Thinking

Let's try this one today. Isn't this what it's all about?

via found.

by someone else.

I've been sending out a fair amount of mail these past few weeks (birthday cards, letters and what not). But my address book (that someone gave me years ago) seems to have something to say that would fit here.

"So Many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind while just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses"- Confucius

Just some ideas to stumble upon when you are least looking.

What have you done for somebody else recently?

Drove someone to work Baked cookies for friends and neighbors Picked up trash while on a run Sent a letter to a friend Gave out some quick words of encouragement

It's all about the little things.

Requests

Figured I would keep the spring in mind today with these tunes. Breathe deeply, the pollen in fresh.

Noah and The Whale- My Broken Heart (From The First Day of Spring album, how appropriate? for a start huh?)

Shout Out Louds- Fall Hard

Memory Tapes- Plain Material

Joanna Newsom- '81

Cults- Go Outside (Just wishing I could get outside to enjoy the day)

Morningbell- Stay in the Garden (I would if I had one)

Joe Pug- Not So Sure

Dengue Fever- Sober Driver

Local Natives- World News

Wye Oak- I Hope you Die

Owen Pallett- The Great Elsewhere

Kisses- Bermuda (So springy it feels like summer)

The Soft Pack- C'mon

Ruby Suns- Cranberry

Pantha du Prince- Stick It To My Side

Villagers- On a Sunlit Stage (Just like how this afternoon will be)

Bowerbirds- Northern Lights

Seabear- Fire Dies Down

Scanners- We Never Close Our Eyes

Anna Ternheim- What Have I Done?

Neon Indian- Sleep Paralysist

Twin Tigers- Red Fox Run

Kopek- The Way You Are (If it's like this day, it's perfect)

Jeremy Jay- Just Dial My Number

Field Music- Effortlessly

Go plant some vegetables, frolic in a park, enjoy yourself, enjoy the day.

Redoubtable

It's too easy to see what is wrong with the world around us. It's too easy to get down at the inane unfairness of the way it all seems to spin. But then you have to look up, and see that that isn't always the case. Though we may loose people who are our greatest teachers, those that still have so much to give, it's important to carry on and realize how they made a difference. You can do that too, and in that small way it's not all lost. Here's to the small things.

Here's to strangers who open doors, and then help you carry too many pizza boxes even if it's out of their way. (For LG)

Here's to friends who let you tell the same story over and over again because they know you want to tell it. (For JT)

Here's to people who approach you out of the blue and tell you what a good job they think you've done. (For Stranger)

And here's to people who still insist that what the world needs, in lieu of anything from your pocket, is instead to "spend time actively sharing love and respect with those people who are close to their hearts". (For F.TM, the Bricoleur)

Good Pilots

I've been doing some heavy listening to Blind Pilot recently. And while the more I listen the more I like (really like); it now has come to the point that the more I read about these guys the more I love. This Portland, Oregon duo not only make moving and artfully crafted tunes they also seem to be as sincere as the songs they crank out. Now it seems that for this to finally filter down this way they're encountering a much larger career break than before, but the band's intriguing and humble origins really seem to strike a chord. In their early days touring from Portland to other venues they biked up and down the west coast between shows, making no impact other than that with their songs. Some may say it's gimmicky, but I'd like to believe that it's just a creative answer to a question for struggling artists.

So thumbs up to thoughtful artists: Blind Pilot.

Here's a track I'm wild about, hope you are too.

The Story I Heard - Blind Pilo...

Nice View

Let's all be this happy this week.

via found

Kindred Spirits

Oh, by the way... it's National Random Acts of Kindness Week.

A nice publicized week to remind us of what we should be doing all of the time.

Here are some folks who are really getting into it: at Undercover Kindness, they really know how to spread it around. They're taking really small, really simple ideas and treating their nice gestures as covert operations. Seems like a good habit to be getting into. Check out some of the artists they are linked up to to help you pass all of your random acts on.

And they remind you to:

VIA Undercover Kindness Grocery lists.

Thanks for the tip e!