There is so much happening in this world of ours in a very big hurry. Most of it for the good, or so it may seem. The one thing for sure is that people want to get back to a point where respect and honor have meaning in their everyday lives. They want kindness to occupy their hearts.
With all of the “Occupy” events now happening in nearly every part of the country and some parts of the world, I thought that The Kindness Bus Tour should have an “Occupy Kindness” event. The effect started as I brought the “Occupy Kindness” sign out of the door of the bus. A small Chinese contingency took pictures of me holding the sign and putting it in place on the hood of The Kindness Bus. As I sit here typing this blog, off in the distance I can see the flash of a camera every so often, taking a picture of the sign. The sign has been in place for nearly four hours and I have personally seen over 50 photographs taken. I think I will put this sign in place, on the hood of The Kindness Bus, every chance I get.
Today was a shortened day on The Kindness Bicycle, there was a college football game in town and my objective was to get as many views as possible. Staying stationary, for the most part, was the key to having this captive audience view the signs on The Kindness Bicycle.

Early mornings call for strong measures to get me up and going on The Kindness Bicycle; a strong measure of coffee that is. My Century Rides take about nine hours, plus breaks and stopping along the way to talk to interested individuals can add up to twelve hours or more. Luckily Boulder seems to have a coffee shop on every block. The best spot in town to have coffee brewed as you wish is Ozo Coffee. The staff is as good as it gets, even in the very early hours. One of the crew told me he has been seeing The Kindness Bicycle all over Facebook. I met Justin the owner of Ozo today. He likes the goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness that he already had put a Kindness Sticker on his van. He also added one to the door of his shop to greet his customers. The karma was immediate as he watched customers hold the door for one another. If you are ever in Boulder, go to Ozo and witness some coffee karma.
Today’s short ride of twenty miles was just what I needed; after riding three Century Rides in a week, I took a much deserved break.

Johanna Orozco is a Dating Violence survivor. I learned of her story on a recent visit to the Domestic Violence and the Child Advocacy Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Johanna dated a young man in high school and soon after, he started controlling her. When things became too much for her to handle, she broke ties with him. His violent side surfaced, culminating with him shooting Johanna in the face. Johanna has had twelve surgeries to replace her chin which took the full force of the shotgun blast.
Johanna now works for the DVCAC, traveling to schools talking to students about her story and safe dating practices. She is a brave woman, helping students to be aware of how bad it can get in a relationship. Helping to keep kids safe from the too many bad choices that are far too commonplace out in the streets in her city.
I thought of the story of Johanna as I rode these 100 miles today. I wondered how there could have been a different outcome. Then I saw the sign on the back of The Kindness Bicycle which reads; “Respect for women is one of the greatest gifts a father can show to a son”

Susan and Bob Nitzberg saw me near The Kindness Bicycle and the level of interest showed on their faces. Susan is a consultant with Standing Firm, a firm that helps to prevent Partner Violence from entering the workplace. This firm, based in Pittsburgh, PA works with employers in southwest Pennsylvania to Recognize, Respond and Refer when it comes to the possibility of a partner, of one of the firm’s employees, coming to the place of business to cause harm. Standing Firm is all about prevention, by educating company executives and employees what warning signs to watch for. With Domestic Violence being so pervasive in our society, no company is immune to it happening on their campus. Standing Firm’s business model needs to spread throughout our country.
Bogart had a big day by taking control of the employees of a local bank. Wendy, Dan, Michelle and Bonnie, employees of the bank came out to meet him in The Kindness Bus parked across the street from their branch. They brought a care package for both of us and even dog sat Bogart at the bank for a couple of hours while I was out riding The Kindness Bicycle. I arrived back a little earlier than I promised allowing Bogart to make his getaway before he ended up in prison stripes. Thank you to everyone at Vectra Bank for their help and generosity.

Riding The Kindness Bicycle back to The Kindness Bus to give Bogart one of his many breaks during my daily ride, I came upon Nawang Khechog, a very respectful Tibetan man. Nawang and I toured the outside of The Kindness Bus, talking about the hundreds of writings on its exterior. He was primarily interested in the writings which contained the words, kindness and love. He showed me one of his many books he carried in his bag and one of his favorite quotes; “The greatest of these is love,” he was surprised when I showed him that it was written on the bus. Nawang was a monk for eleven years and has studied as a student of the Dalai Lama. To be able to visit with this gentle, caring man for nearly three hours and learn of some of his kindhearted beliefs was a true honor.
Nawang’s current book, “Awakening Kindness,” which is now endorsed by ten Nobel Peace Laureates, teaches our limitless capacity for kindness, compassion and love. He is a Grammy-nominated musician and has been praised internationally for his musical genius.  I was thrilled that Nawang took the time to write on The Kindness Bus, the words;
“Om mani padme hoong” which translated, basically means, “May no being know suffering and may all be kind to each other.”
This teaching needs to spread across the globe in a hurry.
Today’s short ride of 30 miles was a breeze in perfect riding weather. The Kindness Bicycle is getting thousands of views each day. My favorite view was by a group of middle school students who were very enthusiastic about seeing all of the positive messages as I slowly rolled by them.

I am paid compliments on many occasions as I travel on The Kindness Bicycle/Bus Tour. Most of the compliments relate to promoting One Million Acts Of Kindness and also raising awareness about Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse. I have now pedaled well over 5,000 miles and am finding it to be much easier than at the outset. When you have pledged a goal of miles to reach, you are obligated to do so. Any previous exercise goal I have had in my life, to accomplish toning my body, was never met. When I signed on to riding nearly 9,000 miles on The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour, I never gave the idea of getting in shape, a single thought, it just happened; I was forced to get in shape by default. Anytime a guy my age has his ability compared to the physical attributes of a twenty-four year-old, I am going to tell the world. I however, after spending two of the previous four days, completing Century Rides, I feel just a bit older than twenty-four. Father time never stops his eternal march, even for a moment, and to whomever paid me the huge bit of flattery, much gratitude! You know who you are.

Until the beginning of my travels on The Kindness Bicycle/Kindness Bus Tour and talking with Domestic Violence Advocacy professionals across this country, I had never before heard the term “Elder Abuse” used. It was a shock upon hearing it for the very first time. I had to ask myself, did I just hear that! It has bothered me since and have now heard the term dozens of times. Today I decided to do something about it because I believe that most people are as naïve as me, when it comes to this issue. I decided to call attention to the tragedy taking place in this country with respect to the elderly, by riding The Kindness Bicycle 100 miles, with a very visible sign on the front. The results of my 12 hour ride were astonishing; I never before received so many ovations from complete strangers. For a person to clap their hands or verbally respond to me as I rode by shows a large sector of our society interested in protecting seniors. This is very encouraging, to say the least, but people need to get involved in this issue, across our nation.
Because of the large number of baby boomers reaching retirement age, this epidemic will increase in numbers over the next couple of decades. All of us will know someone or be related to someone who will be abused. The general public needs to be fully aware of this issue to stop this existing immoral behavior and impending social epidemic. With the wealth of information and a lifetime of experiences, seniors are this country’s most valuable resource. They deserve our total respect, it even says so on the side of The Kindness Bus.
For information on elder abuse; visit the National Center on Elder Abuse website at; www.ncea.aoa.gov or you can call to receive further information on elder abuse at; (855)500-3537