Packing Lunch with Love
For years, Marcia Merrick began her day making lunches for her two children. Her kids are grown up now, but Ms. Merrick still makes lunches every morning - 400 of them. Each decorated paper bag contains a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich or a bean burrito, chips, fruit, and two homemade cookies. She also includes a note of encouragement - and then distributes them to the homeless of Kansas City, M... posted on Sep 28, 3932 reads

Teens Become Civil Servant Guitar Stars
After overhearing her children talk of starting a rock band and noticing that nothing ever came of their dreams, Sandra Rizkallah and her husband, Tom Pugh, decided to help. Starting with five teens, the group soon evolved into a full-fledged nonprofit that has affected 400 students. But it's become more than just music. Throughout the year, the teens put on benefit concerts, donating the proceeds... posted on Nov 5, 2114 reads

Smiles for the Morning Commute
"If people think I'm crazy, I don't care." Arms spread wide, feet tapping and hips swaying, Erica "Happy Lady" McElrath of St. Louis greets daily commuters on the street corner while rocking to the beat of her headphones. McElrath, who lost her full-time job in January, now spends her days doing what she loves: dancing in the street. "I don't want money. I come out here to make people smile." Her ... posted on Dec 17, 10083 reads

Love, Honor, and Thank
If you've ever lived with anyone else --from a spouse to a college roommate --you've probably had conflicts over doing the dishes, the laundry, and countless other household chores. But researchers Jess Alberts and Angela Trethewey have found that a successful relationship doesn't just depend on how partners divide their household chores; it also depends on how they each express gratitude for the ... posted on Apr 24, 15456 reads

Top Ten Kindness Stories for the New Year
An unexpected display of love at an airport, a ten-year-old returns 200 lost dollars to a stranger, a homeless man helps a single mother smile on a bad day, an orphaned dog finds strength from one small gesture of compassion... These humble stories are a reminder of the power of kindness to transform a moment, a day, a person or lifetime. Start the new year off with some down-to-earth inspiration ... posted on Jan 1, 38338 reads

The Blanket of Laughter Cure
About two years ago, LuAnn Kessi started a group called Living Well with Cancer and Healing Through Quilting. The Harlan resident has three aunts who are cancer survivors, and all had been making things to sell to raise money for cancer research. But she felt moved to do more. "You knew that you were doing something good, but we just wanted to help in a more personal way," she said. So she decided... posted on Jan 27, 2805 reads

Tiny Superheroes Don Capes and Do Good
"We saw someone next door and we said hi. And we gave him flowers. And we tell him he could come to our school." 3 year-old Cooper Spataro and his classmates are "superheroes of kindness," performing weekly acts of good will that include cleaning school windows and delivering paper flowers to residents of an assisted living community. Teacher Kristal Burns came up with the concept after discoverin... posted on Feb 20, 2730 reads

Beauty and Science: A Conversation with Ed Johnson
As this distinguished molecular biologist says, "the ultimate decision of whether or not a piece of data is going to get used is completely subjective! To put it analytically, you look at your piece of data and you decide whether or not you think it looks pretty." He continues, "Scientists devote not just a great deal of energy in thinking about their problem, but devote a great deal of personal e... posted on Mar 1, 3293 reads

Learning to Love Uncertainty and Failure
Edge Magazine called for eminent scientists, philosophers, and artists to submit responses to the question, "What scientific concept would improve everybody's toolkit?" The results have recently been published online. A common basis among the responses was that many people currently misunderstand the scientific process, undervalue the need for scientific doubt, and fail to recognize the role of fa... posted on Jun 25, 5499 reads

7 Practices to Cultivate Compassion
Scientific studies suggest that there are physical benefits to practicing compassion -- people who practice it produce 100 percent more DHEA, which is a hormone that counteracts the aging process, and 23 percent less cortisol -- the "stress hormone." According to this guide, the key to developing compassion is to make it a daily practice, and it offers 7 different ways to incorporate it into ever... posted on Aug 2, 49972 reads

I Heart Strangers
"Every single day, I went out into the world to seek out someone I had never before met. I introduced myself and asked them if I could photograph them. I took something valuable away from every encounter and did my best to pass that along." Artist Joshua Langlais started the "I Heart Strangers" project as an attempt to love his neighbors. Starting it in 2008 with the intention of doing it for a ye... posted on Jun 28, 4739 reads

The Artist Who Gives It All Away
One day, San Francisco artist Jane Baker realized something. Now she operates from a new place -- new, but also very old: "I don't know art history that well, but it is only in the last few hundred years that art has been a commodity. Before that, most artists were doing it out of their love for, frankly, for God or their church. Most of the art that's been made has not been made for money. So I'm... posted on Jun 30, 3035 reads

9 Interviews with Creative Visionaries
"I love a good interview. To me, there's nothing so useful for demystifying the creative process as hearing an artist or entrepreneur speak from a very personal perspective about how, and why, they do what they do. This weekend, I combed through my archive of epic and inspiring interviews and came up with this shortlist. Straight talk from Ernest Hemingway, Dieter Rams, Patti Smith, Steve Jobs, An... posted on Jul 13, 14935 reads

Homeless Kid Wows Korea
At three years old, he was handed off to an orphanage. At five years old, he was living on the streets. At twenty-two years old, he's persevered and pursued his love for the arts, amazing the world with his heartfelt performance on this video of Korea's Got Talent. Meet Choi Sung-Bong, a person who embodies the idea of never giving up. ... posted on Aug 21, 9712 reads

OneSeed Expeditions: Traveling for Good
When you are 22, the world is your oyster. For Yale University graduate Chris Baker, that oyster contained a pearl, which was the idea for OneSeed Expeditions. OneSeed is now a way to take an amazing trip and give an entrepreneur in Nepal the seed money needed to start a business. As President of the Yale Mountaineering Club, Chris was inclined to start a business that would marry his passion for ... posted on Aug 24, 3053 reads

Reflections from a Five Day Walk
"I recently walked about 60 miles over 5 days, from Oakland to Santa Clara. This certainly isn't anything unique. In a way, I was imitating many inspirations that came before, and probably many iterations will come after. Still, 'we love to make music of this puzzle' of our artful work of life. For me, the walk was many things. It was an expression of wandering. It was a pilgrimage [...] It was a ... posted on Oct 28, 8807 reads

Change Yourself, Change the World
"There are 4 ideas you have to believe if you seek to "be the change you wish to see in the world: 1. Real change requires patience: It takes time to move others through love (rather than by carrot or stick), but the results are real and lasting. 2. Real change is decentralized/local: The revolution will not be provided by governments or corporations. 3. Real change cannot be traditionally measure... posted on Oct 29, 31135 reads

In the Pursuit of Happy
"Happiness is defined as a sense of well being, a feeling of joy or delight, and a state of balance and contentment. However, it is easy to confuse intensity, pursuing pleasure, and thrill seeking with joy, delight and contentment. The qualities of happiness include having a sense of freedom to make choices; being loved and giving love; acting in kind and compassionate ways; and seeing life in a c... posted on Nov 3, 10020 reads

An Old Japanese Love Warrior
"This so enraged the drunk that he grabbed the metal pole at the center of the car and tried to wrench it out of its stanchion. I could see that one of his hands was cut and bleeding. The train lurched ahead, the passengers frozen with fear. I stood tip. I was young and in pretty good shape. I stood six feet, weighed 225. I'd been putting in a solid eight hours of aikido training every day for the... posted on Dec 8, 43476 reads

The Sniper and the Trumpet Song
Two weeks after D-Day, Col. Jack Leroy Tueller's made a decision to play his trumpet. The last remaining German sniper threatening his unit was so moved that he couldn't shoot, and surrendered the next morning. By choosing to play "his love song" Jack had sensed the fear and loneliness in that sniper, and had recognized that he too had that within himself. Now 90 years old, in this two minute vide... posted on Jan 2, 4498 reads

How Vulnerability Can Be a Strength
The word vulnerable itself comes from the Latin 'vulnerare' which means 'to wound', and so at the root of vulnerability is our own sense of wounded-ness. To be authentic in a moment in which we feel wounded, we have to honestly acknowledge the places where we feel hurt and then muster up the strength to just be with the pain. If we can embrace this vulnerability, we can fully accept the discomfort... posted on Jan 13, 30299 reads

The Visionary Architecture of Paolo Soleri
Architect Paolo Soleri is regarded as a visionary, much to his dismay. His thought and vision combines the ethical and the metaphysical in terms of how to structure and build our cities. He says, for example, "We have reached the point where we understand the appearance of self-awareness is one of the most incredible things that's happened in the universe. So, slowly we are developing some kind of... posted on Jan 30, 5211 reads

4 iPhones and a Subway Serendipity
In October 2010, little-known New York City band, Atomic Tom, had their instruments stolen. But a little bit of bad luck wasn't going to stop these musicians from doing what they love. Riding over the Manhattan Bridge on the B train, the band gave an impromptu performance of "Take Me Out" ... using four iPhones to simulate the drums, guitars, and piano they had recently lost. And they caught it on... posted on Feb 12, 5588 reads

A Love Warrior's Incredible Generosity
Raghu Makwana lost his legs to polio as a child. But his heart was intact and growing bigger by the day. When a few students found him arranging people's footwear outside a local temple, they were struck by his sparkling intelligence and genuine warmth. They arranged to have him join a non-profit at the Gandhi Ashram in India. The move would bring Raghu's latent capacity for servant-leadership to ... posted on Feb 13, 5823 reads

Valentine's Day Wisdom
"We've heard it said that this day -- which once belonged to a legendary saint in whose wake loving deeds flowed like a river -- was hijacked so many years ago by corporations looking to cash in on a beautiful state-of-the-heart technology. They who strode in preaching a catchy new religion: I love therefore I buy. And maybe we bought it. At any rate we've been blaming them ever since. Why give th... posted on Feb 14, 6295 reads

3 Little Monks and a Moment of Truth
"This is Ankur," our host Sachi had said, with the catching enthusiasm she's known and loved for, "He's an amazing photographer and has recently gone totally 'gift economy'." Meaning that he offers his photography unconditionally as a gift, inviting recipients to 'pay it forward.' I look over at the young man seated in front of me. An unguarded face lit now by a smile both shy and warm. "What's yo... posted on Mar 13, 40257 reads

An Ordinary Magical Life
"I met Shelagh Gordon at her funeral. My sharpest impression of her that day, as mourners in black pressed around me, was of her breathtaking kindness. Shelagh was freshly-in-love thoughtful. If she noticed your boots had holes, she'd press her new ones into your arms. When you casually admired her coffeemaker, you'd wake up to one of your own. A bag of chocolates hanging from your doorknob would ... posted on Mar 22, 0 reads

Infinite Family
Amy Stokes uses the internet to connect South African teens affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty with volunteer mentors from around the world. She is the founder of Infinite Family an effort in South Africa -- where nearly two million children have been orphaned by AIDS. A diverse and growing team of Infinite Family's mentors have stepped forward "to fill the void of adults -- to teach, discuss, encou... posted on Jun 15, 2581 reads

What's the Greatest Gift Your Mother Gave You?
"The way her face absolutely beams when she sees me and her voice lightens with happiness when I call her on the phone. Every time. Even after 38 years," says Kristen Harnisch. "My mother always had a sense of wonderment. The color of a leaf, a sprinkling of snow, the smell of hot soup--she found the greatest pleasure in everyday things," Nancy Bradford reflects. "When I was two days old, I was ab... posted on Apr 21, 6320 reads

Can Death Become Your Ally?
"Death is an important ally for appreciating life. I am not referring to a morbid preoccupation with death. Rather, I mean the felt awareness of our finitude as physical beings -- an honest recognition of the short time we have to love and to learn on this earth. The knowledge that our bodies will inevitably die burns through our attachments to the dignified madness of our socially constructed exi... posted on Jun 7, 37707 reads

Mr. Happy Man
For six hours each day, Bermuda's Johnny Barnes stands at a busy traffic intersection telling all who pass that he loves them. His delight and sincerity are infectious, and the people of the island love him back. His service is a simple reminder of the power of happiness and loving-kindness to change any day for the better.... posted on Apr 19, 5073 reads

Love and Play: a Conversation w/ Chaz
"When he speaks, you can sense a depth of earnest care in his voice. When you hear his stories, you know you're in the presence of a sacred soul. And it sort of sneaks up on you that he's served in hospices and with the homeless, that he spends his days mentoring college students as UPenn's University Chaplain. From gentle stories about his daughters to lessons from his "knucklehead punk" youth da... posted on Apr 29, 5074 reads

The Present of Being Present
"In the summer of 2005, things weren't looking very good for me. A broken relationship, a deadlock at work, a growing dependence on alcohol and tobacco all made for a downward spiral that I experienced every moment but couldn't snap out of. I was almost at breaking point when my mother decided to pay me a visit... On the first evening of her visit she tried to get me talking about where I was at i... posted on Sep 23, 23955 reads

10 Ways to Love Where You Live
Community is not just for extroverts. For thousands of years, our ancestors lived in barrios, hamlets, neighborhoods, and villages. Yet in the time since our parents and grandparents were young, privacy has become so valued that many neighborhoods are not much more than houses in proximity...And when the links among neighbors are weak, security relies on locks, gates, and guns, rather than a close... posted on Jun 21, 35135 reads

Five Letters of Fatherly Advice
In honor of Father's Day, celebrated blogger Maria Popova takes, "a moment to pay heed to some of the wisest, most heart-warming advice from history's famous dads. Gathered here are five timeless favorites, further perpetuating my well-documented love of the art of letter-writing."... posted on Jun 17, 20115 reads

The Way of the Peaceful Parent
"While I have learned a lot about being a dad, and finding joy in parenthood, I also know that stress-free parenting is a myth. Parents will always have stress: we not only have to deal with tantrums and scraped knees and refusing to eat anything you cook, but we worry about potential accidents, whether we are ruining our kids, whether our children will find happiness as adults and be able to prov... posted on Jul 24, 83126 reads

Love is the Answer
Filmmaker Ian Watt had an epiphany: today's creatively-oriented young generation could make great things happen by linking artistic talent with change-making movements. This film tells the story of the organization he started to help youth serve the world with art. But it also shows Ian's first experiment in change-making, as he used his filmmaking skills to help bring attention to K.I. Nepal, an ... posted on Aug 19, 5299 reads

How To Trick Your Brain for Happiness
"In recent years, we have started to better understand the neural bases of states like happiness, gratitude, resilience, love, compassion, and so forth. And better understanding them means we can skillfully stimulate the neural substrates of those states -- which, in turn, means we can strengthen them." In this article, Rick Hanson describes how to skillfully use the mind to amplify positive conne... posted on Sep 15, 148819 reads

Wings of Love: Nancy Rivard's Story
On Christmas Eve of 1983, a personal loss changed the course of Nancy Rivard's life. In its wake she purposely got herself demoted from the management track at American Airlines and began traveling the world as a flight attendant. While her travels took her to many interesting places and brought her into contact with inspiring individuals, she was continually looking for a way to use her job to se... posted on Oct 9, 18996 reads

Love Leads Into Mystery: Raising A Child With Asperger's
"Daniel teaches me that all rules are arbitrary, answers are illusory, future visions are incomplete. He teaches me about the psychic wounds I carry into my parenting, and my only choice is to heal myself. He teaches me to be more patient, more accepting, more tolerant not just of him but of other kids. I see a nine year old hyper boy out in public these days, and I don't get irritated with him; i... posted on Oct 10, 10105 reads

Families Held Together By Love ... & Skype
We live in a world in which some of the people we are closest to are often not near us at all. When we document our day-to-day existence in photographs and Instagrams, these people are absent. Their presence in our lives is missing from our digital memories. Photographer John Clang's series Being Together seeks to correct this. Using Skype and projectors, he captures families visually as they are... posted on Sep 20, 4626 reads

A Schoolbag Full of Love
"My daughter, Emma (in 7th grade), started back to school last week. There is a young boy in her class (call him Jake) who is quite overweight. He is treated very badly by other kids and even by the teachers. For several nights this week Emma came home from school upset about the fact that Jake gets picked on so much. She also mentioned that he had no school supplies as his family could not afford... posted on Oct 4, 6583 reads

The Beauty of Questions
"I don't think we always give questions the time and attention they deserve, often mistaking them as being mere stepping stones to an answer (...) When used properly, questions have the potential to connect us to the world of another. A heartfelt "How are you?" or "How was your day?" can become the bridge that keeps us in relationship to the lives of those we love. Sometimes, too, questions create... posted on Oct 26, 13793 reads

For Love of Sheeba the Cheetah
"Every parent knows the bittersweet ache of watching their children grow and leave the nest, but what happens when your baby is not yet two years old and can already run as fast as a car? No one knows exactly how a one-month-old cheetah cub made her way under the fence of the Ol Pejeta chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya in October of 2010. It's no small miracle that sanctuary workers spotted her before... posted on Nov 12, 0 reads

10 Amazing Stories for World Kindness Day
November 13th is World Kindness Day! In honor of this, we've compiled 10 diverse and heart-warming pieces honoring extraordinary acts of kindness, love and compassion by ordinary people. These stories include bus-drivers, bakers, basketball players, canine heroes and much more...reminding us of just how universal and essential the spirit of kindness is in our world.... posted on Nov 13, 228294 reads

For Love of Sheeba the Cheetah
"Every parent knows the bittersweet ache of watching their children grow and leave the nest, but what happens when your baby is not yet two years old and can already run as fast as a car? No one knows exactly how a one-month-old cheetah cub made her way under the fence of the Ol Pejeta chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya in October of 2010. It's no small miracle that sanctuary workers spotted her before... posted on Nov 18, 31954 reads

Knitting Behind Bars
"The first warden Lynn Zwerling approached with her idea recoiled as if she might bite. The second wouldn't meet with her. The third claimed to love the idea, then fell out of touch. Outrageous, said the fourth. The fifth, Margaret Chippendale, at a minimum-security men's prison outside Baltimore, didn't have much hope for Ms. Zwerling's plan either. "She brought the program to me and told me: 'Yo... posted on Nov 24, 10218 reads

Have You Seen the Wizard?
"I saw it when I stopped at a red light at the intersection of Lake City Way and 95th Street: an old, bearded man -- was he a wizard? -- staring down at the street from a sign on a telephone pole. I smiled. How weird. Before the light turned green, I took a picture. "Fun things out in the world for no apparent reason," I posted on Instagram. "Love those." An Instagramer named Ericka clued me in wi... posted on Nov 29, 8729 reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012!
Ever year we are amazed by everyday stories of compassion, warmth, and love that fill our world with with inspiration and hope. Collected here are 10 uplifting stories from 2012 about the kindness of ordinary people of all ages and from all walks of life.... posted on Jan 3, 6984 reads

A Manifesto for Living
"Here's to the ones who were told to stop. To give up. To quit trying. To shove themselves into a little box because the world never needed their arms stretched out wide. Here's to the ones who refused to listen. To the negatives. To the naysayers. To pessimists and the procrastinators. Here's to the ones who believe in Away. And Going. And Newness within Newness. And a world made to wash us and m... posted on Feb 6, 24829 reads