Pat’s collection of her blog posts is now available on amazon.com. in paperback. The book Living With Kindness by Patricia Downing is filled with, as Pat described, inspired words from her Divine muse on walking the kindness path. Pat wrote her last post days before her unexpected passing where she wrote about living with curiosity on the kindness path. For all of you who followed Pat and to all of […]
The love of my life, Pat, the writer of this blog, passed on August 26th. Pat went into the hospital for a non-threatening condition and never came out. Pat loved all of you and we wanted to share our journey on the kindness path, and invite each of you to walk your own kindness path. Pat’s writings were inspired by her Divine muse and she practiced kindness, compassion, smiles, and […]
Embrace Curiosity on Your Kindness Journey If you understand each other, you will be kind to each other. John Steinbeck We all make judgments about others, based on attitudes we acquired from our families or from our own experiences. Over time, they become a part of us. When we withhold kindness from someone because of those judgments, we can be aware that we do not have enough information about […]
We’re All Connected in the Web of Life We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness Thich Nhat Hanh This is an update of a previous post. It is #3 of our series on the 9 Cs of Kindness. Connecting from a Distance As I write this, the world is watching the daily unfolding of horrors in Ukraine, as the war continues. The massive destruction of cities and […]
Commitment to Kindness Becomes a Way of Life Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Maya Angelou When we make the choice to live with kindness, we are choosing a way of life that invites us to think differently about how we meet each day. That choice brings with it a commitment to start where […]
Living with Kindness Is a Choice What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. – Jane Goodall – This is a reposting of a previous message. I am temporarily unable to write a new post, but I expect that I will be back next week. As Larry and I continue to explore what it means to us to […]
Why are Some People Invisible to Us? Open your heart—open it wide. Someone is standing outside. Mary Engelbreit We have spoken before about invisible people in our lives – people whom we pass and choose not to see. For many people, homeless folks fall into that category. For others, it may be people of color, people with disabilities, or people who look disheveled, who seem not to respect […]
The Power of Our Questions Life is an unanswered question, but let’s still believe in the dignity and importance of the question. Tennessee Williams We have several ways of thinking about life questions. One is to consider a large purpose for our life. “Why am I here?” “Is there something important for me to do with my life?” The answer to that question may be elusive. If […]
What Container Is holding Your Life Experiences? Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden. Voltaire When we experience something in our lives that we prefer would not happen, we often feel sad, helpless, even angry at life. This week, I learned a new way of looking at these experiences. In her article, “Stop Being a Glass – Become a Lake,” […]
The Power of Patience on Our Kindness Journey Patience is not simply the ability to wait. it’s how we behave while we’re waiting. Joyce Mayer When we have a vision of something for our lives, we sometimes lose patience, wanting to see it show up now. That’s understandable. But we need to be encouraged by the small steps that we are able to take as we live inspired […]
How Does Artificial Intelligence Affect Our Lives? The human spirit must prevail over technology. Albert Einstein This morning, two articles about AI landed in my inbox. The synchronicity of that was too clear to ignore. Today is the time to address this issue. I have read a lot about Artificial Intelligence (AI) recently, from both positive and worried points of view. In my research, I have found several advantages […]
Inspiring Videos to Uplift Your Day Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day. ~ Sally Koch My Muse is Taking a Day Off Most days, as I begin to write I have an inspiration – a persistent message that wants to express through me. Although I say that it comes from my muse, I know that she is a deeper […]
Nature as Part of Our Kindness Journey Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson We have talked a lot about the importance of kindness in our daily lives and in the community. We have also talked about our vision for a kinder world, in which we live with love and kindness to one […]
New Opportunities to Spread Kindness Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day. Sally Koch Larry and I are always looking for opportunities to expand the reach of our kindness. It is not an unselfish act, because we benefit from it as much as anyone we encounter. Within Three Feet or So Carrie Newcomer is one of our mentors, through her songs and […]
Inviting Awe and Wonder into Our Lives Sometimes we need to be taught how and where to seek wonder, but it’s always there, waiting, full of mystery and magic. Diane Ackerman Do you need a break from discussions of serious matters that weigh heavily on your heart and mind? During the last few weeks, I have felt myself experiencing sadness, frustration and a bit of overwhelm, as I […]
How Do We Become a Kinder Community? Community isn’t something that just happens to us. It’s something we build. Naheed Nenshi This is a continuation of my last message, Who do We Want to Be as a Community? Reading it will give you a background for this post. Once we choose a lens of kindness through which to view homeless people, we are inclined to think about solutions […]
Who Do We Want to Be as a Community? Find the goodness in everyone and pass it on with kindness. Dolly Parton We are in the middle of a crisis. Throughout our country, we are seeing a dramatic increase in people who are experiencing homelessness. It is a reality that affects millions of people – those who are living without a home and those who encounter them in […]
What Is Your Intention for Your Kindness Journey “I’ve found that 20 percent of any change is knowing how, but 80 percent is knowing why.” Tony Robbins Larry and I talked a lot this week about our intention for our life together and for our Kindness work. We realized that our big “Why” is to help create the world we envision – a world in which people are kind […]
The Power of Love in Response to Addiction What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. Oscar Wilde – Irish Poet This morning, I listened to an inspiring presentation by Killian Noe, the founding director of The Recovery Café Network. She offered ideas on “Living with Hope in the Darkness of Our Time,” and her comments relate to our work with kindness as well as […]
When Feeling Sad or Overwhelmed When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love have always won. – Mahatma Gandhi During the last week, I felt myself being pulled into a feeling of frustration, even a bit of overwhelm, as I faced several challenges that I could not figure out how to resolve. As I looked for music to help me shift my […]
Love is a Powerful Force in the World Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. Helen Schucman The subject of love intrigues me. Many articles or videos come to my attention every week, and I am easily pulled in. Last week, an interesting article left me pondering the question: “What is […]
We Are Planting Seeds Every Day The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. Nelson Henderson We believe that living with kindness transforms the world – not all at once and not by ourselves alone – but bit-by-bit, day-by-day, through acts of kindness powered by love. Sometimes we see a positive effect from a smile, a kind […]
Finding Your Power at a Time of Uncertainty. The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates As we continue to see extreme divisions in the United States, most of us are still trying to make sense of the outpouring of hatred and violence that is threatening a peaceful way forward. […]
Do We Belong to Each Other? Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone, who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy. Audre Lorde I have been pondering this question lately – Do we belong to each other? When we think of belonging, we usually think of owning something – that car belongs to me or this coat is mine. […]
Living with Kindness Makes Life a Celebration One should never, but never, pass by an opportunity to celebrate. j d malouf Life offers us so many opportunities to celebrate. We usually think of celebrating special moments in our life journey – anniversaries, birthdays, major accomplishments. At these times, we stop and enjoy the moment. Sharing with others – the exchange of love and appreciation – enriches the occasion. It […]
Creating a Worldwide Kindness Community There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met … William Butler Yeats Creating a Culture of Kindness We are communal beings. We have an instinct to come together, but our culture has created economic and social conditions that separate us from one another. Many people feel isolated and cut off from others. Kindness creates a bridge between us. Living with […]
Changing to a Culture of Kindness Change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things. Barack Obama We are in a time of dramatic change on Planet Earth. Many people believe that change happens outside of us, that we are pawns being moved around by some immutable fate that determines our lives. We see it differently. We know that many things are out of our control, but we […]
Compassion is the Heart of Kindness Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. – Dalai Lama By choosing to live with kindness, we also invited compassion to accompany us on our journey. Compassion is concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others, combined with a desire to help. It also has another dimension, which is usually ignored. It Begins with Self-Compassion If your compassion […]
