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Back in May I blogged about Kindness Weekend in the Mount Washington Valley. You can scroll down below on the right and find the post if you're interested. But today I want to share a bit of history leading up to Kindness Weekend, pick up where that weekend left off, and give you a glimpse of what's next!
I met Mikayla in 7th grade health class when she was 13. I was teaching a unit on growth and development ... and she was being a feisty teenager. I liked her instantly. I felt like I had known her forever. Funny how that happens with some people. A few years later, she participated in the Teen Clinic Peer Education Training Program. Eventually, I hired her to work with me in the Teen Clinic and Community Outreach Program I ran. That's how we got connected and came to participate in Kindness Weekend together. But there is a whole lot more to Mikayla's story. I got to witness it as she was going through something no teen should ever have to experience. But I also got to witness a transformation that goes beyond my ability to put it in words. So I'll let Mikayla tell you about it herself. Here is Mikalya's story of how she got to where she is today ...and how she'll get where she's going next ... Overcoming Adversity: Mikayla's Story To read more about the big blue bus and Mikalya's kindness project visit www.kindnessmiles.com Special thanks to Positivty Nation for granting permission to share A Year of Positive Action with you on this blog! Visit them at www.positivitynation.com A Week of Positive Action: Give someone a hug! Don't underestimate the power of human touch. Whether it is your kids, your parents, a sibling, a friend, or just someone who really seems a little “blue” or is going through a tough time, this small gesture could really turn someone’s day around...and it doesn't cost a thing! Give it a try! We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth. ~Virginia Satir  This past Memorial Day Weekend was the 1st Annual Kindness Weekend in the Mount Washington Valley where I live. The Teen Clinic Peer Educators were joined by Michael Chase, author of Am I Being Kind?, and they hit the streets to give out free hugs. At the end of a day of random acts of kindness, including free hugs, we all came back to share our stories in a Kindness Rally. Check out this story about the power of a hug.
A group of teens I am connected with shared the story of their Free Hug station set up on the corner of Main Street. The donned their iHug pins and held up their signs and offered free hugs to passersby. They met with some resistance at first. They reported back that only about 1/3 of the people they met accepted their free hug offer. One person yelled, "why the hell would I want a free hug!" They persisted. About 2 hours into the morning, three girls came running back to tell me this story. They were walking down the street holding up their signs, Mikayla leading the way. From about 50 feet away, a woman saw the sign and headed toward her with outstretched arms. Mikayla put her arms out as they walked toward each other and met in a huge hug. The woman held on tight and Mikayla felt her crying. When they pulled away the woman shared that seeing that sign was not at all what she expected on Main Sreet that day ...but it was exactly what she needed. The day before she had lost her best friend to a terminal illness and she was feeling quite alone. She thanked the girls for their Free Hug brigade and then all four of them embraced in a group hug. Seritonin levels flying high and four lives touched forever. Needless to say, as their energy rose, the free hug campaign got stronger. Their success rates rose and they became more confident that hugs could really make a difference to strangers. They focused their Kindness Campaign to not just strangers on the street. They targeted the "bank ladies" and a whole host of people that serve them during their day to day lives. They delivered hugs and smiles and thank yous to the banks, retail clerks, wait staff, and service workers all along Main Street. Then they got in their cars and headed to the Mall to deliver some more hugs and random acts of kindness. I hear from a good source that a year long cross-country Kindness Tour is being planned. And it all started with a simple hug with a stranger. Stay tuned for the launch of www.kindnessmiles.com ... coming soon to a community near you! The energy is certainly still buzzing from Kindness Weekend! There is no doubt that lives were touched, connections were made and transformation is happening!
The real challenge is to stay in a kindness state of mind consistently while trying to navigate through life on life's terms. As I reflect back, I am reminded of a time when I was in a much different place. For me now I am grateful to be surrounded by supportive people, great work and positive environments that support me in my growth and expression. Gone are my pharmacy days when I spent my time educating patients about the potential side effects of their drug therapy regimens and helping them deal with the side effects of the drugs they were taking. I'd much prefer to spend my days educating people about the side effects of kindness and helping people discover and live a live on purpose. Check out Dr. David Hamilton's article titled 5 Beneficial Side Effects of Kindness http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-r-hamilton-phd/kindness-benefits_b_869537.html  Am I Being Kind? Can that one simple question really change the world? According to Michael Chase, and according to sponsors, planning committee members and participants in this week's Kindness Weekend in the Mount Washington Valley of NH, it most certainly can! The weekend kicked off with an evening lecture by Michael Chase, also know as The Kindness Guy. Michael is the founder of The Kindness Center and author of the book, Am I Being Kind? He told his story. From abusive childhood to high school bully to an encounter with a turtle in the middle of the road that literally changed his life and set his course on Kindness. Michael shared that when an act of kindness is done, the doer experiences an increased seritonin level in the brain. Seritonin is the "feel good" chemical. The result ... happiness. He then explained that the receiver also experiences a rise in seritonin levels and also feels good. The best part is that even an observer of an act of kindness experiences a rise in seritonin as well. So one simple act of kindness ... shared, received and witnessed ... is really a win, win, win. After a standing ovation and lots of hugs, the Kindness Coordinator, Michael Kline invited the crowd to come back to the park for coffee and dessert and to experience the candlelight labyrinth to enhance the Kindness experience. Some people socialized over an amazing spread of sweets. Others headed outside to experience to walk the labyrinth and release past hurts and resentments and move toward forgiveness or simply to walk in gratitude along the candlelit path toward center. An awesome experience.  At 8am the next morning,, the Random Acts fo Kindness event started with a smiley face parade as over 400 ballons and a whole bunch of human smiles made their way down Main Street to the Kindness Tent in the park. Kids, teens, adults, coworkers, families, community leaders and Valley visitors gathered before the Wall of Kindness, selected their activities, picked up their kindness supplies that had been donated by valley businesses and went on their way! As the hours ticked by the energy under the tent rose to a level that was palpable. People returned to the tent to share their stories of giving out cups of coffee, smiley face ballons, free hugs, seeds to plant and a host of other gestures of kindness. And then, as if addicted to the seritonin, they made another visit to the Wall of Kindness, charted their next course and headed out once again. A group of teens I am connected with shared the story of their Free Hug station set up on the corner of Main Street. The donned their iHug pins and held up their signs and offered free hugs to passersby. They met with some resistance at first. They reported back that only about 1/3 of the people they met accepted their free hug offer. One person yelled, "why the hell would I want a free hug!" They persisted. About 2 hours into the morning, three girs came running back to tell me this story. They were walking down the street holding up their signs, Mikayla leading the way. From about 50 feet away, a woman saw the sign and headed toward her with outstretched arms. Mikayla put her arms out as they walked toward each other and met in a huge hug. The woman held on tight and Mikayla felt her crying. When they pulled away the woman shared that seeing that sign was not at all what she expected on Main Sreet that day ...but it was exactly what she needed. The day before she had lost her best friend to a terminal illness and she was feeling quite alone. She thanked the girls for their Free Hug brigade and then all four of them embraced in a group hug. Seritonin levels flying high and four lives touched forever. Needless to say, as their energy rose, the free hug campaign got stronger. Their success rates rose and they became more confident that hugs could really make a difference to strangers. They focused their Kindness Campaign to not just strangers on the street. They targeted the "bank ladies" and a whole host of people that serve them during their day to day lives. They delivered hugs and smiles and thank yous to the banks, retail clerks, wait staff, and service workers all along Main Street. Then they got in their cars and headed to the Mall to deliver kindness. As for me, I had to man the tent ... but I got to affirm that Michael was right about "oberserver seritonin". As each team came back and shared their stories, my energy rose. And from where I stood, as teams headed out, i watched as they came across their first kindness victim. My heart swelled as I watched a 6 foot teen get down on his knees to tie a balloon on the wrist of a 4 year old and then stand up and hand the mom a flower and reach into his pocket for a bone for their dog. Kindness all around! Lives were touched. Some forever. Stories were exchanged at the Kindness Rally and the energy of kindness weekend lives on. At the end of the day one of the kids told me she didn't want it to end. She told me that she didn't want to go back to her "unkind" home. She told me she wanted to quit her job, buy a Kindness Van and be a Michael Chase groupie. I suggested she wait a week to let things sink in before making any major life decisions. She agreed ... and then suggested we go for ice cream to keep the seritonin flowing for just a little bit longer ... which of course we did :)  To get a supply of iHug buttons (we distributed about 500 this weekend!) visit www.heartset.com IHug buttons are a great conversation starter around hugging. Wearing the button indicates that the wearer is open to giving and receiving hugs and allows potential receivers to accept the free hug offer. Our experience is one over the awkwardness, hugging becomes addictive and seritonin flows!  For a list of kindness ideas visit: http://www.kindnessweekend.com/acts-of-kindness-ideas.html To get a copy of the book Am I Being Kind or to book Michael Chase for an inspirational event for your school, business or community, visit The Kindness Center at www.thekindnesscenter.com  Share your expertise with someone in your community.
Your expertise may range from preparing nutritious meals on a budget to creating a marketing plan, from knitting mittens to financial planning, from making an incredible pie crust to fundraising, from developing the perfect foul shot to composting to babysitting … the point is we are all good at something! Sharing your knowledge can help someone grow and, in my experience, we always learn when we teach. It’s the perfect situation…everyone wins! Shared with permission by Positivity Nation. Visit them at www.positivitynation.com Supplement your Year of Positive Action by visiting the beautiful Mount Washington Valley, North Conway, NH for Kindness Weekend! Michael Chase, the Kindness Guy, will join us for inspiration, random acts of kindness, a kindness rally and other events. Visit www.kindnessweekend for more details!  It's an amazing day in NH! The sun is shining, the sky is clear and the loons are back on the lake! Here's the view from where I'm sitting, The green from where I sit has not quite caught up with the picture ... a couple more weeks ... but you get the idea!
I have to get out there and welcome the loons ... but first I'd like to share some exciting news! The Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Kindness Weekend on Memorial Day Weekend. I'm on the planning committee and I must say that this is the most amazing, kind, positive group of people I've ever had the pleasure of working with! Michael Chase, the Kindness Guy, will be joining us to help us celebrate what we hope will be an annual event! Check out the events schedule for yourself at www.kindnessweekend.com Check out Michael Chase's work at www.thekindnesscenter.com For Mount Washington Valley events, lodging information check out the Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.mtwashingtonvalley.org/ "Kindness extended, received or observed beneficially impacts the physical health and feelings of everyone involved."~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
Recently, I was invited by a high school principal at one of the schools I work with to attend an all school assembly on "kindness" as an approach to bullying prevention. Having worked with this school in several capacities (drop out prevention, sexuality education in the health curriculum, child study intervention team member, and as an outside referral agency for sexual violence) I was quite familiar with the school and the district's approach to bullying and harrassment over the years. "The kindness guy" according to the principal was outside of the usual scope of programming ... perhaps a little touchy/feely, warm and fuzzy ... however it was supported by reputable community resources and came highly recommended, and so it was supported by both principal and the school district. Michael Chase, the kindness guy, from The Kindness Center in Portland, Maine was introduced to an audience of over 500 students. For the hour that followed, you could have heard a pin drop in that auditorium. In all my years of working with middle and high school students, I have never witnessed anything like this! Michael's passion was evident as he told his story and revealed the moment when his life transformed that one day when he shared a profound moment on the side of the road with a turtle. The very moment when his life changed forever and he began to pursue his mission of spreading kindness. The kids were mesmerized! In class following the presentation, students were buzzing about the kindness guy, the turtle story of transformation, kindness, the kind of school culture they wanted to learn in, and how they might bring Michael's ideas and energy home to family, friends and the community. The next day was declared "Kindness Day". The vibrational energy in the school over the next couple of days was electric. Random acts of kindness were happening everywhere! Hugs given and received, praise notes, expressions of appreciation and gratitude. Students, faculty, staff and administration all involved! In heatlh classes following the presentation, in a spontaneous movement by a couple of students, about 65% of students expressed interested in starting The Kindness Crew and being actively involved in the movement. The good news is that the Kindness Crew was formed. The other good news is that we are actively promoting kindness as a daily thing and are optimistic that we will reach a tipping point and get back to level that the kindness guy started! The not so good news is that the momentum that the Kindness Guy and Kindness Day has certainly waned as the days go by. The key message is that kindness is a daily thing. It is something that each one of us need to intentionally decide to incorporate into our day. It is also something we intentionally need to remind others to incorporate into their day! It's not just a school thing ... it is an individual thing, a between family and friends thing, an in the classroom and hallways at school thing, a community thing, an at work thing, an in the grocery store thing, an online thing, a Facebook thing, a texting thing ... an everywhere thing! Kindness is a state of mind, a vibrational energy level that, if reached and sustained, has the capacity to transform an individual, a relationship, friendships, a family, a school, a community, our planet, and beyond! Check out www.thekindnesscenter.com. Get yourself into the kindness zone by joining the Teen Clinic at White Mountain Health Center, the Kennett Kindness Crew and Positivity Nation in A Year of Positive Action at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Teen-Clinic-at-White-Mountain-Community-Health-Center/143662842351818 |
Transition on Purpose
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