yesterday a stranger
came up to me in a store
to offer a few kind words
surprising me and making my day
the power of words never fails to amaze me.
Jan8
Category Archives: kindness
Aug15
superior service.
while recently at my friend’s lake house
we made this beautiful puzzle
of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
she purchased during her recent visit to the northern regions
beautifully made of wood, precision cut, and challenging
but together we managed to complete the puzzle
except
for one piece
that I tried to jam in
I broke it
our ‘gluer’ didn’t put it back together quite right
so we accepted that it was finished without it
but I felt bad
so I wrote to the company
to see if they could possibly replace the piece
I took photos of it and where it was supposed to be
always worth a shot
the artist who made the puzzle
also the company owner
said she would replace it
(talk about customer service!)
I thanked her
excitedly waited for the piece to arrive
within days it showed up at my house
what should arrive at my house
all the way from the upper peninsula
but an entire puzzle
at no charge
from the artist herself
as her and her husband
are the small business owners
of their own family owned company
she is a Ukranian artist
who makes the puzzles
among many other things
he is an American veteran
I was so amazed by their kindness
that I’d like to publicly thank them here
by sharing a connection to their business
I will certainly buy puzzles from them myself
thank you again for reminding me
that there are wonderful people out there in the world
and for your beautiful work
(all links are below)
Artist, Kateryna Nelson
https://www.facebook.com/artfactorytwinportsWIMNMI
https://www.artfactorytwinports.com/shopall
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtFactoryTwinPorts
Gwinn, MI, United States
artfactorysuperior@Gmail.com
—
“customer service is an opportunity to exceed your customer’s expectations.”
-John Jantsch
*John Jantsch is an author, speaker, and marketing consultant who specializes in assisting small businesses. He is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, and The Commitment Engine.
Apr7
message.
this shirt, worn by a man in front of me in our recent march,
had a very simple message that really moved me
—
‘to become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered.’
-oscar wilde
Mar13
a little more gentle.
so kind and unexpected
handwritten positive affirmations
in the restroom of a little local diner
—
‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other?’
-judy garland
Jan31
what wisdom.
A road sign advocating kindness appeared on a street in Hull in July last year – BBC
Kindness has been chosen as Children’s Word of the Year for 2024 after a survey of thousands of young people.
Oxford University Press (OUP) said “artificial intelligence” and “conflict” were also among the most common suggestions.
It follows 2023’s winning phrase “climate change”, and “Queen”, which was the winner in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
More than 3,000 children aged six to 14 were asked for their suggestions, with the top three then put to vote by a further 2,000 children.
Andrea Quincey, a director at OUP, said the choice was “encouraging” and reflected children’s increasing awareness of mental health. “We know from previous years that young people are very conscious of the big issues that can divide us as a society and attuned to the important role which language can play in bringing people together.”
“It tells us that empathy and tolerance and the language we use matter, and that kindness is not only a solution to so many problems but is something everyone and anyone can do to make a difference.”
The final vote kindness had been chosen by 61% of children.
—
‘what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”
– Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Dec4
shop with a cop II – holiday edition.
for the second time
i’ve had the honor of volunteering
with local law enforcement officers, firefighters, marines,
first responders, heroes of all kinds,
community members
athletes from university sports teams
all there to host children from across the area
from families who are underserved in our surrounding community
the parents receive a stocking filled with gift cards
for gas, food, things for home, other things they want or need
the children stay with us
for an afternoon/evening of fun, food, activities, a santa visit,
and holiday shopping
for loved ones,
for warm outdoor winter wear for themselves,
holiday pajamas, cuddlies,
for things on their dream wish list,
(we find some things to pass on to a parent to give them from santa for holiday gifts)
along with some other things they’ve been hoping for or need
so joyful to see
most children wanted to buy things for those they loved first
we had to steer them back to also choosing some things for themselves
these are children who struggle
yet still understand the joy found in giving to others
j, the little guy who was trusted with myself and a young sherriff’s officer
said his mom’s very favorite thing in the world was mountain dew
he chose this as the first thing to put in our cart
he also bought some toys for his two cats
but just wrote ‘to: cats’ on the tag
so they would both share them
for ‘papa-grandpa’, some chicken noodle soup
j is an only child, raised by a single parent
he’s not had an easy life
yet, he has a gentle spirit
watched the fish in the tanks for a long while
wanted to take them home and let them go
‘because they are prisoners in there’
loves nature, being outside, running,
catching minnows and letting them go,
fishing and letting them go,
and everything at recess
he played hide and seek in the store with us
laughed with no filter
seemed to love every minute where his role
was to just be a child, enjoy all the fun, he certainly deserves it all
even the giant sugar cookie he decorated
with all of the five colors of frosting on it
and every kind of sprinkle.
—-
“the greatness of a community is most accurately measured
by the compassionate actions of its members.’
-coretta scott king
Aug3
(Luck I.)
this very moving page popped up on my screen recently
proof once again
that one person’s simple act
can have a huge impact on another
often without them ever knowing.
profound and quiet kindness
yes.
—
source credit: Luck (I), by Joy Sullivan
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon and is a poet and educator. She has a masters degree in poetry and served as the poet-in-residence for the Wexner Center for the Arts. She also leads live transformative writing workshops for individuals who have experienced trauma and has guest-lectured in classrooms from Stanford to Florida State University.
Joy’s work is a part of The San Marcos Writing Project and is one of over 200 writing project sites in the country devoted to developing teacher leaders that improve the writing and learning of all students.
csusm.edu/education/outreach/smwp.html
Jun12
the time of my life.
what a wonderful retirement celebration
with sweet surprises galore
very kind words from friends/colleagues
comedy, a musical serenade, lunch together
songs i wrote with our music teacher made into a beautiful book
a fab dance act from my favorite movie
an explosion of glitter
book of words, poems, haiku, photos, glittered pages, memories, hopes
and of course
so many wonderful pinatas
you can never have too many
filled with special things for my journeys ahead.
they know me so very well
thank you one and all
i had the time of my life.
“always surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person.”
-d. denise dianty
Apr14
good things happen.
yet another
delightful encounter
with a stranger
at trader joe’s
when checking out
my cashier
put the chocolate i was buying
into my hand
‘i know this isn’t going far.’
spot on.
working there a long time
knows what chocolate means to some people
rarely looks them in the eye
the chocolate gave him a reason to do so
i told him to
have a good day
he told me to
have a good life.
—
‘good things happen when you meet strangers’
-yo-yo ma
Mar28
mistaken.
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A wildlife hospital just solved a hilarious case of mistaken identity.
On Thursday, a woman brought in a baby hedgehog to the Lower Moss Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital in Cheshire, England — only to be told it wasn’t an animal in need, but a beanie hat pop-pom.
The caring woman had picked up the ‘hedgehog’ from the side of the road after she noticed it “hadn’t moved or pooped all night,” reported U.K. newspaper The Independent.
“From a distance, you take it at face value. She didn’t handle it at all — she scooped it in a box with some cat food and left it alone in a warm, dark place,” veterinarian Janet Kotze, told the paper.
“She did everything so well. She barely peeked at it because she didn’t want to stress it out.”
“It was pretty obvious to us but I can also see how she was mistaken,” she recalled. “She said, ‘You’re joking! Oh my goodness, how did I do that?’ ”
“She was so concentrated on doing the right thing. She was concerned it hadn’t moved or even pooed — that would be spooky if it had,” Kotze added.
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The wildlife hospital wrote of the rescue attempt on Facebook, “Our hearts melted as a kind soul thought she was rescuing a baby hedgehog,” as they jokingly nicknamed the pop-pom ‘hoglet.’
Despite the mistake, the reserve shared that the “adorable” new visitor “still got all the love, complete with some cozy TLC.”
“Remember, kindness knows no bounds, even when it’s to a faux furry friend! 🐾,” the wildlife hospital added while highlighting the importance of rescuing hedgehogs in vulnerable situations.
“Please remember, if you spot a hedgehog out during the day, it’s a sign something’s not right. Pop them in a box with a warm source and seek help from your local vets. Let’s keep our prickly friends safe!”
—
“he was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he
would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain.”
-douglas william jerrold
—
p.s. confession: this could have easily been me. especially if i didn’t have my glasses on.
—
source credits: escher walcott, people, the independent, kennedy news media photo,
brandi ettis, getty images, lower moss nature reserve
I didn't have my glasses on.... 