Acts of Kindness: Inspirational Stories for Everyday Life

By Adam Mayers

Small things can often mean a great deal. For the past five years readers of the Toronto Star’s website have been telling each other that, as they shared their stories in a feature called "Acts of Kindness." The common thread is that a stranger helped when it was needed most, without thought of a reward and often without leaving a name.

Since its debut in December, 2004, "Acts of Kindness" has become a daily fixture at thestar.com. About four thousand stories have been submitted and two thousand have been published. Acts of Kindness, the book, represents the best of the best - a collection of 200 of the most memorable tales.

The stories are a reminder that goodness is non-denominational, non-political, and transferable across race and language. They also remind us that although our lives are full of hard realities, the smallest gesture can raise a spirit or lift a heart, and the time to do it is now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Mar 22, 2010
• ISBN: 9781770705982

Adam Mayers

Adam Mayers is a senior editor at thestar.com, the Toronto Star's website, and a frequent contributor to Civil War Times Illustrated, the largest general interest magazine on the Civil War. His articles focus on Canadian connections to the conflict. Mr. Mayers has a degree in psychology from McMaster, a graduate degree in journalism from the City University of London, and an MBA from McMaster. He lives in Oakville, Ontario.

Book preview

ACTS OF KINDNESS

ACTS OF KINDNESS

Adam Mayers

Copyright © The Toronto Star, 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Copy Editor: Cheryl Hawley

Design: Heidy Lawrance, wemakebooks.ca

Printer: Webcom

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Acts of kindness : inspirational stories for everyday life / edited by Adam Mayers.

ISBN 978-1-55488-749-1

1. Kindness--Anecdotes. I. Mayers, Adam

BJ1533.K5A27 2010    177'.7    C2009-907457-5

1 2 3 4 5    14 13 12 11 10

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book.

The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify

any references or credits in subsequent editions.             J. Kirk Howard, President

www.dundurn.com

Dundurn Press

2250 Military Road

Tonawanda, NY

U.S.A. 14150

Additional Photo and Illustration Credits

Toronto Star:Michael Stuparyk, Tannis Toohey, Artville, Shutterstock

Printed and bound in Canada.

CONTENTS

Introduction

The Best of the Best

Ten Kind Gestures

Winter

The Best of Winter

January

February

March

Five Kindness Themes

Spring

The Best of Spring

April

May

June

Five More Kind Gestures

Summer

The Best of Summer

July

August

September

Five More Kindness Themes

Fall

The Best of Fall

October

November

Christmas

Tim Hortons

Reader Comments

INTRODUCTION

In journalism, the saying goes, There’s no news like bad news, because conflict, crime, and scandal are what people want to read, or so editors believe. The one exception to the general rule is Christmas when, for a few weeks at least, even the crustiest editor will join the active search for the inspirational and uplifting, and publish it as a respite from the normal news of the day.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas 2004 we went through the annual ritual at the Toronto Star, as always looking for a new twist on a familiar task. At a meeting to discuss the ideas, one surfaced that married the strengths of the newspaper with the reach of the Star’s website, thestar.com. Why not ask readers for stories of small kindnesses in word or deed, where a stranger had unexpectedly helped them at a time when they needed it most? We would call this feature Acts of Kindness.

We posted a short story on the website asking readers for their help and made a similar invitation in the newspaper. The response was immediate and dramatic. The anecdotes flowed in from all parts of the Greater Toronto Area, the rest of the province, and the country, from expats living in far flung places and from our regular online readers in the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

The stories were about things that happened as recently as that day, or as long ago as childhood. They were closely held tales readers remembered and cherished. The common denominator was that someone had been compassionate or thoughtful. A stranger had lent them cash when they were caught short. A taxi cab drove across town to return a lost cellphone and wouldn’t accept a reward. A passerby shared an umbrella in the rain or helped carry a heavy bag. Someone ahead in line at a drive-through bought their morning coffee.

Readers were all the more appreciative of the kind deeds because they came from strangers. We expect a lot from friends and family, but we expect nothing from people we don’t know. Usually the Samaritans are nameless, slipping away as quickly as they arrive, with little acknowledgment beyond a mumbled thanks. Perhaps this accounts for the ongoing popularity of Acts of Kindness. It offers a public acknowledgement of the deed and a way to articulate a sense of gratitude.

Things come and go at newspapers and it is not that often that features like this endure. But Acts of Kindness stuck around after Christmas 2004 and has become a fixture at thestar.com. More than four thousand items have been submitted and about two thousand published. A new story is posted daily during the week at www.thestar.com/kindness. The Living section of the Star publishes items three or more days a week.

Another reason for this feature’s popularity may be that it offers a break from the hard realities of the world in which we live. The stories could have happened to anyone and are a reminder that goodness is non-denominational, non-political, and transferable across race and language.

This, then, is an edited collection of the first five years of Acts of Kindness, a best of the best. All of the submissions could have been published in this book, but these stories stand out as poignant and well-expressed examples of a situation or theme. Enjoy them and if you haven’t already, come to thestar.com to start your day on the right note.

—Adam Mayers

THE BEST OF THE BEST

"You have never really lived until you’ve done

something for someone who can never repay you."

— Anonymous

A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS IS A SMALL, SPONTA-NEOUS GESTURE DESIGNED TO CHEER SOMEONE UP OR OFFER THEM A HELPING HAND IN A TIME OF NEED.

My grandfather was in intensive care at Women’s College Hospital and he was dying.

The man was the absolute love of my life. Heading back home on the subway I could no longer hold back the tears. My worst nightmare is becoming emotional in public and there I was, a blubbering mess for all the world to see.

A woman silently approached and reached out with a tissue. And then she was gone. That small gesture meant the world to me and touches me to this day.

Tabitha Kot, Mississauga

I had a doctor’s appointment near Davisville Avenue and Yonge Street. It was very cold and the sidewalks were icy. I live in Scarborough, so I took the bus to Eglinton Station and walked down Yonge.

I stopped a man and asked if he knew where the building was. He said, Oh, that’s farther down. Take my arm and I’ll walk with you.

He walked me into the doctor’s reception area.

When I was leaving, the receptionist gave me $40, saying it was from the man who dropped me off. He told her to make sure I took a taxi home. I think of him everyday.

Ruby Roberts, Scarborough

When I was seven, my mother was hospitalized with a very serious illness.

When she was well enough for a visit, I decided I would bring her flowers. Not just any flowers, they had to be roses.

My aunt took me to a flower shop in Ottawa and I remember telling the saleswoman I needed to buy roses for my sick mother.

I paid with my own money and proudly walked out with my precious gift. Years later, my mom told me that there was more to the story. I