11/30/96    One way to really enjoy your act of kindness is to anonimously prepay for the next twenty cups of coffee in a cafe or restaurant.  Then sit down and watch the reactions as other people get their free coffee and settle down to realize what has been done and watch them as they watch others come in for their free cup.

11/30/96    One day I was buying a small lunch at a fast food restaurant.  I ordered a bagel and a coffee, but only had enough money for the bagel.  A women behind me overheard my dilemna and bought me my coffee.  I nearly cried -- it was a pure random act of kindness. 
We had lunch together and she explained the random act theory to me.  It works!  I've topped up parking meters and last week my 3 year old and her friend raked an elderly lady's leaves.

11/30/96    A few years ago I found myself in the unenviable position of having to watch my other half pass away, slowly and painfully, of cancer.  I spent nine long months in the paliative care unit of the local hospital getting to know people just before they died.  There are many beautiful stories of special things done for the people passing away and there are many other unfortunate stories of people left to die alone by either outliving their friends, or being abandoned by spouses who can't handle it.  For myself I was with Cynthia every day, day and night.  I took her on outings, including special picnics, took care of her little needs, read to her, kept her room full of flowers and balloons, decorated her room elaborately at Christmas. I hung a number of angles from the ceiling for her to look up at during that final Christmas as well.  Soon all the nurses, volunteers, and visitors were bringing her angels until the ceiling was filled with an array of beautiful hevenly hosts. I brought in classical musicains to play for her, sent her a singing telegram (Whitney Houston's "I'll Always Love You"), and, at night, I used to bathe her accompanied by music, candlelight, and even tub toys.  For her final birthday I brought her home to enjoy party favours, a wonderful array of food, and an apartment filled with one hundred pink and blue balloons tied in bunches at various levels so that they resembled the very clouds of heaven.  One nurse, who had worked there for twenty-three years said she had never seen anyone like me.  There are two points I'd like to make:
  1. There are many paliative care units in the world with many people in them that are passing away alone.  Most of these untits accept volunteers.
  2. When people are passing away it's difficult to buy them presents they can appreciate because they simply don't need anything anymore.  The greatest of worldly treasures, in this final light, are revealed for what they really are - simple physical objects like any other.  An Egg McMuffin, for example, to someone who really wants and misses one, is far more precious than any rubies or gold.  The point is that, in the long, and inevitable, run, the simple small acts of kindmess you see illucidated on these pages are far more valuable than they seem - they're more valuable than anything.

11/30/96    A number of years ago I remember riding,as a passenger, down the freeway and looking over at another car to see a puppet waiving at me.  I had to laugh out loud. Actually, I suspect it was another passenger with a puppet on his hand and not really the puppet that was doing the waiving, but I guess I'll never know for sure.  Anyway, it occurs to
me that, given the laughter it prompted at the time and the pleasant memory it still is, it might not be a bad idea to keep a puppet in the glove box for passengers to waive at both pedestrians and other passengers with.  The pleasure it brings flows liberally in both directions.

11/20/96    I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and there are homeless and hungry people everywhere, (even in my suburban neighborhood) especially in downtown San Francisco.  It breaks my heart to say no to people who ask for a handout, but I often feel unsafe in those situations and I wonder about what the money will truly be used for.  (Will the money buy food, or is it for booze or drugs or whatever?)

I finally solved my moral dillemma by doing two things:  First, I decided that I would keep a dollar in my pocket whenever I'm downtown, and the first person who asks me, no matter what, will get it.  Next, my best idea.  I bought a few books of fast-food restaurant (i.e. Burger King, McDonalds) gift certificates to keep with me.  Now, when someone tells me that they're hungry, I just give them a book of coupons.  I feel like I've helped,
and they'll get a hot meal!

(I have found that these coupon books are not available year round -- usually durring the holidays, so for those who want to join me, stock up now!!)

11/7/96    I was working at a movie theatre that was close to the interstate.  Homeless people would often walk by.  I had just started and management was very strict about giving anything away for free, even to the employees.  Well, one evening a bum came into the theater and asked how much tickets were.  When I told him the price he asked if he could
please have some free popcorn.  He said he had been on a train for threedays and was starving.  I gave him a bag of popcorn and it made me feel so good!  I figured if he was a drunk, he would have asked for money for booze, but the poor guy was just hungry.