Generosity: NY Police Officer Who Gave Homeless Man Boots Goes Viral

'Tis the season of sharing and giving, although that sentiment should be something we think of year round. So, in that spirit of giving, here's a story to warm the cockles of your heart, and it's the epitome of what sharing, without expectations, is all about.

Jennifer Foster, an Arizona woman, was walking with her husband in Times Square- the heart of New York City- on a cold November night when she encountered a police officer engaged in a random act of kindness.  She snapped a photo with her cell phone of the officer with the homeless man he was helping, and this is how she describes it:

Right when I was about to approach, one of [the NYPD's] officers came up behind him. The officer said, ‘I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.’ The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man. The officer expected NOTHING in return and did not know I was watching. I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life. I did not get the officer’s name. It is important, I think, for all of us to remember the real reason we are in this line of work. The reminder this officer gave to our profession in his presentation of human kindness has not been lost on myself or any of the Arizona law enforcement officials with whom this story has been shared.

Foster emailed the NYPD about what she witnessed, they asked her for a copy of the photo, which they posted on their FaceBook page, and from there it went viral. They eventually discovered the identity of the officer, who thought nothing of what he did.

[Larry DePrimo] readily recalled the encounter. “It was freezing out and you could see the blisters on the man’s feet [...] I had two pairs of socks and I was still cold.” They started talking; he found out the man’s shoe size: 12. As the man walked slowly down Seventh Avenue on his heels, Officer DePrimo went into a Skechers shoe store at about 9:30 p.m. “We were just kind of shocked,” said [store manager] Jose Cano [...] “Most of us are New Yorkers and we just kind of pass by that kind of thing. Especially in this neighborhood.”

Mr. Cano volunteered to give the officer his employee discount to bring down the regular $100 price of the all-weather boots to a little more than $75. The officer has kept the receipt in his vest since then, he said, “to remind me that sometimes people have it worse.”

Officer Larry DePrimo, at the young age of 25 already knows the true meaning of compassion, empathy and generosity. He has been a police officer since 2010, and deserves kudos for his inspiration to a world sorely lacking in compassion and generosity.  The NYPD post has, to date, 458,000 'Likes',  well over 160,000 'Shares', and over 34,000 comments.  Many people have mentioned they wished all police officers were like DePrimo, but that's not what they should be focusing on.  Any one of us can do what DePrimo did.  And it doesn't take much money. If you have little  to spare, donate your time. Or offer someone a cup of coffee like DePrimo did with the homeless man, though he says:

 “as soon as the boots were on him, he went on his way, and I just went back to my post.”

It really doesn't take much to be kind, after all, we are our brothers keepers.

Sources: New York Times, PetaPixel

Kindness- It Only Takes A Moment- Singapore Kindness Movement

Flash mobs seem to be the latest fad, and they're a global phenomena.  I first discovered their existence on a TV commercial ad not so long ago. So much for being in the know. But since then, there has been a plethora of flash mob activity, some bad- like the recent Jacksonville, Florida spontaneous flash mob that all but destroyed a Walmart, and then there's the opposite out of Singapore:

Singapore's on a mission to make people kinder and gentler, and so they established  "Singapore's Kindness Movement" (SKM). SKM recently gathered some 85 volunteers to create its "Kindness Only Takes A Moment" campaign, and filmed it.

Singapore, 19 July 2012 – There’s always time to make someone’s day. That is the heart of this year’s kindness message that began rolling out on 5th July.

Continuing from last year’s theme, “Say thanks, make someone’s day!” the new direction encourages the public to re-examine how they’re actually spending their time. In the 2012 Graciousness Index, a lack of time was the most often cited excuse for not being more kind or gracious to others.

The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) draws attention to some of the things that Singaporeans spend a lot of time on: mobile phones, browsing social media pages, playing computer games and mobile apps. The idea is then put forward that it does not take a lot of time to do something kind or gracious.

The Index also revealed that graciousness ratings are generally lower on public transport, public eating places such as hawker centres and food courts, as well as on the road. Accordingly, these public spaces are a focus area for this year’s campaign.

Each day, millions of commuters make use of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and bus services. The SKM is encouraging the public to make the most of this daily commuting time to make someone’s day.

For instance, one MRT station wall mural illustrates a popular mobile game with the following message, “Scrambling for words: 2 mins. Giving up your seat: 2 secs. If there’s time for distractions, surely there’s time for gracious actions.”

It's so true. All it takes is a moment, to smile at someone. Say hello. Open the door. Give a compliment. Let someone go ahead of you at the cashiers in a grocery store. It's the little things that count.  My 87-year-old dad told me that the postal carrier (a woman) offered to help him move this huge stump in our front yard. He refused, but was touched by her kindness.
The Singapore "Kindness" movement began back in 1996 when the Prime Minister at the time, Goh Chok Tong, proposed that Singapore become a more 'gracious' society by the 21st century. Current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the patron of the movement.

SKM'S Mission Statement:

Mission of SKM

To help build a gracious Singapore, the Singapore Kindness Movement aims to encourage the individual to internalise courtesy, kindness and consideration. Our mission statement is:
To inspire graciousness through spontaneous acts of kindness, making life more pleasant for everyone.
Objectives of SKM
- To encourage all Singaporeans to be kind and considerate.
- To create public awareness of acts of kindness.
- To influence and raise the standards of behaviour and responsibility.

I love this. I think every country needs to adopt the same kind of movement.

Poke around the website, there's some good stuff there.

Keys To Happiness: Paying It Forward- 'Life Vest Inside' Video

What I love about Facebook is not all the boring, mundane often overly personal things that people share on their FB page, but the wonderful nuggets of inspiration that float by my feed every once in a while. They are the ones that inspire me.  It's those words, or videos that keep me from pulling the plug on my FB page.

A few days ago someone posted the following video directed by school teacher Orly Wahba, founder of Life Vest Inside, on their Facebook page.  It's the whole 'pay it forward' concept, whereby you do something nice for someone, and they in turn are inspired to do something kind for someone else. Something we need to be constantly reminded of- being kind to others.

The mission statement for Life Vest Inside:

Charity work and community service are invaluable tools for bettering our world, but kindness is more than good deeds or volunteerism alone. Kindness is empathy, compassion, and human connection; it's a smile, a touch, or a comforting word. Even the smallest gesture can brighten a dark day or ease a heavy burden.

LVI works to cultivate the awareness that individuals can effect real and positive change in the people around them, simply by 'living kindness:' by embodying empathy and compassion in our day-to-day lives. LVI seeks to spread kindness and goodwill through the sharing of Acts of Kindness Cards, connecting our users to various inspirational media through film and the Internet. And further through the implementation of our Social Emotional Learning Program.

The wonderful thing about acts of kindness, is that not only does it benefit the receiver, it also benefits the giver, and more often than not it costs little to nothing. Just be aware of your surroundings and take the time to notice others, you will find plentiful opportunities to be helpful and kind.

This truly inspirational video also demonstrates how we are all somehow interconnected through these random acts of kindness. And what we put out comes back eventually comes back to us.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.