Remember a few weeks ago when I just couldn’t find the right words for an upcoming presentation on kindness? Well, I found them. They may not have been perfect words, but they were words from the heart and honestly, these days, why bother with anything else?
Actually, I found enough words for TWO presentations this week!
On Tuesday, I shared my cancer story with nearly 100 nursing students. They are all seniors and many of them are working to put together the Athens Race for the Cure as part of their senior project.
When I was done speaking (for 90 minutes — those poor students!) the professor reminded them of something she has clearly mentioned in her classroom before. She reminded them that they are in the Caring Profession and then she left them with two words: Communication and Compassion.
I’ve gotta say, with 100 new nurses heading out into the field focused on communication and compassion, we are in good shape, people.
Thursday, I headed to Lake Hope Lodge to speak with more than 100 Ohio University employees who were part of an all-day retreat. These people work in Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, or the University Registrar. In my opinion, they’ve got a pretty tough job, because they are dealing with people who are making major life decisions and also the sticky issue of money.
I got to talk with them about kindness in the workplace and the power of using kindness in their personal lives, as well. We laughed, we cried, we danced to erratic cell phones. It was fun!
As I drove home from the retreat, I thought about how much I love to spread the message of kindness. Maybe even more so, now that I’ve spent the last summer dealing with breast cancer… and how grateful I am that I’m still around to remind people that Kindness is Contagious.
