Goodbye friend

A very dear kind man passed away this week and I will miss him.  Last night as I reflected on his life all I could think of was the nice generous way in which he had lived.  What a wonderful way to be remembered.  I hope I can learn a lot from his example.

Stop the shootings

Returning from my morning walk, I was listening to news of yet another shooting.  One student was shot and another student was taken into custody at a North Carolina high school first thing today. There have been 47,221 gun incidents in the US this year, resulting in 11,985 deaths.  THIS MUST STOP!  It's not safe to go to school or to church or temple.  Sad.  Very sad.  We must make this a priority.

The hate must end

Eight men and three women, including a pair of brothers and a married couple, were murdered yesterday inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.  I spend a lot of time speaking about kindness, but I simply must address this latest incident of hate.  Too many lives are lost.  Too many families are injured.  There is no good thing that comes from hate.  We need to return to kindness and love.  The hate must end.  This has to become a priority!

yummy chocolate

Tomorrow is National Chocolate Day!  Of course it is not the only chocolate day.  We had another one on July 7th and then there was International Chocolate Day on September 13th.  Oh and don't forget the chocolate that will come up on Wednesday for Halloween.  Don't you think every day could be chocolate day?  It's just like kindness - there is never too much!

Boo

I have been seeing so many costumes lately and a lot of early trick-or-treating.  Yes, we used to confine it to October 31st, but what's the harm in a few extra days?  Be kind to the kids and to those who sponsor Halloween events.  We can all use some more fun!

Trans Kindness

Civil rights protections have expanded over the years, to better include transgender people, and in fact to better include all people, but in the past day or so a very troubling reversal has come.  The White House is responsible for an effort that would narrow the definition of gender to male or female, and for that assignment to be unchangeable from birth.  This is not only unkind, it is downright cruel.  You cannot erase an entire segment of the population.  Protections should be unnecessary, but meanspirited attacks like this threaten us all.

candycorn

It seems you only see candy corn at this time of year.  I love those sweet colorful candies.  Let's get the candy manufacturers to show a little kindness and have this available all year long.

Pay Back A Friend

I'm told it was a bank promotion that brought about today's Pay Back A Friend Day, but whoever did it, I like the idea.  It doesn't have to mean pay back money.  It can also acknowledge the many things our friends to for us that we often take for granted.  Today, let's be aware of all the giving and be sure to also give back.

Wear Something Gaudy

Want another fun observance?  Well tomorrow is Wear Something Gaudy Day!  I kid you not.  Doing silly fun things can certainly brighten our days, so why not?  In your kindness share that crazy hat or boa with a friend or co-worker.  Before you go to bed tonight, go through your closet and find something really outrageous to wear tomorrow.

Thoughts about kindness

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, I write some thoughts about kindness here every single day.  Sometimes I might quote someone else.  Always I try to me encouraging.  I think the world can always use more kindness.  I would be thrilled to hear from other folks too.  Are folks generally kind to you?  What can all of us do to make this a kinder world?

volunteer to be kind

Yesterday I was at a women's health fair with the hospital where I volunteer.  What a wonderful event.  I saw so much kindness and so many people were thanking me and my fellow volunteers for our service.  Giving my time really makes me feel good, and it is also a great feeling to be appreciated.

come out

Today is National Coming Out Day, and while lgbtq visibility is important, so is the visibility of allies.  Want to know what is even more important?  Equality.  Let's make this a world where everyone is treated equally with kindness and mutual respect.

Bring your teddy bear

Today is National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day (observed on the second Wednesday of every October).   I don't really know how or why this came about, but I have a huge collection of teddy bears (which were my mom's) and anything that has to do with these cute creatures has to be nice and kind!

Smile Day

World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday in October every year.  It was the idea of  coined Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts, who also created the Smiley Face back in 1963.  We can never have too many smiles, right?  Share the kindness and the smiles and thank Harvey for urging us on!

Wear Blue

Blue Shirt Day is a World Day of Bullying Prevention, which takes place annually on the first Monday of every October.  All students and school employees are asked to wear a blue shirt as a visible sign of unity against bullies.  Sadly, bullying isn't confined to schools and so wear blue wherever you are and show love and kindness toward everyone.  So no to all bullying!