It’s Friday – Friday – Friday! Can you tell how happy I am this week is over? It’s busy season at my job, so people’s stress levels are high, tempers are short and we all have too much to do. I am lucky that I genuinely like what I do because it really does make it easier to handle it all.  Someone told me earlier this week that they could tell I like what I do by the energy and enthusiasm I emit. How nice is that?

My life is definitely not perfect, but there are so many things in it that make me so thankful and happy. It makes some of the other crap seem so trivial and insignificant.

The other day I read a graduation commencement speech all about Kindness and it got me thinking about it in context of the people around me.   What is it about ourselves that prevents us from being kind – if you stop and think about it, whether we are or not, really is a reflection of us inside. How we filter others & their actions – how it makes us feel. What can we do to just be kinder in our own lives – go out of our way to help, no matter how bit or small. A smile, a wave, a word of encouragement, a gesture just because — whatever it is. If we all start to be aware and make it a daily focus, I bet we could make some real changes in our lives. Simple acts of kindness can go a long, long way and help both the recipient and yourself in return. How can that not be good?

George Saunders’s Advice to Graduates

“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. 

Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded…sensibly.  Reservedly.  Mildly.

It’s a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.

Now, the million-dollar question:  What’s our problem?  Why aren’t we kinder?” 

After reading that yesterday morning, I came upon this story last night: The Mystery Man at Miller Park almost as if it were a sign. A sign that good people, who practice kindness are all over the place.

Thank you for what you did for my son at Miller Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. As we were preparing to leave the stadium, I reached out my hand to offer my sincere thanks for your act of kindness. To my surprise, you pulled me in for a hug.

This young man, who at the end of the story – they did locate – showed his character and sincere kindness and that little boy will NEVER forget it and I am going to go out on a limb and say will probably behave similarly as he grows up. What that act of kindness did was help set the foundation for a lifetime.

Have a great Friday!!

strength
Shoulder Press 5×5
65#

wod
800m run
25 Slam Balls
25 Ring Push Ups (on knees)
400m run
25 slam balls
25 ring push ups (on knees)
200m run

the cap was 15 minutes. I came up 25 seconds short but wanted to finish my run, so even though I was out of time – I did it anyway. I was so close and I hate running – gotta work on your weaknesses and after the week I had, I had a lot of stress and frustration to get rid of.