Hope is alive
Guest post written by Nancy A.
Hi everyone - I am so excited to share another collaboration with a Substack writer!
This week’s Kindness Boomerang newsletter features guest writer, Nancy A, who shares my passion for spreading kindness!
I hope you enjoy what you read here and please show her some love by following and subscribing to her newsletter Hope & Kindness Matters. (More information on the author at the end).
Please also remember if you would like to collaborate with me, I would love that! My goal is to get more people experiencing the joy of kindness and if you have a story idea or want to share your photos or writing, please email me.
Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of this photo. A photo that exists because of the kindness of one man.
A year ago we had foundation work done on our house. These flowers were in the workers’ path of the trenching they needed to do along the side of our house. While they could have just ignored the flowers’ obvious determination to bloom in the upcoming days, one worker chose a different action. He gently dug them out, and set them by the tree, out of harm’s way. I had meant to do that prior to the guys’ arrival, but I had forgotten. While I was at work that day, I remembered, and resigned myself to the reality that those flowers would be gone by the time I got home.
But Pablo chose kindness. He chose a simple five minute action that brought me the most incredible smile when I saw them resting at the base of the tree. His simple kindness brought me so much joy! He sheepishly smiled as I thanked him, maybe just then realizing the effect his kindness had made.
So why am I telling you about this now, a year later? Because of this photo I took this morning.
Pablo’s kindness alive and well! And my smile is even bigger than last year’s.
Sure, it’s just flowers, but is it really?
Because when I look at this photo, or the real deal right outside our patio door, I don’t just see flowers determined to bloom. I see Kindness. I see Hope. I see Joy. All resulting from one person choosing one simple action. An action he surely underestimated as not that important.
It’s easy to say “What difference can I make? I’m just one person” I’m plenty guilty of that myself. The world has enormous problems, our country has enormous problems.
But we also have Pablo. And we have flowers. And we have me and we have you too. And we have the opportunity every day to spend five minutes making sure flowers and people are given the chance to bloom. The choice to nurture beauty and goodness. To grow more than flowers. Because they aren’t just flowers, the real beauty is Hope and Kindness!
Because Hope & Kindness Matters!
Hi, my name is Nancy and I am glad you stopped by!
My greatest joys in life are sharing hope and kindness to any and everyone, and volunteering with Seniors (the older people kind not the finishing school kind). And since I describe them as “joys”, they obviously make me happy. And who doesn’t want to be hopeful and happy?
So this Substack will be about those guiding principles and sharing simple ways of making a difference for the better in those areas.
I believe in small steps to make the world a better place! Because Hope & Kindness Matters!
Tranquil Moments…
I asked my niece, Jennifer Malphy, if she could share some of her nature photos with my newsletter audience. Each week I will feature a new photo. Here is this week’s:
This week’s Smile video…
After 8-year-old Emouree Johnson started a lemonade stand to raise money for her mom's headstone, the community rallied around her in support. Now the $17,000 can all go into her savings after a local company installed a headstone for free. Steven Hartman goes "On the Road" to Scottsboro, Alabama.
#believe #smilevideos #spreadkindnessandlove
What I am reading…
This week I am reading Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. Special thanks to my friend Cheryl for recommending this book to me. I am enjoying it!
Here is the Amazon summary: “With insight, humor, and practicality, Natalie Goldberg inspires writers and would-be writers to take the leap into writing skillfully and creatively. She offers suggestions, encouragement, and solid advice on many aspects of the writer's craft: on writing from "first thoughts" (keep your hand moving, don't cross out, just get it on paper), on listening (writing is ninety percent listening; the deeper you listen, the better you write), on using verbs (verbs provide the energy of the sentence), on overcoming doubts (doubt is torture; don't listen to it)—even on choosing a restaurant in which to write. Goldberg sees writing as a practice that helps writers comprehend the value of their lives. The advice in her book, provided in short, easy-to-read chapters with titles that reflect the author's witty approach ("Writing Is Not a McDonald's Hamburger," "Man Eats Car," "Be an Animal"), will inspire anyone who writes—or who longs to.”
What I am watching…
The past few weeks I have been enjoying watching a favorite series from my youth, The Facts of Life.
This comedy was a big hit in the 1980’s and I enjoy watching the adventures of four teenagers, Blair, Jo, Natalie and Tootie and their “housemother” at Eastland School for Girls, Mrs. Garrett.
Mind/Body connections…
In this routine we use silk reeling qigong, tendon changing qigong, and sports conditioning to train proprioception, rehydrate fascia, strengthen connective tissues, improve joint circulation, improve stability, strengthen the core and stabilizer muscles, and create better neuromuscular connection.
Comedy Lift…
I love to share funny cartoons or memes with friends and family. Who doesn’t need to smile? Here’s this week’s Comedy Lift…
Music Moments
Music inspires me in many ways. Here's “Mama” Cass Elliot singing Make Your Own Kind of Music….Enjoy!
Quote of the week
Until next week. Please remember…Begin and end each day with a grateful heart…and always, always be kind….
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Thank you for sharing my story! I look forward to your posts every week!! Kindness will and does change the world! 💖
Your reflections on hope amidst adversity are truly inspiring. Embracing vulnerability and finding strength in community are powerful messages. Thank you for sharing your journey; it encourages us all to keep hope alive.