Tag: kindness

Punny Haha ~ Act of Kindness #16

~ 1kindness2day ~ 9 Comments
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photo credit: annie spratt

I came across some posts describing the use of Tearable Puns a few weeks ago. Inspired by what these writers had done, I thought I’d try something similar at my workplace.

I typed out some puns I liked, printed them on coloured paper, cut them up and pasted them on contrasting coloured cards. I figured I would pin one pun each week.

On a Monday morning in early February, I pinned a punny card at the corner of my cubicle.

Don’t believe everything you hear about parasites, fleas and ticks – they’re all lice!

I waited. I had no idea if anyone would notice, much less react. In the meantime, there were emails to clear and reports to read.

Then footsteps slowed … stopped … silence … was that a snort? A head bobbed over the divider. “Aargh! That’s so … aargh! But good one!”

O-kaaay!

In the course of the week, colleagues stopped to giggle or groan. I was even presented with an eye roll by the boss – a considered honour. I knew I’d have to pin another pun the following Monday.

The same thing happened. Better yet: someone asked if I had more of where those came from. Sure I had; I put another one up the next Monday … and the next.

Fast forward to this week. A colleague stopped by to say: “You know, I was so fed up with the whole meeting! Then I saw your pun on my way to my desk and I just had to laugh. I tell you, my mood did a one-eighty. Keep putting those things up!”

Bakers share their secrets on a knead-to-know basis.

So there you go. An idea from bloggers is bringing some light hearted moments to a workplace in another part of the world.

To Laura Randazzo and Reading While Eating, thank you for the inspiration. To Through Open Lens, thank you for posting jokes with your pictures. A bunch of people now get a little sparkle of joy each week because of your kindness and generosity in sharing something witty.

THANKS

Book ‘Em ~ Act of Kindness #15

~ 1kindness2day ~ 11 Comments
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photo credit: pavan trikutam

I dislike making calls to customer services.

Don’t get me wrong – I realise they are critical. Where else could we go if something’s gone wrong and we need to consult somebody?

But, really, do I have to tap this many numbers to establish my identity, my language preference, the type of service I require … after listening to lists of options where I’ve forgotten what Option 2 was because I’m trying to decide if Option 7 is more appropriate?

Then I hold, and listen to scratchy 80s music on a never-ending loop, interrupted by recorded messages announcing how the customer service officers are all busily engaged but I will be attended to shortly. I’m lucky if I get to speak to an actual person within 22 minutes, despite my call being of utmost importance.

So I dreaded this call to my library. You see, my phone died on me. Despite valiant resuscitation efforts, it became clear I needed a new phone. Fortunately, I’d backed up the old phone fairly recently so I was able to transfer data back from the computer, except for the ebooks I’d borrowed via the OverDrive app. Those books completely disappeared.

I reinstalled the app, logged back in, registered myself all over again … nothing. Now, I wouldn’t have minded if I’d lost my own ebooks. But these were library ebooks – would I now be liable for eternal e-fines because they would be forever overdue?

Life, as I’ve learnt, always has surprises.

A lady answered after five rings (yes, I counted). She was polite, cheerful and supremely apologetic that she was unable to help because she wasn’t familiar with OverDrive. If I would please hold, she’d transfer me to someone who could help.

Lionel Ritchie barely sang three bars before another lady answered. She patiently walked me through what I’d done, making encouraging noises along the way. Then she explained where I’d erred. I won’t bore anybody with the details but I understood her explanations, followed her subsequent instructions and – behold! – the ebooks were back in my new phone.

But she wasn’t done. She suggested I logged out and repeated the steps so I’d remember what to do “next time, just in case”. That done, she asked that I borrowed another book, just to check that the app was working fine. It was. She wished me well and said to call back if I had further problems.

It was the most pleasant conversation I’ve ever had with anyone from customer services. Cynics might interpret this as, ‘well, it’s a library, not the ABC Store with 250 call-ins a day’ but I don’t think it changes how pleasant and helpful the ladies were. The second lady, in particular, was unbelievably kind enough to go the extra mile: she could have hung up after my books were downloaded.

Thank you, ladies.

 

THANKS

Teatime Treat ~ Act of Kindness #14

~ 1kindness2day ~ 12 Comments

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The doorbell rang just moments ago as I was happily reading.

There stood my neighbour, Mr C, with a box. After our usual pleasantries, he held out the box (it’s the one in the picture) and said it was for my family’s tea.

I was quite bewildered. Did I forget somebody’s birthday? Anniversary? Was somebody celebrating something else I had forgotten?

“No, no. We ordered some macarons from this online baker that my wife likes. So she got an extra box for you all. Enjoy!”

Wow!

—————–

DAILY PROMPT ~ WONDER

 

THANKS

 

Soul Food ~ Act of Kindness #13

~ 1kindness2day ~ 6 Comments
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photo credit: alexandra

It was barely 9:00 am and it was already one of those mornings. The printer had a mysterious paper jam that nobody could find, the photocopier had run out of toner but nobody knew where the spare was and if there was one, the discussions were frustratingly unproductive … you know, those mornings.

Then the message came for us to head to the break room. Our automatic response was: what else had gone wrong now?

Turned out: nothing.

One of our colleagues had brought trays of muffins in various flavours and wanted us all to partake before they all got cold. And he (yes, he) had also refreshed the coffee makers so the first cups were on the way. The man had woken up early to bake because he felt it was ‘the right day’.

He was a tad late for work but nobody minded, not even the boss. He had completely turned the day around with one giving, gracious gesture. Thank you.

 

THANKS

A Lunch Moment

~ 1kindness2day ~ 9 Comments
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photo credit: brad neathery

The oddest thing happened at lunch today.

Three young students, probably aged 13 or 14, came and stood by my table. I figured they were waiting for me or someone else to leave so they could sit.

Wrong.

I looked up and the shortest of the trio smiled awkwardly.

“Hi,” she said. “I know we’re interrupting your lunch … but we’re conducting a survey.”

“About what?”

“About teenagers in society.”

Which seemed a little broad in scope. So I prodded further. “And what exactly about that are you surveying?”

“We are doing a study on whether teenagers today show kindness to others. So we want to know your views and whether you have witnessed any kind acts.”

How about that.

 

THANKS

Train Ride ~ Act of Kindness #12

~ 1kindness2day ~ 12 Comments
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photo credit: jack catterall

This recent weather calls to mind a trip years ago, when the family and I were scheduled on a flight out of Newark to Washington, DC.

That day, it rained. And rained. And rained some more. Some might say the rain was mild compared to what’s happening now, but the impact was no less dramatic.

The Airport was chaos; all flights were cancelled, passengers were frazzled and staff were overwhelmed. We were presented with the option of staying somewhere – no guarantees of a room anywhere – overnight and hopefully get a flight out the next morning, or taking the train.

We chose the train. There was a mad dash to get to the station where, by some miracle, there were five seats left on the train leaving in 17 minutes.

The train arrived and we boarded, after some fumbling with the luggage, with no idea where these miraculous five seats were. We eventually found two seats in one carriage, with one seat in another. The problem was, the two seats were single ones.

Ordinarily, The Man and I would have had no problems sitting separately. But a three-hour journey with a six-year-old? Separated from either parent? With one parent in another carriage? Not an ideal situation.

I plonked The Munchkin into the nearest vacant seat, and prepared to ask if anyone minded swapping seats, beginning with the occupant of The Munchkin’s companion seat. Then the train started moving. And I heard a voice.

“Need a seat together, do you?”

Well, yes please, but who spoke? Several rows down, a gloved hand waved. And a tall man heaved himself out of his seat.

“Well, come on, then. Come sit here so I can go sit over there.”

So the seat swap took place and The Munchkin and I sat together all the way to Union Station.

I will forever be thankful to this complete stranger who made all the difference on this journey. I thanked him then, and I’ll say “thank you” again now.

 

THANKS

Buffet Line ~ Act of Kindness #11

~ 1kindness2day ~ 5 Comments
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photo credit: peter hansen

Some years ago, I sustained an injury that required walking temporarily with a cane for balance and support. With my usual impeccable sense of timing, I was booked on a cruise that would be sailing during this recovery period.

I had two obvious choices – cancel or proceed with cane. The family (and the doctor) felt a cruise was leisurely enough for me to manage, provided I was careful during embarking and disembarking. So off we went.

My movements were slower than I would have liked and stairs were unfriendly obstacle courses, but the relaxed atmosphere made mobility less of an issue than I had feared. Until the buffet line.

I don’t remember how I ended up separated from the family but there I stood before the row of serving dishes, wondering how I would hold onto my cane, my plate and dish my food.

“Did you want the chicken or the beef?”

Young Lady Passenger spoke from behind me, smiling cheerfully. “Chicken? If you pass me your plate, I’ll get it for you.”

I remember staring at her, startled into silence. She must have thought I was really, really slow. Which I was, obviously, in more ways than one.

“What else, Auntie? You want veggies? Pasta?”

I protested that I could manage and that she should get her own food but, nope. She heaped my plate, and then left the line to carry the plate all the way to my seat.

I have never forgotten that act of kindness and unselfishness. If you happen to be reading this, know that I remain extremely humbled and grateful. Thank you.

 

THANKS

Reading Bug ~ Act of Kindness #10

~ 1kindness2day ~ 4 Comments

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I came across this Reading Corner at the airport, of all places.

Intrigued, I wanted to inspect the titles and savour this joyful moment of discovering such a corner in an airport. First, however, I wanted to take a photo to prove I wasn’t hallucinating.

But as I lifted my camera, a little poppet galloped towards the shelves, shrieking, “Book! Book!”

I paused. A Reading Corner in a public space with books and a poppet excited by books?

Life had more surprises for me. The father grabbed the poppet. “Meimei, wait. Let the auntie take her photo first.”

It really was too much. I snapped the photo, thanked the father, waved at the poppet and retreated.

Inspecting book titles can wait. Celebrating this little vignette cannot. I am warmed by a father’s kind understanding and gracious patience, and a tiny child’s enthusiasm for books. And by the use of potential retail space for encouraging reading.

There is hope yet.

 

THANKS