In the spring of 2010, I met one of the most caring individuals this world has ever known, Dr George Barkett and his wife, the love of his life, Sue. Sadly, George just lost his long battle with cancer. He has been and is now an angel for The Kindness Bus Tour and will be with us every moment of our travels. After meeting him three wonderful years ago, I asked him what message he would like written on The Kindness Bus, he responded, “Have an attitude of gratitude.” What a wonderful lesson for all of us, to be grateful for everything in our lives. Thank you for that gift George.

Late last week I learned of Dr. George Barkett and his passion for trying to spread peace in the world with songs for peace, today, I had the privilege to meet him. This man’s entire life is about doing for others; not only in his local region, but all across the world. He is a role model for all of us. Our meeting was about helping to further each other’s mission. George’s website,songsforpeace.net is worth a visit, to see how you can change the world through song.
George and his wife Sue, have opened their home to me, during my stay in Vero Beach. They are introducing me to members of the community, to help network the cause of One Million Acts Of Kindness to others. George has invited me to speak to the Rotary while I am in town and he is helping me with a visit to a local school. I wish everyone had the same core values as George.

Being on The Kindness Bus Tour is a bigger adventure than I ever had dreamt for myself, prior to its inception. New towns, new people and incredible stories make this tour something I look forward to every day.
Jennete and her twin sister Jennifer have been seeing The Kindness Bus in Mill Valley and were happy to meet Bogart and me, to learn first hand about this mission. The Bogart book was a big hit for these two dog loving women. An offer for volunteering may happen. This mission is needing it in a big way, with all of the promoting to schools across the country.
Melanie, Bridget and Phillip, three recent college graduates talked with me this evening about helping kids. They are inspiring kids to challenge themselves to do good deeds, all the while being inspired themselves, while their adventures take them to far away lands.

While out on my rides during the course of the day, I will take a number of breaks, hoping to keep my “tank” on full. One of my stops today was at Drivers, a new market in Sausalito. Paul, one of the owners was quick to come by the table I was occupying. He was interested in both the issues I am riding for. He shared with me that he has a sixteen year old son who has luckily never been affected by Bullying or Adolescent Suicide. He expressed his gratitude to me by offering a virtual cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables, free for the taking.
Thank you!

Plain and simple, there are no winners from the tragedy of Trayvon Martin losing his life and George Zimmerman’s life being forever changed.
What is the lesson all of us can learn from this?
Any interaction between any individuals will never again have to be this way, if all parties judge each other with goodness. If every person on the face of the earth judged all others with goodness what a wonderful world this would be. It really is that simple.

One Million Acts Of Kindness is a 10 year mission to create a mindset about having kindness as a goal. Bogart, my Boston Terrier and I, travel the United States promoting this much needed character trait to everyone throughout the world.
In year 3 of this mission, I introduced a bicycle ride to my travels to raise awareness about issues kids are having to deal with at far too young an age. Bullying and Adolescent Suicide are two of these challenging burdens most kids will unfairly have to overcome  throughout the remainder of their lives.

The Kindness Bus has a huge issue in climbing long grades. My attempts to drive it over the Sierra Nevada range on two consecutive days has tested its engine to nearly the breaking point. It will not be able to make it to the east without assistance by rail or by towing. The mystery is how well it runs on flat grades or short hills…the long climbs are its Waterloo. I stopped a number of times when the engine started banging, getting worse, the more I tried.
We headed back the more than 100 miles once again, knowing that there is a very important reason for this new chapter of The Kindness Bus Tour.
Today’s photo was an inspiration to me. It was a view directly outside the door of The Kindness Bus when we stopped for our final time before heading back down.
This sprout of a pine tree, just off the gravel next to the emergency lane is doing everything it possibly can to grow and thrive…against all odds!

Saying goodbye to family and friends is the hardest part of what I do. Every town I visit, there are bound to be people I meet who become friends to both me and Bogart. I guess when you pull into town with The Kindness Bus, the intrigue of kindness as a goal, turns to friendship easily. This holds true for so many people across the nation.
Rob, a good friend of mine from San Francisco, is a dog loving, ball throwing, show Bogart some fun, kind of guy. He has done so much to make us feel welcome in his home each time we pass through San Francisco.
He and his wife Sharon will be missed by us in a big way