We’ve all been there, in line at the grocery store, when either we came up short or the person in front of us did. Maybe that’s why last week’s column about the woman who paid for the elderly man’s groceries resonated with so many of you.
In the past week, I’ve been delighted to hear your stories. Each act ... Read More
Tag: forum
Being Kind Doesn’t Have to Make Sense
Just after moving to Ohio, I did something really weird. I was standing in line at the tiny neighborhood grocery store when a man came up behind me with a case of beer. He had to hold it because my groceries were taking up the whole conveyor belt, so I shoved some things forward and said to him, “That looks ... Read More
Kindness Comes to the Rosebud Reservation
“No more homework! No more books! No more teachers’ dirty looks!” With apologies to all of my teacher friends out there, does anyone else remember singing this song on the last day of school?
I have very vivid memories of a warm, sunny day at Westside Elementary in Reedsburg, Wis. I don’t remember which grade I was in, but I do ... Read MoreChallenge Yourself to Kindness
There is a woman in California who may love kindness even more than I do.
I know, it’s shocking. Her name is Marla and I’m thinking of road-tripping to sunny California to see if it’s true. I may even be able to write off the trip off on my taxes next year under the heading “research.”
Anyway, when Marla emailed me about ... Read MoreKindness Reminds of Us of Meaning of Christmas
My friend Liz has been haunted for a year by the way she reacted to her husband’s random act of kindness last Christmas Eve. I’ll let her tell you about it:
“I love the holidays. I look forward to them every year. But inevitably, I am always amazed at the amount of stress I feel during this ‘joyous’ season. So much ... Read More
Kindness Eases Loneliness for Those No Longer With Us
A woman I haven’t seen for 15 years just emailed me out of the blue.
Kris and I met at the wedding of a mutual friend, and although we barely knew each other then, and certainly not at all now, Kris had something on her heart that she just knew I’d understand. Kris is lonesome.Our mutual friend, Heather, died of cancer ... Read More
Job Seeker Finds Big Kindness on Facebook
Sometimes social media is nasty. I mean really, truly, ruin-a-person’s-day nasty. It gives people the opportunity to say whatever they want with little, if any, filter.
Some people need excitement in their lives, so they try to “stir the pot” by being downright rude. Then they wait and watch to see how the world will react via the anonymity of the ... Read More
Season of Thanksgiving Unlocks Kindness
The other night I put my kids to bed an hour and a half before their regular bedtime so I could sit on the couch, eat Ben & Jerry’s and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie alone in silence.
I’m not sure what kind of message that is sending to my family, but I’m sure it’s not a good one.
I’ve got a ... Read More
Handyman’s Act of Kindness Changes His Life
A man came to my house the other day to repair all of those little things in a home that are too difficult to fix myself, yet not so difficult that they involve cutting my losses and just moving.
He actually came the first time to convince the mice who had moved into my basement that they’d be better off finding ... Read More
Friendship and Kindness Can Cure Anything
It’s been six months since the moving truck pulled out of my driveway in north Fargo and made the 16-hour trek to Athens, Ohio.
Six months. That seems like such a long time. By all outward appearances, we are settled into our new life: my husband’s face is on posters all over town announcing the basketball schedule; my kids have play ... Read More
