The other day, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I came across the kind of uplifting story that makes my exhausted-mom-bleeding-heart melt.
It was from a mother who’d decided to fly alone with her two-year-old and five-year-old, only to find herself overwhelmed by two screaming, overtired children.
I can imagine the stress and anxiety she felt, given that I often feel that way just sitting in my living room with my poor-sleeping baby and high-energy toddler—which is why I almost shed a tear when I read about the other moms who stepped up to offer help.
One fellow mama let the solo mom cut her in the security line, another helped carry all her bags, and a third woman held one of her children for a long stretch on the flight and carried him all the way to baggage claim, where she left with a hug and a “Merry Christmas!”
Right when she needed it, this mother found herself the proverbial village it takes to raise a child—through the air and back again. (See what I did there?!)
Whether it was the spirit of the holiday season or just basic human decency, these women made a tremendous difference through their selfless acts of kindness.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough stories like these—tiny reminders that the world is full of good people who care and want to help.
It’s easy to feel discouraged sometimes, whether you’re covered in spit-up at 3am or collapsed under the weight of all your responsibilities after one too many days burning the candle at both ends.
In moments like these, when we’re feeling drained and depleted, we need to remember that there are kind, loving people all around us who are willing and eager to lend a hand, if only we speak up.
For me, and for many, that person is Brad Aronson. Not only did he amass a beautiful collection of kindness stories in his bestselling book HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act at a Time, he walked his talk just recently by offering me his time and support after I reached out for advice.
True to form, he’s also offered ten free copies of HumanKind to Tiny Buddha readers, and I couldn’t be more excited to get his inspiring book into even more hands.
There’s a reason Forbes referred to it as “the most uplifting and life-affirming book in years.”
HumanKind shines a spotlight on the best of humanity and includes countless practical suggestions and ideas to help us bring out the best in ourselves.
What strikes me most about HumanKind—aside from the fact that all author royalties go to Big Brothers Big Sisters—is that the people profiled are just like you and me. They’re everyday people with struggles of their own who one day decided they wanted to do something good—then did.
Whether you’re looking for confirmation that the world is a caring place or inspiration to make a difference in your own sphere of influence, HumanKind has you covered.
It will feed your spirit, fuel your motivation to give back, and fill your heart with hope.
To enter to win a free, signed copy of HumanKind, comment below, sharing why you or someone you love would appreciate this book. Then email the link to your comment to kind@bradaronson.com so Brad has your email address to contact you if you win.
You can enter until midnight PST on Sunday, December 12th. Brad will contact the winners directly the following week.
Happy Thursday, friends!
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine.
Our youngest daughter is a new mom this year – this would be a great resource through this new chapter in her life that can be overwhelming at times.
This book sounds lovely and like it could help a lot of people including myself. We all need reminders that we are not alone in this but also that we can be of help to others. I love that the proceeds go to Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Great idea!
My friends and I are on a spiritual journey that would by enhanced by this book. We meet, call, and text words of encouragement to each other. Expanding that care to others is the next step on our journey.
I work in child abuse and I work hard to keep my faith in humanity and remember that there are a lot of people in this world trying to make it better. this book would be another tool for me to sue, not only for myself, but with my staff.
I’m always looking for books that inspire me to act and/or think about others besides myself! I work with middle school kids who have learning or behavioral challenges, and if I can sprinkle some happiness and humor to their daily educational experiences the merrier! Thank you for this opportunity to give back in ways of kindness and unconditional love!
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I would like my wife to win this book as a gift. She has had a difficult year, yet she is doing everything to be kind and make small changes for our better future. I love her very much.
I always try to think the best of people but am in a situation now where I see the world can be a cold place. I am trying to work through my negative feelings and after reading about this book, maybe it can restore my faith in the good things in life and that maybe just maybe there is more good in this world than bad. Sometimes the good things are hard to see when you are not able to forgive yourself and let the past go.
This sounds like an absolute must read!
Okay, so, I’m going to school now and I have only one friend but I’m not sure why, I can’t confide my feelings with her. Maybe it’s cause I’m introverted. I don’t know. I feel I can’t express my feelings with anyone.The pandemic is stressful. I get really anxious whenever I even *hear* anything covid related. I have to deal with my feelings by myself and that leaves me feeling stressed and can sometimes make me even more uncertain about the future. This book might as well change me. I could really do with a feel-good book, cause that’s what I feel I need. Anything to reboot my faith in humanity and make me smile is a blessing
EVERY ONE can’t do EVERY THING ….But…EVERY ONE can do SOME THING!! BE KIND!! ❤❤❤❤
HUMAN KIND- I can only emit kindness in my humanness. I struggle communicating my language of the heart and continue to find the words of others that best represent my vision of the best version of myself to myself. My inner voice causes some self-sabotage at times this book will continue closing those gaps in my character.
This is by far one of my favorite books! I have purchased it and sent it to 12 of my friends. I am tracking the ways that people want to give back after they read the book. So amazing! Thank you Brad for wrting this wonderful book. I would LOVE to have a signed copy for myself! 🙂
It sounds like an amazing book. My comment on why I’d like to win it is as follows. I am so tired, I am losing hope in mankind. My wonderful husband died by suicide three years ago when we were married after 10 years of being together and only two years of marriage. He lost both of his parents and his only sibling in the year before that. We were building a new home for our married life and I had to finish the home while in grief and shock and now I have to work longer and harder just to keep the home because he had no life insurance. I had to have workers come in and repair the floor shortly after, and they stole my husband’s most precious belongings and I didn’t discover it until about 6 months later during COVID and the police said realistically it was too late, even though I know they did it. It was heartbreaking. And, no, I can’t sell the home because now my 90 year old mother had COVID, almost died, and was asked to leave her assisted living because she didn’t recover to the level she was functioning at prior. So since I have a ranch, she lives with me. My siblings do NOTHING. I work full-time from home three days a week and commute two, at which time a caregiver has to come in for part of the day. There is no free time for me. I have had breast cancer, chemo and a double mastectomy in 2014. I am tired and since I really don’t see all that much good news, perhaps reading about helpful people and uplifting stories and knowing they are still out there waiting and may find me would be a big help to me to keep going. God Bless you all. Thank you.
This book has been on my wish list for awhile and am excited to read it one day. With everything going on in the world, especially now, we need reminders that there is still so much kindness, love, and positivity out there. You never know what a huge impact one kind gesture can make.
After the past couple of years, we all could use a reminder of the more positive aspects of humanity. I would love to give this a read and then pass it on.
Thank you for writing this book!! I teach minfulness in high school, and I would love to share this book with my studnts. We can all give/recive more kindness, this a great lesson to learn in schhol and put into practice in our lives<3
This book is exactly what our hurting world needs!!!! We’re all struggling with something right now and human kindness is the only way positive change is going to happen.
I would love to have this book as I love to help learn techniques to better myself!!
My “Greater Good in Action” practice of the week is “Random Acts of Kindness.” Seems like I’m being sent multiple messages to practice more kindness.
This sounds like a really great read at a time when we could all use some positive. I work in medicine and the pandemic is sure taking it’s toll on those of us the gut of this thing for the past 2 years. Reading bits of hope can bring back the enthusiasm that my colleagues and I used to have in treating our patients. Thank you. 🙏🤗
Oh how wonderful. This is my life’s work. To be kind. I’ve learned through my personal journey with sobriety and mindfulness that the key to life well lived is service to others, ourselves, humility, and grace. I’ve joined a movement called YOU MATTER. It’s the little things that make me smile. Seeing others smile. I’ve learned we all struggle with parts of our trauma and it shows up in ways we’d never imagined. This book would only compliment and enhance the people around me and make a difference in being true to what I know.
A book like this can restore a despairing person’s faith in humanity.
My friend and I are both going through nasty divorces and it’s difficult to keep our heads up high. I KNOW this book will help get us out of our rut and know we are better than how we are being treated.
I work with middle and high school students and this would be a great resources to share with them.
This book sounds fab after having spend over 100 days in Covid restictions, of which the main difficulty has been not being able to go and see my Mum who has dementia. I have beenfeeling angry at people breaking the rules, and also being unkind. it is hard everyday to try and bring humankindeness to mind, when the world is going through such a difficult time.
I bought the Kindle version but would love to have a print copy
to have, hold, and share!
Kindness is something our world needs more of in order to remain a civilized society.
Im a mother of two active children, 9 years old boy and 4 years old girl. I cant say i have a life as an adult because my whole day us dedicated to them, sometimes I feel Im going to collapse. I find it very difficult to ask for help and the dew times I did, help was not there. That made me feel abandoned by my own family. So i got used to be tired everyday of my life until they grow up. Maybe thus book can illuminate in what im going through.
Why wouldn’t I or anyone for that matter NOT want to win a free copy of this book copy of this book-it would truly be an early Christmas blessing and much more ……
Reading articles, absorbing energy from the pearls of wisdom shared on tinybuddha, gives so much solace to my soul! Thank you for creating a ripple effect of kindness & unfathomable love via your articles! :))
I have been working work with my colleagues throughout the pandemic to help those suffering with addictions. I live one day at a time and have also incoporated1 kind act each day. This would be a terrific book to read with colleagues and we all could use an uplifting moment or two or three…
I would be delighted to read this book. Sometimes the profound sadness of recently losing my sweet mama makes it hard for me to stay afloat. Immersing myself in kindness would be so healing. Thanks you for writing this.
I believe life sometimes breaks us into pieces, n in process we tend to lose in our sweet self n kindness, May be the book “human kind” will awake the kind human in us!
I would appreciate a free copy of this book. It is always helpful to learn more and understand how I could benefit from providing kindness and ways to pass along positive vibes to “pay it forward” to others who may need our positivity or kindness shared in their lives. Thank you for your consideration!
I think this book would be a great reminder of the good in humanity and in the world when things get tough.
As a practicing Nichiren Buddhist I am always searching for new ways to bring kindness into the world and teach my kids and grandskids by example how to do this too . Be safe out there.
I saw this book mentioned in an email earlier this month and just bought it for my neighbor’s birthday. I would love to read it myself!
I would love to win the book to read and then give to someone else in hopes to continue my efforts to wear love out through my group Circle of Love-Maryland.
I would love to win a copy. At times life can be real stressful with the pressures of so many things. This is a great way to stop thinking about what’s wrong and finding the people that make it right which also puts people in a better mood/mindset. Please consider me for a free copy!
I am in a happy place now. My son has grown up, and he is independent. I am financially stable. I have got over my divorce. My work life is almost stress-free. I have created a fund for helping the economically weaker sections and add to it every month and give it away. I love reading self-improvement and try to better myself in speech and thoughts, though I don’t always succeed. I read the Book of Proverbs last month and was impressed by the emphasis given to the power of the mouth and how it can also destroy. I am trying to integrate that into my life. I would love to read this book and get ideas on showing kindness to one and all.
I would love a book because the last couple of years have been a sh!tshow (for all of us) and I need something to restore my faith in humanity. I think this book could help. My plan was to read it and then give it to my mom because she loves this stuff. Based on the amazon reviews though, I may want to keep it for myself and I’ll have to buy her her own copy.
I would love this book to further enrich my journey of self-love and Love for all beings!
We all need some kindness and positivity in our lives. Encouragement comes from many places. Having a book like this would be an amazing source to learn and grow from.
I would really love to win this book for my Mother. She has had a really hard time recently…..her beloved husband – my Dad – died very unexpectedly, after which she was diagnosed with very severe heart disease, atrial fibrillation and Parkinson’s disease. A few weeks later, she fell backwards on a marble floor and smashed her head, resulting in blood pouring from an open head wound. Thankfully, she recovered. Also during this time, her best friend, whom she trusted implicitly to do her banking, left her penniless, by emptying her bank account, her older sister was diagnosed with dementia and now doesn’t recognise anyone or remember anything and because of a kerosene leak in her home, my Mother was immediately evacuated and is currently staying in temporary, rented accomodation. Many thanks, Lori, for having such a really great and very inspirational website. Best wishes, Niamh Kearney
I would love to win this for my school as it is a resource that students and staff would get great value from.
I would love this both for my 4-year-old daughter and for myself. She and I are in an abusive situation that is ongoing (despite having left our abuser), and I think this book would help both of us. I struggle daily to keep my head up enough above water that I can support her. I hope we could get some inspiration and actionable examples of how we could be kind toward our fellow humans from this book.
I would love this book because I *always* want to perform acts of kindness for other people, but I often miss the opportunities to do so! If I knew more about what other people do, I think it would help to raise my awareness so I can spot those situations when they happen! Thanks to Lori for bringing this book to my attention! 💙
I would love this book as a refresh from my work with domestic violence survivors! Many days are not filled with seeing the changes – but with planting the seeds of change. Often I forget that the seeds are in the dark!
Kindness and compassion are all because of Humanity in the mankind. People might say they have had empathetic discussions with vulnerable people or have done acts of kindness, but they might not even know how their own words are mismatched. Inhumanity is like the little shortcut that frees us from improving the entire human society. Having a book titled like this, is peace and ambient. To embrace the whole spectrum and not talking the talk, come out of our shells and break the barriers of inhumanity, we all need to create a lighthouse* within us. I feel, this book can be that lighthouse that can grow a spirit of oneness and compassion towards every single being. Often the small acts like these, they make people’s lives turn into a powerful and reflective entity. Hope this makes the difference!