SCV NewsBreak for Tuesday, May 21, 2013 http://t.co/cN1RDDnulg
SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: A Few Thoughts On Love and Kindness | 02-16-2013
Inside
Weather
Weather Forecast
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
May 21
1978 - St. Francis Dam site becomes a State Landmark [story]


A Few Thoughts On Love and Kindness
The Good Long Road | Commentary by Jennifer Fischer
Jennifer Fischer | Saturday, Feb 16, 2013
Get Our Free Daily Morning News Digest In Your E-Mail
Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF
Tweet This! Tweet This
Share on Facebook Facebook
Digg it! Digg This
Add to Delicious! Bookmark
Stumble it Stumble
Subscribe by RSS RSS

JenniferFischerI have been sharing with you an “ABC Adventure” of the Santa Clarita Valley, sharing about: Animals, Bicycle Trails, Central Park, Drums, Education, and Family Dinner in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This week, however, I am taking a quick break from the series to share a few thoughts about love and kindness. It only seemed appropriate on this Valentine weekend.

At the grocery store on Wednesday, I noticed several shoppers buying bouquets, cards, chocolates and such for their loved ones. I was buying key ingredients for the Valentine dinner I would be preparing – lamb sausages in honor of the favorite dish in Egypt that my husband and I often ate when we were both studying abroad there and met for the first time 13 years ago. Mostly, people seemed happy as they focused their efforts on showing their loved ones how much they mean to them.

I am sure, though, there several of us that also felt a little stress this past Thursday, I know I certainly did – not from the pressure of the dinner I wanted to make for my husband, but rather the cookies I needed to make for my son to take to his play group, and now I think how silly that I would let something like getting cookies made first thing in the morning for a 10 a.m. play group cause me stress resulting in not demonstrating or acting with love toward my family. How silly, indeed.

And how silly it is every day when we let stress infringe on our ability to treat others with love and kindness. Even strangers deserve to be treated with kindness, and I have a theory that if we all treated everyone we met with a little more kindness, we would probably feel less stressed in general, and the result would be more happiness and love in the world. A pretty good result, I think.

I have seen it work, too. At the holidays, I created a Random Acts of Kindness Adventure for my 3-year-old and watched him bring smiles to many faces – at the mini mart as he delivered a thank-you note to the cashier, at the coffee shop as he handed out candy canes to strangers and wished them Happy Holidays.

It doesn’t even need to be that particular – a smile, a few nice words, remembering our “pleases” and “thank you’s” as we go about our day, and not being so much in a rush that we cannot respond nicely and appropriately when someone engages us in conversation. These things matter.

A fellow blogger I know does an annual 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge each year, beginning on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and running through Valentine’s Day. My hunch is that focusing on 100 acts of kindness in one month at the beginning of the year starts the year off right, sets the tone and can turn acts of kindness into habits. If there is any new habit that would be a good one for us all to pick up, showing excessive kindness is a pretty good one.

fischer021513So today, this weekend and every day, I challenge myself – and you – to commit at least three or even five acts of kindness. Who knows? You might decide to bump it up to 10 soon, and before you know it, you might find yourself seeing acts of kindness everywhere.

I know when I first began the 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge of Toddler Approved, the result I least expected was the way it shifted my world view. I started noticing small acts of kindness all around me.

At a time when recent events like the massacre at Sandy Hook can provide a grim outlook, opening my eyes and seeing the kindness of others and focusing my own efforts on fostering more love and kindness in the world feels pretty good.

Please stop in at The Good Long Road Facebook page and tell me what Acts of Kindness you have witnessed or committed lately. I would love to know.

Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.

 

 

Share this story:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • MySpace
  • Delicious
Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
Commentary Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: INFO (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...

Betty Arenson

Jennifer Fischer

Carl Kanowsky

Mayor Bob Kellar

Kevin D. Korenthal

Darryl Manzer

Rep. Buck McKeon

Joe Messina

Tammy Messina

Ken Striplin

Evelyne Vandersande

Charlie Vignola

Hon. Scott Wilk

John Zaring
Related Content
 
  • ABCs of the SCV: 'O' is for Out of Town
  • ABCs of the SCV: N is for Newhall
  • Be a Light in the World
  • ABCs of the SCV: M is for Movies
  • May 3: Real Life Church Event Embraces Diversity (Video)
RECENT COMMENTARY
> MORE COMMENTARY

COEXIST is Not for Me

COEXIST is Not for Me
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
My biggest issue with many on the COEXIST side is that they are quick to let those of us who want to hold strong to our Christian beliefs just how wrong we are.
READ MORE...

American Capitalism Needs to be Repaired

American Capitalism Needs to be Repaired
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
According to Emmanuel Saez, a renowned economics professor at U.C. Berkeley, the top one percent of households captured 121 percent of all income gains between 2009 and 2011, during the first two years of the economic recovery.
READ MORE...

ABCs of the SCV: ‘O’ is for Out of Town

ABCs of the SCV: ‘O’ is for Out of Town
Saturday, May 4, 2013
I am sharing my favorite “Out of Town Adventures for the Family” this week.
READ MORE...

Terrorists Caught in U.S. Should be Tried in Federal Courts

Terrorists Caught in U.S. Should be Tried in Federal Courts
Friday, May 3, 2013
Holding American citizens who have been arrested on U.S. soil in indefinite military detention is absolutely incompatible with our values.
READ MORE...

A Good Reason to Move

A Good Reason to Move
Thursday, May 2, 2013
When I reached the bottom of the slope, I was transfixed. Above me stood an enormous eucalyptus tree with a large number of turkey vultures perched in it.
READ MORE...

City Libraries Serve Families, Students, Seniors

City Libraries Serve Families, Students, Seniors
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
If you haven’t been to the city’s libraries, I would like to encourage you to visit one soon.
READ MORE...

-->
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
SCV NewsBreak for Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The economy is looking up in our valley; an early morning crash turned a 30-minute commute into a nightmarish 3-hour trip; more.
SCV NewsBreak for Tuesday, May 21, 2013
One Valley, One Vision Plan Receives Top Honors
The One Valley, One Vision plan took the top honor in the sustainability category, which recognizes projects that: preserve rural, agricultural, recreational, and environmentally sensitive areas; focus development in urban centers and existing cities; develop strategies to accommodate growth that uses resources efficiently and minimizes pollution and waste; and use “green” development techniques.
One Valley, One Vision Plan Receives Top Honors
Today in SCV History (May 21)
1978 - St. Francis Dam site becomes a State Landmark [story]
SCV NewsBreak for Monday, May 20, 2013
In this episode: Hundreds made their way to Central Park over the weekend to help fight cancer. A Los Angeles Police Department officer from Castaic was arrested at his home Saturday for allegedly molesting two children. And more.
SCV NewsBreak for Monday, May 20, 2013
LAPD Officer from Castaic Charged with Child Molestation
A Los Angeles Police Department officer from Castaic was arrested at his home Saturday for allegedly molesting two children, according to a spokesman from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.
LAPD Officer from Castaic Charged with Child Molestation
Canyon Country Man in Court on Murder Charge
The suspect, Juan Alexander Mejia Dubon, 30, of Canyon Country, was arrested Saturday afternoon. He's due in court today.
Canyon Country Man in Court on Murder Charge
Volunteers Assemble Care Packages for Deployed Troops (Video)
“We like to step in and make sure that everybody gets something from home,” said J.D. Kennedy, American Legion Post 507 Commander. “And let them know that we're proud of you and we're ready to have you home. Just do your work and get back to us.”
Volunteers Assemble Care Packages for Deployed Troops (Video)
WorkSource Center Recruiting Candidates for Training Program
The orientation will review a new employment training program that prepares students for entry level positions in the field of commercial foodservice equipment repair and service.
WorkSource Center Recruiting Candidates for Training Program
Click It or Ticket – SCV Sheriffs Urging Everyone to Buckle Up
While this year’s Click It or Ticket campaign runs from May 20 through June 2, officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
Click It or Ticket –  SCV Sheriffs Urging Everyone to Buckle Up
Today in SCV History (May 20)
1946 - Cher, great-granddaughter of Placerita Canyon homesteader Frank Walker, born in El Centro, Calif. [story]
Today in SCV History (May 19)
1851 - San Fernando-San Francisquito-Eliz. Lake Roads become public highways [story]
Today in SCV History (May 18)
1978 - Concert scene for "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" shot at Magic Mountain [story]
Son Shoots Father Dead in Canyon Country, Detectives Seek Public’s Assistance
Officials say the suspect, 31-year-old Juan Alexander Mejia Dubon (right) arrived home Thursday night intoxicated and began to argue with his parents before shooting his father in the head.
Son Shoots Father Dead in Canyon Country, Detectives Seek Public’s Assistance
SCV NewsBreak for Friday, May 17, 2013
A brush fire charred more than 250 acres of land in Castaic, slowing traffic and threatening a nearby school; more.
SCV NewsBreak for Friday, May 17, 2013
Castaic Brush Fire Burns 575+ Acres; Evacuations Lifted (Video)
Castaic Brush Fire Burns 575+ Acres; Evacuations Lifted (Video)
Fires Prompt Air Quality Advisory
Air quality is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive individuals in the Santa Clarita Valley and portions of the San Gabriel Valley
Fires Prompt Air Quality Advisory
Man Wanted for Questioning in Canyon Country Shooting
Detectives from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station are seeking public assistance in locating Juan Alexander Mejia Dubon. Mr. Dubon may be armed. Do not approach or attempt to apprehend. Contact authorities.
Man Wanted for Questioning in Canyon Country Shooting
Today in SCV History (May 17)
1993 - Dale Poe, 61, developer of Stevenson Ranch, dies in car crash [timeline]
SCV NewsBreak for Thursday, May 16, 2013
In this episode: 39-year-old Acton resident Christopher Demyen died after he was shot in the chest and officials say Scott Shipley, 56, of Acton is the lone suspect; More than 1,000 firefighters from several different counties have been working around the clock to put out a brush fire that started in the Frazier Mountain region of the Los Padres National Forest and burned more than 3,500 acres by Thursday afternoon.
SCV NewsBreak for Thursday, May 16, 2013
Hart District Wants Its Land Back
Both of the South Summit and Hasley-Sloan properties are still owned by the Santa Clarita Valley Facilities Foundation, which was formed in 1998 to help the William S. Hart Union High School District acquire properties for new school sites, namely Golden Valley High School, among others, said Rick Patterson, a local attorney, founding member and current president of the foundation.
Hart District Wants Its Land Back
Williams Homes to Celebrate Grand Opening of Valle Di Oro in Santa Clarita
The model tour will spotlight three distinctive detached floorplans spanning approximately 1,794 to 2,375 square feet, including three to five bedrooms and up to three baths, with prices starting in the high $300,000s.
Williams Homes to Celebrate Grand Opening of Valle Di Oro in Santa Clarita
SCV Latino Chamber of Commerce CEO to Discuss Tips on Succeeding in Latino Market
Miranda’s presentation will address topics such as; how best to communicate with the Latino customer base; how attracting Latino customers can help grow your business, increase sales and improve profits; demographics of the Latino market; and how Latinos are the fastest growing purchasing population segment in the United States.
SCV Latino Chamber of Commerce CEO to Discuss Tips on Succeeding in Latino Market
Hart Board Accepting Applications for New Member
Applications are now being accepted by the Hart School District Governing Board to fill a vacancy that was created by the recent resignation of board member Paul Strickland
Hart Board Accepting Applications for New Member
SCV Senior Center Offers Free 10-Week Course for Caregivers
The course curriculum will focus on effective techniques and suggestions for caregivers, in addition to providing a forum for discussion.
| HOME | NEWS | SPORTS | BUSINESS | ENTERTAINMENT | GAME OF THE WEEK | Contact | Watch SCVTV |
SCVNews.com is another service of SCVTV: Local Television for Santa Clarita. Site contents ©SCVTV.