Jessica L Gardner

Making the world kinder everyday.

  • Happiness is the Truth

    I’m sure I’m late to this party, but have you heard Happy by Pharrell Williams?

    Honestly, you can’t possibly help but wanting to hop up out of your seat and start dancing to this simple, yet brilliant, song.

    This morning I discovered that Pharrell Williams has created a 24-hour video of his song featuring people from all walks of life lip-syncing and dancing to his son. You must watch it here. What I love about it is how you can fast forward to any moment in the day and find someone singing, dancing, and exhibiting pure joy. Trust me, this is worth playing around in for a few minutes this morning.

    Alternatively, if you want to see a traditional music video for the song, you can watch it below.

    Pharrell’s got it right: happiness is the truth.

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  • Facebook is Messing With Blogs . . . Again

    Facebook is Messing With Blogs . . . Again

    You may have recently heard about some of the changes happening on Facebook. I know, I know. Changes on Facebook? I must be kidding. But it’s true. And this time, they’re screwing with fan pages and that means they’re screwing with your favorite blog – Little Merry Sunshine.

    Here’s the short story: Facebook has changed its algorithm in give you more news you “want” in your Newsfeed.

    On the surface, that sounds like a good thing. But I know you know the old saying about things seeming too good to be true. What they really mean by giving you what you “want” is that you’ll continue to see posts from friends you interact with (don’t ask me what that means because I don’t have the foggiest idea how they measure that and how much interaction is enough to warrant appearing in your newsfeed regularly). Again, this is a good thing.

    But there’s a catch. They also mean you will see more promoted posts, which are posts that page owners pay for you to see. So, you’ve liked Little Merry Sunshine’s Facebook page because (shock!) you want to receive updates about what’s happening on the blog and interact with other LMS fans, but Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that unless I pay them for the privilege of pushing LMS’s content out to you (which again, you’ve said you want), Facebook will only allow a smidgen of you to see it.

    And that sucks.

    What can be done? I’m glad you asked. There are a few ways to get around this craziness happening on Facebook. I’ve ranked them in order of ease to connect and to stick it to Mark Zuckerberg.

    1. Sign up for Little Merry Sunshine emails. You’ll receive an email each time I post on the blog. I promise that I’ll never spam you, I won’t give out or sell your email address, and you can opt out at any time.
    2. Follow me on Twitter.  I always tweet when I post, so you’ll get notified then. Added bonus: We can tweet back and forth. Added bonus #2: You’ll get to see pics of Sammy and Zoey, my kittens, and some pics of awesome meals I cook or have in restaurants. Because you never see those things on Twitter. If you like Sammy and Zoey, you can also follow their meows (they don’t tweet, they meow).
    3. Like Little Merry Sunshine’s Facebook Page AND Choose to “Follow” the Page. I recommend this over Option 4 below because it’s not so intrusive in your Facebook world and possibly disappointing as Option 4.
      1. Visit the Little Merry Sunshine Facebook Page.
      2. If you haven’t done so (and why haven’t you?), “Like” the page.
      3. Click the button to the right of the “Like” button and make sure it says “Following” not “Follow.” If it doesn’t, click “Follow” and it will change to “Following.”
    4. Like Little Merry Sunshine’s Facebook Page AND Choose “Get Notifications.” Downside: Each time I post, you’ll receive a little red dot in the upper corner of on your Facebook page letting you know that I’ve posted something sometimes funny and always brilliant, but you’ll probably think someone comment on your brilliant post and you’ll be slightly disappointed that it’s me, not you. If you’re cool with this, then please choose this option.
      1. Visit the Little Merry Sunshine Facebook Page
      2. If you haven’t done so already, click “Like.”
      3. Hover your mouse over the “Liked” button that is checked just below the LMS cover photo. You’ll see a drop down menu.
      4. In the drop down menu, click “Get Notifications.”

    Yes, this all sounds complicated and for that I’m incredibly sorry. I promise it’s not very complicated though and once you choose to be connected in one of the ways above, you shouldn’t have to go through this again. Well, until Facebook makes more changes next week. KIDDING. I know nothing of further planned changes. Heck, I knew nothing about these changes. And that’s what makes this whole cat and mouse game so exciting.

    You have no idea how much it means to me that you read Little Merry Sunshine and how much I wish we didn’t have to all go through this stuff. Sure, this is absolutely a First World Problem and I know there are far bigger problems in the world, but I still feel bad that Facebook is making it difficult to stay connected.

    Like the Little Merry Sunshine Facebook Page to receive updates and join the conversation. Tweet with me on Twitter.

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  • 2014 Theme: Celebrate Life

    As 2013 came to a close and 2014 began, I spent some time thinking about resolutions and where and who I want to be on December 31, 2014.

    • Do I want to lose weight, exercise more, and eat better? Without a doubt.
    • Do I want to continue to have new experiences? Definitely.
    • Do I want to go professionally and personally? Absolutely.
    • Do I want to continue performing Random Acts of Kindness? Of course.
    • Do I want to spend more time with my family and friends? Certainly.
    • Do I want to write more and even start the book that’s rattling around in my head? Yes.
    • Do I want to be a better, happier version of me? Hell Ya.

    All of these ideas are wonderful and I can certainly create individual resolutions for each of them, but resolutions don’t really excite me. I have found that I start strong with my resolutions and somewhere along the way, I lose momentum and motivation. I go to the gym enthusiastically for a few weeks, get sick (not related to going to the gym) or super busy at work, stop going while I get well or until the work conflicts end, and then struggle to get back to the gym. You know what I’m talking about, right?

    Then it hit me: 2014 doesn’t need resolutions, it needs a theme. A theme that excites me and that I can use as a filter for making decisions.

    Celebrate Life.

    Simple, right?

    I can do this in an endless number of ways. By going to the gym, eating better, sleeping more, drinking more water, writing, hanging out with my family and friends, growing personally and professionally, stepping outside of my comfort zone with more new experiences, performing Random Acts of Kindness, and more.

    I can easily decide whether to do something or not by asking myself, “Does doing X help me Celebrate Life?” Yes? Do it. No? Skip it.

    Will you join me in Celebrating Life in 2014? How you do it is up to you. You can use some of the ideas I’ll talk about here or you can create your own. However you choose to Celebrate Life, I hope we can share our experiences.

    To that end, I’m doing a few things to keep the theme alive and make it easy for us to share how we Celebrate Life.

    First, I’ve created a hashtag #CelebrateLife. Just mark your tweets and Facebook posts with #CelebrateLife to keep the conversation going. Post how you Celebrate Life on the Little Merry Sunshine Facebook page. Post comments to Celebrate Life posts here on the blog. Write about how you Celebrate Life on your own blog, let me know and I’ll link to it.

    Second, I’m incorporating an idea I found on the It’s a Lovely Life Facebook page. What I love about this idea is that it will give us a tangible way of seeing how we Celebrate Life. You’ll need a jar, any kind will do, and little pieces of paper. I suppose you’ll need a pen, crayon, marker, colored pencil, or #2 pencil as well. Decorate the jar if you’d like, although it’s not required.

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    Picture used with permission of Heather Reese from It’s a Lovely Life, although she is not the originator of the photo. If this picture belongs to you, please contact me and I’ll gladly give you credit.

    I’m going to use the jar to document how I Celebrate Life this year, including what I’m grateful for. Gratitude begets gratitude and is key to Celebrating Life. Every so often, maybe when I need a pick-me-up or just whenever I am so inclined, I’ll open up the jar and recall all the ways I’ve Celebrated Life so far.

    Will you join me in Celebrating Life in 2014?

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  • 2013 Year in Review

    2013 has been an incredible year for me, full of personal and professional growth, 100 new experiences, and so much more. Before 2013 expires and we ring in 2014, I thought it would be fun to reflect on my favorite parts of 2013. A 2013 Year in Review.

    I have much to be grateful for, including incredible friends and family. You’ll notice that nothing in my list is a “thing.” The best parts of 2013 were the experiences I had. Sure, I got some cool stuff too. For example, I bought myself a Jawbone UP24 and you know I love it. But it’s not really the Jawbone UP24 I love as much as how it lets me track my sleep and exercise and it’s motivating me to get healthier. It’s the experience of getting healthier that is the best part of the Jawbone UP24.

    Thank you for being part of my year. I’m incredibly grateful that you choose to spend some of your free time (surely, you never read LMS at work) reading my blog. If I had one picture with the millions of Little Merry Sunshine readers that picture would lead the gallery of 2013 Year in Review highlights.

     

     

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  • I Can’t Save the World, But I Can Make a Difference

    All December long, I’ve joined my friend Stacy and many other people in performing Random Acts of Kindness. It’s so popular, in fact, that it’s got its own hashtag: #31RAOK, which stands for 31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness.

    My acts have included things like run by my mom’s house to give her a kiss good night and tell her I love her to giving a homeless man a McDonald’s gift card to giving a co-worker two tickets to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library.

    This past week, I attended the CASE District V Annual Conference in Chicago for work and planned three days of #31RAOK during my stay. I was taking a page out of my social media friend Scott’s playbook and feeding the homeless. On Thanksgiving, Scott and his wife made a huge feast with all the expected sides and dessert, packaged it all up in individual serving containers, added bottled water and utensils to each bag and went out on that bitter cold night to feed the homeless in Chicago. Bravo Scott!

    I stocked up to supply three meal bags – one for each day of the conference – and planned to go out during my lunch break daily to feed a homeless person. Each meal bag contained a bottle of Gatorade, two PB&J sandwiches, two apples, a juice box, a bag of popcorn, two boxes of raisins, three peppermint brownies, two candy canes, napkins, two Chapsticks, and the free toiletries from my hotel room. The toiletries were a surprise bonus. I hadn’t thought of them until I walked into my hotel room and saw them in the bathroom.

    Unfortunately, on my first two attempts to give out the meal bags, I was unable to find any homeless people. Let me be clear about this. I’m not saying there were no homeless people in Chicago because that is not the case. I just couldn’t find them on the Magnificent Mile and in the Streeterville neighborhood where my conference was held. I sent a text to a friend asking where I might find them. She pointed out that we were having a decent size snow storm and it was pretty bitterly cold, so they were either in warming shelters or huddled in Lower Wacker. Good points.

    On my final day in Chicago, I was determined to pass out at least one of the meal bags. I remembered that on the previous Friday night, I’d seen three homeless people by Ogilvie Transportation Center, so I headed straight there on my way out of the city.

    There is really only one way to drive to Ogilvie Transportation Center from Streeterville if you want to get there with any speed. Lower Wacker Drive. I’d never driven it before. I took a deep breath, clutched my steering wheel, said a quick prayer, channeled Jake and Elwood, and hopped on the Drive. (New Experience #160 DONE!)

    Less than 5 minutes later, I had safely arrived back above ground and found a homeless man. I whipped my car over to a bus stop, hopped out with a meal bag, and walked up to him with my arm outstretched, handed the man the bag, told him I hoped he found a warm bed that night and turned to get back into my car.

    He started to follow me.

    “Thank you, Ma’am. Thank you so much. I used to have a gold carat watch, you know. I had nice things. Have you ever seen a $1,000 bill?”

    “I’m sure you had nice things and that stylish watch. I’m sorry you don’t still have them. No. I’ve never seen a $1,000 bill.”

    “Me neither. But I saw a $100 bill once.”

    “Find a warm place to sleep tonight. There’s enough food in that bag for a few meals.”

    “God Bless You, Ma’am.”

    And I got back into my car. As I settled back in and the heat started blowing on me, I realized how I could have achieved my goal of providing meal bags for three people. I could have taken a cab from my hotel to the train station, passed out the meals, and taken a cab back to my hotel. Ugh.

    At least I fed one person and helped him remember that people do care and want to help.

    All it takes is one person doing one nice thing to make a difference that means the world to someone.

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  • Jawbone UP24 Knows Me Better Than I Know Myself

    Exactly one week ago, I purchased a Jawbone UP24. For the uninitiated, the Jawbone UP24 is a bracelet that tracks your every movement and your sleep habits. It will also track what I eat and drink, my weight, and my mood, if I choose to let it and I input that information. It syncs with my iPhone and shows me in real time where I’m at for the day, based on goals I set. I can also create a “team” of my friends who also use Jawbone and we can keep each other motivated.

    Honest to God, getting active and sleeping well have never been so much fun.

    The step tracking is awesome. On Monday, I walked 10,729 steps, exceeding my goal by 729 steps.

    By far, however, the sleep tracking is the best feature of the Jawbone UP24. It tracks what time I go to bed, how long it takes me to fall asleep, how much light sleep and deep sleep I get, and how many times I wake up during the night. Again, I’ve set a goal and I can see how close I come to my achieving my goal each morning.

    In each category Jawbone tracks, it also measures trends which gives me incredible insights into my habits and how I’m feeling.

    For example, yesterday, I woke up with a horrible migraine. I could look at the tracking and see that I’d had a horrible night of sleep on Monday night, even though I went to bed at about 9pm and had a very active day on Monday. I’d woken up six or seven times during the night and most of the night was spent in light sleep.

    I’ve only had the Jawbone for a week and this is just the first major migraine I’ve had with it, but I love that I can see if there are any trends related to the migraines I’ve suffered since I was 6 years old that maybe my doctor hasn’t thought of.

    This could be huge.

    Every few days, Jawbone UP24 challenges me with “Today I will” challenges. I can choose to accept the challenge or not. Yesterday’s challenge was to get to bed by 9:25 p.m. Why 9:25? Jawbone decided that based on how long it takes me to get to sleep and the time I usually get up in the morning, I needed to go to bed at that time in order to be at my best in the morning.

    I chose to accept the 9:25 p.m. bedtime challenge (NOTE: Mom, if only there had been Jawbone technology when I was a kid, we’d have avoided many arguments about me wanting to stay up late and getting up all night long, pissing you off.). All day, I wondered how I’d manage to get to bed so early. I was coming home from a conference, had laundry to do, Christmas cards, bills to pay, and work to do for my job. I stressed about how I’d fit it all in.

    Finally around 6:00 last night I decided to let go of my anxiety and that getting to bed on time was more important than getting all those things done. So I did some writing, had dinner, organized myself for getting back to the office today, and was in bed by 9:10 p.m. Yay me!

    Fast forward to this morning, although I was in bed for 9 hours and 14 minutes, I only slept a total of 5 hours and 32 minutes. That was split pretty evenly between light sleep and deep sleep. The rest of the time? Well, it took me almost 90 minutes to fall asleep and then I woke up six times. Seriously. Six times. That meant I was awake for 3 hours and 42 minutes.

    Even though I obviously got a crappy night of sleep (that’s a medical term, y’all), I actually felt pretty darn good and energized this morning. I learned that having a set bed time that is early enough for my body to properly wind down is important and leaves me feeling better rested than going to bed late, even if I ultimately get exactly the same amount of sleep.

    Because of my early bedtime victory yesterday, Jawbone suggested I do it again tonight. Before remembering it was Blogapalooza, I accepted the challenge. My friend Amy accepted her Jawbone challenge to go to bed by 10:35 tonight, but she wanted to get to sleep earlier, so we traded. To her credit, she was in bed by 7:30. I’ll be in bed by 10:35 without question, but I’ve spent the last 90 minutes yawning uncontrollably.

    The biggest thing I learned today is that after only one week together, Jawbone knows me far better than I know myself.

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  • Changing Lives With McDonald’s Hamburgers

    Never in my entire life did I think I’d type the words that appear in the headline of this post. Given all the bad press McDonald’s has received recently, it’s almost difficult to believe that McDonald’s can change lives for the better, but that’s just what happened on Friday night.

    I had just walked out into the brisk wind outside of Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, on my way to the Civic Opera House for a performance of Die Fledermaus, when I saw a homeless man standing on the corner of  Madison and Canal Streets. As I waited for the light to change so I could cross Canal, I heard him speaking with a man about how he just wanted to get a hot meal that night. The man he spoke to was polite, but clearly wasn’t going to help him.

    The light changed and I started to cross the street when I remembered the McDonald’s gift card I’d purchased earlier in the week intending to give it to someone when I was in Chicago that night. I like to help homeless people because we live in a society that has so much, yet so many have so little and it pains me to see so many people in need. I pulled the card out of the back pocket of my jeans, turned back towards the man with my hand extended, looked him in the eyes, and told him to get a hot meal tonight and that I hoped he’d be able to find a warm bed.

    To say he was startled would be an understatement. Initially without words, he just looked at me in silent shock and a little confusion.

    “It’s a McDonald’s gift card,” I told him.

    “Thank you and God Bless you,” he repeatedly replied as he choked up.

    I smiled and crossed the street.

    As I reached the far side of Canal Street, I noticed another homeless man and felt bad I had nothing for him. If I could help everyone in need, I would. Just then, a woman walking briskly towards me slowed, handed the second homeless man a McDonald’s bag, and kept walking to cross the street headed for the train station. She had two and she gave him one. Although they exchanged no words, I could feel and see his gratitude.

    He opened the bag and started dancing and singing, “Hot food! Hot food!” With the excitement on his face and in his voice, he looked like a child on Christmas morning.

    I walked another 10 or 20 feet and turned around to watch his joy from afar and to see if the woman gave the second bag to anyone. I couldn’t believe I’d just seen this incredible random act of kindness on the heels of my own random act of kindness.

    At that moment, I spotted a third homeless man standing against an office building on the corner about five feet from the second man. I’m not sure if the building was holding him up, but from the look of desperation and disappointment on his face, I’d say it was a good bet. He’d just seen two men receive meals from strangers and he clearly had no hopes of a hot meal that night.

    But I wasn’t the only one who spotted the third homeless man.

    Mr. Happy Dance had spotted him too and walked over, pulling a burger out of his bag, and gave it to the third man.

    In the hustle and bustle of our overly scheduled world where we’re all multi-tasking and often not noticing what happens right in front of us, I was reminded of the beauty and generosity we’re always surrounded by and that for the price of a few McDonald’s hamburgers, we can change lives.

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  • Spreading Kindness During the Holidays is Spreading

    Have you heard the news? Random Acts of Kindness are popping up everywhere!

    In just the first five days of December, I’ve heard of many stories of people showing kindness and it’s quite inspiring.  Let’s take a look.

    Doesn’t that excite and inspire you? The inspiration is just beginning.

    Over at Cheaper Than Therapy, another ChicagoNow blog, she’s teaching her kids about spreading kindness through their Advent Calendars.  Her 11-year-old made five calendars, following her instructions, and then she wrote in acts of kindness on all the calendars for each day, December 1st through December 25th. Her “rule” is that each child must complete his or her act of kindness by the end of the day. I love it.

    Speaking of Advent Calendars, there’s an Advent Calendar website, called The Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar, appropriately enough, where you can sign up for and each day until Christmas you’ll be emailed an act of kindness to perform that day. They’d also like you to report back to the site that you completed your act of kindness so they can tally up all the acts this month. I signed up for the email a couple of days ago and, although I’m not necessarily performing each act each day (because I’ve also got a list of my own), I’m saving the ideas for later use.

    You must be excited to spread kindness now.

    Keep spreading kindness and sharing your stories. Are you receiving any Random Acts of Kindness? I’d love to hear about those too.

    Remember, what we put out into the Universe will also come back to us. Maybe not immediately, but when you need it and are least expecting it, the Universe will respond.

    Don’t forget to enter the #31RAOK Big Giveaway! You’ve got til 5pm CT on Friday, December 6th to enter.

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  • The LMS #31RAOK Big Giveaway!

    The LMS #31RAOK Big Giveaway!

    After days of promising the LMS first ever #31RAOK Big Giveaway, I hope you can feel the excitement in the air and buzz as rumors float wildly around about what I’m giving away to one lucky reader.

    Is it an all expenses paid vacation? No. Sorry.

    Is it a car? Again, I’m really sorry, but I’m not Oprah. Yet.

    Is it dinner with me? While that would be the best giveaway ever, that has to wait for another day.

    So what am I giving away for today’s Random Act of Kindness?

    Little Merry Sunshine is giving away 2 tickets to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library in Springfield, Illinois!

    The tickets have a $24 value and have no expiration date.

    At the ALPML, you can learn about President Lincoln’s presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, how he saved the Union, his life as an attorney, growing up in a one-room log cabin (you thought your first efficiency apartment was small). You’ll meet President and Mrs. Lincoln, walk through the Lincoln White House and witness his cabinet debate the Emancipation Proclamation, and experience life in the early 1800s. You’ll also meet “Albert Cashier,” a Union solider from Illinois who was actually Jennie Hodgers, a woman. You can also head over to the library and do some research on your family genealogy. The museum takes advantage of all of today’s technology to make the experience truly interactive and as real as possible. My favorite part was the Meet the Press with Tim Russert (!) 1860 campaign special.

    I visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library a few weeks ago for the first time and didn’t want to leave. Of course, like every kid growing up in Illinois, I’d studied President Lincoln and I’d been to Springfield as a kid. When I lived in Washington, D.C. I visited Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House across the street. On top of all that, I’m a history nut and love to read and study history. None of it prepared me for what I experienced at the Museum. I simply cannot recommend a trip to the museum and library highly enough.

    So how do you get entered in the LMS #31RAOK Big Giveaway? It’s super easy.

    1. Comment on this post using your real name (not your Facebook fan page name, if you’re a blogger) by 5pm Friday, December 6th (CT).

    From all the comments, I’ll draw a winner over the weekend and announce the winner here and on the Little Merry Sunshine Facebook Page (you’re a fan, right?). The winner will need to then email me their snail mail address and I’ll drop the tickets in the mail.

    Easy peasy, right?

    You know there’s some small type coming with the disclaimers, so here they are:

    Comment as many times as you’d like, but you’ll only be entered in the drawing one time. Family members (immediate or otherwise) of me are not eligible to win (sorry Mom). LMS takes no responsibility for what happens once the USPS gets their hands on the tickets and also takes no responsibility if you lose the tickets. LMS will not cover any travel costs to Springfield, nor can we guarantee well behaved children. There is no cost to enter this contest, nor can I be bribed to give you the tickets. Your odds of winning are dependent upon how many unique people comment. The way that will be calculated is 1/X, where X is equal to the number of unique commenters to this post.

    Questions? Post a comment and I’ll reply.

    And don’t forget, you can’t win, if you don’t play.

    If the #31RAOK Big Giveaway is a hit, I may be inspired to do this again in the future.

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  • Giving Tuesday 2013

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    Image from GivingTuesday.org

    Are you familiar with Giving Tuesday?

    Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a response to the hyper-consumerism of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday and to encourage a mass movement to put the “giving” back into the holiday season. The idea is to take one day to give to non-profit organizations. I wrote about Giving Tuesday last year in a post titled Giving Tuesday: The Way to Truly Celebrate the Season and shared ideas for how you could give that would not just make you feel good, but would also create impact.

    In honor of Giving Tuesday and also for today’s Random Act of Kindness, I’ve chosen to donate to three charities that each hold a special place in my heart because I’ve seen first hand how they change lives.

    First, I’ve donated to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. For the past three years, doctors and nurses at this incredible hospital have loved and cared for the son of a childhood friend of mine with a rare disorder. In his short life, his medical team has performed miracle after miracle, but sadly a month ago, it was determined that there’s nothing more that can be done for him and he’s now in hospice. During it all, my friend has been an incredible advocate and mother for her son and has never once lost hope. The care that she has received not only for her son from the loving staff, but also for herself, have made what I can only imagine to be one of life’s most difficult journeys as peaceful and good as it can be. I gave today in honor of both my friend and her son, so that research can continue into his illness to hopefully find a cure for this horrible disorder, and that until then, families get the care and support they need.

    Second, I’ve donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Almost 43 years ago, my cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia and given about 18 months to live. His parents drove from their home in Virginia to St. Jude’s in Memphis (most of our family lives just 60 miles south in Batesville, MS) in an effort to save his life. Back then, kids diagnosed with Leukemia did not live very long and it was expected that my cousin would be no exception. My cousin ended up living until he was 13. During the 12 years from his diagnosis until his death, he had some of the first bone marrow treatments ever given to children, among other experimental treatments that are now standard operating procedure to treat childhood cancers. His legacy lives on not only through these now routine treatments, but also through the St. Jude’s logo. He was their model. What I love most about St. Jude’s is their policy to treat all children, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. You can read a post I wrote a few years ago about my cousin here.

    Finally, I support my alma mater, Lake Forest College. When I was looking at colleges just a couple of years ago, I had my pick because I had the grades and extracurriculars to go anywhere I desired. What I didn’t have was money. Thanks to an incredibly generous financial aid package that was mostly loan free, LFC made it possible for me to obtain a high quality education in the style in which I learned best. I never had a TA or sat in a class with more than 40 students. I developed relationships with classmates and faculty members that have lasted more than two decades. LFC gave me opportunities to grow and stretch and become a leader and it also gave me a safe space to learn the value of failing. I had all the experiences I needed to make me the person I am today. Higher education is a lot different today than it was back then when we still used typewriters. Through my regular donations, I want to make sure that today and tomorrow’s students have the opportunities they need to navigate the world as it currently exists and the ways in which it will change that we can’t even imagine yet without worrying about how they’ll afford it all.

    I encourage you to perform a Random Act of Kindness today for Giving Tuesday and hope you’ll share it with me in the comments. Use the hashtags #31RAOK and #GivingTuesday.

    By the way, my #31RAOK for yesterday was stopping by my mom’s house about 10:00 last night to say good night to her, give her a hug and a kiss, and tell her I love her.

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