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KIND WORDS
"A True Life Star Wars Hero"
The author wishes to remain anonymous
Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum
Printed with Permission of
I have been a science fiction fan since I was 13. I started attending science fiction conventions nearly 30 years ago.
I attended a convention just this past weekend, and saw an interesting exhibit of people who belong to a group called "R2DC." These people, based in the Washington, DC, area, have a rather unusual hobby: they build their own "droids," robots like the ones in the "Star Wars" movies. One man had brought his for display. It can move, the head spins, and it emits a large variety of whistles, chirps, beeps, and an ear-splitting shriek-- just like R2D2 in the movies. (Obviously, it moves under its' owner's control.)
This one had pink panels, unlike the blue on R2D2 in the movies. I asked the owner about this, and he told me the following: there's a little girl in North Carolina who had expressed a wish to see a "pink R2D2." Her father, who is a member of this group, was going to build her one, but he's only about half-way done at this point. So, this guy replaced all the blue on his "droid" and replaced it with pink latex. Next weekend, he plans to drive to meet the child and let her play with his droid.
"Why the rush?" I asked him. "Why not just let the little girl's father complete his own?" He explained that the little girl is hospitalized with a terminal brain tumor.
I don't know anything more about the child, but I was truly deeply touched by the story. The owner doesn't volunteer that information, by the way -- I just happened to ask him. He appeared to be an incredibly sweet, decent human being, and I thought his story ought to be known to others.
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"Achieving Dreams"
From:
Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insightsBy: Zelig Pliskin
Printed with Permission of Shaar Press
Many of us have dreams that we would love to achieve but do not consider to be practical. We feel that our dream is so phenomenal that it would be too good to be true for us to make that dream a reality. A dream in its original form might truly be impossible. But we can take that dream and find ways to achieve its essence.
Helping people achieve their dreams does more than just help them reach their goals. They might have felt that something is impossible and you show them how they can actually make it happen.
Consider this scenario. Someone lacks the money needed to pay for a course which will make a major difference in his ability to achieve his dream. You might give him the money as a grant, lend him the money with easy terms, or find someone else who will be willing to help out. You will be making a dream come true.
Or this one. Someone might have deep feelings about wanting a certain job, wishing to develop a certain talent, or dreaming to accomplish and
achieve beyond what they thought possible. You come along and find ways to make that want, wish, or dream an actual reality. This will help that person make a quantum leap. In essence, you will be creating a new person.
Never laugh at people’s dreams. To you someone’s dreams might seem as impossible as flying a machine heavier than air seemed to many before the Wright brothers’ initial flight, or breaking the four minute mile seemed before Roger Bennister did it. But those "impossible" dreams did come true.
If you feel that someone is wasting his time pursuing a truly impossible dream, be careful how you word your comments. Never mock anyone. Explain respectfully why you would advise this person to make changes in the exact form of the dream.
There are some dreams that might not be feasible in the original way they are presented. But there are aspects of those dreams that definitely can be reached. Someone might want to write a book that will totally change the
world. Perhaps this is a bit too much. But a thousand people’s lives might actually be changed. Not exactly the entire world, but a major accomplishment. And even the process of writing a manuscript that won’t be published will change the author himself. As a teacher of mine used to say, "When you reach for the stars, you might not catch any, but at least you won’t get your hands in the mud."
Keep asking people, "What are your dreams?" Some dreamers have learned from painful experiences not to share their dreams with others. They have been demeaned and ridiculed. Express your admiration and respect for the very act of having a dream. Be encouraging.
People who are hesitant about pursuing their dreams often have a feeling, "If I don’t reach my dreams, I am a failure. So it’s safer not to pursue a dream that might not work out." However, a positive action never results in failure. We learn something from each experience. One project leads to another. It’s worthwhile
working on ten projects that don’t make it. The eleventh, fifteenth, or twentieth project might be immensely successful. All the work devoted to the steps that led to the success retroactively will be seen as exactly what was needed to gain the necessary knowledge and experience.
If a person doesn’t have a dream, you might ask, "If you weren’t afraid to dream, what would your dream be?" By verbalizing a dream, the most important first step has been reached. And as you read this, you can ask yourself, "How can I actualize my dream to help others?"
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Kind Words from Our Readers
About a Recent Story
Although all of our stories appear anonymously, I keep a record of the e-mail addresses of the authors for each story in order to forward comments to them.
It means so much to our authors to hear your kind words about their stories. So, if you like a story, send us an e-mail, and we will forward it to the author:
Unfortunately, I misplaced the e-mail address for the author of "The Cup of Coffee that Saved My Life," the story about the woman who did a kindness for the personnel director and how the personnel director repaid that kindness and saved her life. So I have included the comments below.
* The story about the cup of coffee is a beautiful story. (Zelig Pliskin, Jerusalem, Israel)
* Love this - Thanks. (Commack, NY)
Thank you (Brooklyn, NY)
* I heard about PIK from friends in an email to an e-group. I loved the story she shared with us and your website was listed at the bottom of the email. I feel the energy! (Helena, MT)
Interesting. Thanks for sending. (New York, NY)
Thank you for the practical and inspiring email! I will with G-d’s help read this at our Shabbos table this week so that others can benefit too
Thanks for the message.
* I Heard about PIK in an e-mail from a friend. I really enjoyed reading your e-mail Please send me daily emails. (Brooklyn, NY)
Note: Our "Daily Dose of Kindness," daily e-mails are available at http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org
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Kind Words
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