This morning I spoke to a very bright young woman named Megan Hurt, a reporter for The Kentucky Kernel, the school paper. We planned to meet at the intersection of Rose and Euclid Streets, but the parking was a real bear. I wound up pulling into a loading zone, and almost instantly, a person came out and asked if I was making a delivery or pickup. I said I was making a delivery. He looked at the bus and asked what I was delivering and I said “Kindness, of course.” With that, he said that it’s no problem for me to park there. Nice guy. I think my comment made an impression.
Megan decided we should go to the bus parking spot that I was at last night. It was a good decision, there were tons of students, and about 80% of them took stickers. I’ll bet I talked to 750-800 in the 4 hours I was there. Scott Hannigan, the paper’s photographer, came out and took some pictures. Bogart, always one with a keen nose, realized that a young woman named Virginia, who stopped by to pet him, was holding something that he was hoping she would share with him. She had part of her lunch left, a BBQ beef sandwich from a popular food spot. Virginia, having two of her own dogs, obliged by letting him finish her lunch. Bogart is liking the “perks” of The Kindness Bus Tour. Thank you, Virginia. I also met Cara, a really nice gal who was driving by, saw the bus, parked, and ran back to talk to me. We had a great chat for the 10 minutes she had. It’s always so nice to see that kind of interest. Megan got a first hand look at the Kindness Project and what it can mean to people all over. If tomorrow’s generation, like Megan, can grasp this effort and stick with it, we just may be able to change things entirely for the better.
I later went to a coffee shop nearby where I met a super nice young lady, Anna. She saw the bus and wanted to talk about the Kindness Project. As it turns out, someone very close to her committed suicide. I could tell it wasn’t easy for her to talk about it, but the Kindness Project really peaked her interest. Anna volunteers at a local hospice and suicide prevention center. While it was clearly a horrible experience for her, she came through it and has decided that helping others is a great way to live. She said, “Spreading kindness and performing acts of kindness for others can heal the most broken of hearts.” Great words to live by. She asked that I share her story for all to read in this blog. She is truly a very special person and I was so lucky to run into her. I certainly want to keep in touch.
Overall, the University of Kentucky is a very friendly place, students waving, helpful police, and kind people. I even met a couple from Australia who said they would spread the word “down under.” In addition, I’m getting some great entries on the Facebook pages. I’m so glad to see the comments there.
