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By Sarah Browning
After another rough year, with plenty of unkind things happening around the world, it’s important to remind ourselves that isn’t the only story. There is still power in the way that kindness connects us.
My team and I started 2023 wanting to bang the drum louder about kindness and that is what we have done. Throughout the year, people have continued to send us examples of kindness that they have witnessed or experienced. We now receive so many examples that we are able to share at least one story every day (we were previously only sharing on week days).
Looking back over the year, there is so much that has made me smile. For my final column of 2023, I’ve pulled out some of my favourites.
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My husband went up a ladder with a bucket and a trowel to clear out the gutters at my parents’ house, ensuring that my father (in his late 70s, and never very keen on heights anyway) didn’t attempt it himself
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People bought chocolates and biscuits for the pharmacists to say thank you for remaining cheerful while dealing with queues of people
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One passenger helped another passenger as she struggled to get on a bus when weighed down with two dogs, a suitcase and a large rucksack
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A kind lady donated her very long hair to a charity making wigs for children going through chemotherapy; this was the sixth time she had donated her hair over the years
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An American tourist shared their umbrella with the family standing next to them in the queue for the Louvre art gallery in Paris
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A kind fellow traveller offered his first aid kit to a woman whose shoes had made her feet bleed on the walk from her house to the train station
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A commuter stopped to help a stranger who was having a serious mental health episode; he helped her get warm, made sure she was safe and waited with her until support arrived.
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An employee in Boots gave my toddler niece a paper bag to carry as a distraction when she pinched her finger in one of the shopping basket handles
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Some kind NHS nurses did a silly dance to a Taylor Swift song to help distract a patient who was nervous about the anaesthetic before their operation
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A colleague gave her team-mate a lift to the station after an evening work event, to make sure that she got there safely
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Fans of Woodley United Football Club donated so generously to the foodbank when they came to support the women’s team in their FA cup match
Once again, it has brought me joy to see all the stories that have come in. It is clear that people are still being kind to each other. Still connecting with each other, whether that be friends, family, strangers or work colleagues.
What kindness have you noticed this year?
I look forward to continuing to ‘see kind’ (and sharing it with you) in 2024 and beyond.
Sarah Browning is a Kindness Cheerleader, Communicator and Strategist. For more inspiring stories of kindness, visit: www.timeforkindness.co.uk
