Category: Random Acts of Kindness

  • RAK Day

    September 1st is Random Acts of Kindness Day! This is a wonderful excuse to be kind to a stranger or do some unexpected favour for a neighbour, friend or workmate. RAK day was started in New Zealand in 2004 when Josh de Jong sat in a cafe watching an incident of road rage and thought […]

  • Finders not keepers

    Have you ever lost a wallet and then had it returned, complete with contents? It happened to me a few years ago while Christmas shopping. I went back to the shop where I thought I’d left it and was told a high school boy had taken it, leaving his name and phone number at the […]

  • Sharing cars

    Recently I’ve heard of two families where certain members had the misfortune to have their cars out of action for a few weeks. In both cases it was cheering to see how other family members put themselves out to share their own vehicles, co-ordinating with one another and catching rides with friends in order to […]

  • Even bureaucrats have a heart

    Some government departments have a reputation for ignoring hardship, as they turn down applications for assistance. But sometimes staff members go the extra mile to try to help. In one case I know of, staff in a government department did all they could to find ways to help a young couple expecting a baby, but […]

  • Sharing Photos

    Doing my bungy jump three months ago, I met a young woman named Lara. Lara had her father’s high-speed camera and took a multitude of action shots, which she promised to email me afterwards. When I didn’t hear from her, I presumed she’d lost my address. It seems she had, but she must’ve remembered my […]

  • Financial relief in an emotional time

    Recently a student friend of mine was devastated when her partner, who lives in another town, was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The ensuing few weeks have necessitated a lot of travelling back and forth to be by his side, as well as many phone calls and texts to let people know of his progress. […]

  • The Little Things

    Let’s not forget to notice the little things that people do for one another every day. Here are a few things I’ve witnessed people doing for each other recently: Buying lunch as a thank you Making coffees for workmates Baking a birthday cake Preparing a meal for friends Organising a farewell party Giving away fruit […]

  • Returning lost keys

    Walking through the car park at Chartwell last week, a friend came across a set of car keys. Although she was late for a meeting, she insisted on turning around and taking the keys back inside to the information desk. It turns out a relative of hers had lost a wallet at Chartwell some time […]

  • Cleaning up the community

    A group of enthusiastic young girls approached me in Jansen Park recently. They were picking up rubbish, in the hope of encouraging others to “pay it forward” by doing something similar. I was happy to take home the recyclable items they’d collected and put them in my bin. Well done girls – great community spirit.

  • A good Samaritan

    Murray, one of the stage managers at the Parachute Festival, was heading home at 1.30am after the first long day, when he saw a woman standing by a car outside the gates. Clearly she was waiting for someone who hadn’t turned up. Although extremely tired, Murray stopped to help. He took the woman onto the […]