GOOD NEI GHBOURS
Reader's Digest India|October 2022
A heartwarming collection of stories about community and kindness
Cathy Free
GOOD NEI GHBOURS

THE SUNSHINE MAYOR 

Almost eight years ago, Al Nixon decided to begin each day from a bench with a spec tacular view of the St Petersburg, Florida, waterfront. “I call it ‘life rising’ because watching a sunrise makes me feel centred before starting my day,” said Nixon, who works for the city’s water department. A year later, a woman stopped to say hello, and she said something that changed his perspective on his daily ritual. “She said, ‘You know, every morning when I see you sitting here, I know that everything is going to be OK,’ ” Nixon recalled. “That’s when I knew: I needed to pay attention to the people walking past. I needed to make eye contact and let people know that we mattered to each other.”

Instead of staring straight ahead at the waterfront, Nixon started smiling at people and striking up conversations. And pretty soon, more than a few early risers began joining him on the bench, sometimes unburdening themselves, asking him for advice about relationships, careers and personal problems.

This story is from the October 2022 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2022 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView All
She Defied All the Odds
Reader's Digest India

She Defied All the Odds

When doctors told the McCoombes that spina bifida would severely limit their daughter's life, they refused to listen. So did the little girl

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2024
DO YOU DARE?
Reader's Digest India

DO YOU DARE?

Two Danish businesswomen want us to start eating insects. It's good for the environment, but can consumers get over the yuck factor?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
Searching for Santa Claus
Reader's Digest India

Searching for Santa Claus

Santa lives at the North Pole, right? Don't say that to the people of Rovaniemi in northern Finland

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2024
A Mouthful of Good Health
Reader's Digest India

A Mouthful of Good Health

How two carnivores survived on a guilt-free vegetarian diet in the heartland of Ayurveda

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
THE FIRST PHOTOBOMBER
Reader's Digest India

THE FIRST PHOTOBOMBER

struck in 1853! And other 'new' fads that are actually ancient history

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
BURIED IN A SNOW TOMB
Reader's Digest India

BURIED IN A SNOW TOMB

The snowboarder was off the trail, headfirst under six feet of powder. To survive, his luck would need to change

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
How Risky Are Those Holiday Cocktails, Really?
Reader's Digest India

How Risky Are Those Holiday Cocktails, Really?

The latest recommendations about drinking and your health

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
13 THINGS New Year's Traditions Around the World
Reader's Digest India

13 THINGS New Year's Traditions Around the World

MOST OF US spend the final seconds of each calendar year watching a nearly 5,440-kilo geodesic sphere descend over Times Square in New York City.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
Cookies for Forgiveness
Reader's Digest India

Cookies for Forgiveness

My blowup was half-baked. The apology wasn't

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! FOR EVERYBODY!
Reader's Digest India

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! FOR EVERYBODY!

Are you up to date on your vaccines? Our handy guide will let you know

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024