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“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop.
How far would you go to spread sunshine? Would you be willing to look foolish? I’ll bet this guy never thought about what people might think. He just decided to help brighten the day for people who might just need a smile or to hear “Good morning!” Actually we all could use regular doses of random acts of kindness. Be brave, forget what other people think and bring a little happy into the world. Thad Davis got the ball rolling so let’s keep it moving along.
“It’s a little seed we’re planting,” he said. “And it will eventually grow a garden of students, and it will flower and bear fruit.” Catalino Tapia
Mr. Tapia has worked hard to make good things grow. He’s still doing just that by helping kids fund their educations. His foundation makes a difference. He reminds us that we don’t have to think in terms of huge gestures or millions. Having a big heart can make small seeds bear an abundance of fruit.
“Mothers are the necessity of invention.” Bill Watterson
Jill Youse is determined, creative and a hard working mama. She had extra breast milk and started looking for a way not to waste it. Isn’t that just like a mama? She found an orphanage in South Africa that cares for babies with HIV. Breast milk is good for babies because it has all kinds of immune properties that aren’t found in baby formula. Babies infected with the HIV virus do so much better when fed breast milk. When Jill found the orphanage on the Internet she wasn’t deterred by the challenge of finding a way to ship the milk they needed. Just like we always knew- there is no substitute for a mother’s love in any form!
“I loved having all this stuff and I wanted to give others stuff so they know how it feels.” Jennifer Kuwabara, Age 9, Philanthropist
What goes around comes around. Remember that old saying? Usually we’re talking about folks getting payback for some wrong they’ve done. But it works the other way, too. Spreading around good stuff, as Jennifer might call sharing positive vibes and gifts, means good stuff will come right back to you. Jennifer gets gold stars for thinking of others.
“I don’t know how not to have fun. I’m dying and I’m still having fun. I’m going to keep on doing it, too, until my last breath.” Randy Pausch
What if you knew the approximate date of your death, what would you do and say in the time you had left? Would you go on a spending spree, travel and indulge yourself similar to what the character in Queen Latifah’s movie Last Holiday did? Would you spend time with family or alone in reflection?
Professor Randy Pausch gave a farewell lecture that is touching, inspiring and a pretty good blueprint for all of us. He’s not dying, not really. He’s living!
His words made me think about what I’m doing with the time I have on this earth.
Watch an excerpt from Randy’s lecture
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted.” Randy Pausch
