I live in the center of the city and there is a large parking lot full of parking spots nearby．Rain is a rare occurrence in LA，so cars easily collect pollutants and dust．Together with my friends，I decided it should be a kind gesture to surprise the owners with a car wash．So we bought car washing supplies and brought out all the bath towels we could find．With all the supplies in hand，we were able to convince another roommate to help out as well and we began watering down the cars．

Every once in a while，someone would come by and asked us seemingly stupid men，“Who told you to wash the cars?”or，even better，“who paid you to wash their cars?”We explained we just wanted to do something kind．But our response was often me with an even more confused look．

As the afternoon went on，some other friends that came by understood our goal of the spontaneous event and started helping out with some of the duties．First one friend then two，and by the time we had cleaned the entire lot，we had an entire car washing crew with independent individually assigned tasks and duties．

I wasn't cleaning cars to be able to afford a new phone．I was cleaning cars simply because I wanted to offer the car owners kindness．There was no equipment to weigh our value created．We couldn’t measure our success in dollars earned over the time spent washing cars when we could have been earning twice as much at work．

I now realize，first hand，that there is a special energy created when you choose to think bigger than yourself and act in service of others and maybe，like me，you’11 find it’s actually the greatest gift you’ you’ll ever get．

One morning, Ann's neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog. Ann said that she could watch it only for the day.

Tracy took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers (传单), and put them in mailboxes. Meanwhile, Ann went to the dollar store and bought some pet supplies, warning her two sons not to fall in love with the dog. At the time, Ann's son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering from a heart operation, was 21 years old.

Four days later Ann was still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the screen door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys' room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him the dog went silent.

“If it hadn't come to get me, the doctor said Jack would have died，” Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to claim the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.

The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter recognized his lost dog and called the number on the flier. Tracy started crying, and told him, “That dog saved my friend's son.”

Peter drove to Ann's house to pick up his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, “Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it.”