When I was a kid, I always thought I’d do something to make a difference. Nothing huge – I didn’t aspire to be president or cure cancer, but something small, but significant. I guess it was a fantasy that I don’t think I ever really fulfilled.
However, Bob Votruba doesn’t have to worry about making a difference because he decided to make a different. He bought an old bus and had family members help paint it. Then he and his faithful companion Bogart (a Boston terrier), set out to remind people to be kind.
Sounds like a simple idea, doesn’t it? But, stop and think how many kind things you do a day. Bob is hoping to convince each individual he comes in contact with to perform one million acts of kindness in their lifetime.
Now my math is bad, but if you do one kind thing a day, that is 365 and if you live another 50 years, that is 18,250. So we are still a ways away from a million, but that just gives you something to shoot for.
Why did Bob decide to quit his job, to sell all he owned, and travel in this bus? In his own words, Bob said, “As a father of three college age kids I am concerned for the world in which all kids will live. A great way to create a safer, more caring world is for everyone to start their lifetime goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness.”
Bob and Bogart travel around the country, speaking at colleges and schooling about his movement. He tries to inspire young people to be kind and empathetic towards others, something our society may be losing rapidly in this technological world we live in where everyone has ear buds in their ears half the time. He is trying to set a good example for teens and young adults. After all, the children are the future.
You can follow Bob and Bogart’s adventures and see where they will be going next on their web page. You can print a kindness certificate and parent’s can print a certificate in which they vow to teach their children kindness.
As Bob puts it, “You are the change that this world needs.” So think of something kind you can do for someone – your child, a co-worker, your husband, a stranger on the street – today.