I believe that love in action heals not only the world but that it also heals our hearts. I have always been an ultra-sensitive, empathic, energy-absorbing human who has suffered tremendously because of all the negativity surrounding me at all times. I grew up in a neglectful environment and because of a complete lack of boundaries, I ended up attracting one narcissist after the other. And, repeat. The typical doormat absorbing everybody’s dirt, always ready for more dirt. I just didn’t know any better.
The Kindness Podcast is on a mission to teach the world about the transformative power of kindness! Enjoy my conversation with Nicole Phillips. Nicole Phillips is a champion for using kindness to overcome all of life’s difficulties, including her own battle with breast cancer. She spreads the message of the healing power of kindness through her public speaking and weekly column, Kindness is Contagious, which runs in newspapers in North Dakota and Minnesota. She is also the author of the book, Kindness is Contagious: 100 Stories to Remind You God is Good and So are Most People.
As I’ve lived through these first months in the new reality of the Coronavirus, like many of us I felt blindsided by grief. After all, my whole life has been devoted to helping people through personal connection so that they would discover their passions, and live them out to the full while meeting their healthcare and nutritional needs. How can I possibly carry on this connection and forge new bonds virtually? How can I continue to connect people to their own glow when connections with human beings are life-threatening at this hour?
I met with the brutally exhausted, heartbroken gaze of an emaciated, heavily decorated horse pulling a cart full of happy people uphill. The driver beat the horse relentlessly to make the horse pull that impossible weight. Ironically, the horse donned colorful fabric, perhaps for a tour or a wedding-party ride. But I believe the decorations might have also been a way to cover up the horse’s bruises and wounds.
The people on the cart nonchalantly took photos of their surroundings, oblivious to the abuse. If I had a better grasp of Arabic––I’d only taken a 6-month course in college––I’d have stepped up and said something to stop the brutality. I could have yelled something in English, or French, but, honestly, I froze in the shadow of such unspeakable cruelty.
Laura Formentini will write a book about inspirational stories that have transformed the lives of sponsored children with support from Plan International USA (http://www.planusa.org). Ms. Formentini will shed light on untold stories of the positive impact of child sponsorship, giving a global perspective to the benefits of sponsorship and how they have affected the farthest-flung parts of the world, including Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The focus will be on once-sponsored adults and the positive impact the experience has had on their lives and communities.
We have been trying to make the best of the situation. In the U.S. where Jon and I have been fundraising, things have started to take shape and we have joined forces with not only GlobalGiving, but several other heads of successful sanctuaries and sought professional consultation in our weak areas. We’ve also had several successful collaborations with musicians in raising funds through their music. Thanks to V.K. Lynne, The Lumberjax, and Joe Bresler. We are also actively recruiting teachers and volunteers for our educational division including animal welfare courses and discussing potential collaboration with several foundations worldwide.
