Hello Human Kindness Bringing Together People and Stories of Kindness

By Eileen Majors

In today’s complicated world it is always refreshing to witness, or better yet be part of, doing a good deed. The old saying ‘One good deed deserves another’ has proven to be true. Many who receive a good deed will indeed turn around and show kindness to another. Even those who witness or hear about a good deed are apt to be inspired to turn another good deed. Health benefits have also been noted. Research has shown that even smaller acts of kindness can have serious payoffs, both on the giving and receiving end. Everyday kindness has been linked to everything from improved happiness to decreased inflammation in the body, according to David Hamilton, author of Why Kindness Is Good For You.

If you are looking for a little inspiration, visit HelloHumankindness.org, a website sponsored by Dignity Health, where stories of human kindness are shared. I read of a popular teen boy who orchestrated an elaborate invitation to the prom for a special needs girl, because, as he told his mom, “she’s a good person and she deserves it.” Another story cited a restaurant owner who discovered that someone had been searching for food in a dumpster behind her place. She left a note on the dumpster inviting the person in for a meal. From the simple offering of a good word or a free sandwich to elaborate displays of kindness, good intentions are spreading and are quite inspiring to read about.

At https://hellohumankindness.org/?gclid=CM3htazjvMUCFZGTfgodRqUA0A you can read stories of kindness and share via social media networks. A goal of Dignity Health is to help make human kindness go viral and show people all the good that happens in this world. Locally St. Elizabeth Hospital, a Dignity Health provider, continues to promote human kindness in Tehama County and beyond. They invite you to share your local stories of kindness here.

Local Act of Kindness

We thank Linda Lee of Quincy for sharing her story. It is a story of how one seemingly-small good deed can seem like a giant, great deed to its recipients.

“Dear Eileen,

I read the act of kindness in the spring issue and wanted to share one with you. Last summer my husband and I were riding our motorcycle to Redding from our home town of Quincy. We ran out of gas on highway 36 about 5 miles from Red Bluff. We were there about 10 minutes wondering, “Now what do we do?” Well, a young man pulled up and asked if we needed any help. We told him we were out of gas and he said he would run to Red Bluff and get us some. He took off and was only gone about 20 minutes. He had to buy a small gas can. He filled it for us and brought it back to us. I paid him back for the cost and couldn’t thank him enough. He said, “Well I would hope if I was in the same situation someone would stop and help me.” I thought what a wonderful young man he was. And I also told my husband we needed to pay it forward.

Share Your Story

Please share your stories of human kindness with us. You can contact us here at Mountain Valley Living Magazine for an interview or to submit a story. We’d love to help spread the good news throughout Tehama County and beyond.

Contact Eileen by email at mountainvalleyliving@ gmail.com or call her at 530-256- 2800.

Thanks, Linda Lee”