I hit a car the other day. I was attempting to parallel park, and somehow the gray of my minivan ended up on the side bumper of the other person’s tan car. I was devastated, and mortified since it happened right in front of the window of a busy coffee shop.
I managed not to cry, which is usually my first ... Read More
Author: nicole
Shovel a Path of Kindness
People in Ohio keep asking me what winter is like in North Dakota.
They want to know how many days a year school gets called off due to cold weather. I tell them, “Hardly ever.” They want to know how often our cars refuse to start. I tell them, “Nearly never.” And then they ask the biggie: Can you even go ... Read MoreMissing Money Begins Chain of Kindness
I remember when I first read the book, “How Fargo of You” by Marc de Celle. I was captivated by the stories of kindness weaved through this man’s everyday life as he moved his family from sunny Arizona to our own little piece of (frozen) heaven.
The book prompted me to recall so many acts of generosity in my own life ... Read More
Put Spark (of Kindness) Back in Your Love Life
Do you think of love in terms of passion and hearts and romance? Or do you see love as a test of endurance?
Does your love still sparkle, or have the lights gone out? When Saul and I started dating, every moment was magical. He would look into my eyes and my stomach would flip. We thought nothing of driving seven hours ... Read MoreKindness Both Courageous and Contagious
My dad is a deep thinker. He spent most of his life as a therapist, so he’s a pretty good listener, too. He can be engaged in a conversation and then spend several days, if not weeks, thinking about the deeper meaning behind someone’s words or actions. Had he not gone into the profession of family counseling, he would have ... Read More
Taking the Extra Step Eases the Burden
I say that I’m grateful for my health and the health of my family. I say that I’m grateful for the food that makes its way to our table. But maybe I’m not.
Health and nourishment have always come easy. If I really knew what it was like to go without either, I think my gratitude level would change entirely toward ... Read MoreFriends Don’t Need to Ask for Kindness
The strange yet obvious thing about moving to a new town is that nobody knows you.
When I moved to Fargo 10 years ago, I felt like I had moved to the “Twilight Zone.” Never before in my life had I lived somewhere where I knew no one. My husband left the house and went to work each day, and I ... Read MoreFace of Kindness Takes Many Forms
I was walking down the street with my 4-year-old son this fall when we came upon a young woman with a heavy limp using a cane.
As we approached her from behind, I could see his interest piqued and braced myself for whatever was about to come out of his mouth. I silently prayed that whatever he said would be too ... Read More
Kindness Makes the Old New Again
Now that Christmas and New Year’s festivities are finished, most of us just want to move on to spring. Me too, but may I share my favorite memory from this past holiday season? It has to do with a certain misfit reindeer …
For some reason, for the entire months of November and December, my 4-year-old son was infatuated with Rudolph ... Read More
Kindness Thaws Frozen Boots
I want to teach my kids two things before I die: 1) the importance of being kind; and 2) the value of a dollar.
I want to teach them lots of other lessons, too, like how to drive a car and do their own laundry, but let’s not rush it.The kindness thing is important to me. When I find myself not ... Read More
