Big news! Athens, Ohio is kind!*
Wait… you already knew that?
Then join me during the first two weeks of October to prove it to others.
I’m launching a new podcast through WOUB Public Media called, “The Kindness Podcast.” In celebration of this event, I’ve teamed up with the Athens County Convention & Visitors Bureau and other area businesses to throw kindness around ... Read More
Anytime is a good time for kindness, but receiving it is especially sweet when you feel like you’ve got nothing left to give.
Proud dad, Scott Wright, who lives near the Wisconsin/Iowa border, and his wife still remember one particular act of kindness that came when they needed it most.
“Rewind in time. It’s May 18, 2000. My wife is 27 weeks ... Read More
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Only what if it wasn’t meant to be trash in the first place? Is it then called finders keepers? Not when kindness is involved.
A woman in Ohio named Jessica was doing a little de-cluttering when she mistakenly put her daughters’ savings bonds and some family photos into the recycling pile. She hadn’t even ... Read More
I was walking through Walmart the other day watching parents and their college students prepare for a new chapter in their lives. It occurred to me in the middle of the toothpaste aisle that it doesn’t matter if your kid is going into kindergarten or college, letting them go is hard.
We have to trust that the world will be good ... Read More
When Mr. Rogers was a boy and terrible things would happen around the world, his mom would tell him to look for the helpers. Instead of focusing on the destruction, she encouraged him to look for the good — for those people who were moving forward in kindness.
Fred Rogers took that message with him into adulthood where he shared it ... Read More
When I first married my husband, he bought me a book called “Basketball for Dummies.” He was an assistant men’s college basketball coach at the time. I was more interested in the team’s colors and cute apparel than in what was happening on the court. We clearly had some work to do.
I asked him to buy me the book for ... Read More
I wonder sometimes about the messages I send even when I am completely unaware.
I have been known to roll my eyes and huff at my youngest son, “Can you please remember to bus your own spot after dinner this time?” I wonder if I am secretly saying to him, “You can’t remember to do anything.”
The thought is sobering and if ... Read More
My dad had a stroke in the summer of 2016. For more than a year, he’s been a resident of an assisted living home. It’s a lovely place, but my heart hurts because I know that isn’t where he wants to be.
I got to return to Wisconsin to visit him a few weeks ago and was delighted to see that ... Read More
A few weeks ago, I posed a question about the difference between helping others because it’s the “right thing to do” or because you want to do an act of kindness. I’ve already published some answers in this column, but I received one more letter in the mail that I couldn’t let go before sharing with you. It’s from Jean ... Read More
If someone tells you to “go fly a kite,” you can pretty much assume he or she is not leading with kindness and a future get-together is not in the works.
Much like the phrases “bug off” or “take a hike,” the origin of “go fly a kite” is a little hazy.
Some people believe it came from the stock market crash ... Read More
