Kate's Kindness

I try not to “judge” kindness.  By that, I mean I try not to put it into categories; like, I try to look at kindness as simply KINDNESS and not mentally make one kind act “better than” or “above” another.  But try as I might, I still find myself stratifying kindness.  Take for example, returning another person’s shopping cart in the grocery store parking lot.  YES, that is a kind act, but is it equal to giving $50 to a street performer?  Or how about this one:  holding the door open for someone is kind indeed, but is it AS KIND as giving a stranded stranger a 50 mile ride to where they need to go??

I guess even though I try hard not to think one kindness is “better than” another, in the back of my mind I have little rubrics that I unconsciously categorize kind acts into:

• ·         Simple kindness
• ·         Kindness
• ·         Kick ass kindness
• ·         Woah, truly huge and inspirational kindness

(I actually probably have even more unconscious rubrics than that – do you??)

Anyway, the kind of kindness I am writing about today is definitely of the highest level.  I am calling it “Woah truly huge and inspirational kindness” – maybe you would call it “Why can’t I be that kind” kindness or something like that.  Even before I tell you about it, let me remind you that you CAN be as kind as the person you are about to read about!  Let’s let her INSPIRE us all to be as kind!!

Meet Kate.

Kate - trust me, she is going to inspire you.

I don’t think I have ever met Kate Meehan in person.  She is my partner David’s Facebook friend, and I remember back before I had my own FB account I would sit with him and scroll thru his news feed and Kate mesmerized me.  She seemed so exotic!  So “with it”.  So smart and talented!!

And now that I am her Facebook friend, too, and now that I followed a journey she went on, I can add another trait to Kate:  she is also VERY KIND.

Here’s the story:

Kate started her own tradition a few years ago of getting ready for her annual birthday by doing ONE KIND ACT for every year she has been on the planet.  Well, this year she was turning 36, so she teed up 36 kind acts to perform!  I asked her exactly WHAT it is that she is doing:

“For the last couple of years, I’ve been celebrating my birthday by engaging in an act of kindness, forgiveness or gratitude for every year I’ve been on the planet. I’ve had the great fortune of having years that, even when kind of lousy, offered me some kind of new learning or fortitude for which I’m grateful. Engaging in some intentional activity really forces you to think about how you interact with your community, and look for things that need improving. By adding a new act every year, you’re forced to rethink what your community needs, and how things have changed over the past year. Doing so many in a short(ish) amount of time trains you to watch people more closely, and look for ways to offer yourself to people in need. “

Well HELLO INSPIRATION!!!!  One kind act for every year you are on the planet, all squished into the days or weeks before your birthday!!???!  What a perfect way to celebrate life, celebrate humanity, and spread kindness!  Of course, “How in the world did you come up with the amazing plan?” was one of the first questions on my mind, and her answer (partly that she was INSPIRED by seeing other acts of kindness in her life) didn’t surprise me; “A few years ago, it occurred to me that, as an adult, I don’t engage in as much service as I did as a child. My father was very active in the Catholic church, organizing Christmas Parties for kids with a parent in jail, where Santa would come and deliver them a present from their incarcerated parent, or raising money for adults with developmental disorders. I’m not formally affiliated with any church, but I was missing that investment in my community and wanted to both model and involve my children in generosity. It was important to me that they see all of it – the acts themselves and any “aftermath,” and the process of really looking at my environment and figuring out how I can share my resources to make things a little better than how I found them.”

Take note adults – your children (and the children of others around you) are watching.  They are learning from YOUR actions.  What Kate took in as a child, watching her father spread love and kindness, sunk in and she is emulating it as an adult.  I have no doubt that her kids will have the same kind souls when they grow up.

In working on this Kindness Activist project, I have examined how doing acts of kindness make the GIVER feel, and in situations where I have access to talk to the RECEIVER, how they feel as well.  Here is Kate’s insightful response to how doing the kind acts make her feel, “In the moment of doing them, I often feel a little bit sad. I try to make each act be specific for someone in my mind in a certain circumstance. I’ve been leaving pep talk notes on public bathroom mirrors – not for the people having a great day, but for the folks who really need it. Today I left change at the vending machines at the local emergency room – because those waits are horrible, and sometimes that walk to the vending machine for a Snickers bar can be a real lifesaver, you know? These are such small things to do in a big, messy world, and I try to take the time to think about the moments I’m working to improve. It’s after, when I gather them all up, that I feel fantastic. Most people listen to the news and feel helpless, but I have something I can measure that makes me feel like I’ve done something to bring a little more order to the world.”

Positive note on a public bathroom mirror

Change left for emergency room waiters - perfect for a snack

I would love to see the person who walked up to that hospital vending machine and found the money already there, wouldn’t you?  Just to witness the little smile on their face – that in the midst of whatever horrible medical situation they were in, one tiny thing went amazingly good for them.  And Kate brought SO MANY of those little smiles to peoples’ faces!!  She was kind to so many people in her community – people she had never met and probably will never meet!  She doesn’t stick around to see the results of her kindness, she just DOES AMAZING THINGS (one of my very favorites was pre-loading money into kid’s treat and toy vending machines!) and then WALKS AWAY – leaving the kindness for the next passerby to find and delight in.  She told me, “I hope it makes them (the receivers) feel a little less alone, and know that the world can sometimes surprise you with its gentleness.”

Here you go, lucky kids!!!  Kate has you covered!

Kate – you are a true inspiration.  You inspire me to be more kind – to go out into the world and randomly shower people with KINDNESS!  And you make the world a much better place.  Kate encourages us to TRY HER METHOD – “Try it!  I find I usually discover some little thing that’s easy to do all year. I’ve kept a pad of sticky notes and a Sharpie in my purse, and I’ve found it’s easy to leave little sticky notes of encouragement around.”  Wouldn’t you LOVE finding one of Kate’s notes on a dressing room mirror somewhere?  Something like, “Hey – YOU ARE FABULOUS” or “Love Yourself Today, You Are Worthy”…. 

A collage of KIND ACTIONS by Kate

Here is a list of the things Kate did this year for her birthday kindness extravaganza.  I highlighted the ones that were particularly awesome in my opinion :).  You can use these for inspiration – then GO OUT AND CELEBRATE YOUR OWN KINDNESSES!

36. Help some friends paint their new house
35. Move a friend
34. Help friends move to their new house!
33. Mop firework shrapnel from the neighborhood after 4th of July.
32. Water the veggie garden at the kids' school.
31. Sign up for Charity Miles, so every mile I spend walking the dogs earns a quarter for charity.
30. Donate blood to the Blood and Tissue Center of Austin.
29. Take my kids to the Black Lives Matter open forum. Talk to them about making space and really listening on the drive there and back.
28. Leave a bouquet of flowers on a random car in the grocery store parking lot.
27. Buy coffee for the guy behind me in line at the coffee shop.
26. Drop some lures on the Pokestops at the Dell Children's Hospital.
25. Preload all the treat and toy machines at the grocery store with quarters.
24. Leave a sticky-note love note on the mirror of a public bathroom.
23. Do it again, this time at a coffee shop near campus.
23 (#2, because I'm good at numbering). Bring some secret weapons (gripe water and golden salve) to some brand-new parents, along with a gift card to East Side Pies.
22. Drop off some flowers at the hospital and leave them with the nurses to distribute to folks who have been there a while and aren't getting visitors.
21. Tape a baggie full of change to the vending machines in the Emergency Room, because going to the Emergency Room sucks.
20. Go support a friend's band, even if it's past your bedtime.
19. Take a moment to really forgive someone, even if they could care less.
18. Found out one of my projects a few years ago included material that was offensive to someone. I spent the day learning about perspectives I was unfamiliar with to make sure that didn't happen again.
17. Applied to volunteer with White Noise Roundup. 
16. Proof read the playing cards for Morbid Curiosity, developed by the lovely Kimberley Mead.
15. Treated myself to another book on a history topic I can't seem to stop poking at with a stick. (Treat Yo Self!)
14. Bought some books for some friends from their Amazon Wish Lists.
13. Dashed off some letters for Veterans through www.operationgratitude.com
12. Sent a letter of support to a Rehab center.
11. Made a bee waterer.
10. Slogged through Austin Temporary Use Permits for use in the Minimum Standard of Care, because Austin actors deserve a safe place to perform.
9. Tended my sick husband, passed on making jokes that were *really good.*
8. Froze a bunch of water bottles to distribute to the folks on the side of the road (I'll continue doing this one)
7. Left a bunch of quarters at a laundromat, in a neighborhood where many residents could use a hand.
6. Another bathroom pep talk.
5. Recorded a couple of chapters for Librivox, who provides audiobooks of classic books free of charge.
4. Supported a GoFundMe for a stranger who is undergoing back surgery.
3. Baked some cookies for the fam, who's tolerated all this (also my ukulele playing) without complaint.
2. Handed out popsicles for the folks playing Pokemon at the park. - “I came up with a great one while I was out playing Pokemon Go with my kids – it’s the middle of summer here in Texas, and terribly hot. All these people are exploring their parks with their families, getting exercise and finding little treasures around their city, but they’re not bringing water! I’m going to stop by the store this week and bring some water and popsicles down to some of the good Pokemon hunting grounds. The activity will serve my community twice – addressing an immediate need for the people there, and also gently reminding these folks that they should be a little more prepared next time they go out. (Plus making new friends and nurturing a sense of community!)”

1. Brought some cookies to the folks at the fire department.

Collage number 2 of Kate's Kindness

As you can clearly see from the amount of highlighted ideas above, Kate inspires me to the max.  I can’t wait to pre-load quarters into vending machine and peek at a friend’s Amazon wish list and surprise them with something from it!   My birthday is in 10 months - that is plenty of time for me to plan 51 spectacular kind acts!

Here is one tiny bit more inspiration from Kate (if you can fit any more inspiration in your heart right now!).  Look at the signature line from her email:

     “Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the     

      floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that’s what makes it so boring.”  

                 - Edward Gorey

Beautiful inside and out.  

Thanks for sharing your story on Facebook Kate, and for letting me share it here.  You are a gem and the world is a better place because you are in it.

Please comment below and let the world know what KINDNESS you plan to do!!

Shot of Kindness

This kindness story is one that shows how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

We were in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) recently for a Fringe Festival.  From the moment we hit town, we had a hard time.  I mean, seriously, a HARD time. 

One excellent thing about Fringe festivals is that the organizers usually arrange a “billet” for out of town performers.  “Billets” are rooms in people’s homes that they are willing to open up for artists to stay in free of charge.  It’s a terrific concept!!  We have billeted in loads of cities and almost always have fantastic experiences (in fact, an upcoming Kindness Activist piece will be about one such amazing billet!!)

Anyway, in Edmonton, the first apartment we were given to stay in was, how shall I explain this, not the best…  I don’t want to be rude, but to put it simply, we were in town for two weeks and my partner David had to perform a very physical show 7 of those days, and we NEEDED a place we could rest.  The first place we were assigned…  Not much rest was going to happen there.  We made due with a few sleepless hours, then stepped out to try and re-group and figure out what to do.  We popped into a youth hostel, thinking we might end up there.  And then we made our way to SECOND CUP.

SECOND CUP - Whyte Ave, Edmonton

We like a good cup of coffee in the morning.  We know the shop Second Cup from previous visits to Canada and it is a very reliable place to find a nice cup of java!  So on that first morning in Edmonton, we straggled into the Second Cup on Whyte Ave (near the Festival), still wearing the clothes we had travelled and “slept” in.  We set up at a table, preparing to email the festival billet coordinator and ask if there was some way they could re-house us.  And we ordered breakfast, which of course included COFFEE.

Giovanni - unequivocally Canadian and unequivocally KIND

And that is where Gio comes in.  Gio was working the counter that morning.  Maybe he could tell we were exhausted and frazzled, I don’t know.  But for some reason, Gio asked, “Would you like an extra shot in that cappuccino, for no extra charge?”. 

Seriously, I about cried.  YES.  Thank you. 

Big cappuccino (in costume), at an outdoor cafe in Edmonton

Here we were, wondering where the heck we were going to sleep, how we were going to afford a hostel or hotel if it came to that, and this KIND MAN offers an extra shot. 

I don’t think it was the caffeine – I think it was his KINDNESS that gave us the little boost we needed.  We sat – ate, emailed, drank, rested, and regrouped.  Then we headed out into the world again (and ended up getting moved late that afternoon to a lovely billet with a fabulous family that was perfect for us).

Coffffffeeee at Second Cup is terrific!

After we finished our coffee I told Gio about the Kindness Activist project and that I would come back in and give him his official button another day (because we didn’t have our belongings with us when we met him).  But wouldn’t you know it, for all the times we went back into Second Cup during our stay, he was never working again while we were there.  Turns out he is an owner of the shop.  I don’t know how often he is behind the counter, but color me glad he was the morning that we needed kindness the most. 

Coffee at Chez Janette in Paris, France (one of David's favorite cafes)

Gio, I hunted for you but couldn’t find you again.  You are a man of mystery!!  But your Kindness Activist button will be coming in the mail. 

See if you can give someone a little “extra shot” of kindness today, won’t you?  At no extra charge.  J

Coffee at Henry's Coffee Shop in Indianapolis, Indiana

P.S.- the coffee drinking photos included here are from a large series of photos called “Coffee Around the World” that I have been adding to for years.

Another super large coffee at The Mission in San Diego, CA

$5 Kindness

We are in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) for a Fringe Festival.  Truth be told, it has been a hard one since we touched down here...  But today, today a KIND thing happened!!

We are trying to watch what we spend, it was expensive to travel here and join the festival.  I grabbed a glass of wine between shows (with an artist discount - thanks little cafe at La Cite!!) and David ran to hand out postcards advertising our show to a line-up of patrons waiting to get into a show.

I was sitting in the outdoor cafe, chatting with a performer and drinking wine, when a woman came up and showed us a $5 bill.  "Is this anyone's money?  Did anyone lose a $5 bill???".  Well, I had just given David the change from our wine purchase - a $5 plus some change - before he rushed over to market the show, and I figured out what must have happened:  he put the money IN his pocket, then pulled OUT the postcards, causing the bill to fall out.  It was a super windy day so it blew right over to the lady who found it.

The very kind SHERRY, and David with his returned $5

So maybe you think it is not much - $5 (Canadian).  But to me, it meant a lot. That woman, who I learned is named Sherry, didn't just pick up the money and pocket it.  She certainly could have, and no one could have faulted her for it.  But she was KIND and hunted around to find the person who lost it.  And she returned it.  THANK YOU SHERRY! 

Sherry was a good reminder that there are kind people all around us. 

If you know a Kindness Activist, please tell me about them.  Email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com.  And don't forget to "like" Kindness Activist on Facebook so you can be reminded when new Activists, like Sherry, are found.

Breast Milk Kindness

Before we talk about a specific KINDNESS, let’s take a moment to celebrate:

HAPPY BREASTFEEDING MONTH!

(Ok, ok, maybe it was BREASTFEEDING WEEK, and maybe it finished on August 7, so maybe I am a little bit late…  I thought I had read that it was a MONTH, I thought I had TIME, I thought it was all of August 2016, but now it looks like this important topic only got assigned one lousy week.  Unfair!!  Let’s just call it a MONTH ok??  Let’s celebrate it all of August – cuz breastfeeding should be celebrated!!!!)

To celebrate, here are photos of some incredible moms I know who agreed to share their beautiful breast feeding photos here:

Benny and his mamma

Lena and her mommy

Super Sam and his mom

Ryker and his mother take a little break from eating

(By the way, here is an official link to World Breastfeeding Week (which in my opinion should be month…) - World Breastfeeding Week

Ok, so now that we have our general celebration going on – let’s look at an amazing example of KINDNESS via breast milk.  I saw a piece on the courageous Demi Frandsen online*, and knew she needed to be dubbed a Kindness Activist.  And when you hear her story I know that you will agree.

Demi donated 17,503 ounces of her breastmilk.  That is 131 gallons.  And she woke herself up EVERY 3 HOURS to pump to do that. 

Adorable baby Leo

And really, her life at the time must have been stressful enough, without the constant waking up and pumping…  Her son, Leo, was born 2 months early and was very sick with gastroschisis.  He was in the NICU at Children’s Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.  Demi talked with a lactation consultant there when Leo was a couple of weeks old and still unable to receive her milk.  The hospital was storing the pumped milk for her and noticed how large her stored supply was getting – they were practically running out of room to save it.  So the consultant introduced the idea of DONATING the milk.  Demi explained to me how it works, “You contact a lactation consultant or the milk bank directly. Then they do a quick over-the-phone interview with you to make sure you're eligible (healthy, not on medications, etc). They do a free blood draw and test to make sure you're healthy. Then you bring your frozen milk to your nearest "milk depot" and they ship it off. The milk bank provides all of your storage bags. You don't pay a cent through the whole process.”  So Demi decided to save half of her milk for Leo and donate the other half. 

Demi and Leo having a snuggle

As Leo got older (still in the NICU), because of his illness he still wasn’t able to take much milk, so Demi donated more and more – in fact she donated the majority of the milk she pumped.  She told me, “Donating his milk was emotional every single time.  That milk was for him.  I pumped every ounce for my baby’s benefit.  But knowing that other babies and other moms would benefit from it gave me the strength to want to give it away.”

What a sweet little fella

Sadly, the last donation Demi made was the toughest.  Leo passed away unexpectedly at only ten months of age, and Demi still had a large supply of milk stored, which she very kindly donated.  She weaned her supply for another month and donated that milk, too.  The milk “is just one more way Leo’s life has touched so many.  His milk is saving lives of other fighters like him.”

I asked Demi how she felt donating the milk, and if she had communicated with any of the fortunate moms who received her milk to give their children.  She said, “It feels incredibly rewarding to donate.  As a mom, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my children.  My two boys are my whole world.  And for moms who want so badly to give their babies breastmilk but for various reasons can’t provide it, it’s one way I can help. I have heard from a few moms whose babies received or are receiving donor milk, and it's so rewarding to know that they know the love that was in those ounces. They feel it, too. I was actually able to donate a little of my milk to a close friend whose supply hadn't come in very strong yet. That was a pretty amazing experience.”

Beyond beautiful - Leo and Demi

And, like almost every single Kindness Activist I have interviewed for this project, Demi downplayed her kind actions.  “I feel a bit sheepish receiving so much praise for doing something any mom would want to do. I did this all for my baby. Leo is the one who should be recognized for all of this. His life was so full of meaning, he changed so many lives. Especially mine.”

Thank you, Demi.  Your actions were beyond KIND.  You think “any mom” would do what you did, but it took a lot of courage and strength.  And you DID IT.  Thank you for sharing your story – and Leo’s.  May we all take a moment today to pause, be thankful, and BE KIND like you.

Little Leo

*Here is a link to the story that introduced me to Demi’s Kindness:  WOWT story about Demi

Turtle Kindness

Some people just have kind souls.  They always seem to find a need for kindness, and they fill that need.  Erin Harrison is that sort of person, and she is especially kind to ANIMALS.  So when I saw on Facebook the other day that she had RESCUED AN INJURED TURTLE (who, by the way, was barely bigger than the size of a human hand), well, she HAD to be dubbed a Kindness Activist, right??  Here’s the scoop:

This is Erin, our hero

Erin was driving to work in Laurel, MD.  She was rocking out (she seemed embarrassed to admit to me the tune on at the time might have been the Bangles “Manic Monday” – hey Erin, I love that song!!  It’s stuck in my head now that you mentioned it…).  She told me, “I saw a small motionless lump on the wide shoulder of the road. A flash of color caught my eye and I knew it was a turtle. I immediately screeched to a halt (okay, I might have kept driving for a bit trying to convince myself that he was just over there taking a little breather before moseying back into the woods - but I knew I had to whip a u-ey and check, just in case. At the very least, I could shoo him off the dangerous road, which I've done several times in the past.  Pro-tip: don't try to pick up snapping turtles, not only do they weigh a ton, they can reach you back there!) and retrieved my animal ambulance lights from the back seat (okay, maybe I just turned on my hazards).”

Aren’t you enthralled by her telling of the tale??  Aren’t you SO CURIOUS about what she will find when she turns around and returns to the scene of the FLASH OF COLOR????  I am!

Well, she got back to where she had seen the little guy (she swears she is not an expert box turtle sexer but she needed to pick a gender for this turtle so she could have a pronoun to use for the rest of her story…  Did I mention that Erin, like me, is a sign language interpreter, so pretty much by default loves WORDS??) and when she saw him, she says, “My heart just sank. He was still as a stone with his back legs hanging out (not even shrugged safely in like the rest of him) with bright, freshly pooled blood and chips of glaring white bone across his crushed rear shell. I feared he was dead, but I remembered a snippet from somewhere mentioning how turtles could take more from a vehicle impact than we assume and can often survive with treatment.  So I determined to investigate further. I touched his legs and wiggled them -no response.  I picked him up off the ground - no response. "Dead," I thought, and started to well up.”

This is where the story would end for most of us, right??  I mean, in actuality, the story would never have gotten THIS far…  We would have seen the turtle goo on the side of the road, cringed, and driven on.  Or maybe we wouldn’t have even NOTICED it and just kept singing along doing car-eoke.  But not Erin – she didn’t give up yet…

She continued, “Then I realized that I could see his little tail in there.  Since tails are generally well known as particularly sensitive anatomical structures (I certainly react when my tail is unexpectedly fussed with!), I figured why not get fresh and see what happens. Sure enough, there was a little wiggle in return for my audacity!” 

WHAT???  HE WAS ALIVE??????  Oh man!  See, the story is getting even better!!!!

LOOK!!!!  He is alive!!  Go Erin go!!!!

Erin recounted, “After that it was all adrenaline, running to the car, making phone calls, and narrowly avoiding speeding and red-light camera tickets (at least I hope I avoided them. not sure "turtle rescue" would get that waived).”

She took the turtle to an animal hospital, where she says, “The staff seemed fairly surprised that I had stopped to collect him up. (Editor’s note:  ERIN YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION – I AM GUESSING MOST PEOPLE READING THIS WOULDN’T HAVE STOPPED, EITHER!) The animal hospital staff gave me the spiel about how bringing in any animal, even if not mine, makes treatment my financial responsibility (I was aware of that from other rescues, and had already started planning "Go Fund Me" pages in my mind…).  But I lucked out - the exotics vet I took the injured guy to has a soft spot for turtles in particular and offered to take him in!  On the turn-over forms, they had me write "Good Sam(aritan) Turtle" as his name.  J  Turns out Good Sam didn't respond when I wiggled his hind legs because they were paralyzed.  Brainstorming with the staff for a wee turtle wheelchair or a Lego cart for getting around began immediately.”

See people???  Kindness begets kindness!!!!  Out of all of the vets Maryland area, Erin happened upon one with a sweet spot for TURTLES…  Seriously, kismet!  And get this – Erin couldn’t sit around the vet all day with the turtle, she was already late for work from stopping to rescue him.  But a random woman in the waiting room (on her day off) with her dog offered to keep tabs on the turtle and text Erin updates!  See – kindness spreads like ripples, people!!

Erin and her dog Verbal

I asked Erin how she even NOTICED Good Sam(aritan) on the side of the road, and she told me, “I look at things on the side of the road. Rspecially things that might be "road kill" because, in my experience, road kill is often not actually dead and needs help.  I wish more people would look and would stop.   ESPECIALLY if you are the one that hit the poor thing.”  I don’t think any readers will be surprised to learn that this is not Erin’s first side of the road rescue…  And she says that almost all of them were done solo.  In her words, “If YOU don’t do it, no one will”.  Words to live by in life in general, and of course in animal rescue, too. 

In my Pollyana version of this story, Good Sam(aritan) gets a little Lego cart and uses it to get around his new friend Erin’s house.  The vet waives the crazy expensive bill for his treatment, and they all live happily ever after.  And in real life, while Erin OFFERED to adopt the turtle, apparently the state of Maryland won’t let people own turtles anymore so she can’t L.  But the GOOD NEWS is that in an update posted a couple day after she rescued him, Erin reported that Good Sam moved one of his back legs so he might not need a special Lego cart to get around!  And the vet will contact nature preserves and find him a good home to live in where he can teach Maryland kids about wildlife!

Let’s let Erin finish this piece up in her own words, “It really was a fantastic day of positivity and kindness - from the animal hospital staff who didn't waive me off like a loon nor stick to the letter of the law about "owning" turtles, to the vet who took Good Sam in as a personal project despite it looking like he would have a lifelong disability, to the random woman in the waiting room with her dog on her day off who offered to stick around and send me text updates as they learned more, to the folks at work who took my tardiness in stride.”

A beautiful, KIND human being

Erin, thanks for reminding us to stop and help.  I know that after hearing about your kindness, we will all be more observant and won’t just “give up” on animals on the side of the road without pulling over to check them out.  THANK YOU!

If you know of someone who is kind to animals, to people, or just KIND – please tell me about them!  I am hunting for more Kindness Activists to recognize!  Email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com , and while you are at it, follow Kindness Activist on Twitter @KindActivist .   

Safety Kindness

I met this woman named Kari via my sister.  Kari seemed fun on Facebook, and when I got to meet her in “real life” (in Omaha, Nebraska) I confirmed that as fact.  And I can tell you another fact:  Kari is a kind person.  She does lots of things that are just, well, KIND!  The things she posts on Facebook often inspire me (and her other friends I am sure).  She is one of those people where you are happy when you check FB in the morning if you see she posted something, ya know what I mean?  You just want to read it because you know it will be good.

This is the cool image she posted with the story that inspired me to write this piece

So, when she posted THIS the other day, about a kindness not that SHE did but that someone did to HER, I was extra happy!  Check it out:

“I'm minding my own business weed eating my yard.  As I turn around I notice this big dude walking up to me who says, "Excuse me ma'am....  My boss asked me to give you these" (and he motions over to a MUD truck as he hands me a pair of safety goggles)."

NICE SAFETY GOOGLES!!! 

Kari continued, "Well, I'm a big ol' sap and this touched my heart, so I take my hands and draw a huge heart on the middle of my chest with my index fingers and mouthed the words THANK YOU. Later he drove by & rolled down his window and smiled, telling me, "We’ve only get one set of eyes- you gotta take care of them".  How sweet is that?    XOXO”

It always delights me when people that I know are KIND themselves get KINDNESS returned to them!!!  So I put on my Private Investigator hat and got to work to find the good Samaritan who was so kind to my friend!!

I do not know if this is the sort of MUD truck that Kari saw,
but it is the only photo I can find of one online :)

First I got a couple more details from Kari – date, time, what did the guy look like, etc.  Then I called MUD (Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha, Nebraska).  The first woman I talked to maybe thought I was crazy, but was very polite about it and suggested I leave a message on the “safety line” to try and track down the giver of the glasses.  So I left a long (ok, rambling…) message and crossed by fingers for a call back.

My phone rang about an hour later, and after a bit of phone tag, I had my answer! 

I talked to Andy Melville, a manager at the Safety Hotline of MUD.  He was excited that a MUD employee who he identified as GENE was so helpful to a member of the community.  I told Andy that Kari and I wanted to make sure Gene didn’t get in trouble for giving away the safety glasses, and he explained that at MUD they not only want to ensure their employees’ safety, but the public’s safety, too.  And he agreed with me that Gene is a great example of doing just that!  He said it didn’t take his team long to figure out it was GENE doing the good deed, and that he would be sure to tell both Gene and his supervisor how much his actions were appreciated.

SO THANK YOU, GENE.  You picked the right person to be kind to.  Almost 90 people read about your actions and “liked” them on Kari’s Facebook wall, and many more will read about them now!  You took time to help make sure Kari was safe, and your kindness meant a lot.  I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but a Kindness Activist button is on its way to the MUD office, be on the lookout for it at a SAFETY MEETING soon!   Oh, and Gene, I would love to have a photo of you to add to this story!  Please send me one at kindnessactivist@gmail.com !  

KARI APPRECIATES YOUR KINDNESS GENE!

And hey, for the rest of you reading this, go out and DO A GENE today, would ya?  Be kind to a stranger!  It will make their day!! 

Click here for more info on MUD - MUD

Cartoon Kindness

How many of YOUR kind actions can you say helped saved the lives of 200 strangers??? 

Carolyn Belefski can attest to that!!!  She helped to set up CARTOONISTS DRAW BLOOD, an organization that hosts blood drives that feature CARTOON ARTISTS!!  Participants give blood and get a drawing!  You read that right, instead of just getting a cup of juice and a cookie, donors go home with an original piece of artwork!  Perfect, no? 

One happy donor!  Photo by Joe Carabeo, Astray Productions

When Carolyn first had this brilliant idea, she called the Red Cross but was confronted with a lot of “red tape”.  In fact, she told me that getting this event organized was “harder than finding her last two jobs” J.  Carolyn made phone calls and was passed around a lot but finally found the right contact and began the process of getting everything set up.  The Red Cross explained that she would need to find a location for the event, and she found Seekers Church, which has proven to be an excellent partner. 

Here is Carolyn at the event - Photo by Joe Carabeo, Astray Productions

The group is now readying for their FOURTH blood drive, and Carolyn told me that the events just get better every time.  The Red Cross, obviously a huge organization, even lets the artists stray from the traditional blood drive template so that they can be more CREATIVE in their announcement!  I am guessing that creativity is what draws people in (see what I did there – “draws people in”…)  Artist Steve Artley has drawn their ads, including mascots like a zombie, vampire, and werewolf.  Because the blood draws happen near Halloween, these characters are perfect!  The artists even dress up in costumes.  The whole idea just makes giving blood FUN.  I mean, not only do the participants get to meet very talented cartoonists, they also take home an original piece of artwork.  Plus, of course they are giving back to the community by giving blood in the first place!  I would say that is a win, win, win, WIN! 

These people got the memo that costumes are encouraged (not required)
Photo by Joe Carabeo, Astray Productions

Carolyn says that each donation of a pint of blood can save the life of up to three people.  At their events, they strive to schedule one person to donate blood every 15 minutes.  The Red Cross sets targets for them, which they were proud to exceed last year.  Carolyn told me, “If you are on the fence about donating blood, I can say from experience that it is very easy to do.  You walk out the door afterward with the mindset that you saved someone’s life.  It is very much a superhero thing to do!”.

Of course, Carolyn is a Kindness Activist for taking the initiative to organize these worthwhile events, but she couldn’t do it without the talented artists who volunteer their time and skill.  Some of the people who volunteer to do cartoons for the events are members of the DC Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society and some are part of the group DC Conspiracy. 

Great work!!
Photo by Joe Carabeo, Astray Productions

This Washington Post article (article here)  is a great representation of the excellent results that come out of Cartoonists Draw Blood.  My favorite part of the article is the parents who used the event as a way to teach their 3 children the importance of giving back and donating blood.  What an invaluable lesson taught in a fun way!

Carolyn said it simply, “The Cartoonists Draw Blood event is a path in life that feels like the right thing to do.  A big thanks to Troy-Jeffrey Allen for co-chairing the event and to all of the artists, writers, photographers, fans, and blood donors who have participated.”

Kind Artist at work!  Photo by Joe Carabeo, Astray Productions

Well it wouldn’t be right to close this piece out without letting YOU know how you can get in on the action, now would it??  As luck would have it, the next Cartoonists Draw Blood event is right around the corner!  Start planning your Halloween costume now, because you can wear it on Saturday October 29^th 10:00 am – 3:30 pm at Seekers Church – 276 Carroll Street NW, Washington DC (right across from the Takoma Park Metro).  Find out more information and express your interest at Facebook event link or email cartoonistsdrawblood@gmail.com to make your appointment!

Even if you are not in the metro DC area and can’t come out for this fun event, please consider donating blood in your hometown.  It can save lives, and it is a downright KIND thing to do!

You can also check out the Cartoonists Draw Blood blog  here  or at Carolyn’s blog here ,  

For more information about the American Red Cross, click here .

For more information about the National Cartoonists Society, click here .

And last but not least, make sure to follow @KindActivist on Twitter!

7 Year Old Kindness - UPDATE!

You may remember Kemper from “7 Year Old Kindness” (original story on Kemper can be found here) – the sweet-hearted, amazing little boy in Omaha.  Well, a lot has happened since you read about him!!

Kemper loves baseball

First off, after trying out for a couple of special baseball teams, he WAS CHOSEN FOR ONE (the Millard Blue Legends)!  Go Kemp!!  He was, of course, sad after he didn't make it on the first try-out to be on the team with a great coach he has had for the last couple of years, an ex-minor league ball player.  But, after the tears calmed down a bit, Kemper, all of his own accord, said, "It is fair, really.  I got to have that coach already, and now some boys who haven't had him yet get to."  Way to be a great sport, Kemper.  Here he is in a Royals outfit (no, he didn’t get picked for the ROYALS team, but he does like them!)

And secondly, he competed in his first TRIATHALON!  The open water lake swim was longer than had been advertised in the promotional materials, so his mamma was nervous for him, but he DID IT!!!!! 

Kemper is part fish, part boy.  He is an excellent swimmer

His mom told me that by far the best part of the whole triathlon experience for her was watching Kemper help a fellow athlete (after his own race was over) by running alongside her bike when she was way behind and having a hard time.  She needed encouragement, so that is exactly what Kemper gave her.  That’s our boy!

Biking, too??  Whew - go Kemper go!

Kemper, we are proud of you.  You did exactly what adult Kindness Activists do, and you are still a KID!  I can’t even imagine what great stuff you will do when you are an adult.

Just to prove he did the triathlon, here are very short video clips of the swim, bike, and run.

swim 

bike 

run