A song by The Fray addresses suicide and how to help stop it. Dialogue is a huge help in prevention. Friends should always lend a kind ear and let those hurting know that they should call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

How to Save a Life by The Fray
Step one, you say, “We need to talk,
He walks, you say, “Sit down, it’s just   a talk”.
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through

Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
‘Cause after all, you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence

Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you’ve told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

And where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you’ve followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he’ll say he’s just not the same
And you’ll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
How to save a life

Popeye has his spinach.
Wimpy has his hamburgers.
Bogart has his Beggin’ Strips
and I have my pinwheels.
One of the most important factors in riding everyday is making sure you are nourished. Eating well is important when you are consuming a large amount of food. Having energy to make it through a long day of riding is imperative.
One of my favorite spots along my travels is Front Street Pizza in Brooklyn, New York. My favorite delicacy on their menu are the pinwheels. Eggplant parmigiano pinwheels to be exact. These fist-sized, healthy creations are just what I need on a long day of riding.

Most of us are easily distracted by the use of electronic devices. When parents are with their children, phones should only be used when it is only absolutely necessary. Studies have been done as to the psychological effects on children, the findings don’t bode well for kids. Children realize, even as infants, that parents aren’t paying attention and social skills in the children are diminished. It is so important to stay connected with your children every step of their journey. Kids, with all of the pressures of living life, can get in a downward spiral in a big hurry. Bullying can lead to suicide in a matter of days.
A few months back I walked behind a family, I only wished I had taken a photo. The mom was holding her daughter’s hand while texting with her free hand. The father was texting while pushing their younger child in a stroller. This disconnection went on for the better part of two blocks. You hope it was a one time thing.
In today’s photo, I witnessed the son trying to get the attention of his dad for at least ten minutes, each attempt was shrugged off. The son finally got some attention when it was time to finish up and leave.
Dad thought he was taking his son out for breakfast, but in reality, he was taking his phone out for breakfast.

David from Austin, Texas will be a senior this coming school year at Lake Travis High School and is very involved in a bullying prevention program. He drove by The Kindness Bus with his father and had him turn around to take some photos. He decided to wait for me to come back and as luck would have it, I returned soon after. We talked about the program his school has adopted.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today. With over thirty-five years of research and successful implementation all over the world, OBPP is a whole-school program that has been proven to prevent or reduce bullying throughout a school setting.

OBPP is used at the school, classroom, and individual levels and includes methods to reach out to parents and the community for involvement and support. School administrators, teachers, and other staff are primarily responsible for introducing and implementing the program. These efforts are designed to improve peer relations and make the school a safer and more positive place for students to learn and develop.

Being back in northeast Ohio for the next few weeks, I looked for the best opportunity to get as many views for The Kindness Bicycle. The immediate thought was the downtown area of Cleveland, with both the Indians and the Browns playing, it was surely the place to be.
Normally when people are heading to events, they are focused on getting there and have very little time to interact. I got there a couple of hours early and talked with people who had extra time. It proved to be a good move.
Th Broadway Comanches cheerleading squad was practicing before the Browns game and cheered as I rode by. Clarice, the director of the group, talked with me about bullying. She feels that keeping kids focused as an individual and being part of a group teaches them to team up against bullying.

Today my drive took me from Lincoln, Nebraska to Cleveland, Ohio. This final leg of this 3 day drive was a welcome relief, knowing that this 2,470 cross country drive would be over. Being in a car for thirteen hours for 3 days in a row is a bit challenging, I must admit. I was able to do quite a bit of brainstorming and note taking to help further the mission of One Million Acts Of Kindness.

This 2nd leg of this 3 day drive took me from Wendover, Nevada to Lincoln, Nebraska. One thing became apparent, Bogart is the perfect wing-dog. He loves to travel and meet new people…we certainly do a lot of that.
One other thing became apparent as well, I will never drive 1,001 miles in a day ever again!!