Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

This blog will pay for itself.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / We All Need A Little Kindness / Acts of Kindness: Men Setting The Example

Acts of Kindness: Men Setting The Example

by | 43 Comments

This post is in: 

I’m so happy to highlight men’s acts of kindness to counter what has become a downpour of evil white men doing evil things (and that’s all we shall speak of it in this thread, okay?). Here are an overwhelming number of men being real men.

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I’ve been following @daddyfiles since I heard about his son being bullied for painting his nails. That was several years ago and many men stepped up to reassure his son to be himself. And his awesome dad has written several books on navigating being a man and a dad.

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There are some wonderful women in this video, too:

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These two are going to grow up to be amazing men:

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And finally, Steeplejack sent me this beautiful thread by Rep Andy Kim proves once again what a decent human being he is, as he celebrates his sister and all those he loves

It was the first time anyone wrote my name down as my mom didn’t know until my birth whether she was having a boy or a girl. And my sister was the first to ever call me by my nickname “Andy.” The origin of my name I’ve used my entire life. 3/10
It’s sweet to think it started with a note from a sister to a brother. When I asked my mom and sister about this photo last night, my mom told me that my sister stayed with me all day. Never wanted to leave my side. When I cried, she cried. The start of our 40 yr friendship.4/10
I share this story because it reminds me that who I am today at 40 has been shaped by the people around me, especially the people I love who love me back. They shaped me in ways I may never know until I stumble across a photo or memento that provides clues to how I grew. 5/10
But it has also been 40 yrs where I have shaped others, hopefully for the better. Where I have nudged and made tiny ripples in others’ lives that left them feeling hopeful with a sense of togetherness. 6/10
Tomorrow is my youngest son’s 5th birthday. Perhaps it is apt that my birthday is the day before his because I pour all of my life into his and his brother. My precious minutes here bleed into theirs. I give to them even without their knowing or perceiving. 7/10
Like the way that my parents gave so much to me for 40 yrs. I don’t always return gratitude as I should, but I’ve learned myself now the joy of parenthood isn’t in receiving credit but in caressing the simple moments of love. Of the indelible yet imperceptible mark one makes.8/10
Turning 40 itself is just a number. But what stands out to me today is the importance of taking a step back. Reflecting. To recognize that it’s not the passage of time to dwell on but the thought of the people I’ve met along the way and the effect we had on one other.9/10
Years, days, minutes are unchangeable. What I can change is how I want to treat the people around me during that time and how I want to let them affect me. I’ve had 14,211 days so far, and if I’m lucky at least another 14,211 to go. Be kind and enjoy the blur of life

I apologize if you sent me any of the above and I didn’t credit you – please claim in the comments. I am getting a lot of good material, and keeping it sorted has turned out to be a bit of a challenge. But don’t let that deter you! Send more!

As always, be kind to yourself!

I’m sorry I don’t have any pet photos for you today…I’ll try and rectify that later this week if I get a chance. As you can imagine it’s been a bit busy here with the new rescue added to the other daily distractions. And I’m thinking, to clear out some of the backlog, next week will be all animal fun for the kindness post. Sooo many cute animals in my kindness file.

Reader Interactions

43Comments

  13. 13.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Growing up, I had a very difficult and distant relationship with my father. My mother always reminding us kids that my father, “just got off the boat.” Not quite, but Grandpa came here from Slovenia in 1900 and Grandma in 1904. Pop was born in 1923. I never got any demonstrations of love from him. When I was 10 yo or so, I made the mistake of trying to give him a hug goodnight. Yeah, I got told how that was wrong in all ways and I felt so small.

    Fast forward 6 or 7 years, I was at a buddy’s house. His father had emigrated from Colombia, his mother from France post WWII. He and I were heading out for the night and he bent down and gave his father a kiss and his father returned it.

    I thought, “When I have sons, we are going to do the same.”

    I have, and we have. I’ve always said I knew my father loved me because he didn’t kill me, and it’s true. Lord knows I gave him ample reason to. But somehow or other that fact doesn’t fill the void.

    I also told my sons, “You will be better fathers than I am.” and they are. I think I am most proud of that fact. What father wouldn’t be?.

  15. 15.

    HumboldtBlue

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    It’s a great clip.

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I still give my father a kiss when I see him. I remember being 13 or so and the bedtime routine was a kiss for mom and dad and I solemnly asked my dad, now that I was a teen, if we could stop the kissing. He said “sure” but I resumed it once I became an adult because he’s my dad and I love him.

  20. 20.

    JPL

    @OzarkHillbilly: Life is precious, and because of that I always told my sons that I loved them when they were going out.   One day the younger son came back in and said you forgot something.   He does the same now when he leaves his sons.

    I like to think that someday my grandsons will pass that on.

  21. 21.

    eachother

    Jupiter is vastly bigger than marble sized earth in contrast.
    There is a Jupiter picture with an earth to scale next to it. Tiny. Like my comparative thoughts and concerns. A speck or less. Much much less. And irritatingly abrasive nonetheless.

  22. 22.

    HumboldtBlue

    eta

    What does ETA mean? I think I asked this last week with a snarky question about Basque separatists, so I prolly forgot, but I don’t recognize the acronym.

  30. 30.

    The Moar You Know

    I had my mom teach me some basic hand stitching.  She didn’t ask why, which was good, because I’d planned on sewing fireworks into my clothing seams and smuggling fireworks across the border when we went down to TJ.  It worked.  I also sewed all my own patches onto my Boy Scout uniform.

    It’s handy as hell; you can patch your socks, mend small tears, all that sort of thing.  Can’t imagine why anyone would not want to learn how.

    I still consider buying a machine every now and then but I have nowhere to put such a thing.

  31. 31.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Every evening around the world trillions of zooplankton, many smaller than a grain of rice, hover hundreds of feet below the surface of the sea, waiting for their signal. Scientists long considered these tiny animals to be drifters, passive specks suspended in the ocean, moved by the whims of tides and currents. And yet, just before the sun disappears, the swarms begin to rise on a clandestine journey to the surface.

    As they climb, clusters of other zooplankton join in: copepods, salps, krill and fish larvae. The multitudes remain near the surface at night, but just as the first beams of morning light begin to cascade across the sea, they are already turning back down to the deep. As sunset and sunrise slide from east to west every 24 hours—across the Pacific Ocean, then the Indian, the Southern and the Atlantic—swarm after swarm make the same upward journey, retreating as daylight returns.

    Humans are mostly unaware of this daily aquatic movement, known as diel vertical migration, but it’s the largest routine migration of life on Earth…….

    Cool shit.

  40. 40.

    Ruckus

    I had a friend who sewed. He had been a paratrooper in the British military, but he created clothing in his one man business. I’ve watched him create very expensive and beautiful clothing. An artist with cloth. In case it’s not obvious, he was a tailor. I recall that the cheapest suit he made was $1000. This was in the late 70s.

    @The Moar You Know:

    I’m old enough that I knew of a lot of women who made clothing, including my mom. She did the same for me that your’s did for you. And yes it comes in handy. And I actually do own a sewing machine, not a hand me down, I paid for it.

  41. 41.

    AM in NC

    Thanks for these. My mom died exactly a month ago, and she was the most kind and loving person I have ever known. I am so lucky to have had her as my mama, but I am sure sad right now. Things like this post and these comments help remind me that joy will come back.  Thanks, Jackals.

  42. 42.

    TaMara

    Condolences. I lost my mom 9 months ago and it’s tough. Dread every anniversary that comes up, so be kind to yourself and take it a day at a time. <3

  43. 43.

    Jeffery

    I wish I knew how to use a sewing machine and could make my own clothes. I would always get things that fit right.

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