All posts by KindnessInspires.US

Creating Kindness, 1 Smile at a Time With YOU!

UPDATE: Due to the enormous firestorms in California, I have no energy to further nurture this kindness project, but I like it’s potential a great deal.


WELCOME! ~ Feelings are like the music soundtracks to our lives. The tone of this music changes EVERYTHING.   The better we feel, the more empowered we can be collectively to improve life for us all.

Friends of KindnessInspires.US gathered at ChalktoberFest on Oct. 14/15th to create more positive vibes in the world around us. We gave out post cards, made inspiring signs, left quotes in random places, played music about kindness and shared stories.

Together we gave a lot more people reasons to smile.

WHAT IS NEXT

We all need more kindness, especially now.  We hope you will help us spread the idea by thanking people in unique ways for their kindness.

We are excited TO LEARN HOW to do this with you and create more love, color and kindness in the world!

Join US!  Here’s how:

Engage in conversation and use the hashtags #Thanks4Kindness and #GoodGoesRound in your posts to build the conversation, if you want to be found by friends of KindnessInspires.US.

Here are fun ideas we offer to create ripples in the pond!:

#1 ~ Who would you like to thank for their kindness today?

You can be the reason someone smiles today!  Don’t wait to express your appreciation.  Call now, email or send a love note.   We have postcards at our festival creation station and even paid for the postage!

#2 ~ Tell us a story of someone who inspires you with their kindness. (Video & pics are great!)

Becoming a treasured member in the fabric of life means knowing that like the Wizard of Oz, there is no one behind the curtain to magically fix what is not working or provide what we need. We have to have the courage and heart help make the world brighter.

It’s important to say that lots of people want to be recognized for helping family.  While that should never be taken for granted, the goal is to weave bonds with the community, outside your inner circle.  That’s where the magic begins!

 Please use #Thanks4Kindness and #GoodGoesRound in your posts to build the conversation (Or send a private message to us)

#3 ~ Would you like to create a chalk drawing in your neighborhood to ripple kindness?

Please tell us who you are and where you live, so we can echo your ripple! The more this grows the farther it goes!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

  1. Decide who to thank for kindness.
  2. Decide where you want to do the drawing.
  3. Draw the words “Kindness Ripples”
  4. Consider using #Thanks4Kindness and #GoodGoesRound in your posts to build the conversation.  That way people will know anyone is invited to participate.
  5. Send us a picture or video of your drawing and a story via the website.  
  6. Most importantly, the point isn’t WHO knows that you did this, but for you to discover HOW AWESOME IT FEELS!
  7. Learn more here.
#4 ~ Share your ideas to spread more kindness. (Let’s learn to do this together!)

We really want to have fun with this.  We are adopting ideas as we go and you might think of something wonderful to share that we haven’t.    (Share your ideas here.)

After the chalk art festival has become another cherished memory, a video of our weekend together will be published. 
To see that video  ~> SUBSCRIBE HERE! <~

Ripple #4

( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) is about bringing more kindness and joy to the world. ~ ~ Your ripple could be featured next!

The video above is a story about a cafe owner, Merrie, who has a tradition of making 4th of July murals on the side of her building.

This year she featured one of Michelle Obama’s historic speeches. I interviewed Merrie and discovered an individual who is very committed to making her community a better place.

I learned of 2 examples, encouraging everyone to eat organic, and advocacy for marine mammals against sonar and seismic testing.

The marine mammal issue is on-going and could have significant consequences for whales and dolphins.

The video from the outset wasn’t intended to be a marine advocacy issue, but this is what unfolded from the experience.

I figured if I was going to bring this up, I better have good info to back up my words.

As a result I contacted Alaska Sealife, field researchers, a global marine advocate and the legal council that successfully sued the Navy.


LINKS FOR MORE INFO ON MARINE DEFENSE

OUR INTRODUCTION TO THE MARINE DEFENSE ISSUE

Please do not contact Merrie for action on this.  She is 71 years old and is no longer very active on this issue.

HOW TO SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATE

Basically the scientists are saying that ALL sonar and seismic operators GLOBALLY have an ethical obligation to members of our planet to report these types of activities or not do them at all.

The biggest problem we have is the lawyers creating a catch-22 in our legal system.  Even if the activity will kill animals; as long as it doesn’t kill more than the population can bear to lose, it is legally still permitted.

Until you can prove with baseline data that seismic and sonar testing is likely to lead to population level decline, this activity isn’t likely to be regulated.

The fundamental issue is the lawyers don’t even have baseline data to argue their case.  —- SO THEY ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY?!!!  (yup.)

We all know if the lawyers didn’t receive big paychecks from their corporate sponsors, they would sing a different tune on this clearly unethical activity.

Marine scientists stated that to support their work protecting marine life, they need two things:

  1.  A central reporting system for ALL sonar and seismic activity.
  2. Acquire baseline data in areas before they are impacted.

In the event that you know someone willing to take leadership for a central reporting system, please contact me.

Most people don’t have the power to affect the change needed, you can help by remaining informed at some level and educating others.  You never know who you know that knows somebody who….

Small donations: NRDC.org ~Legal council that sued the Navy which then compelled them to fund research on their marine impact.
Speak up: Register your voice compels the Navy to notice you on their actions. (Remember though, it is a global issue, not just one military group is responsible to fix this.)  Given the mismanagement of public communication, I recommend write what you want to say and copy it to all 3 links.  Link 1 Link2 Link3
Learn about the relevant marine biology:  This can be a heart breaking topic. I tried to find the most encouraging and instructive sources.  Here’s the link I found.

MICHELLE’S HISTORIC SPEECH

For those that missed it, the phrase “When they go low, we go high” is from a historic, beautiful and sometimes funny speech worth listening to more than ONCE!

1 minute 25 seconds to 2 minutes 48 seconds is where you will find this quote and context.  I get chills at 2 minutes 30.  We need this vibration on our airwaves!  This article more fully explains the context of her speech.


As the ripples are published, you will find them in the blog posts links below and many will be featured in special communications to inspire others.

 

Ripple #3

( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) is about bringing more kindness and joy to the world. ~ ~ Your ripple could be featured next!

The third ripple drawing I did was for a leather and shoe craftsman who refused to accept payment from me for his services after I told him my life story.  I made a FUNNY sign for his door because he’s a true craftsman, but not an early riser. 😉

Leo’s kindness to a stranger overwhelmed me.

This drawing was created on May 26, 2017 in front of Verdugo Shoe Repair at 1815 W Verdugo Ave, Burbank, CA.

I was in Santa Barbara by the time he discovered my drawing for him.  The joy from him and the stories he told me about reactions from his friends and customers was delightful.  I was hooked on the concept of this project at this point!

AND THEN….

Two days after doing the drawing above, I went to the Santa Barbara chalk drawing festival and shared this simple idea. Artists loved it. That’s how this website was born because I want to inspire YOU to thank others for kindness in this special way where ever you live.

Here is a video I made of the event:

As the ripples are published, you will find them in the blog posts links below and many will be featured in special communications to inspire others.

 

Ripple #2

( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) is about bringing more kindness and joy to the world. ~ ~ Your ripple could be featured next!

A year after the first drawing, the next one was done for TWO people who inspired me with their kindness, Ellen DeGeneres and “Lou, The French On The Block.”

About “Lou, The French On The Block

When I visited Los Angeles, I was biking near Warner Brothers and stopped at a shop to order a  sandwich.  I realized I forgot to bring my wallet. The owner, Lou surprised me by saying, “It’s ok, you can pay me later.”

I was shocked! Doing business on trust makes me very happy because I want to trust the people around me too!  This rarely happens in such big cities!

I had an important meeting after lunch and if I didn’t eat, I wasn’t going be on my “A” game.  Speaking of games, Lou was a former professional basketball player in France.  After retiring he decided to reinvent himself and become pastry chef with his lovely wife Karima.

For the French people, coming to Lou’s shop is like coming “HOME.”   Their breads are exactly like you would find in France, which is a rare treasure to find. Burbank is blessed by their presence and I hope they find many blessings in their own life journey.

They inspired me to do a chalk drawing in front of their bakery to honor the vibe they create with those around them, including Ellen DeGeneres and friends who work about 4 blocks away.

It was fun seeing the smiles and receiving kind words while creating this.  THIS IS A NEON DRAWING was created on May 25, 2017 at 4007 W Riverside Dr Burbank, CA 91505 at Lou’s French on the Block.  

You can visit the front page to see the making of the first 2 ripples (including this one).    The song used for the second drawing will make you want to dance. ~ ~  I PROMISE!

 About Ellen DeGeneres

20 years ago Ellen bravely took a stand and told the world she was gay.  Her sitcom was cancelled as a result because she lost advertisers.   As a consequence of her standing for what she believed in, she was without work for 3 years. YES… 3 YEARS!

Hear in her words why Dory was important to her.  Most people don’t know this about her, but most do know her as a very funny, sweet person that loves everyone, no matter what color they are. 😉

I think though, Ellen would rather that you read THIS and I would too.  (( IT IS POWERFUL ))   It was life affirming of how I try to live.  And we all need good people to lighten our hearts… no matter WHO we are!

"In her mind, the biggest threat to civility is ignorance. "When you don't understand something, it becomes a battle. Fear makes people defensive, aggressive and judgmental," she says. "But if you can see that while we're all different, our basic needs are the same — we all want love, safety and understanding — then it's easy to be kind."

.."Anger and aggression weaken you, because they take so much energy to hold in place," she says. "But kindness is a strength [that] makes you more serene."

Ellen is now beginning the 15th year of her network TV show that launched in 2003 and will be celebrating her 60th birthday this year.    We have much to be grateful for in celebrating her.  She has played with many different ideas to bring love and light to the world, but one of the things that has remained consistent is the last thing she says to us all is “Be kind to one another”


Song is “Dream”  by Priscilla Ahn.  Tribute by Andrea Welly with modifications by me.

This entire website is my ((echo back)) to her to remind her how much she matters in inspiring others.  The kind of love she stands for is about respect for all life, no matter how it manifests… It was never really about being gay, it was about being UNDERSTOOD.


As the ripples are published, you will find them in the blog posts links below and many will be featured in special communications to inspire others.

Ripple #1

( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) is about bringing more kindness and joy to the world. ~ ~ Your ripple could be featured next!

In 2016 on what would have been Robins William’s 65th birthday, I celebrated his life  with a special friend who flew to San Francisco from Georgia.  We created spontaneous tributes.   At first it was just an expression of love, but what we found was that the chalk drawing below was bringing a lot of joy to those who witnessed it.

You can visit the front page to see the first 2 ripples we made, including this one.  

3 years ago Robin’s daughter, Zelda, generously shared her thoughts with us after Robin’s passing:

"...Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I've ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We'll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again."

The time spent celebrating Robin’s life with my friend was a beautiful experience.  We met thru a FaceBook fan group and she has become one of my most cherished friends.  I’m grateful for her friendship and I’m grateful for the friendship of others found through the process of grieving for one of the sweetest souls to grace this planet.

While learning about how he lived and loved, I gained helpful skills to do video tributes, websites and use social media. As he said in one of his favorite films, Dead Poet’s Society, “The longer you wait to find your voice, the harder it is to begin.”

So much truth in these words. I don’t have perfect words to do what I do and sometimes I’ve fumbled, but I just roll with my heart leading the way.   Thank you to all of you that have laughed, cried and inspired myself and others in sharing the love of Robin.

May he live on forever in the hearts of millions we never met.

As the ripples are published, you will find them in the blog posts links below and many will be featured in special communications to inspire others.

Read about Ripples HERE

( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) is about bringing more kindness and joy to the world. ~ ~ Your ripple could be featured next!

Where does this ( ( ( Kindness Ripples ) ) ) idea go from here?  I’m really not sure, but it is lots of fun!  Truly it is!

We learn by doing…. If someone wants to share a drawing and a story we will echo your story…. and the more ripples you create that farther that all of your collective stories will travel!

If you want your art to be echoed on 11/11, please submit by 11/1.  (I need enough time to present your art in the best light possible.)

Thanks for stopping by www.KindnessInspires.US

Ripple #1 starts here.

WHO IS NEXT?!

#Thanks4Kindness

Remember to subscribe. =)


Artwork by Tracy Lee Stum.

As the ripples are published, you will find them in the blog posts links below and many will be featured in special communications to inspire others.