I arrived in Williamsburg, Kentucky and drove right to the campus of the University of the Cumberland. It’s a small campus, with classic buildings and white trim, a beautiful setting. A new experience greeted me. As I drove in, people started waving to me, honking their horns, and giving me a greeting I haven’t seen before. I came to a busy crosswalk and parked right there, and right away, a group of students came over to see what I was all about. They loved the Kindness Project idea right away, many took pictures with their I-phones, and soon a small crowd gathered around the bus, milling around, never being in a hurry. This was truly a welcome that exceeded my expectations. I had some great conversations with various groups of students who seemed sincerely interested and wanted to keep the message alive.
One young lady came over and asked me why I was there, at such a small campus as this. I explained that the size of the campus is not the issue; it’s all about spreading the word of the Kindness Project. I said it seems to me that the students are not as much in a hurry as those in the smaller campuses and they take more time to learn more about creating acts of kindness. She took a long look at the bus and finally looked at me and asked, “Are you a hippie?” I had to laugh because first, because I don’t think too many people consider me a hippie. Maybe traveling the country and living in a painted up school bus makes me look like a hippie. Clearly one of my favorite comments from the trip thus far.
I also met a fine young man from Macon, Georgia, Bobby Johnson. He was particularly interested in the Kindness Project and said we have to keep this message alive. He was so interested that, after talking to him for over ½ an hour, I appointed him as the Kindness Ambassador on campus. He immediately assumed the role, helping to pass out stickers and talking to other students about it. Before he left, he took about 50 stickers and promised to pass them out and continue the project here.
The town seemed as interested in the Project as much as the students. Later, at a restaurant in town, people who saw the bus wanted to know all about what I was doing. They came out to take a close look at the bus and thought it was great.
The icing on the cake today was that we did not see one squirrel….not one. THIS was a great day all around.
