Kindness Reminders

I'm not comfortable with seeing anything caged in close quarters. Not a big fan of the circus, zoo, or seeing livestock in overcrowded stalls. An animal needs room to roam. Not a jail cell.

I was relieved to hear that a local kennel remodeled its boarding facility.
I've seen dogs kept in cages with little room to turn around or stand up in for days except for a morning and afternoon potty break. A dog kennel should have a climate-controlled inside that is not too big or small with easy outdoor access to a grassed backyard.

Kudos to this kennel and those like it that care about the quality of life amongst our animal friends who give us so much in return. A lot of pet boarders (much like puppy mills) are in it only for the money and the health or comfort of your pet is not considered. This particular kennel, however, is well suited for healthy boarding, socializing, and the safe care of your pet. Boycott those establishments that put profit before the welfare of your pet.

I am grateful to everyone who has left a comment about their favorite string color and what it means to them. Some of the remarks are so honest and heartfelt that I had to pause for a moment after reading them. Your thoughts from cancer survivors, those who have lost loved ones, and others struggling through difficult times, made me feel humbled. Knowing that my ring is not just used as a symbol of kindness but often as a symbol of strength has left me appreciative beyond measure. Thank you for sharing with me.

I'll close the String-Ring drawing at noon next Sunday the 14th of February, Valentine's Day. Then I'll go to random.org to get the winning number and post it. If you are not familiar with random.org, it is a service that generates a true random number after you enter the number of participants. The participants will be listed in the order they entered.

This is my favorite poem. I love it more every time I read it.

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice

Looking for my daily shot of "feel good" I clicked over to Kind Over Matter (Kind site 1) where I found Do the Deed (Kind site 2). This site exists to celebrate and inspire a movement fueled by simple acts of kindness. You get to vote for the good deed you like the most or submit your own. I couldn't choose just one so I voted for both of these:

It Just Makes Sense (from the site)
"When you park at the grocery store, grab a cart that is in the parking lot and take it with you into the store. Come on, you need one anyway. Even if you don’t need one, push it on in. The car dent you save may be your own. If someone is nearly finished unloading their groceries into their car, offer to take the cart off their hands so they don’t have to find the cart return spot. You need one anyway! Keep paying it forward!"

Goodsearch instead of Google! (from the site)

Thank you Angela F in Bangkok, Thailand for your String-Ring purchase. As part of The Help Haiti Blog Challenge String-Ring has made a $25 donation in your name to The Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Enjoy your ring and thanks for helping Haiti! p.s. cute photo!

I had heard about The Help Haiti Blog Challenge a week or so ago. But it wasn't until I read a blog post on Realize What Matters that I was inspired to do something. My bank account is "in the red" often these days and with such a huge disaster unfolding in Haiti, I didn't think there was much I could do. But then Ruby (AKA Jeanne) convinced me that I did have a blog and a product and that was all I needed.

String-Ring will donate the full cost of the next String-Ring order ($24.95) to The Red Cross on behalf of the next person who purchases a String-Ring.

This blog is centered on a theme of kindness and I'm often writing about the need for change in some of our social habits. The word "change" has become an amplified buzzword with folks ready to jump on the revolution wagon shouting it, but most remain paralyzed when it comes to actually implementing it. Do you ever wonder why? This is the question Matt Cheuvront asked some fellow bloggers. Why is change so inconvenient?

Matt's goal with his e-book called The Inconvenience of Change is to illustrate the power of community and the impact one person can make. He is offering this free e-book compiled of 38 bloggers' perspectives on change and why it can be so difficult. He requests that his readers share it which is precisely what I'm doing now.

So far in our string color inquiry poll we've received posts from nine-to-fivers, harried moms, meditators, philanthropist, and even a former Bulldog... well not exactly, a classmate from my alma mater 20+ years ago. The color choices run the gamut as well. There have been several references to current world events and the importance of being aware of the positive things going on around the globe right now and not just the negative - I couldn't agree more. A few others mentioned using the string color as a teaching tool, a souvenir to mark time well spent with friends on travel adventures, and tying the reminders into Bible studies.

So far, the most popular colors appear to be Red/Pink (kindness) and Black (harmony). But Blue (patience) and Yellow (optimism) aren't falling too far behind. And Green/Brown have yet to receive any votes! This survey leaves me lonely for my fellow nature-lovers, tree-huggers, moonlight admirers...

Great comments people! So far black appears to be the color of choice by most (harmony). And green/brown (respect) has no votes. Where are all the nature lovers? Calling all treehuggers!!! We need your vote!

Great nuggets of wisdom left by several of you. Many would use the Kindness Ring to help achieve goals for the new year. I am enjoying reading each one and loving the diversity! Good Luck All!

Don't forget to leave your email if you don't log in. I need a way to reach you should you win. If you haven't entered yet, see the post below for your chance to win a String-Ring in our second anniversary Share the Love Giveaway to be held on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010.

“There is no demand for your product.” “The economy is bad for non-essential items.” “Do you know that the vast majority of home based businesses fail?” These are just a few of the comments I heard heading into the making of String-Ring. In lieu of the hard economic times, this February we'll begin our third year in business. And we are celebrating by offering one participant a free String-Ring on Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14.

To enter: (1) Go to the Color Codes tab and click to view the 10 different string color meanings. (2) Select the one you feel most suits you best and use the Add New Comment below on this page to tell us why. (3) Don't forget to either log in first OR type your email in the comments box so I can contact you if you win. The winner will be chosen via random.org on Valentine's Day 2010. One entry per person please. Help us "Share the Love"