Tomorrow marks the end of the originally planned 7,400 mile Kindness Bicycle / Kindness Bus Tour. The next five weeks I am riding an additional 1,000 miles in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. It still amazes me that 6 months have passed by so quickly. Today was a very short ride just south of San Francisco. I discovered a Dog Park and realized that Bogart could use some recreation. Every Dog Park we have visited across the country, Bogart rules it as if it is his domain; this one today was no exception.
I am excited about my upcoming visits to San Francisco and Los Angeles. These large population centers will afford me the opportunity to have nearly a million people view The Kindness Bus and Kindness Bicycle. We, as caring individuals, are ready to have the world embrace kindness as a constant mind-set. One person, doing his or her part as an individual, by the hundreds of millions in this country and by the billions around the globe. It all begins with you.

Why is this man celebrating?
I had just received news from my son, Alex, that YouTube was featuring a short film clip of One Million Acts Of Kindness at the beginning of The Kindness Bicycle / Kindness Bus Tour in New York City this past May. The film clip ran on Youtube on Sunday of this past weekend.
Debbie Egan-Chin reporter for The New York Daily News put together this video and news story which ran in her paper in late May. In the one day time period that this piece was featured on YouTube, this past weekend, over 400,000 viewers chose to watch the video.
It is amazing to me that I had just written a blog called, “Viral Impact,” a little over a week ago about the possibility of One Million Acts Of Kindness “going viral,” if YouTube or another form of social media decided to promote what I do.
Thank you to the “powers that be” at Youtube, for helping to spread the word about all of us having a goal of kindness in our lives…a goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness. My sincerest gratitude, Bob Votruba and Bogart too!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVBf_3q8Ao8

Carol Noreen Executive Director of Casa in Sacramento told me about Alpha Kappa Alpha. This sorority helped to found CASA in this city. I admit that I hadn’t heard of AKA so I decided that I should research the organization. The first item on their website I noticed was their motto; “Service to All Mankind.” This all-women, African American sorority gets involved in all sorts of service projects to help others across the nation, and has been doing so since being founded in 1908. The program initiatives recognize the heightened needs of our youth.
A week after learning about the AKA, I met a woman who was wearing a bright green and pink leather AKA coat. She was standing in line in front of me at a restaurant. I walked away without making any conversation. Her not easy to miss coat was talking to me and I realized how could I walk away and not thank her after this serendipitous connection? The coat was worn by Gloria from the Atlanta Chapter of the AKA. I told her of my recent knowledge of AKA and of my mission and thanked her for all of the work her group does, especially for children.
Today was the 3rd day of a four day break from riding The Kindness Bicycle.

I met Schev and his wife Diane during my extended stay in Boulder, Colorado. They are a remarkable couple. Schev was busy working on his computer, in his chair when I walked by him the very first time. From the look of pride in his eyes, I could tell he had a story he wished to share with me. We talked for a while on a few occasions, and it was after those talks that he shared with me that he had written a book.
Schev’s book of poetry “The Heart of True Love” is a compilation of the many writings Schev has been working on throughout most of his life. It is a very comforting read. It is just the type of book one should read to quiet one’s mind. Thank you Schev for the wonderful gift of poetry for all of us to enjoy.
Today was the 2nd of four days off, from riding The Kindness Bicycle, It feels great to take some time off!!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. It is the holiday that gets many of us thinking about the needs of others. That is the situation in many cases; it gets people thinking. Thinking, but not acting upon what you know you should do. Most of us tend to be this way, but with the increasing urgency of the need this year, we cannot afford to stand by an not do a thing yet again.
There are less than a dozen days until this beautiful holiday. Most everyone has the entire weekend off. This year do something out of the box and do more than think about others in need, do for those in need. How many cold turkey sandwiches can you eat, watching football all weekend, while others go hungry?
Each year, for the entire week of Thanksgiving, The Kindness Bus Tour spends the week at a charity in the town we are visiting. This year The San Francisco Food Bank is on my radar screen. Bogart has helped the last couple of years, but this year, being that it is a food bank, he might eat more than his fair share.

Today is the first of four days off, from riding The Kindness Bicycle.

Beginning early next year, The Kindness Bicycle will get an extreme makeover. The existing signs will be changed to honor Wounded Warriors and Safety Officers killed in the line of duty. Many of these individuals have spent time in the military. Today is their day; Veteran’s Day.
My travels on The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour, early next year will begin in Los Angeles taking me through San Diego and then across the Southern United States to Jacksonville, Florida. The total Kindness Bicycle ride will be nearly 4,000 miles and I will concentrate my efforts, visiting Veteran’s Hospitals, Schools, Police Stations and Fire Houses. As with my current ride, the effort will concentrate on populated areas. I have found that I get much more interest in my mission if I ride my miles in cities rather than on country roads away from population centers.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have put their lives in harm’s way to preserve our freedom and liberties. Thank you Veterans!!

The question of the day for me was; How could I not stop at Apple Inc when I am in Cupertino, California? The most creative place on the face of the earth needed a visit from the most creative bus on the face of the earth. I guessed right and as luck would have it, the number one parking space right next to the main entrance became available just as I was pulling onto the campus. It became apparent to me immediately, that hundreds of people from across the world come to do business each and every day at Apple Inc. Creative people love creative ideas and The Kindness Bus fit the bill. So many people stopped by to talk and take photos. Alex from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was thrilled at what he saw and took pictures from every possible angle. This campus was as friendly as I could have imagined, I was parked at a very busy spot for over an hour and a half and no one seemed bothered. I somehow think Steve Jobs was smiling down on The Kindness Bus, knowing what a great sight it was on his Apple Inc grounds.
My Kindness Bicycle ride through Cupertino was along main roads with wide bike lanes, making it a joy to ride in temperatures in the 70s.