Balloon Juice - We All Need A Little Kindness Archives

Acts of Kindness: Kids Bring The Smiles

by TaMara| September 14, 20227:00 pm| 44 Comments

This post is in: We All Need A Little Kindness

Hey, look it’s Wednesday (it is Wednesday, right?) and I’ve remembered to put this post together. Regardless if it makes you smile, it really lifted my spirits today, picking what I would share tonight. Enjoy!

HumboldtBlue sent this to me, and I sure hope you’ve already seen it because it’s become a cult classic. I actually have a video story on Recess Therapy that I’ll share, maybe next week, full of these kinds of interviews. The young man who interviews these kids is so sincere, it’s why they feel comfortable telling him this stuff:

This is one of the best videos to ever exist. pic.twitter.com/ds90GMqH5l

— Gramps (@capetownbrown) August 5, 2022

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Steeplejack sent me this in Feb, and I swore I shared it, but I can’t find it in a post. Even if I did share it, it’s worth sharing again. Kids, man, I love seeing things through their eyes.

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Hoping this brings you as much joy as did me. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9ASRT96OMR

— My Name is not Darius (@darismcinnis) February 18, 2022

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I’m sure someone sent this to me, but I didn’t make a note!

At a high school basketball game in Michigan, both teams and the entire audience went completely silent — all to help a blind player make a shot.

Life is a team game. pic.twitter.com/BahMIVLp2g

— Goodable (@Goodable) July 10, 2022

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It just takes a moment…to change a little life:

@TaMarasKitchen Here's one for the kindness files. https://t.co/4bcoxjPL8C

— Sharon Barrett (she, her) 🌻 (@sbarrt) September 2, 2022

And this one, both kind AND adorable:

This is the cutest. Hey @TaMarasKitchen! https://t.co/k7dC2zGpwE

— Sharon Barrett (she, her) 🌻 (@sbarrt) September 3, 2022

It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that I LOVE penguins. I even brought them to the science museum where I was the education coordinator (they flew in from San Diego – and boy where their little flappers tired – 🥁🥁) and I missed the entire event because of a family matter out of state. So bummed. I heard they were a big hit and got to waddle around the entire museum. I would have loved to have had them waddle to my desk and hang out. One day I’ll get to hang out with some.

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Salt Water sent me this at the beginning of summer, and seems a good time to post it, as summer wraps up:

In Texas, a father spent years of his life building an accessible amusement park for children who have disabilities, including his own daughter.

Today, it has more than one million visitors, and any child with special needs is always admitted for free. pic.twitter.com/5y1d8aLq9s

— Goodable (@Goodable) May 12, 2022

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SiubhanDuinne sent me this so long ago, that puppy is probably the size of a horse itself now, romping around with her friend’s horses in the pastures.

And that cute pup will have to do you…I still don’t have photo updates on my critters. Jasper is doing great, probably around 130 lbs now, and I’ve got him down to two meals a day – 8 cups total, which is where he will stay. Even though his weight could be higher, with his back legs, I think keeping him on the well-fed lighter side is best for his health. He’s been a pill all week, which I take as a great sign. He’s comfortable enough to push boundaries and know he’s safe here, even if he gets scolded. Which he has been…more than once this week. LOL

Keep sending me those acts of kindness! I’m working my way through the emails and tweets … can always use more.

Acts of Kindness: Kids Bring The SmilesPost + Comments (44)

Acts of Kindness: Let The Critters Make You Smile

by TaMara| September 1, 20229:21 pm| 14 Comments

This post is in: We All Need A Little Kindness

I think a lot of these folks just sent me these to make me smile. It worked, so that’s my act of kindness today, giving you a smile or two.

Here’s video of the joy:

From Steeplejack:

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Acts of Kindness: Let The Critters Make You SmilePost + Comments (14)

Thursday Open Thread: Stacey Abrams Stomps All Over Kemp

by TaMara| September 1, 202210:45 am| 115 Comments

This post is in: 2022 Elections, Elections, Open Threads, Politics, We All Need A Little Kindness

I have a full-on kindness post for tonight, but a couple of things caught my eye this morning.

If you haven’t seen Stacey Abrams’ takedown of Kemp, watch now. From 2018 (Thanks zhena gogolia). And should have known that because I’m sure he’s too chicken shit to debate her again.

Oh my goodness watch this pic.twitter.com/JO2s52o8xN

— Ben Wexler (@mrbenwexler) August 31, 2022

Goldie's Bagels, Columbia, MO. pic.twitter.com/ec34eyfmh6

— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) August 25, 2022

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And a couple of strangers making a difference, one child at a time:

Let me tell you a story. This is Susan Lung. She taught me to read and write in a single year when I was 7 years old. I’ve been looking for Susan, hoping to thank her in person, for almost twenty years. And then she surprised me at my reading last night.

I came to the US at 1 and a half years old, but I grew up in a household that only spoke Pashto & Farsi, so when I started kindergarten, I didn’t know a word of English. I don’t think my teacher knew how to handle an ESL student. He used to punish me for not understanding his

directions. We moved a lot in those days as my father searched for work and I went to three diffrent schools in 1 year. I continued to struggled with English. Then, after first grade ended, my family went back to Afghanistan for the summer. I fell in love with Logar, but…

But I’d completely forgotten all the English I’d learned in school! I remember on the morning of my first day in 2nd grade, I could only recall 10 letters from the alaphabet. I was was way behind and on track to be left back. But then I had the fortune of meeting Ms. Lung (rest of the story here)

And this one was the perfect way to start the day:

I want to tell a story. When I was in like 3rd grade, I went with my mom while she dropped some drugs off (yes, she was). Anyways. She left me in the car. This guys comes out to “watch” me and it’s just me and him. He looks over and asks. “You don’t know what a haiku is, do you?”

— Jessie Renee (@jreneebad) August 31, 2022

Anyways. On that day he vowed to make sure I always made it to school. My mother was in her own world, doing and dealing drugs. When I tell you this guy drove me and picked me up so he KNEW I went everyday.. he literally did my homework with me.

— Jessie Renee (@jreneebad) August 31, 2022

Love you Dave. Thank you for teaching me how to change a tire, replace my brakes, watching every episode of the Simpson’s with me, saving my life literally countless times.. always said “you can have a good life in spite of your mom, or a bad 1 bc of her”. I chose the good life. pic.twitter.com/mCyXPnkjfj

— Jessie Renee (@jreneebad) August 31, 2022

There is a lot more to the story. The entire thread will make you believe in people again.

This is a completely open thread. Any other good takedowns of MAGA/GOP you’ve seen this week? Post them, and let us all savor.

Thursday Open Thread: Stacey Abrams Stomps All Over KempPost + Comments (115)

Sunday Night Open Thread: A Little Feel Good To Go Into The Week

by TaMara| August 28, 20228:31 pm| 66 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, We All Need A Little Kindness

Just a couple of nice little tidbits to send you into the new week with all the feelz:

Incredible moment at @thekillers concert last night in LA.

A fan in the crowd held up a sign “Fighting Cancer and ready to play drums on ‘Reasons’”

Lead singer @BrandonFlowers then put him on stage and the fan, wearing a Fight Cancer t-shirt, absolutely crushed it.

❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/MpTXeiybUB

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) August 28, 2022

I believe HumboldtBlue tagged me in this one:

The video that spawned the “Ichiro girl” name pic.twitter.com/xlU71QNxxE

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 27, 2022

At my house, things are still humming along smooth-ish, LOL. Though there was this:

Me: Jasper is making so much progress on not surfing the kitchen counters.

Also me: Jasper, why are you carrying a package of crackers around the living room?

ETA: I forgot I wanted to share this. Someone near me found this in her patio umbrella. She put him in the shade and once he recovered he flew off, hopefully to quieter sleeping quarters.

Sunday Night Open Thread: A Little Feel Good To Go Into The Week

This is an open thread.

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Acts of Kindness: Men Setting The Example

by TaMara| August 24, 20226:57 pm| 43 Comments

This post is in: We All Need A Little Kindness

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.

"I LOVE it! That guy (@DavidBegnaud) is so cool and good for him for painting his nails on TV. And that other guy (@nateburleson) used to play football and he sews?!? So awesome!"

–Sam's reaction upon seeing the @CBSMornings clip.

Link: https://t.co/XA4OhR8eHw

— Reproductive rights are human rights (@DaddyFiles) August 24, 2022

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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

In bottom corner I could faintly see a piece of paper with kid’s writing. I could tell it’s from my sister as the next photo is of her lovingly watching over me. As I zoomed in, I could see she wrote my name “Andy Kim” for the first time and placed it by my new eyes to see.2/10 pic.twitter.com/uUQOdGfmUd

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) July 12, 2022

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.

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Acts of Kindness: World Humanitarian Day

by TaMara| August 19, 202211:18 am| 3 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, We All Need A Little Kindness

Since I completely spaced Wednesday’s post (I was hiking all day in the mountains), here’s a bonus post for World Humanitarian Day.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Some of them wear @UNDP t-shirts.

The way these people step up & help in times of crisis warms my dino heart ❤️ Take a look at these #WorldHumanitarianDay stories from around the 🌍 for inspiration from some real-life heroes. https://t.co/VRq9uJGASQ

— Frankie The Dino (@frankiethedino) August 19, 2022

Lots of great stories at the link:

Each year on 19 August, we pay tribute to the real-life heroes who commit their lives to helping others in times of crisis. The theme for World Humanitarian Day 2022 highlights the global solidarity at the heart of humanitarian relief efforts.

With the world facing overlapping crises – from the pandemic to armed conflict, climate change and growing inequality – there has never been more people in need of emergency assistance. Just as raising a child is a community effort, an entire humanitarian network is needed to deliver lifesaving help to people in crisis and put communities on a path to recovery and resilience.

One of UNDP’s contributions to this community is our SURGE Academy, which sends trained advisors to emergency situations around the globe. It’s a critical component of UNDP’s ability to deploy the right people at the right time during or after a crisis.

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Acts of Kindness: Teacher Appreciation

by TaMara| August 10, 20228:00 pm| 48 Comments

This post is in: We All Need A Little Kindness

I have been saving these for the beginning of the school year. Thanks to everyone who sent things in. This is a quick hit today because I had a horrible migraine this week and today is my day to catch up on all the things I had to let slide.