Quite a few months ago, I got a little black box in the mail. On the front, in simple letters, it said, “How kind of you.” I hadn’t done anything particularly nice that I could remember, so I couldn’t imagine who would be sending it to me.
Now, perhaps you should know, I am a sucker for things that come in ... Read More
Brian Williams was supposed to be a high-powered, highly paid businessman. In college, he was ranked as the top business student in the country, as in the entire United States. Only, when he got out into the real world, he found he wasn’t crazy about some of the shadier practices happening behind the scenes.
Now, just to be clear, I’m not ... Read More
Imagine waking up Monday morning, ready for the work commute, but instead of sliding into your car, you slid into a pair of sneakers? You would walk out your front door and be greeted by everyone else in the neighborhood because no one was driving. You were all walking the five to 10 miles to work.
Can you imagine the conversations ... Read More
I ordered chicken tenders at the pool last summer for my kids. We are clearly not foodies (or we wouldn’t have ordered chicken tenders in the first place), but this meal was inedible. The poor little freezer-burned then overcooked nuggets barely resembled food.
My kids were disappointed, but happy to eat french fries for lunch, so I let it go. I ... Read More
I have a picture on my office wall that says, “Kindness Matters.” The coffee cup on my desk reminds me to “Be Kind.”
I’m naturally drawn to things that revolve around kindness, whether it’s artwork or the latest academic research. When a radio announcer mentions kindness, my ears perk up. But it hasn’t always been this way.
My husband heard a song ... Read MoreMy friend, Ann, finds pennies in the strangest places. She even found one in the tiny skull skeleton of a squirrel in her yard. Skull skeleton of a squirrel—try saying that 10 times fast.
I’m sure I wrinkled my nose and shrieked, “Gross!” when she told me, but to Ann, it wasn’t gross at all. It was beautiful.
Everything about finding that ... Read More
I’m about to share one of my not-so-great parenting moments. I’m pretty sure I’m at fault, but I refuse to ask the experts because I’m afraid of the verbal lashing I’ll get. Luckily, the kindness and common sense of a stranger kept my kids from any real danger.
Last January, I decided to be a brave mom and I took my ... Read More
In a little town that doesn’t get much press is a woman who quietly goes about the task of teaching kids.
Pamela Wiese is a truancy officer and paraprofessional at a school in Henning, Minn., a town of about 800 people. I have no doubt that she shows great compassion and empathy in the hours that fill most of her days. ... Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I’ve been thinking about. I don’t know if this is the case for you, but my mind can follow a squirrel or bright shiny object into the next dimension in no time flat.
A friend recently told me she struggles with cooking because of attention deficit disorder. As soon as she steps away ... Read More
What’s the furthest you would go for kindness? Do you even know? Maybe you’ll give your time, but not your money. Maybe you’ll give your money, but not your time. Maybe you’ll give your time and money as long as you don’t have to sacrifice your personal comfort.
It’s humbling to realize our limitations, both the tangible ones and the ones ... Read More
