Tag Archives: kindness

Being Generous On a Budget – Part Three, Thirsty for Kindness

I live in Montana and one summer afternoon the temperature hit 105. Everyone was cranky and hot. I worked in a downtown office building and remember seeing countless numbers of homeless people laying against buildings and sitting under trees. They were clearly trying desperately to escape the scorching heat with whatever tiny piece of shade they could find amongst the hot, pavement parking lots. Whether we consider ourselves broke or not, most of us are able to enjoy the comfort of home when the temperatures outside become unbearable. Most of us are able to enjoy a cold glass of iced-tea, … Continue reading →

Being Generous on a Budget, Part Two – You Don’t Need to Spend a Lot…to Give a Latte

Often when we think about generous people we think about people like Bill Gates who gives millions (maybe even billions) of dollars to our nation’s schools and other issues he is passionate about. Thankfully, you don’t need to be the wealthiest person in the universe to make the world a better place. In fact, you can make a difference even if you are the most frugal person in town. Let’s start with one of my personal “splurges”. I am passionate about my morning cup of coffee and I am sure there are numerous people who are just as enthusiastic about … Continue reading →

Being Generous on a Budget, Part One – Comfort Them With Food

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday. I know I certainly did. I am absolutely stuffed to the point where I can barely think (about anything other than food, anyway). Therefore, I guess it is appropriate that my first post-holiday blog post is all about food. During our holiday meal, my sister (who just had a new baby) thanked my mom for all of the food she brought her when she arrived home from the hospital. While most people send flowers, bring clothes, blankies and other baby gifts my mom brought a baked ham, some crock-pot … Continue reading →

Women’s Fitness: A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

Helping your friends can really help you as well. Recent studies have shown that women who regularly support their friends have lower blood pressure and experience less stress. Does that make you more inclined to answer the phone the next time one of your friends call needing a shoulder to cry on? If not, then perhaps the other findings of the study will. Not only can helping your friends help you to maintain lower blood pressure and even reduce your own stress, it can help you build confidence as well as cultivating the types of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that … Continue reading →

Because Nice Matters – 3 Simple Ways to Charm Your Customers

In my last entry “Because Nice Matters” I talked about why simply being nice is the ultimate home-business tool. Here are a few tried and true ways to charm your customers and gain a loyal following of home-business groupies. 1). Just be nice. Alright, I promise I am not trying to insult my readers by suggesting that you should just be nice. I simply feel it is worth a brief mention. When I was a direct sales consultant, I would often do parties when I really wasn’t in the mood. I had a bad day. My kids were cranky. I … Continue reading →

Because Nice Matters

The other day, I went into my favorite bagel shop with my son. A disheveled young man in his twenties was working behind the counter. As he was helping the customers in the line ahead of me I remember laughing inside. He sounded just like a caveman. I pictured him with a large club and loincloth. “Hum? Ug? Huh? Wa? Ya…” While it was cheap entertainment when he was helping the other customers, it wasn’t so funny when it my turn. “Can I get a toasted everything bagel with veggie cream cheese?” I asked. “Huh…”. I repeated myself. “…and a … Continue reading →

A Little “Hump-Day” Inspiration

I was watching the President’s State of the Union Address a few moments ago and was thrilled when he invited Julie Aigner-Clark of Colorado to stand for applause. The name Julie Aigner-Clark may not ring a bell to you, but if you are the mother of preschoolers (or even young elementary students) I’ll bet you’ve heard of Baby Einstein before. I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Baby Einstein video. One of my girlfriends gave it to me when my daughter was teething. My baby was mesmerized the moment she saw the puppets and toys dance across the … Continue reading →

Marriage and the Golden Rule

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Despite all the tips and advice given regarding marriage here and everywhere else, the Golden Rule is probably the best way to sum up the effort to build a happy marriage. As long as no one has a self-destructive disorder, he or she is going to wish to be treated well. It makes sense then that if we treat our spouses just as well as we would like to be treated, at least most of the time, the relationship should reflect that. This is also true of dating, but … Continue reading →

Secret Santa Revealed

I know most of us have been involved in the Secret Santa thing at some point – at work, at church, etc. If you haven’t, it usually happens when someone draws your name and gets you something for Christmas, but they don’t reveal who they are, they just sign the card Secret Santa. But in Kansas City, one man has taken this to great lengths. Every December for 26 years, he has given money out on the streets of the city. It started out simply enough, with him handing out five and ten dollar bills. But as his fortune grew, … Continue reading →

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind — Ann B. Ross

Miss Julia is a Southern lady through and through. Not a Southern belle; none of those fainting spells for her, but a Southern lady, the kind that doesn’t sweat, but glistens instead. She has spent her entire life in an orderly fashion as the dignified, if somewhat matronly, wife to a husband who concentrated a great deal on business and not a great deal on her, but she had grown accustomed to that life and had made the best of it. But her husband has just passed away, and in the midst of trying to adjust to a life without … Continue reading →