You Say You Want a Resolution?

Tomorrow we start a brand-new year, and traditionally many of us will begin by making resolutions.  How about you?  What will you resolve to do?  For me it continues to be about kindness.  We can never have too much!  I'm going to try even harder in 2024.  We can make this world of ours a better place, one kind act at a time.

Has this been a kind year

How kind has 2023 been?  Was I kind enough?  Were you kind enough.  Could we have done better?  On this last weekend, I invite you to think back and reflect on kindness.  In my opinion, I can always do better, and I will continue to work on that.  Please join me.  It really makes a difference!

we can all relate

Blind people can see kindness and deaf people can hear it.  We can all relate to kindness regardless of where we come from.  Kindness is a universal language.

a few random acts of kindness

Here are some things we can all do to show kindness toward others: Volunteer to be a tutor in a school. Buy a pack of brightly colored stickers and give them to children you meet during the day. Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line. Invite someone new for dinner, either in your home or in a restaurant. Give toys to the children at a shelter. Say nice things randomly to friends on social media. twitter Buy some bottles of water and randomly hand them out to strangers on the street. Drop off a plant or a plate of cookies to your nearby police or fire station. (Please add your own ideas below)!

We can top that

When we were younger, most of us had a competitive spirit.  We wanted to win at sports or academia or maybe something as silly as who can eat the most hot dogs.  There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to improve and do better.  How about it we worked on being kinder?  Yesterday I think I was a kind person, but I can top that.  I can do better.  We all can.

sharing

On this Tuesday, as you go about your business, take a moment to think about the kindness you experience and how it makes you feel.  Share that with others and help them experience it as well!  Kindness is always best when shared!

Happy Christmas everybody!

You deserve happiness and joy whether or not you celebrate Christmas.  This is true not only today, but every single day of the year! My wish for you is lots of love and kindness today and always. Let us all continue to do our part to share and spread that kindness to everybody.

David Levithan says

Author David Levithan says "Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen."

The Dickens you say

I have heard a lot said about dishonest behavior in the past few days. I makes me think of these words from Charles Dickens: "I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it."

Something to look forward to

Do you have things you look forward to?  Every December, as Christmas draws near, I look forward to the holiday celebrations.  My birthday was three months ago, and I always look forward to that.  One of the big things I look forward to every single day is seeing friends and neighbors, chatting with strangers, seeing smiles and acts of kindness.  I will never tire of seeing people do nice things for each other.  We can all look forward to that.

Sing a worker's praises

Sing a worker's praises to their manager or on a comment card — a little recognition goes a long way. Believe it or not, people complain much more often than praise even though most workers deserve the praise more often than the complaint.  

Thinking of Mom

She is no longer with us, but she left a mark - a very good mark.  Mom was loved by just about everyone she met.  Her kindness I'm sure had a lot to do with that.  She was always thinking of others, especially me and my sister.  I miss her a lot and think of her often, especially today, her birthday.

more love

More love.
Our world can always use more love.

make up your mind

Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." I suppose the same thing can be said about kindness.  We are as kind as we make up our minds to be.

Missing Mister Rogers

I sure am missing Mister (Fred) Rogers.  He was such a kind man and always pointed us in the right direction.  He once said "As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has, or ever will have-something inside that is unique to all time."

change a person’s life

It would seem that actor Jackie Chan agrees with me. It was he that said, "Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life."  Indeed.

halfway

We are already halfway through December!  Oh my!  This month always seems to go so fast.  We have nearly reached the cold months of winter, and very soon the year will end.  Let's keep the kindness going and warm everyone with good feelings!

setting our aim

"Danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; 

  but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."  

                                    -Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

make it big

It is true that simple acts of kindness can transform people’s day, but what about something large? Lets go the extra mile and do something big like free yard work for an elderly neighbor or changing a flat tire for someone on the side of the road.  Getting into kind habits is wonderful, but if we make it big, think about how much more wonderful.

so important

Just in case you have never been here and read my words before, I want to say something about why I write this, and it's so important.  Kindness is one of the greatest things in the world and we can never have too much.  It is my hope that we can have a kinder world.  I know it is possible.

Care

Too many suicides. Actually, ANY suicide is too many. Care about your family and friends, and even total strangers. Be there for them. Checking in on those who have depression is an important step in reminding them that they are not alone and are cared for. Simple gestures, such as a smile or a greeting, can go a long way as well.

We can all help prevent suicide. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and 

confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you 

or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

988

Homework Assignment

I do have many ideas, but I'd love to hear what you have to say as well, so here's your homework assignment: Think up a way to make this a kinder world.  Feel free to think up many different ways if you like. Then, share your suggestions here so that we can all join in implementing those ideas. Let's see how many different ideas we can come up with!

Happy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everybody! Love yourself. Love and respect others. Be a light in our world. Above everything, be kind.  It is so very important.

The Holiday Season

When we say "happy holidays," most people only think of two or three, but December has many! Last night at sundown, Hanukkah began and lasts until December 15th at nightfall. Coming up are Longest Night, Festivus, Christmas, Boxing Day, Zarathosht Diso, Kwanzaa, International Cello Day, and New Year's Eve. Oh my! Which ones do you celebrate? Of your kindness, find out about the customs of others and help make their celebrations happy!

Jimmy's wisdom

Former President Jimmy Carter is 99.  Perhaps his wisdom is a key to his long life.  He once said.  "Earlier in my life, I thought the things that mattered were the things that you could see, like your car, your house, your wealth, your property, your office.  But as I’ve grown older, I’ve become convinced that the things that matter most are the things that you can’t see—the love you share with others, your inner purpose, your comfort with who you are."

This is your family

Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick says "My parents told me from the time I can remember that, 'Yeah, you're adopted. But this is your family.' I can remember my mom, she tells me this story: when I was little, I was looking at her, and I was like, 'Why isn't my skin the same color as yours?' 'Oh, you're adopted, but I wish I had pretty brown skin like you,' said Mom."  From a caring family came this caring American hero.

from Archbishop Tutu

Remember the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who said "Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."

lovely quote

This morning, I want to share this lovely quote from philosopher and essayist Thomas Carlyle. He said "Without kindness there can be no true joy."  Think about it.

The Value of a Moment

Sometimes we never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory that we wish we could experience over and over and over again!

What we need is love

We can remove statues and symbols all day long, but it's the hate in people's hearts that needs to be removed.  We need to share love and kindness.  We need to put aside violence and destruction.  Hate is never a value we should be embracing.  What we need is love.

AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year, is a day of solidarity for people around the world who are affected by HIV, a day for voices to unite by sharing experiences, remembering those lost, and standing together in the fight against HIV. Today is an opportunity for every community and each individual to honor the more than 32 million people who have died worldwide from AIDS-related illness.  In your kindness, let us continue the fight, and never forget those whom we have lost.