Volunteered (Not Creepy Creep) Kindness

Matthew McGee is a performer in Washington DC.  I think he is funny, I thought that even before I met him.  That is because EVERY TIME my partner David would have some cool thing up on Facebook and I would say, “Who posted that?” and David would say “Matthew McGee” I would say, quite genuinely, “Do I know him?.  EVERY.  TIME.  I could never remember who he was!!! 

So when we were in the audience for the same show as he and his wife one night, David introduced us.  I laughed out loud.  I couldn’t help it!  And I explained how he had always been this mystery person to me, the guy who I couldn’t remember for the life of me!!  Now I am his FB friend, too, and when he posts stuff my brain goes, “Oh!  That is Matthew, the guy you never know who he is!”.  J  So that’s my mental connection to him.  Bizarre.

Preseeeeenting - Matthew in the snow!

Before Washington DC got socked with the blizzard, I saw a post on Matthew’s wall that inspired me.  He wrote:  “If anyone in Takoma Park or Silver Spring needs anything this weekend let me know. Don't want anyone stranded anywhere without power or other essentials. I care about you people and want you safe and protected, so if you need a place to stay you are welcome here. For those who might live farther out...you're dead to me.  J/K -  I like you too, but I can only go so far. Find some other friends, dangit! I can't save everyone!”

This made me smile and I contacted him right away to ask if I could share his kindness for this project.  He agreed, so I sent him a list of questions and asked if he could answer them for me.

Well, instead of answering about THAT act of kindness, opening up his house to anyone in need, he sent me a whole OTHER act of kindness that is also marvelous!!  Here is what he wrote:

“This morning I chose to get out of bed and see what could be done about the snow around my neighborhood. Now, I could have said, “I had that opportunity this morning to do such and such” but an opportunity is generally something you have to wait for, a door that opens that then you can act upon. While many opportunities for service come in this form, sometimes you can make the active choice to do something now. Which is what I did.

I knew it had snowed for two days, I knew neighbors were probably needing sidewalks and driveways shoveled, and I knew I was an able-bodied individual who could help. So I got up, kissed my wife, grabbed a shovel, and went looking.

I first started out by helping a neighbor from my complex shovel her car out of the parking lot. Then another couple neighbors came out to work on their cars, so I helped them too. When I felt like they were pretty free of their snow cave I went around the corner and found many people out and about on the street. Kids sledding down the roads, parents visiting with each other, and some shoveling.

This photo is not from Matthew's story, but I wanted you to get a sense of what he meant when he talked about shoveling out cars.  This is a police cruiser in our neighborhood.  Every car in the area had at least this much snow on and around it.  Digging them out was DIFFICULT.

In summation, I shoveled the porch and sidewalk of an older woman a neighbor lady told me about when I tried to help her, then went back to help that neighbor lady with shoveling her car out of the mound that had cocooned her car, and finished with another driveway of a young mother who lived right next to where the car was parked. The mother didn’t ask (none of them did, to be honest), in fact she commented on how nice it was that I was helping her neighbor with her car, and while she was talking to some of the other neighbors a couple houses down, I went ahead and started working on her driveway.

Acts of kindness don’t require an invitation. If you see a need, do it. Don’t be a creepy creep about it, but step in and help rather than wait to be asked, because people sometimes tend to be very prideful and therefore don’t ask for help (I use sometimes graciously here, because let’s be honest, people are prideful most of the time). The mother came back and was so grateful for the help. I found out her husband had a back injury and couldn’t do it himself so she was coming out to do it all by herself (with her little daughter). Now, granted, I’m sure she is fully capable of doing it herself, but now she can spend her morning with her kids and visiting with neighbors, rather than breaking her back and joining her husband on the giant massage chair that they hopefully own. The lady with the car was very grateful for my help too, not only for her but for her neighbors as well. Her husband and kids came out earlier and we were introduced.

It was great getting to know some of the people who live right around the corner from me that I haven’t met in the two years I’ve lived in the neighborhood. How selfish of me, I know. But now I know them. And they invited my wife and I over to their place for a visit sometime. It was great helping people in my community. To ease their burdens. To make them smile. To even learn their name. People may be less inclined to ask for help, but they are almost always glad when it comes.

Serving others makes others want to serve you back, in some way that they can. If we developed these types of relationships with our neighbors more often, think of how much easier and happier our lives would be. So now that I know some of my neighbors, I plan to continue to foster that relationship of kindness and service in the days to come. How will you turn your neighborhood into a community of kindness, service, and helping hands?”

 

Marvelous photo of Matthew in the blizzard.

Isn’t this a fabulous example of a KINDNESS ACTIVIST??  I think his point about not waiting to be ASKED, but just rolling up your sleeves and helping someone out, is so perfect.  He is right, so many of us are too proud or embarrassed to ask for help.  But when it is offered with a loving heart, we are very grateful to receive it.

Thanks for being such a great guy Matthew.  I promise I will remember you (and your kindness).  You will get your kindness activist button soon.

Are you a kindness activist??  Do you know one???  Tell me about it at: kindnessactivist@gmail.com .  And check out the Kindness Activist Facebook page, give it a “like”!

P.S.  Matthew's original kindness that I contacted him about, opening up his house if anyone was stranded near him, caused a ripple effect.  He inspired me to open up OUR house.  And I am guessing that me doing that may have caused other homes to be open to people who needed shelter.  Kindness is like that - it ripples.  :)

Sandbox Kindness

So yeah, the DC metro area is getting slammed with snow.  It is, in my humble opinion, fabulous!  And it really does bring out the best in some people!!

Local hardware and grocery stores (and liquor stores!) have been super busy the last few days with people preparing to “hunker down” and ride out the blizzard. 

Longest line ever at a local Trader Joe's 2 days before the storm

Lots of things were sold out – bananas (??), milk, bread, eggs…  And apparently, SALT.  Not salt for eating, but ice melt salt for steps and sidewalks.  So when I saw this Facebook post in a neighborhood group yesterday, it made me smile:

       “Since there is no more ice melt to be had, we are opening up our full sandbox!   
        Anyone who would like to come by with a bucket and fill up, you are welcome to do so 
        now (address redacted for this blog J ). Come up the driveway to the backyard,
        sandbox is next to deck and covered. Just put cover back please.”

Talk about sweet neighbors!!!  And, like so many gestures of kindness, it was not DIFFICULT, not EXPENSIVE, just KIND!!

When I finished work for the day we set off to meet these neighbors and ask them about their kindness.  We walked half a mile in the snow (which was really fun!) and found their house.  I knocked on the door and was greeted by Harold who explained that the sand box was in the back and we were free to take as much as we needed!  Other neighbors had stopped by before us to avail themselves of this sweet gesture. 

Harold and Janet, the sandbox owners, didn’t want their photo taken, but David didn’t mind if I snapped a couple photos of him while he unburied the sandbox and put some sand in our beach bucket.   On our hike back home we passed some other walkers and David, beach bucket in hand, said we were looking for the shore.  Like many of his jokes, the recipients didn’t get it…  Oh well, I thought it was funny!

Photo is a bit blurry, but it was getting dark and cold out!!  David prepares to put some sand in his purple bucket.

Such a kind gesture - to share sand!

KEEP UP THE KINDNESS, folks.  It really does make the world a happier, more livable place.  If you see, receive, or do an act of kindness, please tell me about it so I can dub you a KINDNESS ACTIVIST and you can proudly sport your “kindness activist” button!  Email me at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com

Me when we got back from our walk - the roads were EMPTY (which is unusual in this neighborhood)

 

Snowplow Kindness

HAVE YOU HEARD?  DC is getting hit with a blizzard of “historic proportions”!!  It’s so exciting!!  I was stuck indoors all day, but as soon as I could I pulled out the old long underwear, grabbed my ski mittens, and strapped on my brand new boots to take off into the snow!!!  I really wanted to go for a walk in the snow, plus I had seen a Facebook post earlier in the day about a wonderful kindness someone was offering!

Here are my new boots :)

But it turned out that on the way to participate in the intended kindness, we happened on ANOTHER KINDNESS!    It took us quite a while to track him down, but eventually we caught up to the gentleman we were calling SNOWPLOW MAN!!

He paused long enough to talk to me and boy, was he nice.  Turns out his name is Tim Muzik and his lives in our neighborhood (about a half mile away).  He was using his little ATV(all terrain vehicle) to remove snow from South Arlington sidewalks.  Yes, I said sidewalkS, plural.  Because he wasn’t only cleaning HIS sidewalk, he was driving around the whole neighborhood and plowing, including the sidewalks around the local park!!  Aren’t the neighbors on his street LUCKY???

I asked him about it and he explained that basically, it is just as FUN as it is HELPFUL.  He likes to keep the sidewalks clean for the neighbors because, as he put it, the area is so “walkable”.  I agree!!  He said he would be making several passes around the neighborhood during this blizzard because so much snow is falling.  I asked about having enough gas to do repeated plowings and he said he got all of the gas ready yesterday.  Way to prep, Tim!!

SNOWPLOW MAN IN ACTION!  (Well, he paused to talk - he was doing the sidewalks in the park)

He also said he really likes doing this, because this is basically the only time he can drive his vehicle around in our city!  J  I say that helping others out like he is doing is wonderful, and I am glad he can have some fun while he is doing it!  (Selfishly, I just wish he lived on our street…)

Maybe bad weather brings out the kindness in some people.  It sure does in SNOWPLOW MAN.  You, Tim, are a kindness activist!  Thank you.

More about the other kindness we received in another post soon.  For now – stay warm.  And if you see, do, or receive a kindness PLEASE tell me about it!  You don’t have to write much, just shoot me a quick email at kindnessactivist@gmail.com .  Because kindness shared inspires kindness. 

P.S. – after we came back from our walk (and had a snowball fight with the neighbors…) we shoveled our sidewalk.  I reckon there are between 4 – 5 inches of snow out there so far!!

This is me, standing in the middle of our normally VERY busy intersection at 6:30 pm on a Friday night - rush hour! 

Artistic Kindness

I rarely carry cash on me.  And I am very careful with how I spend money.  Yet, I love the arts and want to support artists however I can.  So this summer, I came up with an idea.  I put $25 one dollar bills in an envelope, marked it “for art”, and carried it in my purse. 

Then, anytime I saw a street musician, busker, or artist, I took time to STOP, watch, and/or listen.  And I gave the performer one dollar. 

 

Street Musicians in New Orleans this summer

A dollar might not seem like much, but I think my donations were appreciated.  Perhaps even more appreciated was my attention to the performer.  I became an “audience”, and when one person stops to listen/watch, others will, too.  So I hope that my small donations encouraged others to pitch into the hat with me!

This was a simple idea and not expensive.  Because I had already ear marked the money to be spent, I didn’t feel like I was giving away money I should be saving to pay bills.  And I really enjoyed doing this project because it gave me opportunities to STOP and enjoy art. 

See – kindness isn’t complicated!  It is easy and doesn’t only help the people who receive the kindness, it also helps the GIVER!  I really had a good time listening to music and watching artists.  I plan to refill my envelope with one dollar bills when the weather warms up and I am out on the streets more again. 

What will YOU do to spread kindness?  Please tell me about your kindness at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com

Dreamt Kindness

I slept in today, and I am so glad I did, because this morning I had such a VIVID dream. I didn’t realize until I was in the shower thinking about it that I DREAMED ABOUT KINDNESS.  I love it!  Maybe that is the type of thing that can happen if we surround ourselves with kindness – we can even experience it while sleeping!

In my dream, I was in the house I grew up in on Borman Street in Omaha, Nebraska.  But the feel of the neighborhood was not like it had been when I lived there in real life…   In the dream, my house was full of Muslims who had come to America expecting to be accepted, and the street was filled with protesters who were angry that the foreigners were there.  The protesters were all dressed in WHITE.  We were preparing for a MARCH through the neighborhood, and the protesters came and were very, very mad.

I stared out the window at the angry people outside and worried.  I was not sure how to explain it to my friends who were almost ready to march.  What would I tell them?  I worried for their safety.  I stepped out onto the front porch to assess the scene and noticed a woman dressed in PURPLE in the neighboring driveway.  As I approached her I realized – she was KIND.  She was on “our side”.  She was there to be supportive! 

I looked up and down the street and saw that the angry mob dressed in white were all standing on the LEFT side of the street, and this woman in purple was on the right.  Then I saw them – other people in purple – standing every few houses along the march route.  They had come out to support us, to support love.

I thanked the woman in purple and gave her a hug.  She radiated kindness and her smile gave me strength.  I went back into the house and told my friends that, indeed, there were many angry people outside who were sure to yell things at us as we marched the route.  And then I told them about the supportive people, the kind ones, dressed in purple.  And I told my friends, “As we march, look to the right.  There is KINDNESS on the right”.

I woke up before we all stepped outdoors and faced the scene, so, like many dreams, I am not sure how this one ended.  But I have seen the kind people at protests in “real life”.  They are the quiet ones, the calm ones.  They provide balance to the hatred and the screaming.  I am grateful for them. 

I think THESE people are who inspired my dream.  They are UUs - Unitarian Universalists. 
UUs STAND ON THE SIDE OF LOVE and show up at many rallies.  They are amazing. 
These UUs were at an Arlington, VA high school November 2012 when
Westboro Baptist Church was planning to come protest.

This high school student was at the same rally.  He got up EARLY
 and showed up with his sign on a day there wasn't even any school.  He was kind.

I saw this billboard was in Topeka, KS near the Westboro Baptist Church. 
Isn't it fabulous?

This is my WHOLE FAMDAMILY (most of us) at a PFLAG march in Omaha, Nebraska the summer of 2015.  There were a few protesters along the route that were not happy with our message of equality, but as Jordan's sign says, love is greater than hate.



This man was a tourist from Italy.  He happened across the Westboro Baptist Church protest at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, 2012.  We explained what was happening to him and let him hold our sign. 
He was on the side of kindness.

Us at the 2012 Veterans Day WBC protest at Arlington National Cemetery.  The message is simple - BE KIND.

I am thankful for all who stand up for equality and kindness for ALL.  May Martin Luther King’s dream live on in all of us. 

And may dreams of kindness visit YOU.

Look to the right - there is kindness on the right.



Intergenerational Kindness

A Facebook friend, Karen, shared an amazing example of intergenerational kindness that she and her family undertook over the Christmas holidays.  Her family’s deliberate, intentional kindness touched many people and the effects of it rippled out into the community.  Here is her story:

“Acts of Kindness started out as an idea for a new family tradition introduced by my daughter-in-law, Callie. The intent was something fun and meaningful for Advent for our family. We wanted to incorporate a new tradition that felt true to the real celebration of the season, but still be lots of fun, too.

Karen's grandchildren getting into the holiday spirit

Together, we decided that every day we would each commit to a random act of kindness. This would be a wonderful opportunity to help teach their children (our grandchildren) to be generous and thoughtful during the holiday season, as well as a reminder of how really powerful and simple kindness can be. Participants were my husband and I (Karen and Roger, the grandparents), our adult children (Kevin and Callie), and our precious grandchildren, Molly (in kindergarten, 6 years old) and Ben (4 years old).

When doing our Acts of Kindness we noticed that when randomly helping others there was a feeling of REAL joy inside. It is the kind of joy that can only come from serving others. It’s a joy you cannot fully comprehend unless you are engaged. And how quickly the little ones were able to understand and really feel the joy!

JOY personified - Molly in a Christmas pageant 

One day Ben and I were walking back to the car when his school day was over. A man was on the roof of the church and Ben called out, "Hi up there!" The man broke out in a huge smile and said "Hi!. Ben immediately turned to me and said "That was an Act of Kindness!.  Of course, being only 4, he also used “acts of kindness” in his favor – one day after school he asked if we could go get ice cream.  When I hesitated a bit he piped up, “It would be an act of KINDNESS!”.  Needless to say, we got ice cream…

Ok, maybe THIS example of kindness was a tiny bit self-serving, but you have to give it to the kid for trying! :)

We will absolutely do this new tradition again. We so underestimate the power of kindness and the "ripple down" effect it has on others. One act of kindness the children did was to set up a lemonade stand in the front yard. The proceeds they made were donated to the ECHO Food Pantry. Well, the morning after the lemonade sale, 4 large bags of groceries appeared on my front doorstep. There was no name on the bags or any explanation. It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but I realized – this was a food donation to the Pantry!  Because of the acts of the children someone saw the day before, a stranger was moved to help others, too.  Do you see what I mean by “ripple down”?

I regret that I was not in town to stop at this lemonade stand!  LOOK at the signs!  I love the sign Ben is holding "WELCOME FRIEND    S".  It is perfect!  The kids took all the money they earned to the grocery store and bought food, then donated it to the local food pantry.  What a generous act of kindness.

Most everyone reacts positively to kindness. Oddly enough, when sharing kindness with strangers, it sometimes felt like a barrier was lifted. It was as if, for a brief moment, we shared a kind of kinship with each other.

Molly (kindergarten) even asked to help the teacher and read to some of her classmates. When Kevin and Callie questioned Molly about her actions, she replied that she was doing her Acts of Kindness at school. Kids really do "get it" when they do it themselves. I give so much credit to my amazing daughter-in-law. She lives her faith and is teaching our grandchildren by example!

The whole family went to a "Fun Run" for Tidwell Hospice.  

Hopefully, doing Acts of Kindness will continue to be something we are deliberate in thinking about and will be a gentle reminder to take advantage of the daily opportunities to make our world a better place.”

KINDNESS ACTIVISTS!!!

Susan here - are YOU a kindness activist??  Have you given, received, or seen KINDNESS that you would like to share?  Please  write to me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com and tell me about it.  Kindness shared with others starts the RIPPLE EFFECT that Karen explained - when people see/hear about kindness, they are inspired to share kindness, too!  Help me get the word out, and be a KINDNESS ACTIVIST!

Waffle Kindness

The Bergman family (Michael, Sam, Amy, and Zach) live in the DC Metro area (as do we) and we run into them at a lot of theatre events.  It is always fun to see them, and I was particularly happy when I saw a Facebook post mentioning a very sweet gesture of kindness that their family shared.  I asked them if I could include it here and they agreed.

“Here's the story of our Waffle House encounter.

Anyone who has made a cross country drive will recognize this sign.

My family had spent the better part of a week at The Happiest Place on Earth (Walt Disney World) in Orlando, Florida. It takes a tremendous amount of work on the part of the employees (cast members, they’re called) to keep everything running smoothly and to keep all of the guests happy, especially when the parks are very crowded. 

This event happened on December 30^th, and the entire park had been turned into a huge dance party, which had the cast members in the streets, dancing with guest until past midnight, while they directed traffic to keep the huge crowds moving. I remarked to my family that while it certainly looked like the cast members were having a lot of fun, but were, after all, still on duty. It was after 1:00 AM by the time the fireworks were over and we left. 

My wife said that she was hungry, and since all of the restaurants on-site were closed by then, we drove to a Waffle House nearby. We walked in, and there were two Disney employees, still in their Magic Kingdom uniforms, having something to eat. I said to my wife, “I’d like to pick up their check."  She agreed, sharing the thought that our vacation would not be as fun, as engaging, were it not for the positive attitudes of the cast members, even in the face of cranky guests and long hours.

So we called over their waitress and told her not to make a big deal out of it, but to simply bring us their bill and tell them we were "sharing the magic."  When they signaled to the waitress that they wanted to leave, she told them that everything had been taken care of. They were surprised, to say the least. They came over to our table. “No one has ever done this before. You made our night. Thank you so much.”  We told them that this was just a small gesture to thank them for how much joy they brought to families at the park. There was lots of hugging and thanking all around. They wanted to take a picture with us, so we asked a waitress to take one for them and one for us. 

I love this photo - you cannot NOT smile when you see it.  

It’s such a simple thing really - to recognize the people who make our lives more fun, more interesting. It really took no effort on our part, and it made these two folks feel good about themselves and what they do.

And for a brief moment, a Waffle House just outside of Walt Disney World became The Happiest Place on Earth.

All members of our family have many more stories similar to this one, as we place a great value on being nice people. To quote Felix Unger, "It's nice to be nice to the nice". “

Thank you again for sharing Bergman family!!!  Your kindness most certainly makes the world a better place.  You are KINDNESS ACTIVISTS for sure (you will get kindness activist buttons soon!). 

What about YOU - have you been the recipient of kindness?  A giver of it?  Witnessed kindness?  Please take a moment to tell me about it so that I can share it here.  KINDNESS SHARED IS KINDNESS MULTIPLIED!  Send me your kindness at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com

Stranger Kindness

We are not rich people.  Rich in fun – yes.  Rich is experiences – YES.  But “rich” in the traditional way that most people define the term – ummm, no.  So even though I am all about spreading the kindness around, most of the time our kindness is not the type that involves money.  For example, we donate TIME to National Public Radio (answering phones in the fund drives) instead of donating actual FUNDS. 

But recently I switched it up.  I wanted to see what would happen if I surprised a stranger by gifting them something that, to me, is important:  A CHRISTMAS TREE.  I was nervous about it for some reason, but went for it.  Here is how it went down.

We went to Walmart mid-December to buy our Christmas tree. They were $22, which, although not expensive, was more than I remembered them being last year.  We didn’t get one on that first outing but went back a few days later to choose.  When we got there we were surprised to find that they were marked down to half price!! 

HALF PRICE CHRISTMAS TREEEEES!

Well, we had expected to spend $22 bucks on a tree, so I decided to keep with that expectation, but buy TWO TREES – one for us, and one for complete strangers. 

It was so bizarre.  I had to convince myself (out loud) that this was the right thing to do.  Then I had to convince my partner David!!  I rationalized it by saying things like, “It’s only $11.  I mean, that’s not a lot, right??” and “Surely someone else will come in tonight that hasn’t gotten a tree yet, don’t you think???” and “If we do not see someone to give it to, I can always just take the receipt up to Customer Service, explain the situation, and they will give me the money back, don’t you think?”.  Maybe I was trying to rationalize it to myself or to prepare myself if it all back-fired.

Anyway, I paid for two trees.  David delivered one to our car.  Then we set about finding someone to gift the second tree to.

Two trees....

We waited.

And waited.

It got chilly.  The trees were outside in the Garden Department, and even though we were in Florida the temperatures were cool enough that we should have had jackets on.  David went back to the car and got a blanket and I pulled out two lawn chairs for us to sit on. 

David in "waiting" position

And we waited some more.

Shhhhh - a gift of a Christmas tree!

A couple of people walked in the Garden Center entrance, and I could feel my nerves, excitement, and concern building.  Were these the right people to gift the tree to???  How would I know?  Would I offend them if I offered?  Would they think I was nuts?  Should I do it??? 

Drat – they weren’t looking for trees… 

More people came in, and they seemed to maybe be looking at trees…  But should I approach them??  They seemed to have plenty of money to buy a tree of their own…

And that’s when I started to consider my actions…  Was I “judging” who I would gift this to?  Did someone have to “qualify” for my kindness by meeting some unwritten/unconscious “standards” I must have had floating around in my head??  Oh my, the whole idea seemed to be getting worse and worse every moment.  I thought about just giving up, going in the store and getting what we needed and leaving.  But we stuck it out a bit longer.

And that’s when a couple walked in.  A couple.  No kids.  Didn’t look poor, didn’t look rich.  Probably in their late 20s, early 30s.  They were definitely looking at CHRISTMAS TREES.

So I did it!  I mustered my courage, sprung up out of my lawn chair, and approached, “Are you shopping for a CHRISTMAS TREE tonight?” I asked. 

“Yeah, yeah we are.” 

“Great!  We would like to give you one.”

Silence.  Smiles. 

“What?”

“Listen, we also got our tree tonight.  And we are glad we are not the last ones in town still looking for a tree.  And we just wanted to share a tree with someone, and it is you!  Can we give you a tree?”

“WHY SURE!!!” – big smiles. 

It worked!  They were happy!!  They were thrilled.  They were grateful.

They chose their tree and thanked us several times.  The man had the hardest time understanding the concept of what we were doing, and when it finally sank in he said, “OH!!  So you BOUGHT this tree for us??!!!  That is so cool.  We are going to PAY THIS FORWARD!  We will!  We will pay it forward!”. 

                                            

We exchanged hugs – right there in the Walmart Garden Department, hugs with strangers.  We exchanged “Merry Christmas”es.  Then we all went about our lives.

We saw them later in the grocery part of the store – they saw us first.  “Merry Christmas – thanks again!!!” they said.

Here is what our tree looked like after we got it home and decorated it

So we spread a little Christmas kindness.  Sure, it was only $11 of Christmas kindness, but it was accepted as if it were worth hundreds.  J  It was worth the angst, worry, self-examination, and definitely worth the money. 

What sort of kindness will YOU spread today?

Fun bonus Christmas photo - us as Mary and Joseph at the DRIVE THRU BETHLEHEM in Daytona Beach, Florida - complete with LIVE FARM ANIMALS!!

Facebook Kindness

I have a friend named Kelly.  Kelly and I almost never see one another in person, but I follow her on Facebook and she cracks me up quite regularly.  Now Kelly is not a woman without opinions…  And Kelly is not a person who is afraid to SHARE said opinions, even if they might ruffle some feathers.  I really admire that about her. 

Kelly and her beautiful kitty

After reading about this KINDNESS ACTIVIST project, I found this post on Kelly’s wall, with my name tagged:  “I'm joining my pal Susan Thompson-Gaines in her "Kindness Activist" project (which she is finding out about right now! I read your blog last night and I'm in!). I am taking a vow to only post kind things to my Facebook feed throughout the new year; not just the 24 hours when the current year moves into the new year but the ENTIRE year of 2016. There's an election this year so it's going to be a real challenge and you know what? I'm still in! If you want to join this kindness campaign let Susan know because she plans to blog about all of our activities! My first posting is this woman doing such a kind thing out of the goodness of her heart to repurpose dolls. She transforms Bratz dolls (sexually objectified toy dolls that contribute to the objectification of our young girls) and turns them into something so sweet and beautiful. You can’t watch this without smiling.”  (Then she had a link to this great video:  Bratz video

WOAH, Kelly,that is a HUGE COMMITMENT!  It is an ELECTION YEAR, the times when social media gets the craziest indeed (and the time when I occasionally need to “unfollow” someone in my Facebook feed to avoid being slammed over the head with repeated negativity). 

Since she made her pledge, Kelly has posted tons of inspiring, uplifting things, like:

Budda Doodles photo

this beautiful short video of a baby tiger and her mamma 

baby tiger video

pics of her pets like this one of Boca

Sleepy doggy

and funny cartoons like this

We all know this is how it is sometimes...

I am impressed with your spunk, girlfriend.  I am proud of you for taking this KINDNESS VOW.  I will (as always) be watching what you post and smiling, I am sure.  And not to worry, no one is perfect and if a teeny tiny bit of “unkindness” pops onto your FB wall, well it will be forgiven.  But kudos to you for being a KINDNESS ACTIVIST and sharing positive, energizing, and inspiring stuff with the world.  THANK YOU!  (And you will be getting your KINDNESS ACTIVIST button!!)

Do you know of a kindness activist??  Their work doesn’t have to be “big” – small gestures can spread the kindness, too!  If you know of someone who gives, has received, or witnessed kindness in action – let me know!  Email me at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com

Holiday Kindness

My sister Sherry is probably the MOST KIND person I know.  She exudes kindness.  She is constantly embarking on conscious acts of kindness and just spreads so much JOY in the world.  If there was a KINDNESS TROPHY, she would certainly receive it.  I asked her to share about a recent act of kindness she did.  The details below are in her words (with some of mine added in italics J ). 

Here is a fun photo of Sherry in Los Angles - we went to see a taping of "The Price is Right" last year
(can you tell we were excited??)

Sherry: “Each December my husband and I look for someone that we can assist.  We are not wealthy, but we have enough that we do not struggle.  We feel like we need to be a force for good in the world.  There are so many negative things going on in the world today....if we can spread kindness, maybe it will help to change the world a teeny tiny bit. In years past we have paid strangers' rent for the month, paid utilities for people, bought groceries, or provided Christmas gifts.  This year I just felt that I wanted to give some children a great Christmas.  (Note:  Sherry has 2 kids, and a brand new grandbaby, so she also gave all of THEM a great Christmas!)

This year I "adopted" a low income family for Christmas.  I asked our elementary school counselor if there was a family at our school that would not have a Christmas celebration without some help. She knew immediately that there was such a family and after speaking with the mom to make sure she would like the help, the counselor gave me the names, ages, needs, and clothing sizes of a family with five children.    

We bought each of the children a Christmas stocking, had their names embroidered on them, and filled them with special things that I knew they would like.  We also bought each child a clothing outfit and a couple of toys.  We bought the mom a gift, too. My husband and I bought most of the gifts, but our two sons and their partners each gave a toy for two of the children.  The school I work at provided a gift card to a grocery store for a Christmas dinner. 

Look at all of these GIFTS!!  The stockings with each person's NAME on them!!
She went well above and beyond to make this family's Christmas truly extraordinary!

I delivered the gifts, which I had wrapped so they looked very pretty.  The Mom was at work when I delivered the gifts and the children were at home with the teenage sister.  They were sooooo excited when I came - they had grins a mile wide.  They all thanked me several times.  The oldest three children told me, "God bless you!" several times as I was leaving. I know they were happy, which made me happy.  It is a great feeling to help someone in need.  It puts us in the Christmas spirit.

I believe that when we spread kindness it will continue to be spread by those who receive it.  I am hopeful that when these children are adults they will remember the year they were given Christmas gifts and they will be moved to do the same for another child.”

I asked Sherry, “Will you do this act again?  Why or why not?” and she said, “Yes, I will do it again! I feel it's important to share what I have.  If I do not have the finances one year, I will donate my time.

I firmly believe that KINDNESS MATTERS.  In fact, that is my motto.  I feel better about myself when I show kindness.  What kind of a world would this be if no one showed kindness??  I work with children, I am the example they see.  If they learn one thing from me, I hope it is to be kind to one another.”

I am proud of my sisters!!!  Here we are looking our prettiest - Sherry, me, and Annette.  :)

Sisters in Washington DC!  Me, Sherry, and Annette.

Thanks for letting me share this amazing story of your kindness, Sherry.  You make the world a better place just by being in it.  Expect a “Kindness Activist” button to be coming – you deserve a crate full of them. 

If you have received, witnessed, or shared kindness, please let me know.  I believe that by sharing our examples of kindness with the world, others see them and are inspired to BE KIND themselves!  Let me know of kindness at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com .  And “like” this project on Facebook – Kindness Activist.  Let’s inspire one another, and the world, TO BE KIND!!