Some sweet stories from our KindSpring community this week. :)
Big Snowstorm Here And ... Big snowstorm here and we closed the library early. 3 of us scraped snow off of our coworkers cars while they finished closing up. Read more...
Helping And Encouraging A Friend Heard from one of my best friends from school (we were in each other's wedding party) that his practice was not going well and he's contemplating closing his doors. We graduated together and he is far too talented to not be treating patients and helping folks live happier, healthier lives. Read more...
Offering A Seat On Public Transit I was riding home on the SkyTrain (our rapid transit, like a subway) after work, and as I was getting ready for my stop, I tapped a woman who was standing and pointed to the seat. And I gave her a little wave through the window [...] Read more...
Dharma Realm Buddhist University recently offered a special, online dialogue with Birju Pandya about how our inner values intersect with our outer realms of work and career. Birju has explored how to center values and a heart of service within one's work for many years. During the call, he shared some of his journey along with three deep questions to reflect on from our own unique perspectives. The talk planted wonderful seeds in people's minds.
Professor Michael Gordon is offering his book, Doing Good with Money, for free -- or rather, for non-financial expressions of wealth. Interested readers can sign-up to receive a free e-copy of Michael's book by sharing an act of kindness they've offered in the world. People spanning four continents have shared their uplifting and heart-warming acts of kindness. The act of sharing them is, in itself, able to create ripples around our world. "The way I feel reading those reflections is what now makes me hopeful about 'changing the world'", said Michael. "There’s something inside these acts — large or small — that feels like an ingredient we need to create change that matters: A willingness to act with kindness; to benefit others; to see — what’s the opposite of futility? — that change starts within us. What if: We began to realize that there is lots of energy in these isolated acts? And that we might find others with similar inspiration? And work together from a sense of connection and meaning?" Read many of the kind acts, and share your own, here.
Located in Generationencafé Vollpension in Vienna's first district, Karma Kitchen Vienna has been extended due to its positive impact.
"It is no coincidence that Vollpension in particular has taken up the idea of the Karma Kitchen: The social enterprise with two locations in Vienna employs a total of 80 people, more than half of whom are over sixty years old", writes Suzanne Wolf.
Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist, describes silence as not the absence of sound but rather the absence of noise from modern life. "Silence is the poetics of space; what it means to be in a place."
We invite you to watch Gordon's brief video and consider how and where you might lean into spaces of silence.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30 (5:30pm Pacific time), Dharma Realm Buddhist University will offer a special, online dialogue with Birju Pandya about how our inner values intersect with our outer realms of work and career. Birju has explored these and similar topics for many years. He will share part of his journey while opening space to consider opportunities to create more alignment within our own multifaceted existences.
Learn more about this special event, and reserve your ticket, here.
Founders and senior leaders from 45 NGOs gathered at a special retreat in Parel East, Mumbai last fall. These change-makers came together to explore the transformative shifts of moving from leadership to laddership. Diving deep into ServiceSpace values, they considered such ideas as:
Broad Margin Goals Vs Narrow Margin Goals – How can we move from short-term thinking to long-term thinking and from the ‘Me’ to ‘We’.
Value Of Context Vs Value Of Content – Asking ourselves not “what” we are doing but “how” we are doing it.
Designing For Social Permaculture – Moving from ‘transaction’ to ‘building connections and community’.
From Leadership To Laddership – How do we support and nurture an entire team to grow through Inner Transformation.
Deepcasting in a Broadcast World – How diving deeper and amplifying the good is more effective.
You can read more about this special retreat here -- or watch some inspiring video clips here.
Snow can be magic until you have to shovel it. That's why some Whitehorse, Yukon residents are offering to shovel driveways, porches, and sidewalks for elders, pregnant people, or residents living with health issues for free.
"We just wanted to embark on this journey of serving," said Israr Ahmed. "It's grounded in our Islamic tradition which is to care about your neighbours.
Read the full story of the generous volunteer shovelers here.
A tea stall vendor in Uttar Pradesh, India is sharing his knowledge and kindness to help hundreds of villagers access benefits while being an extraordinary agent of justice and love. Enjoy the uplifting video below, created by a KindSpring member, to see how.
In Bhutan, people gather in Thimphu for a weekly Awakin Circle to "deepen in friendship and community, inner work and contemplation, and skillful service and external action". (Read more about Awakin Circles here: https://www.awakin.org/v2/local/.)
Watch the video below to see care in action through paradigmatic shifts at a Thimphu high school.
