Despite the negativity we see in the media, the goodness in people far outweighs the anger and division. Uplifting acts of love and kindness are offered by ordinary people, everywhere, every day. Here are just a few stories that have recently crossed my path:

• Someone leaving a note on a car, letting the driver know their tire was dangerously low.
• Paying for the movie ticket of the person behind them.
• Paying the tolls of drivers behind them.
• Leaving a note for a loved one, expressing appreciation for something they said or did.
• Leaving flower bouquet gifts on benches or the windshields of random strangers.
• Neighbors walking the dog of a friend who was ill or snow blowing the heavy slush at the end of their driveway.
• Paying for the groceries of the person standing behind them in line—just because.
• Leaving a hefty tip for the cook at a diner.
• Patients bringing gifts to a doctor to say thank you.
• Secretly paying off a lay-away item for a complete stranger.
• Simply saying hello to someone on the street who looks like a bit of kindness will do them well.

The possibilities are endless! Follow your heart and your inspiration—you can make a difference. Energy follows thought: we can literally shape the world around us through a shift in our thinking and intention. We may not be able to stop the war in the Middle East, but in this moment, right here, right now, within this unique situation, we can co-create the positive world we would prefer.

A few weeks ago, I learned this lesson several times over within a five-minute period.

It was just a day—nothing special. Or so I thought. It was a food shopping day (which I enjoy) and my basket was full to overflowing. The cashier rang me up and I headed out, juggling several bags as I opened the glass door with my back. As I completed my pas de deux with the door, I nearly stepped on her—a young homeless woman, sitting outside crosslegged on cardboard and shivering on the frozen ground.

“Hey how are you today!” she exclaimed when our eyes met.

“I’m great—and how are you? Are you hungry? They’ve got really good split pea with ham soup in there today.”

“Oh no thanks I just ate but look at this!” and joyously thrust her hands up toward me. They were encased in thick, cotton-white knit mittens. “A woman just came along and handed these to me, she got them right there, in the same store you just came out of. Brand new mittens! I can feel my fingers again! Here, look—they’re even lined inside.”

She took a mitten off, curled it back, and showed me the life-saving lining—the one that thanks to the kindness of a stranger, will now protect her from frost bite on ten-degree days.

“Awesome! I’m so glad your hands are warm! Where are you sleeping tonight?” I asked, glimpsing the sadness and fatigue beneath her warm, embracing personality.

“Oh that’s another cool thing—this guy who lives a couple blocks down, who owns some local buildings, said he’d let me sleep for free in an old empty warehouse he’s got right around the corner.”

“Oh wow that’s amazing!”

“Yeah I’ve been there a couple weeks now—I’ve got a lamp, a mattress, some blankets, a small heater and a few stray cats I feed that keep me company.” She grins and says “I mean they’re completely feral so it’s not like they keep me warm in bed or anything! I’m going to try to pay the landlord maybe $100 a month for letting me stay there—whaddya think?”

“Sounds good–that’s kind of you. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Marianne.”

“Hey, my name’s Mari-lyn!”

Amused over the similarity of our names, she quipped “Mari-anne, and Mari-lyn—I guess our meeting was meant to be!”

Suddenly a young man burst on the scene, yelled her name, shouted “It’s you, how are you, what do you need, I love you,” and swept her into a big hug. His mother (?) waited patiently close by as her son, wearing baggy sweatpants and a long pink Superman sweatshirt down below his knees, reunited with his friend.

When mother and son walked away, he wheeled around and yelled “I love you!” to Marianne.

Love, mittens, a safe, warm place to sleep…she was right. Our meeting was meant to be. As we parted ways I shook my head in wonder, grateful for meeting Mari-anne, and for a brief window of time, sharing a warm spot with her at the hearth of human kindness.