Jun 16, 2025

Enjoy a couple recent stories from our KindSpring community:

Rajni: Heart Warming Story Of ...
Heart warming story of Kindness and creativity On New Year's Eve in 2018, the streets of Panjrapole Cross Road in Ahmedabad were alive with the spirit of generosity and hope. Under the banner of an NGO "Act of Kindness', about 40 volunteers guided by MS K embarked on [Read more...]

mindyjourney: Strength Rock
Strength Rock “I’ve been carrying this around to give you.” I said, rooting in my purse. Tammy, the afternoon-off-work grocery clerk smiled at me, patiently waiting. When I placed the “strength” heart rock in her hand, she closed around it tight and hugged me even harder. “Oh, how did you know I needed that?” [Read more...]

Mish: ❤️ Kindness Comes….
📕 🌲 As simple as sitting on a park bench reading a book this morning... ❤️ Kindness comes even when not looking for it….a few passers by shared a good morning, a smile, a small chat when I looked up from my book [Read more...]

Jun 13, 2025

'The Weighing' by Jane Hirshfield

The heart's reasons seen clearly, even the hardest will carry its whip-marks and sadness and must be forgiven. As the drought-starved eland forgives the drought-starved lion who finally takes her, enters willingly then the life she cannot refuse, and is lion, is fed, and does not remember the other. So few grains of happiness measured against all the dark and still the scales balance. The world asks of us only the strength we have and we give it. Then it asks more, and we give it. ... [Read more]

Seed questions for reflection: What do you make of the notion that even the hardest hearts carry whip-marks and sadness that when seen, give us the power to forgive? Can you share a personal story where you found yourself able to forgive, even when the situation seemed unforgiving and harsh? What helps you find those few grains of happiness that balances all the dark you perceive?

Jun 7, 2025

Programs Don't Change Kids -- Relationships Do

Bill Milliken grew up in what appeared to be a typical American family. Yet, underlying issues meant “they couldn’t be there for me, emotionally or in any other way.” He received both subtle and loud messages that he didn’t belong, even that he “was dumb” from both home and school. He briefly felt connected with some guys at a pool hall that could have led him down a destructive path.

Fortunately, he was invited to a youth camp where some counselors built a relationship with him. “I could see immediately that they wanted to know me as a person; they cared about who I was, no matter…” It was his first experience of unconditional love.

Bill says it was not the program, but the relationship that made the difference. “They didn’t offer us an ‘answer’ or a ‘program’ -- they offered themselves; they offered the time, love, and energy it takes to form a relationship with another human being,” and it made a world of difference in his life. [Read more ...]

For more inspiration, join an Awakin Call with Bill MIlliken this weekend. More details and RSVP here.

Jun 2, 2025

How Forgiveness Changes You and Your Brain

A long-term study on forgiveness shows that “forgiving activates structures and pathways in the brain that improve resilience and social connection more broadly, and empower you to step beyond painful experiences in an energized, motivated, and connected way.”

Forgiving is not condoning or endorsing, nor is it necessarily reconciling or meaningfully connecting with a person who wronged you. It involves: empathy and perspective in considering emotions, thoughts, and feelings of the other; coping by reevaluating your understanding of the situation; making social decisions that redirect energy to your own well-being instead of anger or hostility. [Read more ...]

May 25, 2025

Karma Kitchen and Awakin Circle in Cantabria (Spain)

Last year, PAS Rural Coliving began hosting Awakin Circles, which are open to the local Cantabrian community. "This experience is totally aligned with the life laboratory that we are creating, where we try to practice by example, inspiring another possible lifestyle, more connected with oneself, with the community and with nature," they said in a blog post. Recently, in collaboration with Espacio Ubuntu, they also organized their first Karma Kitchen for "a dinner where generosity replaces price" wrote Oscar.

PAS Rural Coliving is nestled in the mountainous region just outside Santander. The coworking, coliving space was launched by Oscar and Lulu, former nomads, inspired by their desire to make a positive contribution to the lives of others. During extended stays, visitors are invited to cook together with ingredients fresh from the garden, participate in workshops and retreats offered in collaboration with Erasmus+ and other European projects, and join a variety of outings and activities offered each week. Read more here.

May 23, 2025

Will AI Strengthen or Weaken Human Connections?

"In the face of overlapping mental health crises among young people and a mounting loneliness epidemic, technologists, investors and product developers are racing to build generative AI products to fill a void of human connection. We already have chatbot therapists, girlfriends and tutors, and the pace of new development is astounding." 

Will AI deepen our connections or widen our divides? Michelle Culver explores technology's double-edged sword and how we can cultivate meaningful relationships in a rapidly evolving digital age. [Read more ...]

For more, check out the recent Awakin Call with Michelle, in conversation with Mark Foley and Arathi Ravier, "Listening For The Future: Journey from Reinvention to Reconnection".

May 16, 2025

All You Need to Do Is 5 Percent

Hang Mai left the corporate world around ten years ago to begin farming in Vietnam. She learned from permaculture pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka that their local practice of burning the land was killing the very critical humus, organisms, creatures, and roots vital to the regeneration of the richest soil – the biomass that determines what will grow and what will grow best.

Over time, she also learned that the soil is only 5% of the total habitat of water, air, and mineral particles needed in the Wheel of Life. Yet, without it, nothing will grow, and so tending to the 5% is critical. During this ten-year period, Hang Mai also engaged with ServiceSpace. She relates how she gradually came to realize that small acts of kindness are like the 5% biomass. She says about tending to the biomass, “…it is a simple thing, small thing, but you have to do it daily, constantly, because all of that will continuously regenerate, dissolve, and become the soil.”

In the same way, small acts of kindness daily are like tending to the biomass of love in the regenerative field of the soul in which joy, peace, and happiness can exponentially grow. [Read more ...]

May 11, 2025

For the one who stands in kindness

Enjoy this sweet, poignant song shared by a member of the KindSpring community.

May 8, 2025

A Secret Note Hidden In Dachau-built 'Violin Of Hope' Tells A Tale Of Survival And Craftsmanship

In 1941, while imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Franciszek “Franz” Kempa, crafted a violin. More than 80 years later it was discovered by Tamás Tálosi and Szandra Katona, Hungarian art dealers. The skilled craftsmanship of the violin belied its poor wood quality, prompting disassembly -- and the discovery of its origins.

“We named it the ‘violin of hope’ because if someone ends up in a difficult situation, having a task or a challenge helps them get through a lot of things,” Tamás said.

Read the full, inspiring story here.

May 4, 2025

'StoryRx' Initiative Prescribes Storytelling For Older Adults

In 2023, an urgent advisory about the loneliness epidemic, released by the U.S. Surgeon General, directed the American Medical Association to collaborate with organizations on educational programs and resources to increase social support for patients.

One of these collaborations resulted in Life Story Club, a New York-based nonprofit that brings people together virtually every week to share their life stories as prompted by questions like "What was the greatest historical event you lived through". Participants can join voluntarily or be connected through referrals from healthcare teams serving older adults experiencing social isolation.

This innovative nonprofit has grown to include 120 clubs reaching more than 1,200 people over the age of 60 - with 92% saying they feel a sense of community. Read the full story here.