KIND WORDS
Saving Money "Chinese Take-Out Food"
The author wishes to remain anonymous
Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum
Printed with Permission of
http://www.PartnersInKindness.orgThe author wishes to remain anonymous
Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum
Printed with Permission of
Whenever I take a flight in China on a domestic airline, since I cannot eat the meal for religious reasons, I make it my business to take if off the plane with me.
When I land, I give it to the poor man or lady who cleans the bathrooms. Many of these workers, I believe, actually live in a little closet next to the bathroom, and work around the clock. I realized how much that small meal meant to them after the first time I did it.
One evening after landing at the Shanghai airport I took the meal to the bathroom area but there was no worker there at that particular time. When I walked outside, I noticed a scuffle break out between a beggar and a police officer.
The officer had obviously wanted to see what was in the beggars’ paper bag. The bag split open and a bunch of garbage, including some empty plastic bottles scattered on the floor.
Feeling for this old man, I knew that the meal from the plane was meant to be his. His face lit up when I gave it to him and I suppose he may have forgotten about the scuffle at least for a short while.
"Saving Money"
From: Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights
By: Zelig Pliskin
Printed with Permission of Shaar Press
One aspect of caring about people is respecting their property and protecting their money. Be mindful to return lost objects, to give suggestions about how to buy things economically, to prevent damage to possessions, and to prevent needless waste. Your caring for the material and financial concerns of another person is a matter of your spirituality.
If you see that someone has left his possessions unguarded in an area where they might be stolen, bring them to a safe place and then tell him that it’s wise to be more careful.
If you personally have had some loss through negligence or through the dishonesty of someone else, use this as an opportunity to help save others from similar loss. This can be a helpful reframe. "My personal loss puts me into a position where I can do an act of kindness for others." The more people you help, the greater the benefit you have from your original investment. True, this wasn’t an investment that you willfully decided on. But once you have had your experience, the distress will be minimized by the knowledge that you are able to help others in ways that you wouldn’t have thought of without your own loss.
If another person is upset over a certain loss that he had, you might be able to suggest to him ways that he could help others with his experience. You will be helping both the person who suffered this loss and all the people whom he will help by warning them to be careful. He will now be able to feel a bit better about his own loss and you are enabling other people to gain also.
If there is a special sale that you know will really save money, think of who you can contact that would benefit. This is especially important if you know that a specific person or family is challenged financially.
If you read an article that shows how to avoid loss of any kind, pass it on to others who could also benefit.
I heard these stories from my students:
When I first married, an older couple came over to our house for a visit. They gave us a treasury of tips on how to make purchases as economically as possible. My husband and I were extremely grateful. We lived on a tight budget, and their advice and suggestions were exactly what we needed. Later on, I found out that they did this regularly to new couples who moved into their community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kindness in French, Spanish and Portuguese
To Subscribe and visit our archives, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Potentiel_de_Bonte/ (French)
http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/LapracticadelaBondad/ (Spanish)
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParceirosNaBondade/ (Portuguese)
If you or your school would like to translate our e-mails into other languages, send an e-mail to: info@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kind Words is a free weekly e-mail distributed by Partners In Kindness.
Although the content of these e-mails contains copyrighted material, Partners in Kindness allows users who register at our website to reprint them in print, on a website, or on an e-mail distribution list at no cost.
If you have permission to reprint this e-mail, please ensure that you reprint the entire e-mail (including this notice).
Although the content of these e-mails contains copyrighted material, Partners in Kindness allows users who register at our website to reprint them in print, on a website, or on an e-mail distribution list at no cost.
If you have permission to reprint this e-mail, please ensure that you reprint the entire e-mail (including this notice).
Kindness is like music, art, sports or any other discipline -- it can only be mastered with practice, training, and lots and lots of encouragement. That is what PartnersInKindness.org is trying to promote.
The archive for Kind Words e-mails is located at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PartnersInKindness
For further information, please visit our Website http://www.PartnersInKindness.org
e-mail: info@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To un-subscribe send a blank e-mail to:
Kindness-unsubscribe@... To subscribe send a blank e-mail to:
Kindness-subscribe@...
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.