Swandeh Terhide

When Dave Urban, a Lowe’s employee in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, encountered the Getty family searching for PVC pipes in the store’s aisle, he initially thought he would be assisting them in finding the right fittings. However, after learning that the family was building parallel bars to help their five-year-old son, William, who has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy, Urban decided to go above and beyond his regular duties. William, born prematurely at just 23 weeks, was diagnosed with the neuromuscular condition that impairs his ability to walk. His parents, Mark and Jessica Getty, shared with local television station WTXF that one of their goals for William was to help him learn to walk. Moved by young William’s determination, Urban spent the next 30 minutes meticulously cutting and fitting the PVC pipes to the exact specifications provided by the Getty family. He transformed the pipes into a functional parallel bar device, enabling William to practice walking. When William, with a beaming smile, tested out the bars by grasping them and attempting to walk, Urban was overcome with emotion. “I think you saw that courageous smile of his. Sense of pride, ah, it keeps getting me,” Urban said, holding back tears. The Getty family expressed their gratitude, stating that the bars would not only help William practice walking forward and sideways but also aid him in learning to stand up. Relatives of the boy expressed their eternal appreciation for Urban’s kindness and generosity. Sometimes, that small effort or extra step is all it takes to create a meaningful transformation. Just go the extra mile and be a ray of hope in someone’s despair.

After conditions in the Gulf off the Florida Panhandle changed suddenly, a resident tried to rescue three individuals trapped in a capsized houseboat. Another boat saw what was happening and came to help—and even rescue—the rescuer, demonstrating the diffusion of heroism among the folks of the Florida Gulf community. It started last Friday when Travis Brady and his friends left the Panama City marina on the opening day of red snapper season with storm clouds coming fast behind them On the way back to the marina, they saw a houseboat—a floating general store that served watermen near a sandbar, had broken free from its moorings. As Brady and his friends approached they saw another boat had already arrived, and its owner was attempting to rescue three people trapped in the houseboat. That rescuer, later identified as Boyd Jordan, jumped in the water, smashed the window, and helped all three people out after the houseboat capsized. “He is the true hero of this story,” Brady told WJHG. “Without hesitation, he was just in the water helping those people.” That’s when Brady and his friends arrived, dodging debris and waves to throw a life jacket to Jordan with a line attached to it; the houseboat’s occupants were already wearing life jackets. Hauling Jordan aboard their already overcrowded fishing boat, they then guided the stranded individuals to the sandbar where they were able to walk ashore. Brady then took Jordan his own boat before it crashed into the seawall. Not one injury was sustained, and there were no damages to either boat—all in all it was a miraculous escape. “All glory be to God, man. He put us in the right place at the right time. I’ve never been super religious, but [Friday] was just an eye-opening moment for me, I just feel like divine intervention puts you in the right place at the right time.”

Humans are hardwired to feel good when performing acts of kindness towards others, an imperative trait in any animal that evolves to live and hunt in social groups. This is such a truism that performing random acts of kindness for other people was more effective in reducing symptoms of depression than specifically planning activities for the sake of enjoyment, a new study found. The study sought to test methods of cognitive behavioral therapy, a non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression and anxiety that’s proven to work through confronting patterns of thought and behavior that lead to depressive or anxious thoughts, and consciously moving away from them by retraining one’s brain. The methods included random acts of kindness, such as buying a stranger’s coffee at Starbucks or baking cookies for the mailman, as well as planning fun activities twice a week and “cognitive reappraisal,” which guides people with depression or anxiety to record triggering thoughts, and actively contemplate what would make the resulting stress diminish. Participants in the study recorded their feelings before, during, and five weeks after it ended. They noted feelings like social isolation, self-consciousness in public, and overall life satisfaction. Coauthor Jennifer Cheavens from Ohio State University mentioned, “We thought the group that kept track of their thoughts might do better since that’s a well-known way to help with depression and anxiety. However, the kindness group performed just as well, if not better, and they also felt more socially connected than the other two groups.”All three groups showed improvements in their feelings. The random acts of kindness group had a strong positive effect early on, but this decreased over time. In contrast, the thought-recording group started off with negative feelings, but their outlook improved as the study went on. Another surprising finding was how easy it was for the kindness group to perform their acts of kindness. Cheavens noted, “I was surprised that it wasn’t difficult for them. The kindness group was more engaged than the other groups in some ways.” The kindness acts is a particularly important finding because it necessitates a connection with other people. Social isolation is a high-risk factor for survival; the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.  Cheavens felt that as well as being a powerful therapeutic strategy, random acts of kindness can be “add-on therapy” to pretty much most mental health disorders, reasoning that anytime we can get out of our own heads, it seems to be of benefit to our well-being. Be inspired by this finding and Try A Little Kindness

If the heart is determined to be graciously kind, then every life situation presents one with an opportunity to spread such love and kindness. It’s all about what thoughts we’re preoccupied with. Motorists in South Carolina who were pulled over for violations got a Thanksgiving surprise, as officers handed them a free turkey instead of tickets or fines. Every turkey day for the past five years the Summerville Police Department has spread seasonal cheer with the program. Drivers are pulled over and burst into laughter and relief when they are handed a turkey instead. The department turns the annual, week-long event called ‘Turkey, no Ticket’, into a teaching experience for drivers. They stop motorists who might normally have been issued written warnings or tickets for infractions like driving with an obstructed mirror, or minor speeding. This year, Motorcycle Officers Bryan Young and T.J. Thomas gave out 12 turkeys donated by a local Harris Teeter supermarket. Police Chief Douglas Wright said that the project is also intended to foster goodwill between police and the community. “We feel that it is essential to utilize every unique idea to help break down the walls between the community and law enforcement. “The holidays can be challenging for many reasons, so giving back to the community is another way to brighten the season for those who are struggling.” He also said that his officers are always excited to take part in the project. “Each year, the officers who are selected to participate absolutely love doing this particular outreach. Life can be truly challenging, hence nothing is more beautiful than the exploration of every avenue to lift burdens off people’s shoulders and show them genuine kindness. It will make more sense and meaning if our corrective measures too are doused in kindness, love and compassion. Kindness is all humanity needs at the moment.

An Alabama Uber driver, Esbon Kamau, is expected to have a remarkable 2024 after he returned $8,000 in cash that a teenager, Alex Tisdale, had accidentally left in his vehicle. Kamau, who has been driving for Uber intermittently for four years and is a father of five, formed a connection with Tisdale during the ride.  After Tisdale exited the vehicle to attend to his business, Kamau continued his work, picking up and dropping off other clients. Upon discovering an unfamiliar item in his car and realizing it was money, he instinctively recognized it belonged to Tisdale. Without hesitation, he reported the find through the Uber app. Meanwhile, Tisdale realized he had left his belongings in the vehicle and also reported it on the app. The system efficiently connected them again, allowing Kamau to return Tisdale’s intact belongings. Tisdale was deeply impressed by Kamau’s honesty and kindness, ensuring that he left a generous tip for the driver. Reacting on the matter, Kamau stated, “When you do something good, it comes back tenfold.” In our quest for daily sustenance, may we remember to be graciously kind, and treat others, same way we expect to be treated.

It is evident that sometimes the Universe places people in strategic positions to allow them to share kindness and benevolence. Liam Stych leapt into action after hearing a woman scream, “Help me, help me, please save my baby!” A video captured the scene as the woman’s car was being dragged under a footbridge during severe flooding in Birmingham, England, following Storm Henk. Liam explained that while walking over the bridge, he heard the woman’s desperate cries. He noted that the front of her car was pointing down into the water, prompting him to dangle off the bridge, as he didn’t want to worsen the situation by adding his weight to the sinking vehicle. The 28-year-old recounted how he dangled off the bridge and smashed the rear passenger window of the car. He used ratchet straps to secure the Fiat to the bridge, preventing it from sinking further He instructed the woman to remain calm and to lower her window to hand him her child. Although she could only open the window halfway, he managed to grab the baby and “hurled her” into the arms of his pregnant partner, who was waiting on the bridge. After ensuring the baby was safe, Liam quickly ran to his work van to retrieve a set of 3.5-ton ratchet straps. He returned to the car, smashed the back passenger window, and secured the vehicle to the bridge to prevent it from drifting further. Liam then told the woman to climb into the back and exit through the window. She successfully managed to get out, and they held hands to jump into the water together after counting to three. He described the current as very strong but was able to drag her out of the water. West Midlands Police praised Liam as a hero, but the modest father of two insisted that he had simply acted on instinct. He reflected that if he hadn’t intervened, the car would have been dragged under the bridge, making it nearly impossible to rescue the occupants. It is truly unfortunate that the woman lost her car and shopping but if not for Liam’s swift and kind intervention, it could’ve been worse. May we never shy away from the responsibility of stretching out our hands in service to humanity every time there’s a need for such.