3 . Jordyn Perez was about to turn 8 years old when her mom suggested a new way to celebrate her birthday. “What would you think about donating your gifts to a children’s hospital?” her mom said. At first, Jordyn wasn’t sure. Then she gave it some thought. “I was like, ‘Okay,’” Jordyn said, “I already had everything. In needed and these kids that were going through things at the hospital—they needed it more than I did.”

“Just to see these kids’ little faces when Jordyn hands them the gifts at the hospital, that’s always been our favorite part,” says Jordyn’s mother. “Seeing these kids’ reactions just touches our hearts.” Kids can be in the hospital for lots of reasons, asthma, a condition that affects breathing. Whatever the patient’s ailment is, a hospital stay can be stressful. Efforts like Jordyn’s are a bright spot during a difficult time.

Since that time, it has kicked off each year in early November, five or six weeks before her birthday. Along with an invitation to her party, gifts might include building blocks or toy trains. “And for the teenagers, my age or older,” it might be music player or books.”

Natalie Gutierrez works in the public relations office at Baptist Children’s Hospital. She has seen first-hand the effect of Jordyn’s gift-giving. “She puts smiles on the faces of these little patients in our hospital and on our nurses and staff, ”Gutierrez says. Jordyn’s efforts to help kids in the hospital have inspired others to follow in her footsteps. More boys and girls have collected and given gifts for their birthdays too. “Giving to others, it’s just a good feeling to have at the end of the day,” Jordyn says. “I want to keep doing this as long as I can.”

Do you know that when you’re kind to others, it’s good for your own happiness too? Even small acts of kindness can make you more confident and help you feel more connected to the people around you.

_________

Kindness means doing something thoughtful and generous for others without thinking anything in return. It could be a small, simple act, like holding open a door, or something that takes time and effort, like making a playlist for your friend. Kindness isn’t just something you do. It also means thinking about others’ feelings, as well as your own.

_________ Scientists have discovered that when you are kind to someone, your body is filled with good feelings that make you feel calmer, healthier and happier. When you volunteer for a local farm, for example, you feel part of a community. This can make you feel better about yourself and build friendships. Kindness is also something that flows outwards, like ripples (涟漪) in a pool.

_________ Bring more kindness into your life.

Start with something simple and easy, like sending a message to a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while. Try to do something you enjoy, while remembering that you are doing it for others, and see if you can turn kindness into a habit. _________ “Being kind to ourselves can feel difficult at times,” the Mental Health Foundation says. “Try to find ways each day to be kind to yourself, like reading a book or listening to your favorite song. Use kind words when describing yourself or the things you have done that day.”

10 . On April 8, in Hangzhou, a young man called Andy ordered and packed his breakfast at a local noodle house and got much more than he expected.

Andy shared a video on the Internet about his experience at a noodle house in the morning. In the video, which had over 2.3 million views, Andy was shocked by what he found in his to-go bag instead of breakfast.

“Why? There’s a couple of thousand yuan in my bag.” Andy said, “Why would they do this? Why would they give this to me?” Andy shared his shocking discovery on the Internet. He knew that he could just take the money, but finally, he said he knew what he needed to do.

“Now I have to return it because I’m a good person, I guess,” Andy said, putting the money back into the bag.

After he walked into the noodle house, he gave the bag to a worker at the door. The worker realized he was returning the money they had been looking for. With the grateful (感激的) smiles on their faces, one worker asked if they could give him a hug, which he accepted.

Back in the car, Andy reflected on what he had done. “The workers were just all hugging me and thanking me. I got such a great feeling of pride when I saw the look of joy on their faces,” he said.

“Honesty can lead me forward and make my future more colorful,” he wrote in his diary.