Kindness in NYC? Who'd Have Guessed it?

This journal had been lost for quite a long time (two years!). Yet, after a lot of searching, I was finally able to locate it! And thus, I now want to continue its mission of spreading a bit of kindness to the lives of others.

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I work in New York City's Financial District, and every day, I see people trudging to work, seemingly dreading the day of stress and deadlines that await.

For my act of kindness, I want to help someone not feel as forlorn about work. I want to put a smile on the someone’s face before they head in to work for that important meeting or that big presentation. After going to college and working for a few years, I've come to see coffee as the lifeblood of the aspiring professional. Whether it be a cup of Joe to wake you up in the morning or an afternoon pick-me-up at 3pm, it seems to me that this magical liquid has a way of putting a smile on someone’s face.

This is why I've hidden three $10 Starbucks gift cards around the Financial District. Just a simple gesture to hopefully help brighten up someone’s day.

Heck, maybe this will inspire some more acts along the way.

In kindness,

Lenny

Note: Lenny is a phenomenal human being! Not only was he able to get the karma diary back and kicking, but he provided Starbucks gift cards to people in NYC.  So proud of that phenomenal young man!

2 years Later, Guess who's back?

"I think this diary is an awesome idea - a great way to spread positive energy for both parties. It's a great way for an individual to really flush out their feelings and know that their perhaps small acts are contributing to great things.

One incident in particular I want to write about happened to my friend and I when we were going to eat. As we walked down the stairs, a girl returning from Thanksgiving break dropped and spilled her bag all over the steps. We came to her aid, and while she was a stranger, found it easy to converse as we escorted her to nearby Henderson. Normally, I'm apprehensive about helping random people, but this turned out to be a rewarding experience.

I will now pass this off to my great and selfless friend, who will discuss this from a different perspective.

In kindness,

Jay Chopra" 

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"This diary reminds me of a project a friend of mine was working on called Karma Seed. It was a digital version of this diary, where you could track how your good deeds affected someone else and continued to pass down in kindness. It's a great way to share stories and inspire people to do good and to always be kind.

Jay and I wrote about the same incident, but i had a slightly different effect on me. The girl returning from Thanksgiving was so shocked that we would come to help her. The entire way back to her room, she was explaining to us that others had walked by and said nothing. It made me realize that, often, we get sucked into our thoughts and worries and don't really interact with others.

P.S. I misplaced this diary for 1.5 years, but hopefully it will continue to inspire kindness in others now that it will be passed along."

^This 2nd entry didn't have a name attached to it.