All posts tagged: kindness

Phil Collins’ daughter Lily Collins praises his ‘personal’ act of kindness in rare update

Phil Collins’ daughter Lily Collins praises his ‘personal’ act of kindness in rare update

Published by Daniella Wilson

In 1976, Phil Collins became the first-ever ambassador of The King’s Trust (then known as The Prince’s Trust), a non-profit founded to help vulnerable young people aged 11 to 30. Now, to celebrate the 50th anniversary, Phil, 75, has designed an exclusive T-shirt with original artwork, an act of kindness that daughter Lily hopes will continue to “inspire and give back to this new generation.” “I’m so proud of my dad’s legacy and his close relationship with The King’s Trust over the past five decades,” Lily said in an exclusive statement to HELLO! “Supporting and mentoring young people has always been extremely important to him and now, not only through his portfolio of work but also with this T-shirt, he can continue to inspire and give back to this new generation in such a personal and creative way.” Mel C wears T-shirt designed by Phil Collins for King’s Trust The T-shirt features original hand-drawn illustrations in Phil’s classic black-and-white doodle style, inspired by his lifelong love of music and drumming. It comes two months before The …

What Six Umbrellas in Kyoto Teach Us About Kindness

What Six Umbrellas in Kyoto Teach Us About Kindness

Published by Jenni Sidey

Six umbrellas hang from a tree outside Marutamachi subway station in Kyoto, Japan. Beside them, a notice reads: ‘If you have any problems, please take one for free’. I should explain. It is September in Kyoto. The rain showers are short but unpredictable. Some people always carry an umbrella. Some don’t. Some people mind their umbrella with the greatest of care. Some people mislay their umbrella and get very, very wet. Some people borrow an umbrella and remember to give it back. Some forget. Kindness matters A single act of kindness can seem small, especially when the gesture itself is simple. But small acts of kindness tell another person: I noticed you, and your difficulty matters to me. That changes the emotional tone of an ordinary day. Kindness strengthens social connection. It tells us that we are not on our own, even among strangers. In a busy city, an umbrella left for someone you will never meet is a practical symbol of concern: Someone has a problem, someone else anticipated it, and nothing is expected …

6 Things People Who Are Highly Empathetic Really Don’t Like

6 Things People Who Are Highly Empathetic Really Don’t Like

Published by Jenni Sidey

Being empathetic can be both a gift and, well, completely exhausting. Naturally empathetic people pick up on the emotions around them, noticing subtle changes in someone’s mood before they even say anything. People who care deeply have a hard time letting go of situations that don’t seem to bother anyone else, and that sensitivity also means that certain experiences hit them especially hard. Many of the things highly empathetic people dislike dealing with most can leave even the most compassionate person feeling completely drained of their emotional energy. Highly empathetic people don’t like it at all when these specific things happen to them 1. Being around people who constantly complain we.bond.creations | Shutterstock For emotionally sensitive people, being around someone who complains all the time feels exhausting. They don’t necessarily know how to tune it out, either. A friend venting about their relationship or a coworker grumbling about their workload can quickly become draining. Someone who feels deeply for other people doesn’t expect everyone to always be sunshine and rainbows for their sake, but when …

The kindness of strangers: I was a young, solo tourist when a taxi driver became aggressive – then two men stepped in | Australian lifestyle

The kindness of strangers: I was a young, solo tourist when a taxi driver became aggressive – then two men stepped in | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

I travelled alone a lot when I was younger and often got myself into stupid situations. You think you’re immortal when you’re in your 20s. One such occasion happened when I was 25 and travelling solo in Egypt, not long after the turn of the century. I had taken an overnight bus from Cairo to Dahab, which dropped me and my fellow passengers off in the middle of nowhere. I had to get a shared taxi into town at about 3am – one where everyone sat up the back in a ute tray – then find somewhere to stay. I was the only tourist in the taxi and definitely the only woman. When we reached Dahab, things quickly went south. I didn’t speak Arabic, so I couldn’t understand what the driver was saying, but it was quite obvious he was becoming increasingly aggressive toward me. As things got more and more heated, two Egyptian men who were also in the back of the ute stepped in. The taxi driver was gesturing to me and the …

Kindness of strangers: The day of my mum’s funeral, the saleswoman at the stationery store made me feel less alone | Australian lifestyle

Kindness of strangers: The day of my mum’s funeral, the saleswoman at the stationery store made me feel less alone | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

Mum’s disease progressed slowly at first, and then in a really big rush. After years of battling early onset Parkinson’s, in 2015 we were suddenly told she only had six months left. I was living in Brisbane, Australia, and Mum was in a care home 600km away in Taree, so I began flying down every second weekend to visit. At the time, it was still common to print out your boarding pass – or at least, it was for me; I was a bit late to the tech game. So every weekend I visited, I’d go to the local Officeworks to print my pass for the flight home. Every time, I was served by the same person, a friendly lady who asked why I was flying down so often. I told her what was going on. Whenever I saw her, she’d enquire about how Mum was going and we’d have a nice chat. When Mum became really ill, I drove down and stayed with her for a month until she passed, one terrible day two …

9 Phrases People With Mental & Emotional Dignity Say In Casual Conversation

9 Phrases People With Mental & Emotional Dignity Say In Casual Conversation

Published by Jenni Sidey

You can easily spot someone with mental and emotional dignity by the way they talk when they’re casual and comfortable. Their calm, controlled behavior keeps them from straining relationships with the people they hold dear. This trait can also reflect strong values and morals. Often, their sense of dignity is rooted in fairness, which allows them to take an honest look not only at the behavior of others, but their own as well. Dignity can make a person better at apologizing because they often treat people with fairness and kindness, which makes them a good person to have in your life. Phrases people with mental and emotional dignity share when they’re talking to people they care about: 1. ‘No, thank you’ IRA_EVVA | Shutterstock With dignity often comes self-awareness and independence. People with these traits have an easier time setting boundaries because they trust their gut and aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves. Psychologists have found that setting boundaries is important for mental health. Without them, we can grow resentful of the people in our …

A photo of kindness on a Lesbos beach hid a deeper story

A photo of kindness on a Lesbos beach hid a deeper story

Published by Sam Flores

At the height of the 2015 refugee crisis, a moment of human kindness captured the world’s attention. A young Syrian mother, newly landed by small boat on a beach in Greece, was struggling to feed her child when Militsa (Emilia) Kamvisi, who was then 83, offered to help. The two friends Kamvisi had been sitting with on a nearby bench – Maritsa Mavrapidou and Efstratia Mavrapidou, 85 and 89 respectively – joined in. A photographer recorded the scene and the three grannies from Lesbos, as they came to be known, became instant symbols of hospitality and welcome. As Kamvisi put it at the time: “What did I do? I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to help the girl, who was wet and tired.” The poignancy of their gesture was underscored by the fact that all three women were themselves children of refugees. Maritsa Mavrapidou later explained: “Our mothers came here as refugees from Turkey, just across the way, and they were just girls at the time. They came without clothes, with nothing. That’s why …

The kindness of strangers: When Mum was hospitalised on a family holiday, our hotel’s owners were heaven-sent | Family

The kindness of strangers: When Mum was hospitalised on a family holiday, our hotel’s owners were heaven-sent | Family

Published by Sam Flores

We were doing the groceries when a blood vessel burst in my mother’s brain. I was 10 years old and on a family holiday to France that very suddenly changed its tenor. In the following weeks Mum went through brain surgery, suffered a stroke and was placed in intensive care. We had been staying in a gîte but moved to a small hotel closer to the hospital. It was a terrifying and stressful time, even as a young kid who knew things were serious – but didn’t understand quite how serious. So it was an unexpected blessing that the owners of our new hotel, Jean-Claude and Therese, were heaven-sent. Jean-Claude, a fabulous chef, would cook us kids whatever we wanted for dinner (most often spaghetti bolognese, much to our father’s embarrassment). When Therese caught me hand washing our clothes in the sink, she intervened and began doing our laundry for us. Both dished out hugs as required. And they introduced our father to English-speaking locals who were able to help him navigate the French medical …

The kindness of strangers: After losing my wife and son, I ate alone one Father’s Day – and another diner paid my bill | Australian lifestyle

The kindness of strangers: After losing my wife and son, I ate alone one Father’s Day – and another diner paid my bill | Australian lifestyle

Published by Sam Flores

I lost my wife in 2020 and my son in 2021. A few years later, I was living alone in a retirement complex when I decided to go out one night for dinner. There was a little Vietnamese restaurant nearby that my wife and I used to frequent, which had excellent food and held many happy memories. It just so happened to be Father’s Day. I dined alone, ordering my usual rice paper rolls. When I went to settle the bill, the lass behind the counter told me my meal had already been paid for. “What do you mean, paid for?” I asked. She answered that a couple who had left the restaurant a few minutes before had paid for my meal. She said the lady in that couple had remarked that it was not fair that a man had to sit alone, on Father’s Day, so they picked up the cheque. I have no idea who they were. I went out into the car park to look around and see if I could spot …

The kindness of strangers: My son was unconscious and I frantically called out for help – then five teenagers came running | Parents and parenting

The kindness of strangers: My son was unconscious and I frantically called out for help – then five teenagers came running | Parents and parenting

Published by Sam Flores

I was at the park with my two young boys, aged five and seven, riding scooters along a wide path that looped around the grass. My eldest has cerebral palsy, so my husband had modified a scooter with a large base so that we could ride it together. My son stood at the front and I stood behind him. It meant he could join in just like other kids, and he loved it. When you have boys, you need to run them like dogs – the goal is to burn as much energy as possible every time you’re out of the house. So even though it had started to drizzle, we set off on another loop of the park on our scooters. But when we hit a puddle coming round the bend, the scooter slipped out from under me. We fell sideways, landing on the ground. I realised my son wasn’t conscious. In that moment all I felt was sheer terror. I didn’t have my phone and frantically called out for help. The park was …