Home Archives for Kindness and Generosity

Living Full Whack

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Do you measure things precisely or are you a pinch-of-this and a drop-of-that kind of person? I think that people generally fall into one or the other of those types. Either you attend to details with great care or you don't really fret about the details. I've found that it's not so easy to switch. Being a pinch-of-this and a drop-of-that kind of person, I was tickled this morning to run across a recipe from the remarkable chef Jamie Oliver who, rather than telling you … [Read more...]

Categories: Increasing Awareness, Kindness and Generosity Tagged: ,

Friends for Life — Your “Through-Line” Friends

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Do you have people in your life who have been friends for so long that you speak in a sort of code? People who have been with you through thick and thin? Friends who know you inside and out? Most people have hundreds or even thousands of acquaintances, but relatively few long-time, deep friends. I've just spent the day with Barbara, one of my closest friends. We've known one another for decades. We've laughed together and cried together. We've encouraged one … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Kindness and Generosity Tagged: ,

My First Adventure with Miracle

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Meet Miracle Edwards. Miracle is a beautiful 8-year-old girl I met over the summer with her father. She had never seen a ballet or anything like it before, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to treat her to a performance. Preparing for the Big Day I called her father, Jeff, several times and left messages but didn't connect.  I let some days pass and was about to call again when my phone rang. It was Jeff, returning my call. He and Miracle had talked about … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Getting What You Want, Increasing Awareness, Kindness and Generosity Tagged: ,

Seeking Your Advice for Little Miracle

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A couple of months ago, I went to an outdoor movie in my neighborhood. I got talking to a tall man sitting in front of me. He was with his 8 year old daughter. He introduced me to Miracle, his little girl. "This is my daughter, Miracle," he said. "I'm acting as both her father and her mother because her mother was killed last spring." A beautiful little girl, Miracle was full of life and energy. She was happy to talk to me. She told me that she goes to a girls' … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Kindness and Generosity

If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…

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Have you ever said something snarky to someone and then immediately regretted it? A Snarky Comment I was talking to someone recently and by mistake I repeated something I had told her the day before. Instead of just letting it go, she said, You're repeating yourself. You already told me that yesterday!" Now, that wasn't exactly nasty. She had stated the truth. But it was unnecessary, and I felt myself pull back for a moment to regain my footing. Another example … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Kindness and Generosity Tagged: ,

Was it Disrespect that Lead to the Death of Michael Brown?

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I keep trying to make sense of what happened to Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. Some powerful concoction of anger, pride, racism and fear came together in an awful brew that left young Michael dead on the street. It was with thoughts about this tragedy swirling in my mind that I walked over to St. Mary's Park for my morning exercise. A Young Man Behaving Foolishly St. Mary's is a park where young and old people of many colors and languages come to exercise. People … [Read more...]

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A Simple Way to Make Your Neighborhood More Friendly

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Recently while walking back from Saint Mary's Park where I exercise in the morning, two women I didn't know were standing on the street corner near my apartment. As I passed them by, I said, "Good morning." They each greeted me in kind. And then one of them said, "This is friendly neighborhood, isn't it?" And that made me wonder. Are Neighborhoods Friendly? I've been thinking about her comment ever since. Do you think neighborhoods are friendly? Or is it just the … [Read more...]

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The Power and Importance of Being Kind for a Healthy Life

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Do You Consider Yourself Kind? I’ve always had a sense that kindness is important. And now, in this wonderful article in The Atlantic, I see how and why kindess works. (Do take a few minutes to read it from beginning to end. This is one of those life-changing articles that is well worth the time to read!) Turns out that kindness is the glue that keeps relationships together and contempt is the wedge that drives them apart. For many years, I’ve tried to become … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Kindness and Generosity

Little Suggestions Can Make a Big Difference

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My friend, Linda Cunningham, runs an art gallery. Last year, she asked me if I would sit at the desk at the gallery for an hour while she ran some errands. I was happy to help. While I was tending the gallery, a young man walked in and was looking at the exhibition. I went over to say hello and talk with him about the art. He told me that he was an artist and that he would love to exhibit his work in the gallery. How, he asked, could he get a show there. Now, it’s … [Read more...]

Categories: Getting What You Want, Kindness and Generosity Tagged: ,

A Hankering for Kindness

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I keep wanting to be kinder. When I was a young, ambitious woman, someone planted the seed in my mind that kindness was worth more than I had thought. And as I become older and (perhaps) more mature, kindness seems ever more important. But again and again, I make quick judgments and give short answers that eclipse the kindness that lurks in my heart. The Importance of Kindness I can't resist sharing with you this little animated video illustrated by Tim Beirbaum, … [Read more...]

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