s great! :)
I’m lucky to have many thoughtful people in my life. One time in particular stands out for me.
It was almost a year ago when I had to put down my little cat. She was 19 years old, sick, and it was time to say good bye. The day prior I was telling my friend what I knew I had to do and, obviously, I was very sad and upset.
I phoned a vet who makes house calls so I didn’t have to put my cat through a last kennel ride and visit to the vet’s office. When the doorbell rang, I walked in complete dread to the door to let the vet in. But in the doorway stood my friend. She came over to be with me, without being asked, and held my hand through the whole thing.
I can never thank her enough for stopping everything and helping me though such a difficult experience. It was one of the kindest, thoughtful, selfless – and nicest - acts anyone has ever done for me. I’ll never forget it and will always be grateful to her.
Its stupid, but here goes:
I went to Togos yesterday and usually the people are nice enough, I guess not nice, just nice enough to not get fired. Well yesterday the girl at the counter was so NICE it was ridiculous. I ordered a veggie sandwich and she asked if i was a vegetarian. i say yes and she starts going into all the stuff I can order if I wanted and maybe I didn't know it was veg (other sammiches, the veggie soup). It was not a huge, life changing thing, but she was just nice. Just nice.
My husband and I recently bought our first home. I went outside the morning after we moved in and noticed flowers on our stoop. There was a card from our neighbor attached, saying welcome to the neighborhood. It was such a nice surprise. I've heard of neighbors doing this but have never experienced it. It made us feel really good about being in our neighborhood and being a part of a community.
A couple of weeks later, we noticed that our neighbor wasn't home and people were coming over to feed her dogs (we hadn't exchanged keys at this point). We found out that her dad was sick and she had to go home for a couple of weeks. To help out, my husband kept her yard mowed and trimmed. She gave us such a warm welcome, it felt good to do something nice for her when she needed it.
Love the feel good stories. Makes we want to do better!
--Diana
A few months ago I was at the store buying dog food. My husband and I have seven dogs, so we buy a lot of dog food at a time. I had six 44-pound bags piled onto a cart, so the comments were inevitable: "You must have a lot of dogs," "That's a lot of dog food," etc. After I had checked out, I was headed to my car and the nicest old man offered to help me load the dog food into my car. How sweet!
Right now, I am in my last semester of college, studying to teach elementary school. Recently, I've been working in a third grade classroom two days a week. Here is something completely nice that happened to me last week:
The students were lining up for afternoon recess, and I was doing some monitoring. For no apparent reason, Tyler, with his big glasses and kind disposition, came and gave me a heartfelt hug around the waist. "Thanks, Tyler," I said. Taking a step back, Tyler blinked, smiled, and then looked at me and responded sincerely,
"You know what? I think you'll be a great teacher."
Since I just love the string-ring; here goes:
I was standing in the airport waiting for my suitcases once, somewhere in the world (I can't remember where). Suddenly a very NICE man comes along, shouting my name out loud waiving my wallet in the air. I had forgotten it in my seat in the plane. Talk about refreshing honesty! A nice experience.
This was something that happened to me three years ago. While waiting for a ride home, I saw an old lady peddling cigarettes who was sitting precariously on the steps leading up to the mall. She was petite, brown-skinned and looked like someone who was in her 70's. Someone who at that time of the night should've been in bed, bundled up in a warm blanket and getting a good night's rest. Instead, she sat on the cold pavement, her box of cigarettes and candies on her lap while fighting off the urge to sleep. She was tired and was literally dozing off, dangerously bending over and from side to side before she jolts back to consciousness. It tore my heart watching her like that, especially because everytime I see old ladies, I am reminded of my beloved grandmother.
After a few more minutes of thinking of the best way to approach her, I balled up a hundred peso bill in my hand and walked up to the old woman. I woke her up by asking how much the candies were then took three pieces of the first mints I saw. I placed the money on her palm and closed her fist around it, telling her to please go home and rest before she falls down the stairs. She opened her hand, took one look at the small amount I gave and looked up to me with shining eyes. Her smile was priceless.
We walked away after that, and got a ride somewhere else. Until today, I wonder if she did go home after that. I hope she did. I really hope she did.
A week ago, I was mugged by a couple of teenagers in hooded sweatshirts. When I came into work on Tuesday, there was a message on the voicemail from a woman who had found my keys in the weeds! I had a plastic case with my business cards on my keychain, and the nice lady had found my keys and called the number on my business cards. I called her back, and was able to stop by her house later that day to pick up my keys. It was so nice of her to pick up something laying in the weeds on the side of the street and try to get them back to me. I appreciated it so much and told the nice lady as much while at her house! It was a shining spot it what has been a rough week.
My oldest son called me, like he always does on the way home from work asking if I had gone to the store and gotten milk, etc I told him no I would go tomm morning before everyone wakes up and you know what he did..bought milk, soda..yep soda and deli and bread and cheese, etc. What a sweetie! And he said its on me when he brought it in, what a good kid.
In the winter, during really heavy snowfalls, our street is usually one of the last to be plowed by the city. I came home one very cold, snowy night, dreading shoveling my way *into* the driveway, and as I turned the corner onto our street, I couldn't believe my eyes. One of our neighbours had used the small snowplow attached to the front of his truck to clear not only my driveway, but EVERY driveway on our street, AND the street itself out to the main road. It must have taken him forever to do. Now whenever my husband and I shovel our driveway, we make sure to do someone else's as well, just to pay it forward.
Several years ago, when my kids were mere babies, I think my son was 3 and my daughter 18 months old. I was traveling home from a trip at my folks, I had been very very sick for the 3 days prior to our travel day. So, the day was pretty daunting. Our flight home was about 2 hours long. Perfectly manageable with 2 kids, even though the 3 of us shared 2 seats, squished in next to a not so friendly person. About an hour into the flight, my son started vomiting. I am holding daughter, who could not hear at that moment (she is deaf and wears an cochlear implant and had it off for the flight). I am pushing the call button, dealing with 2 crying kids and one of them has vomited all over me, the floor, the seat, my bag and so on. The flight attendant was so unhelpful by offering me a dry paper towel. Finally, I asked the flight attendant to move the man next to us so we could move off the now-wet and stinky seat. I did not have a change a clothes for my son. A woman across the aisle, bless her heart, offered to help as she saw me in the depths of motherhood gone awry. She held and rocked my daughter while I cleaned up and calmed my son. When this horrid trip came to an end, she helped me carry my kids and my stuff off the plane and all the way to the luggage area. She went beyond niceness, she was a true angel.
i'm so glad to have found your blog, it's wonderful!
i'm thrilled to see so many people focusing on the beautiful things people do in life.
and do check my post today, i think you will love it!
I found your blog via a link on Suzanne's sketch blog and I'm so glad I did! I've only read this one story so far. I tried reading it aloud to my husband but I couldn't because it made me cry too much!
What a wonderful blog.
My teenage son, came up to me and said "thanks for what you're doing for us" mom, after I went back to work, after staying home to be with the kids...now THAT was nice!
My 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome over a year ago which has left her unable to walk, talk, or use her hands. As you can imagine, we work with my daughter using various therapies through an amazing early intervention program (OT, PT, DT, & Speech.) This of course leads to a very busy schedule. Wednesdays for some reason seemed particularly hectic. One Wednesday a friend of mine invited my family over for dinner - we could go straight from her Physical Therapist and have no worries about preparing dinner - Nice right?!?! The story does not end here....when we were getting ready to head home she pulls TWO more meals out of the freezer for me. She wanted me to have at least two more Wednesdays that I did not have to worry about what to do about dinner. Now that is NICE. It touched my heart in such a huge way! She is one amazingingly NICE gal!
Love reading these! And thanks for the shout-out Melissa!
This story isn't something that I did, but something my good friend Mackenzie did. We were in a grad-school program for the summer, paid for by our employer. Included in the package was a free round-trip plane ticket to go home (or travel) for 4th of July, or to bring a guest to visit you. I was so excited to plan a trip to see friends in far-away cities, but my friend Mackenzie decided to give her ticket away. We met a very nice guy at school who was planning on proposing to his girlfriend very soon, but he was stressed that they wouldn't be able to see each other to do much planning. Mackenzie gave him her ticket, no questions asked, and would not accept "no" for an answer. I thought it was so touching especially because she was not particularly good friends with this guy - she just saw that she could help someone so she did it!
I always love to see when my kids practice the golden rule. Treat others as you want to be treated.
rebbi511 at peoplepc.com
It was nice to her my son tell me about him helping another person at school.
After college I returned home to save money, and get a grown up job before I ventured out on my own. During that year and a half I was a substitute teacher, and nanny. I was a nanny to three young children close in age. I watched them often, and got very close to the whole family.
Last winter the parents of the family, Jenny and Paul, had the opportunity to go on an expenses paid trip to Paris. They asked me to play mommy to the kids for the 5 days they were away. I was up for the challenge.
Doing it all on your own with three kids is tough! Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, the responsibility was all on me.
One evening I bundled all three kids up, to head to the grocery store. After our big shop, we got in line to be rung out. The lines were super long that night, and by then all three were getting a little sleepy and irritable. We finally got close to the conveire belt, when the middle child (who was being potty trained) had to use the bathroom. Consistency is the key when it comes to the potty, so I didnt have a choice- I had to get out of line to take all three kids to the bathroom. When I returned to my shopping cart, I was that it was back in line, and all my groceries were about to be checked out.The woman behind me must have observed my situation, and arms full of children.
I was so grateful to her and couldn't stop thanking her. She just smiled and said that she raised two kids of her own, and knows what its like sometimes.
I just found your site this week and it has been a nice pick me up. It can be hard to keep life in perspective sometimes and remembering the little things like being nice is what makes life worth living. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this site.
Thank you for having this. My biggest Nice moment was when I was having a rough day with my 3 little ones and thankfully they were all in bed happy. I went to crash on the couch and the next thing I know is that my husband comes around the corner with a foot bath for me and a hot chocolate. It was so sweet. I will always remember that day. Thank you!
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
In my neighborhood, the neighbors all contribute to a gas collection for one's snowblower. Then, when a big snowstorm hits, we go from house to house on the street and clear everyone's sidewalks and driveways!
Lately, our extended family has been through some big issues (my stepmother with breat cancer, etc) that has brought with it trials and emotion. Even when we are just going through a regular day, my oldest daughter seems to sense when it is a bit rougher than usual. She stops what she is doing, comes and gives me a big hug, asks if I want her to make me some tea or go for a walk -- just little things that remind me I'm loved and that little gestures can make a huge difference in somebody's day and life.
arbrashears (at) msn (dot) com
When I take my daughter who is in kindergarten we have to park on a side street and walk down to school. Every day theere is a man who stands out on his driveway with his sweet dog whom the kids all love and pet. He is so kind to everyone that goes by and wishes the children a good day at school. It is just such a wonderful day to start the morning. We so look forward to seeing him and Ben the dog every morning. My daughter always gives Ben a big hug and says hi Ben it's me your best girlfriend. It always puts a smile on our face.
Thank you for inspiring me to be as kind and nice as I can be.
Right this very minute my very NICE husband is refinishing our front door and door frame. He's always doing NICE things for all of us and for our house, our friends, our neighbors, our relatives... It's amazingly NICE to be living with such a NICE guy.
This site has made me so much more conscious of how I treat everyone around me. I find myself opening more doors, smiling more and making more of an effort to say "hello", "good morning" and "how's your day going?"
Keep up the great work Mel - you're fantastic!
This story should be told even if I don't win anything for it because it is pretty wonderful.
After 7 years of dating, 2 children, a house and a mortgage, I finally agreed to marry my husband in 2001. September 2001 to be exact. Rather than a huge wedding with all the expense we decided to go to Vegas. We invited all our friends and family (we live in Wisconsin)to meet us there. We scheduled flights,tuxes, flowers etc. and a small dinner for about 35 people. Very fun for everyone and very laid back.
In order to save money we did everything non refundable. Of course. Then September 11th happened. My wedding seemed silly. I felt bad worrying about a stupid wedding when so many people were in pain. I certainly didn't want to fly all the way across the country leaving our children at home. I also had 35 people who were counting on me. So on September 25th we left for Las Vegas. My husband is not a good flier. At all. He is Mr. T, needing a mickey slipped into his glass of milk. He is such a bad flier that I will not fly with him because his crazy rubs off on me. Well, as we were filing back into coach the flight attendent said that my husband was bumped up to first class. He said that he wasnt interested because he was with me. A man sitting in first class over heard and stood up saying that he would give up his own seat so that the two of us could sit together. I was like, "No way! I won't let you do that!" So the flight attendent shuffled everyone around so that we could all sit in first class!Pretty cool huh? Just wait, it gets better. The day of the vows my sissy, best friend and mom got ready in our room while my hubby went to get ready in his brothers room. We got dressed, laughed and drank champagne. We took the elevator down to the lobby to get a taxi to the chapel. On our way down in the elevator there was a man, probably in his mid to late thirties. He struck up a conversation with us and he told us how his marriage was great and that he adored his wife. He talked and walked with us to the lobby. We asked the bell hop to get us a taxi and the man from the elevator said goodbye and walked away. Moments later he came rushing back saying, "This is NOT RIGHT! This is NOT right!" We were like looking at each other wondering what the heck this guy was on. Then he took my hand and led me over to a limo. He said, "This is a special day for you and you should have a special car. You shouldn't ride in a taxi in your wedding dress!" He pushed us all in, paid for it and walked away. I yelled thank you. It happened so fast and was so surprising that I will forever regret not even getting his name! I joke that the man I remember most from my wedding day was not even the one I married! Pretty cool!? Wait, there is even more!!! My husband gave me an antique design ring for our engagement. Our bands were also antique design. On my wedding day my husband gave me a pair of matching diamond earings. It totally floored me because his is really really bad at keeping a secret. I was really touched that he had done such a sweet thing. On our flight home my sister asked about them. I put my hands up to hold back my hair to show her. I discovered that one of the earrings were gone! I was so upset. I hadn't even had them for 3 days! I was just sick about it. I didn't even tell my husband because I was going to see if I could get a replacement somehow and I didnt want his feelings to be hurt. I called the hotel (The Venitian) where we had stayed and asked that they have the staff keep an eye out for it. Less than a week later I got a package in the mail with the earring in it.
The whole trip was just one nice thing after another. It was like this gift all on its own. It gave me good things to remember about that time. Not that my wedding wasnt nice but it was kinda overshadowed.
Peace
C. Kuhl
I love this ring ...whether it's free or not :) Great site and idea!
When my son got off the bus yesterday he picked some beautiful violets on the way home. He's such a sweetie!
adr1001025[at]msn.com
nice is when my husband does the laundry
When I come downstairs and my sons in their 20's are visiting and making breakfast. Finally after al these years someoneelse is cooking
My boyfriend joined a new band. When the singer introduced him he gave the microphone to him,my boyfriend looked at me and said all his hard work is for me and that i inspire him:)
cyclona66@aol.com
a coworker of mine covered my lunch for me the other day, it was a much appreciated, nice gesture. :)
I was driving down a fairly busy two-way street and noticed a car in the opposite lane trying to make a left turn. Cars were backing up behind him and no one on my side would stop to let him turn. I stopped and waved him in front of me and as he waved thanks, we recognized each other. He was a former boss. The next day he called me, said he was with a new company, and wondered if I was interested in a job. I was, and it turned into one of the best jobs I ever had. Sometimes being nice provides rewards beyond just feeling good.
Hi Mel,
Greetings from Malaysia! Just wanted to tell you about my nice story of the day! This morning I woke up for my usual morning work out session at the gym. It was going to be any other usual workout session, except it wasn't! :)
I parked my car outside and as I was walking towards the gym, I saw this man walking in my direction with his motorcycle. As I got closer, he came up to me and asked me if I could be of some help. He said that he didn't have any money on him to fix his flat tire at a nearby gas station. He asked me whether he could borrow some money to get the gas station mechanic to plaster the hole in his tire.
I asked him how much he needed to get the job done. He said he didn't know how much it'll cost to fix it but he said that perhaps RM 10 (USD 3) would be sufficient. I took my wallet out and handed him RM 20 (USD 6). I told him that it was better if I gave him a little bit more just in case he was short. He then asked for my phone number so that he could call me later and return me the money he borrowed.
I just looked and him, smiled and said no its okay you don't need to pay me back... Just make sure you help someone else if they ever need your help. He thanked me with a big smile on his face, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. As I walked away I felt as if I was floating on air!!! I've never felt so good in my life! I was buzzing with positive energy!!
I hope other people would read my story and do the same for others! It feels great to be nice. Everyone should try it! What a great day!
We had some money issues about a month ago... I told a friend of mine just to tell her the facts not asking for money just venting to herabout my problems. Well she told a a few friends and they told a few of their friends.. by the end of two days she gave me $690... cash... I was speechless by the kindness of strangers.. just speechless... and all of them said they didnt want it back they wanted me to pay it forward... amazing uh?
It seems like we are always having money issues !! BUT when we aren't we help out friends and family who are because we know what it feels like to be in that tight spot :(
Last week I was at the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items for dinner. As I was rushing through the frozen food aisle I saw an older woman using her walking cane to try and pull forward the last carton of chocolate ice cream from the back of the cooler. I stopped and asked her if she needed some help. She said she just wanted the chocolate ice cream from the back. I'm not incredibly tall but I managed to stretch myself far enough to grab the ice cream for her. She was so excited that I was able to reach it! It wasn't a huge act of kindness but who am I to deny someone their ice cream? ;)
I just found out about this site and I am thrilled.
My short story: we recently pulled into a gas station to fill the tank. The man in the car ahead of us at the pump gave us a quick wave as he left. We were a bit bewildered as we returned his wave since we did not know him. It soon became clear why he waved, he had pre-paid for $25 of gas for us! We were blown-away by his random generosity and it inspired us.
Keep up the good work!
My parents live in Oklahoma City and I live in Dallas which is a three hour drive straight south on I-35. On a recent Sunday morning, after being in OKC for the weekend to attend a funeral, I left around 9:30am to head back down to Dallas. As I drove away from my parents house I noticed that the "low tire pressure" light was on. Annoyed by this detour that would surely add time to my already long drive I turned before getting onto the highway and headed to the nearest gas station.
At the gas station I checked my tire pressure (a newly acquired skill since graduating from college)and identified which tires did in fact need air. Once the mystery was solved I looked up to notice that the air machine is no longer free but is .75 cents for air. (Am I the only one thinking that it is crazy to pay for air?) As luck would have it I didn't have any cash with me and I had used all of my change to feed a parking meter so I went inside to get money out of the ATM or buy a bottle of water and get cash back so that I could buy my much needed air. Once inside I noticed that not only is the ATM out of order but also the credit card machine is not working. Not.My.Day.
Frustrated I left that gas station to go further out of my way to find another one. Finally I find one. I head inside and again the ATM is broken so I grab a bottle of water and head up to the counter to purchase it and get some cash back. Rejected once again. With tears in my eyes out of frustration and from the emotional wear and tear of a funeral weekend I head back to put up my bottle of water. By the time I walk back to the door the sweet girl working at the cash register has taken a dollar out of her purse and exchanged it for four quarters from the register. She motioned for me to come over and handed me the coveted quarters. Of course the tears then start streaming as I thank her profusely. I know it was just a dollar to her but to me it meant the world to know someone is still willing to do something nice for a stranger.
It turns out that the air machine at that gas station was jammed so I ended up going back to gas station #1 to fill up with air - BUT I was able to do it with three of the four wonderful quarters that this young lady gave me.
I can't wait to do something like that for someone random soon.
I was entering work today and I had my hands full. It was sprinkling so I was hurrying, of course I drop something. This older gentleman quickly picks it up and opens the door for me while saying Good morning. It helped a lot and made me feel good :)
My mom has helped me about beyond recongition with me having my baby October 2!
kristilb19@yahoo.com
Christina - xristya@rock.com - I had a bad knee injury and no car at the time and was finding it difficult to get to places, so I often relied on the bus. One day I went to the library via bus and was there for about four hours, painfully hobbling around doing all the research I required, and I didn't notice that a large snowstorm had ensued. I was so glad I could take the bus home and as I walked the five blocks to the bus stop and finally got there I searched in my purse for my wallet - which was gone! The library had closed in the meantime, and I started to struggle to walk home with a large bag of books (although I didn't know how I'd make it in the snowstorm, since home was five miles away!). I started crying softly to myself and then a woman walked up out of NOWHERE and said, "Would you like my bus transfer? I'm getting a ride home!" and handed it to me. I was SO relieved, and ever since then I've always offered my unexpired transfer to someone else if I don't need it!
when I was pregnant with my first child. we did not have alot of money. I didn't have many clothes for my expanding figure. My sister-in-laws got together and they all donated clothes-I was so thankful
tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
I was at the opera house waiting for a friend that promised to come along. The seat next to me was therefore still empty.
Then a young man, a foreigner obviously, holding a ticket in his hand started arguing with a lady that she was sitting in his seat a little further from me. The performance was just about to start and the lady was annoyed not understanding quite what the man was saying... I called to the lady and waved the man that the seat next to me was empty. He sat down and thanked me, and the next moment the curtains went up.
My friend never showed up, and it turned out the man mixed dates on his ticket. But he was most happy that someone helped him out, especially as he couldn't find his way in a different country and in a different culture.
I was glad he experience at the opera turned out to be a good one for him.
Just two weeks ago, I was driving down the road when I heard a horrific sound coming from underneath my car. Like a sign from God, I looked up and saw an auto parts store on the side of the road and quickly pulled in to see what was the problem.
It was a special day, as I was on my way to my wedding rehearsal and running extremely late. The plastic underbelly of my car had come off and I was dragging it down the road, tearing it to shreds. Panicked and short on time, I asked an older man at the auto parts store what he thought I should do. He quickly jacked up my car, removed the part, wrapped it and placed it in the back of my car, so I could be on my way. He told me to come back to get it fixed another time, but I would be fine to drive.
When I offered to pay him, he just smiled and waved. I didn't even catch his name because I was in such a hurry, but the following week, I sent a thank you note and a box of cookies. I won't forget his kindness on such a stressful day!
guess what I ordered last night? I can't wait to get it. I'm not sure yet what color I'll choose first. Maybe purple? Thanks for letting me know about this.
My neighbor asked me to take photos at her son's birthday party and it turned out to be so nice & fun. Really lifted my whole week.
I just discovered your site and I love it! As a mom (of three) whenever I'm somewhere with the kids, smallest one in the stroller, it's always nice when people offer to open doors for me and tell me how wonderful a family I have. It helps me appreciate everything a little more.
The intended parents of my surrogate son sent me a photo of him in August. That was nice. :)
Thank you! alison523 at gmail dot com
Nice is when my 15 year old son still hugs me in front of all his friends at school. It is also when he tells everyone that I am the coolest Mom in the world. :o)
forsweeps@bellsouth.net
my coworker who is an elderly man comes by my cube everyday to "pick me up" for our daily walk. I've learned a lot from him and he's become a good friend.
Both my kids had chicken pox at the same time. So my mom who knew I was exhausted came over and made me get some sleep and helped take care of my munchkins without ever having to ask.
I went camping with this group a couple years ago, and it's real
camping where you have the woods are your bathroom. So it was at
night, and we all had to pee, so we all go together as a group. So
we're out in the woods peeing, and i see a shadow and hear some
crunching of leaves, and i immediately think BEAR! so i scream "BEAR!!!" and everyone starts screaming and running back to their tents with their pants around our ankles and dive into our tents. Anyways, it wasn't a bear (duh) and we all felt stupid, and to make matters worse the one guy group leader who was taking an evening stroll had witnessed the whole thing, no one could look him in the eyes after that. It's pretty funny looking back, but boy were we embarrassed!
On our honeymoon, my husband and I were blessed with not one but SEVEN gift baskets- one for each night of our stay at the resort. Each gift basket had music, wine, candles, etc. Our family knew this would be a great way to re-live our wedding night for a week straight!!
Someone held the door for me the other day and it reminded me how nice it was for someone to do so. I plan to remember to hold the door for the next person.
angie k tisaynbababaeatyahoo.com
On April 1, 2004, the entire town of Belen, New Mexico, enbraced my family with "niceness".
My son, Raymond, was 16 and dying of congestive heart failure. His favorite day of the year was April Fools Day...tells you kinda of what Raymond was like :)
Belenites as we are called, named April 1 Raymond's Night Out. The entire town held a party in my sons honor. It was so much fun and great to see such a huge smile on Ray's face.
When the television news stations asked Ray to comment on this huge party in his honor, he said, "Stay in school. Do the very best you can and create your own best."
You see, all my son wanted to do was learn and pass learning on to others. It impacted our entire state of New Mexico. Enough to even have the governor of New Mexico to come and visit Raymond at our home.
But without NICENESS from the town of Belen, Raymond's message would have never got out.
Raymond passed away on June 23, 2004. His message has not been forgotten, as April 1 is still Raymond's Night Out.
Thank you, Belen, NM for being so "Nice"
A fellow by the name of Marty at OKW enclosures uses as his e-mail signature tagline, the following line:
"Hoping to be helpful enough..."
He is certainly helpful enough, and one of the nicest guys I've dealt with. Thanks Marty!
This short story has to do with a former barber named Juan. While I worked as a teacher at a middle school, I lived close enough to the school to walk to and from. Well Juan's barber shop was on the way home, and I got a haircut one day after school. I decided that I liked Juan's style and the niceness of this shop. One day, sometime later, on a Saturday, I went to his shop for a haircut. I was on a walk and had gotten two drinks, an energy drink and a mountain dew. Well, I put the bag under the barber chair. After the cut, I left, and left the drinks there. Several months later when I needed another cut, Juan, presented me with the energy drink from the fridge. He had saved it for me, but he admitted he drank the mountain dew. Way to go Juan:) He was a great example of niceness. Sadly he passed away in 2005. But Juan was more of what was right in this world. Thank you, Juan.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I worked as a server at a nice restaurant. We served as our own cashiers, and turned in all of our money at the end of the night.
One night, I was about 7 months pregnant, and it was nearing the end of the night. I had one table left, a nice couple, and decided to count my money, so that when they left, I'd be ready to cash out. While counting my money, I realized that I had somehow lost money. ONce I turned in my bank, I wouldn't have made ANY tips. So, I went to my section and went through the garbage, checked under the tables...nothing. The couple watched me for a while, and then asked what I was looking for. I explained that I either dropped money or gave someone incorrect change, because I didn't make any money that night. They asked how much I thought I lost and I explained it was probably around $50. We ended our conversation, and I gave up looking.
When the couple left, in addition to their payment for their check, there was a crisp $50 bill under a business card. On the back of the business card, a little note was written, telling me what a nice and wonderful server I was, and they hoped that the $50 helped.
I was blown away, and I sent a thank you card and flowers to the address on the business card the next day.
First - how did I almost miss this?!
Mine's a short one... but a sweet one. (Literally) Last week I was having a bad day... a really bad day. No one reason, but just a bunch of things adding up. I went to my local coffee shop and bakery (independently-owned) to get a much needed coffee. As always, when I walked in the owner greeted me and asked me how I was. Normally, I'm all cheer and smiles... but that day I couldn't even manage an "OK." So I responded with the truth and said "Crabby & Cranky actually." He went off into the back leaving me to think "Great, I've offended yet another person!" I finished making my coffee and brought it up to the register where he was standing, smiling with a grin and a "crab-shaped" sugar cookie - fresh off the frosting table. He then told me he looked like I could use a "turn of the tides" and told me the cookie and coffee were on the house. I left smiling and yes, my day did get much better!
I just came on your site and so far I like what I see
Last week a neighbor from down the street came up to me at the bus stop complimenting my daughters. Apparently her first grader was alone because her older sibling missed the bus. My daughters walked her home so she would be safe. They never mentioned it to me. I was so happy the woman expressed her appreciation in front of my daughters. They now know random acts of kindness are grately appreciated. Always recognize and encourage good deeds with children. They are the future.
Two days ago I cam home from work with a horrible migraine and my sweet hubby cooked supper for our family.
Congrats on the GMA appearance! Here's one of my nice stories - I was picking up an order at a Chinese restaurant and the owner, who didn't speak English very well, was looking at a map and being yelled at on the phone by a customer who had been waiting an hour. I asked if I could help and after the man cursed and yelled at me, too, I got his address and said I would be sure he got his order. I felt so bad for those people! I got into the car with a total stranger who spoke no English at all and we found the man's place. I moved right after that but came back 3 yrs later. The first time I ordered Chinese, the same man brought it and he was so shocked to see me! He said in very good English that I didn't have to pay. He was happy to be able to do something for me, because I had done something nice for him. :)
i try to be nice in the supermarket i give away extra coupons i have to strangers :)
I try to be nice by holding the elevator in my very busy city apartment building. You'd be surprised the goodwill this breeds!
nice ring! I got a nice email from a friend today asking me how I was doing!:)I try and be nice ,helpful and thoughtful everywhere I go.
My kids were nice today.
donna444444@yahoo.com
my sister was coming from college when she noticed in a parking lot, there were full of people trying to fix a broken down bus. She stopped and asked if they needed help. They were a choir and were getting ready to leave back to their hometown. Since I had the AAA services, she called and asked me if she can help them out and I told her that she didn't even need to consult me with this. To go ahead. Mind you, it was the time I had problems with my car and exhausted my services but I didn't care and I know how it feels to be in that situation. So she called and lets just say they were praising that a stranger stopped and help them out.
I'm glad she did!
I'm winning the ring for her!
Julia
I was in the checkout line at the supermarket yesterday and a nice gentleman standing in front of me offered to help with my groceries.
I have had a couple of times in my life that people have told me they believe in me and will stand behind me. So now as a supervisor I always try to instill the same in the people who work with me. I always tell them mistakes happen and together we can work through anything.
Thanks for the contest.
My husband constantly graces me with kindness. He'll do things without my asking such as doing the dishes, loads of laundry or picking up a pizza for dinner!
I don't have a story but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading everyone's comments.
When I lived in Florida my car stalled ome day. This nice couple and their teenage son pushed it out of the highway for me. garrettsambo@aol.com
I remember when I had just had my baby and we got blasted with over a foot of snow. My neighbor without even asking just came over and shoveled my driveway and sidewalks for the whole week. I was completely touched. When I could get out, I expressed my sincerest thanks but he just told me that it was his pleasure to do it.
doot65{at}comcast[dot]net
Elizabeth
Just after I graduated, I was job-hunting and broke-ity broke broke! I had an interview one morning in an area of the city I wasn't familiar with, so I started out early to make sure I got there on time.
I'm a single mother of 2 and i have been working lots of hours to make ends meet well my first day off in a long time my kids decided to clean house and make dinner simple stuff that i would have to do but they said since i've been working so hard they wanted to help me for once it made me melt
Its hard to choose - or as a mom of anew toddler - a mom no memory or concentration to speak of - remember specifics. But its each instance of days like today, out and about with my toddler in his stroller - or before I had him- when I dare myself to smile, as I like to do and get a great smile and kind words in response. For a shy girl, this is very nice!
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I was mugged by a couple of teenagers in hooded sweatshirts. When I came into work on Tuesday, there was a message on the voicemail from a woman who had found my keys in the weeds! I had a plastic case with my business cards on my keychain, and the nice lady had found my keys and called the number on my business cards
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