Let Them Have Food

Ultimately, my love-hate relationship with technology (and it's impact on kindness, or rather personal interactions) is a philosophical conversation for another time.  But since I'm "blogging" about this act of kindness and since the kindness was generated from a "listserv," today I love technology :)

The families in our neighborhood here in St. Louis share info via a listserv.  One gal (OK, the gal is my friend Heather who you hear about often on the DailyKindness report) posted info on the listserv regarding neighborhood drop-off sites for a local canned-food drive (AFTRA).  Today, another gal replied to the listserv saying:

Coincidentally, our son decided for his birthday to collect food for the needy instead of gifts. Where is the food from this food drive going? We will forward our collection on to the same after his birthday in early March.
Thanks, MJS

How feel-good is that??  Way to go, kid!

Happy Monday!

Kindly,

Emma

it's a wonderful life

My friend Lottie clipped this article and gave it to me with the cupcake pan she was returning along with a few homemade muffins...how sweet!...Lottie, you can borrow my cupcake tin anytime :)

Sharing magazine articles is an easy act of kindness.  I wanted to share the article with you because it historically & scientifically outlines ten surprising reasons to be thankful for the times we live in.  I recommend reading John Tierney's article in the Reader's Digest yourself (just click here), but since I am super grateful for nutshell-summaries, I'll summarize for you:

1. Free time (Americans, believe it or not, have more free time than ever.)
2. Peace ("The scourge of war is now comparable to the statistical risk of driving a car in the United States.")
3. A roomier American dream (Only 60 years ago the typical American home was 1,000 square feet & only half the population were home-owners.  Today, more than two thirds of the population own a home that is more than twice that size.)
4. The reader's revolution (Access, primarily through literacy & the internet, to books and information is better than ever.)
5. The horn of plenty (...in many countries the old concerns about hunger have been replaced by worries about obesity.)
6. More wilderness (In the US we can increasingly access millions of acres of wilderness, in part because of...)
7. The modern automobile (is more efficient, reliable, and safer than ever before)
8. The platinum age of television (With access to hundreds of channels, niche programmings allows for exceptional learning, drama, comedy, and more.  Mr. Tierney maintains that with the quantity of shows, the quality of the content has improved.)
9. Retreat from Armageddon (The nuclear arms reduction we are in the midst of with the continued melting of the Cold War is really an incredible accomplishment.)
10. Memories (The gift of longer life spans is accompanied with technology and medicine that allows us to remember "the good years.")

The article ends with an offer to receive a daily email from Reader's Digest called The Daily Upside.  It's a "roundup of good news" literally from the news.  It's a great complement to your DailyKindness email :)

Have a great weekend!

kindness for the record

Hi,

I just joined the 365 Club on Facebook & read this kindness posted by a gal in Grand Rapids, MI.

I needed help uploading my contacts from my old phone to my new so I went to the cellular store and was assisted by the clerk who did not look very enthused to help. She politely told me that it would cost $10 to do the switch. The cost was worth it to me to get my new phone user friendly. After transfering the contacts, she found that I knew one of the employees. For some reason she decided not to charge me. I was not looking for the free service, but felt like I was given a gift. She still did not look like she was having a good day. After leaving the store (and saying Thanks a bunch of times) I went across the street to a fast food chain and ordered her an ice cream treat. I wanted to let her know that no matter how hard her day may be going, others appreciate her thoughfulness. It felt great to do a simple act like that!

Here's another one from someone in Chicago, IL posting on Monday...

Today, I followed a man who was wearing two pairs of pants that were 6 inches too short and socks pulled up to close the gap. I said to myself, "If this man walks into a restaurant, I'm buying him breakfast." I followed him for 3 blocks willing him to open a door. Finally, he floated through the revolving doors at a McDonald's. I asked him if I could buy him breakfast and he looked at me surprise and disbelief. I asked him what he'd like - at this point he found words. I returned to him with the sandwich he had requested and a Large coffee he hadn't. Thanked him and went on my way.

See, this is why I have a hard time with "groups" on the internet...IT'S ADDICTING.  I could read acts of kindness that folks have committed around the world for the next 5 hours.....it does lift your spirits, doesn't it?

Kindly,

Emma

more than a good laugh

Happy Monday!

I received many inspired holiday gifts this year. I really think the down economy characterized more thoughtful giving. One of my favorites was:

This book by the creator of Mutts comic strip.

It's the story of a cat (Mooch) who wants to give his friend Earl a gift, but Earl has everything. So Mooch decides to give him nothing, but himself and time together. In that synopsis, I've severely truncated the story. However, if you read/buy it, every word and simple illustration is worth it.

In writing this DailyKindness I went to the Mutts website and realized that I had been missing out on connecting with a deeply-rooted, playful, sweet breed of loving kindness. Click through to see what I discovered: the sitting tree, the book nook, the wading pool, and more! (In fact, you could just keep clicking the refresh button on the home page to get a feel-good dose of inspired quotes!)

Please enjoy a little one-to-one kindness connection of "nothing" today. Maybe it will come while you're doing "something" like running an errand, teaching, getting coffee, or carting your kid somewhere.

Mutt happiness,

Emma

peek below for another book worth enjoying/sharing!

Christian Kindness

Dear Kind-Minded Friends,

It's clear that kindness has no religion, no color, no age, no size. It's best described as"one size fits all" and it speaks the universal language of reaching out and connecting with those around us.

Today, I want to share two BIG stories that have come cross my kindness-cluttered desk,both with Christian roots.

The first story is from my friend Frans, who shared with me the story of his son's church in Cincinnati (called Crossroads) who delivered 200,000 cartons of food to a village in South Africa. He said the minister liked to use the phrase "having an attitude of gratitude." That is one of my personal mantras these days!!

I spent some time on Crossroads website and discovered their commitment to the village of Mamelodi. It's filled with beautiful examples of lots of people coming together with their own individual gifts to make a huge difference in the world for others.

The second story my kindness co-author Dori alerted me to and it's from an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which highlights a Facebook club called the 365 Club. It was inadvertantly started by Dave Ferguson, pastor of Community Christian Church in Chicago. The club, now with a membership of 8,000+, challenges folks to log daily acts of kindness, however small these acts may be. The article says that "within 2 weeks nearly 3 million good deeds were recorded." From kindness at the grocery store to acknowledging teachers, this article shared just a few of the millions of acts recorded at the Facebook club.

Do you guys realize how exciting this good news is?

It lightens my heart of be reminded of the shear number of people taking care of one another and being their best selves. I know you do it everyday. I sure try to, and I am further buoyed by these Christian efforts to live the pure meaning of their faith. I'm also motivated to be a bit more active on Facebook (I know, Heather, you've heard me say this before!).

I'm going to log onto Facebook right now & join the club--they say everyone is welcome! Maybe I'll "see" you there!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy where you are in this moment,

Kindly,