Sangha of Auspicious Companions

October 31, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

Welcome to the Human Race

How can one find connection and meaning through an experience as isolating and dark as depression? In “Darkness Before Dawn: Redefining the Journey through Depression,” Parker Palmer is among sixteen teachers who share their insights, perspectives, and even some positives after having experienced depression first hand. Despite that going through depression is difficult and disheartening beyond words, the experience can end up making people more courageous, compassionate, and ultimately more connected to the human race. If you know someone who is suffering, Palmer suggests, “Be present to them in a way that expresses faith and confidence that they have what it takes to make it through.” With rates of depression alarmingly high while people still suffer in silence, it is time for a conversation about depression. Here, Palmer opens up about his own experiences in the hope of helping others. { read more }

Be The Change

Today, tell someone who might be lonely that you care about them.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,843 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

October 30, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

The Science on the Benefits of Nostalgia

It’s natural to reflect on the past with a sense of longing – a desire to return to the way things used to be. In fact, our memories of positive events tend to be more crystallized in our minds than those of negative or neutral ones. But does nostalgia come at a cost? While some research suggests that nostalgia can interfere with one’s attempts to cope with the present, it has also been found to provide a sense of stability and even promote personal growth during times of adversity. There’s a fine line between perpetual longing to return to a simpler time, and drawing on fond memories or relationships to remind us of who we are and our capacity to navigate uncertainty and change. { read more }

Be The Change

How have fond memories helped you cope during difficult times? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,852 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

About KindSpring

Inspiring Quote

Member of the Week

In Other News

• KarmaTube Video: This Hardworking Group Is Cleaning America’s Last Frontier
• DailyGood: Grandmother Power
• Awakin Reading: Seeing Is Not Thinking

Follow Us Online

October 29, 2017

Small Acts of Kindness

Featured Kindness Stories

	The officer and the workers came together to buy him much-needed shoes
	Her attentiveness to the elderly woman’s need in the bathroom was a blessing for both
	A national de-monetization of currency leads to issues at the petrol station

Idea of the Week

October 29, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

The Evolutionary Power of Mindful Communication

Mindful communication encompasses a number of qualities in both listening and responding. From entering conversations free from our fixed opinions and perceptions, to communicating in such a way that allows another to feel heard, Diane Musho Hamilton shares what mindful dialogue is (and is not). She explains that mindful dialogue is of particular importance in today’s society in which polarized views compete for space from our kitchen tables to conference rooms. As a mediator, group facilitator, and contemporary spiritual teacher, Hamilton shares her insights about how the way we communicate with one another affects our nervous system, identity, and relationships. “When we talk about mindful communication, what we’re really saying is that we have the capacity to become aware [of], to witness, or to watch our communication style and its impacts.” Read on, or listen to the full interview to learn more. { read more }

Be The Change

What barriers do you face that might get in the way of mindful communication? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,865 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

October 28, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

Speaking Loudly for a Quiet Place

“Bear Witness,” chronicles the year Dave and Amy Freeman spent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness to bring awareness to the threats posed by a proposed sulfide-ore copper mining on the wilderness edge. The video is divided up into four seasons and documents the beauty of the BWCA during each season through video and journal-like audio. It tells their story through their words and perspective, adding a personal touch and a descriptive connection to an area that many may never see. Not only are they advocating for BWCA, but also for standing up for all of the world’s wilderness areas. In December 2016, U.S. Federal Agencies denied the mining lease and began an environmental review of the Boundary Waters to determine potential impacts from mining.
{ read more }

Be The Change

Here are 10 ways you can help save the Boundary Waters. One of them is to share this story. { more }

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,865 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

October 27, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

Business Lessons from the World of Improv

While few of us associate the world of business with the world of improv, the two may not be as far apart as you originally think. Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of ‘Business Improv’, is working to bring the two worlds together, through bridging the comedic with the corporate. “Improvisation,” he argues, “is a communication-based art form that…is based in some core principles of business.” Improvisation in business is about breaking down our biases and skewed ways of looking at a problem and working together to see the opportunities that lie within. Read more to learn about abandoning fear, the power of ‘and’, and why making mistakes isn’t always a bad thing. { read more }

Be The Change

Practice saying “Yes, and” this week instead of “Yes, but”. Share your reactions in the comments section below!

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,863 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

This Hardworking Group Is Cleaning America’s Last Frontier

DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers

MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More

Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 69,074 subscribers.

October 26, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

The Blind Man and Double Amputee Who Planted 10,000 Trees

Two friends from Northern China are not letting their handicaps hold them back. Jia Wenqi, a double amputee, and Jia Haixa, who is completely blind, have been working together to plant trees along a riverbank in Yeli Village, planting an astounding 10,000 trees over the last decade. Finding it difficult to gain employment, the pair approached the local government with their idea. They hope that their efforts will pay off for generations to come. They each use their unique skills and capabilities to achieve their mission, at times carrying each other across the river and using their feet to hold and pass objects. “I am his hands. He is my eyes,” says Haixa. Read on to learn more about the incredible work of this fearless duo. { read more }

Be The Change

What do you find most inspiring about the work of these two friends? How can you bring the spirit of their service-hearted collaboration into your own life and relationships?

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,836 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More

October 25, 2017

a project of ServiceSpace

A Call for Another Way of Living

After he was asked to leave the order of the Christian Brothers, and with no training in filmmaking, Godfrey Reggio made the remarkable Qatsi trilogy. He had a way of following his own vision. “What I learned is that it’s what I did every day that determined what I was going to think. I’ve never forgotten that. Every now and then, I’ll give a convocation address at a university and I try to always caution the students to not let their diplomas become their death certificates. If you give up your imagination, if you give up your ability to create for the wages of a good job, then you might give up that which predicates us as human beings, the ability to create our own lives.” This remarkable interview shares more of Reggio’s journey and vision. { read more }

Be The Change

If you feel called to undertake some project and haven’t been officially licensed with some kind of degree or certificate, consider simply beginning.

DailyGood is a volunteer-run initiative that delivers “good news” to 243,816 subscribers. There are many ways to help. To unsubscribe, click here.

Other ServiceSpace projects include:

KindSpring // KarmaTube // Conversations // Awakin // More