Tonight I put on a podcast as I tackled the dishes in the sink (yes, we have a dishwasher, but my germaphobe husband doesn’t trust it, long story), so I chose the latest episode of the TED Radio Hour. The first segment tells a story about a firefighter showing up for his first fire. By the end of the 5 minute clip, I was crying into my sink because it so perfectly described how I feel about Operation NICE. I hope that you’ll give it a listen.

Check out Mark Bezos’ full TED Talk here:

All acts of kindness matter. From donating a kidney to buying a stranger a cup of coffee. Don’t wait for the huge opportunities. Act now.

First off, apologies for the dorky pun. I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Mine has had some bright spots and not so bright spots, but after getting over a cold from the past weekend, I’m thrilled to have use of both my nostrils again. Silver lining.

As I was scouring the web for goodness the other day, I found this blog post by Dion McGill, and educator in Chicago. It is the perfect tale of how a small act of kindness can make a humongous impact on someone.

Originally posted on November 11, 2016:

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been having a rough couple of days.  I’ll blog more about that later.  However, this afternoon, I was reminded how small acts of kindness can go an exceptionally long way.

Today is Veteran’s Day, and fortunately, I’m off work today.  I’m also a veteran.  Unfortunately, I feel like I’m so behind on work that I decided to spend the day playing catch up.  So, I started my morning sitting in a Starbucks, with a drink and vigorously deleting emails, and replying to others, and setting dates in my planner.  The part of my job that I like the least.  I’m such a teacher.  Paperwork sucks….teaching young minds…now that’s magic, and I never tire doing that.

I told myself that I would without a doubt take some time today to train Jiu Jitsu, which I did in Lincoln Square.  Following training, I decided to return to my previous activities, and walked down the street to the local Starbucks.  It was at this point, that my day was made.

As I was approaching the door, a pretty young woman was also approaching.  I had my headphones in.  I’m not much in a mood to engage with people today.  The last few days have been stressful…I’m sure you understand.  However, I quickened my pace lightly so that I could open the door for her.  As I pivoted, pulling the door behind me, I noticed that she was saying something.  Human voices are often drowned out by Slipknot blasting at full volume.

I paused my music, smiled, and said “Excuse me?”, to which she replied “I said something smells really good!”

“Why yes it does!” and I chuckled, and we entered the establishment.  I moved over to an empty table and dropped my bag and coat.  I then slowly glided over to the line area.  At this point, I was at the end of a line of about 6 people,and the young lady was at the front.

I grabbed a sandwhich from the cold case, and looked up, to see the woman waving me over.

I was a little bewildered, and squeezed past the people up to the woman.  I thought maybe I’d dropped something, or someone had grabbed my bag and spirited out the door.  I normally am a rather optimistic person, but my spirit was low today.

“I want to treat you today.”  she said matter of factly.

“There’s no need for that”  I responded.  It was the first thing that came to mind.

“There doesn’t have to be a need. I want to.  You have a kind smile and face.”

Wow.  How often do we say that to each other?    At that point, I couldn’t help but smile more.  It was at that moment I think I really noticed her smile, and her eyes, her friendly demeanor and pleasant nature.

I thanked her.  I was humbled.  I really didn’t know what to say.  But I immediately noticed how my mood immediately lifted, and how my fake smile was now a real smile.  We introduced ourselves. We chit chatted.  We eventually came to the conclusion that we both work for nonprofits, and actually may have overlap in our work that may create a perfect occasion to partner together.  We exchanged cards.  Finally, upon receiving our drinks and my sandwich, we exchanged pleasantries and a hug.

Prior to parting company…I asked if I could take a picture.

“Are we going to take a selfie?”

“Yes…I’m going to put you in my blog.”

“Sure…as long as you don’t tell a story about this crazy lady in Starbucks.”

Absolutely not. It will be very pleasant.

And so we smiled and posed.

This is my new friend Tee. She bought me a grande Green Tea Latte and a Thanksgiving Turkey Panini.  She made my day.  She lifted my spirits on a day when they were at their murkiest.  She reminded me that no matter what challenges we face, there are tons of super good people in this world.  She reminded me that relatively small acts can have a huge impact.  She gave me a much needed hug.

Thank you Tee.  Today was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Tee had no idea just how much Dion needed a compassionate gesture at the time. In a day and age where it seems as if most people avoid small talk by staring at their devices, Tee reached out and made real human contact. Thank goodness for people like Tee! And thank you, Dion, for letting me share your testimonial!

If you have your own NICE Testimonial to share, please submit your story! We’re always looking for examples of how someone’s kindness made your day!

North Carolina sisters, Raegan (12) and Avery Cupp (10), often perform Random Acts of Kindness for people, but their recent venture has really taken off.

Raegan, who was inspired to help others after being diagnosed with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis, said, “Once you see the people’s reaction to random acts of kindness it just makes you want to keep doing it.“

To find out how you can help out Raegan and Avery, click here for more information

It’s been a tough few weeks. The United States feels more divided than ever, and I’ve even been seeing groups that were formed around a positive goal arguing amongst themselves. While it’s encouraging to see people passionately fighting for what they believe in, I think many of us, myself included, could use this little reminder:

Niceness is priceless.

I wrote that slogan on a big piece of poster board and paraded around Washington DC with it back at the 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity, but it feels even more necessary today.

We need to fight the hatred with kindness and tolerance and love, not more hatred. So as you scroll through Facebook or Twitter or, god help you, news comment sections, I hope you’ll keep this little phrase in the back of your mind.

To help you remember it, I created these desktop and mobile wallpapers. Feel free to download them, share them, stare at them for hours on end until you feel the words penetrate your soul. You know, whatever. 

There are two color options for those that prefer lighter or darker wallpapers. 

Download them here:
Desktop - lighter version
Desktop - darker version
Mobile - lighter version
Mobile - darker version

Williamson County Schools in Tennessee have a motto we can all get behind. “Be nice.” Two years ago, a group of high school students and staff began working on an initiative to encourage kindness throughout their school, and it began with the simple, yet direct, slogan. 

And now, what started with t-shirts and posters around the hallways, could end up on vehicles across the state, not to mention wherever they might be driving to. Thanks to the help of Senator Jack Johnson, parents of children in the school district got the license plate design approved by state legislature. 

In order to begin production, they need to pre-sell 1000 plates. With $12 of each sale going to the Williamson County Schools’  “Be Nice” campaign, it hopefully won’t take long to get there. I look forward to seeing these on the road!

Story appeared in The Tennessean.

I started Operation NICE back in July 2009 because I wanted to force myself to focus on the good in the world by researching and blogging about it. To be honest, it was initially a selfish endeavor which quickly turned into an amazing community of nice people who needed the same thing that I did. After a few wonderful years, I decided to put Operation NICE on hiatus so I could focus on other pieces of my life, but year after year, I kept renewing the domain because I didn’t want it to disappear completely. It was too important to me.

Fast forward to 2016, a pretty craptastic year when you think about all of the heart-breaking, news-dominating events that have taken place. From bombings to mass shootings. From bigotry to hatred. How does one stay optimistic about humanity amongst the overwhelming negativity?

This past weekend, after sharing yet another horrific news story with my husband, Rob, he told me to stop. “Stop reading that stuff. Stop telling me about it.” I agreed. Well, that ban lasted less than 24 hours because the following morning, I read an article about how 50 people were killed in a mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, and I told him about it. And that’s when he called me a “harbinger of bad news.” 

Hearing that phrase, it made me long for the days when I was the exact opposite of that. I spewed good news, not only to him, but to the thousands of people who read my blog. I used to read stories each day that made me cry happy tears, not mournful ones. And at that moment, I decided that it might be time to bring Operation NICE out of hiatus. I need it. 

The goal of Operation NICE is to highlight the abundant kindness in this world and to show everyone how the simplest gestures can make a huge difference in another person’s day. I want to celebrate the people who are selfless, mindful, generous, and considerate because they are the champions of my world. This site is for them.

It’s for the girls at my local bakery who, although I only stop in once a month, make me feel like a welcomed regular. 

It’s for the attendant in my parking lot who smiles and calls me “Miss Mini Coop” as I enter each morning. 

It’s for the person in car in front of me at the Starbucks drive-thru who paid for my order.

It’s for the neighbor in my building who brings my packages from the mail room and leaves them at my doorstep. 

It’s for my friend who mails me McDonald’s coupons because she knows I love me some McNuggets. 

It’s for the stranger who turned my wallet in to lost & found at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. 

It’s for the lady on the street in Chicago who noticed that I was looking at Google maps and asked if she could help me with directions.

It’s for the random girl who walked me two blocks to my train stop so I could share her umbrella in a downpour.  

And there are so many more of these people who have made me optimistic about humanity amongst the overwhelming negativity. I hope you’ll join me as I revive this movement. While we certainly can’t make the bad news go away, we can put a humongous magnifying glass on the good stuff out there. It’s really nice to be back.

Hi all! So if you haven’t noticed, Operation NICE is on a temporary hiatus. I’ve recently gone through some changes in my career which have taken away a lot of the time I used to have available to devote to this project. Don’t worry! I’m not closing up shop. I have complete hope that I will be able to pick this up again in the future.

There is plenty of goodness archived on this site, so I hope if you’re new, you’ll take a look around, maybe read through some past testimonials.

If you’d like to see what I’m currently up to, you can check out my design blog or follow me on Twitter, where I’m always overly active. :)

Originally I had thought I’d just post something on here and not mention the fact that I haven’t blogged since November 1, but I know I can’t sneak anything past you guys. Things have been kind of nutso for me over the last few months. Using this handy flowchart, I’ve realized that I need to make a change.

Oh, I’m happy, don’t get me wrong. But there is one area of my life that I’d like to improve. My career. And ever since October, I’ve been dabbling in some new arenas that I’m super excited about! Really time-consuming new arenas. :) So while I’ve been exploring these opportunities, other areas of my life (like this blog and cleaning and grocery shopping) have suffered. But I haven’t forgotten about you all! I’m just trying to get myself to a good place.

Speaking of good places, have you all seen The Nicest Place on the Internet? Any time I’m feeling overwhelmed because I’m working all day and going home and working all night (sounds so glamorous, doesn’t it?) I launch this site and soak it all in for a little while.

I’ve been wanting to submit a hug of my own, so if you see a nerdy girl wearing pink bunny ears on there, well that’s just me.

Before I announce the winner of the TEDxPhilly giveaway, I just wanted to mention that this past weekend I went to see TEDxMidAtlantic in DC. It was phenomenal. It’s amazing to listen to these presenters who are so passionate about changing the world. One of the themes I picked up on was that we shouldn’t really complain about the state of affairs unless we’re prepared to work towards change. It’s easy to trash talk opposing viewpoints, but unless we’re actually doing something about it, that talk is pointless.

So many of the presenters showed their creative solutions to various challenges. Jay Parkinson realized that a visit to the doctor didn’t have to be a painful experience. Luis von Ahn discovered a way to get YOU to help digitize books using captchas and also translate the internet by allowing you to learn a language for free.

They also showed a video about a project called, A Liter of Light, which was incredible. So many homes in developing countries are dark, even during the middle of the day. A plastic bottle filled with water and some bleach is a simple, innovative solution to this problem. Remarkable.

I left feeling inspired and motivated. I want to change the world. I don’t want to just sit in my chair and do nothing. I want to make an impact.

And I know that TEDxPhilly is going to be just as wonderful of an experience. Soooooo, who will be joining me?? Well, thanks to the Random Integer Generator, response number 15 is the winner!

And that is Ellie Brown! Congrats Ellie! I have a coupon code for you to use when registering, which I’ll email to you! And thanks so much to everyone who entered. Your responses made me really happy to live in the Philadelphia area. :)

Also, thanks to the folks at TEDxPhilly for offering up this registration! You all are amazing and I really can’t wait for November 8th!

My friend, Bryan, posted this link on his Facebook page this morning. I love it! Making people (strangers, acquaintances, best friends, WHOEVER!) smile should be something we strive for every day. And like I always say, it doesn’t take massive amounts of effort. The simplest things can make a big difference.

88 Ways To Make A Stranger Smile

These are some of my favorites on the list:

10. Send flowers to someone anonymously.
11. Be a courteous driver. Let people merge in front of you.
17. Send letters of appreciation to business owners/managers and other people who support you.
35. Wave to a kid in the car next to you.
48. Stop and buy a drink from a kid’s lemonade stand.
57. Say “Please” and “Thank you.”
69. Acknowledge people for a job well done.
82. If you see a couple taking a self-pic, offer to take the picture for them.
86. Make yourself available and approachable.

Which ones resonate with you? Number 35 reminds me of when I was a kid and how exciting it was when you’d wave at other cars and someone would finally wave back at you. Anything you’d add to the list? I think I’d add “Ask someone who looks lost or is looking at a map if they need directions.”