I’ve just come back home after spending a few hours at a nursing home as part of the Holiday Project (www.holidayproject.org). According to the team lead, 60% of people in nursing home never get visitors, even over the holidays. So, the Holiday Project lines up volunteers to visit people in nursing homes during Thanksgiving, Christmas, [...]
Filed under: Eldercare, Holidays, Kindness | 1 Comment »
As I prepare to move the “Get Out and Give Back” blog and newspaper column to a bigger writing/speaking/coaching venue, I realized that I’d been spending too much time in the last few months holed up developing the business and not enough time contributing and serving. So, yesterday (Wednesday) I pried my fingers off of my laptop [...]
Filed under: Donating, Faith-based, Giving, Homelessness, Humanity, In the Neighborhood, Kindness | 1 Comment »
Fifteen years ago I survived a divorce. It was something that had to happen, and for two years my soul was dragged slowly across the jagged floor of hell. It felt like being pushed blindfolded off a high dive and not knowing whether there was water in the pool. Each morning I had to [...]
Filed under: Humanity, Kindness | 3 Comments »
There’s a special place in heaven for customer service representatives who work the other end of a phone line. I read an on-line story a few months back about how even the meekest of us can be abusive on the phone. Something about the facelessness of it all gave them permission to release their inner [...]
Filed under: Holidays, Kindness | No Comments »
I’ve written about this topic before, but it bears repeating – at least to me.
I work live and work in the greater Washington, D.C. area, and take the Metro (subway) to and from work because DC traffic is a continuing nightmare. Most of us DC commuters have something called a SmarTrip card. It works [...]
Filed under: Humanity, Kindness | 1 Comment »
I almost didn?t write this story because I?m too embarrassed. But, here it is.
The worst part about our vacation to Cuzco, Peru, last month was being hounded by dozens of impoverished street vendors who pestered us to buy something. (The best part was everything else). Every time we left our hotel or a [...]
Filed under: Humanity, International, Kindness | 2 Comments »
A quiet June Sunday morning in Warrenton, Virginia started out as any other with church services being held nearby. At approximately 1045 the drone of radial engines in formation was heard overhead announcing the arrival of the National Capitol Squadron (NCS) of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). NCS members with their trademark blue shirts marshaled [...]
Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Kindness, Military | 1 Comment »
Three years ago I had a midlife crisis and I solved it the American way – I bought an overpriced, imported red convertible. I really did my homework before driving it off of the lot and could recite the size of the wheel base, horsepower, valve number, true cost to own ratio, etc. in [...]
Filed under: Humanity, Kindness | 2 Comments »
How I love living in greater Washington, D.C.! There is absolutely no excuse for boredom in a city with this history, arts for every expression, ethnic diversity and shopping beyond my wildest dreams. And, like adding whipped cream and a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae, every once in a [...]
Filed under: Kindness | 1 Comment »