Dear Readers: Six years ago today, on May 28, 2006, I inaugurated David’s Anthem Journal with a brief welcome message. Since that day, I have published 2,872 articles including this one. The blog has received more than 1.75 million page views, and 11,398 comments have been posted.
These numbers would be much higher but for the fact that our subscribers receive their blog articles via e-mail messages that are sent to their inboxes.
Today our subscriber list stands at an all-time high of 1,281, and during the month of April, for the first time ever, the blog was accessed at least once from more than 3,200 dedicated computer addresses.
From Day One, other than the addition of a copyright notice, there has not been a need to change one word of the welcome message appearing at the top of the blog’s home page. My mission has been to give you accurate information about Sun City Anthem and the world around us, written as professionally as possible.
Has my blog been successful in fulfilling its mission? This is most likely for you to decide, though I tend to view it through the prism of our steadily growing subscriber and readership list, as well as the possibility that the trust you have given me has contributed to our record of helping elect all 22 Board candidates the blog has endorsed during our short history.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support, your suggestions, and your constructive criticism. I pledge to continue serving Sun City Anthem with news and information as best I can and, presumably like you, I look forward to a Sun City Anthem that never stops striving to be the best it can be.
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On this anniversary occasion, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the very first formal article I posted after the original welcome message back in May, 2006. It was one of the columns I wrote during my several years as an opinion columnist for the Greenspun Media Group of weekly newspapers.
I hope you will agree that the positive message of the following article is in keeping with our mission and with the spirit of this Memorial Day weekend. It’s all about doing the little acts of kindness that make the world a better place.
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At a recent social gathering, I was talking with friends about all the problems in the world today, and someone in our group made the claim that cruelty and violence are humanity’s true condition, while good deeds are for wimps.
Others of us took the opposing position, arguing that it is entirely possible, and even easy, to make the world a better place simply by observing the ubiquitous bumper-sticker admonition to commit random acts of kindness.
Do you remember “Pay it Forward,” the novel and film of about six years ago in which a young boy decides he’ll help others and, instead of seeking personal reward, he’ll ask his beneficiaries to help at least three other people in the future? When I mentioned “Pay it Forward” as an example of how people can make the world better, even on the local level, a couple of my friends laughed derisively. “That was fiction,” one of them said, “and I’d challenge you to give me a list of things you think people can do, without much effort, to make this a kinder, gentler place.”
I love challenges like that, so I made such a list. My list, as you’ll see, consists of normal, everyday things you can do to spread kindness, taking little time out of your busy day and spending no money in the process. If you are already doing these things, give yourself a gold star, for you are one of the good guys. But if you find a few that you are not doing, you might want to give them a try.
Hold the door. I’ll bet we have all experienced the frustration of following someone who has just pushed his way through a door, then lets it slam back in our faces. Some of those doors are mighty heavy, and it’s even worse if we are carrying packages. So get into the habit of giving a glance behind you as you open and close doors in public places, and hold that door for the person behind you. The words “thank you” will flow like water, and you’ll feel good about yourself.
Hold the elevator door. There’s something about people entering an elevator while others trail behind. Even if we see you close at hand, we’ll let the door close so that we can be on our way. Instead, look to see who’s coming and hold that door for them.
Practice supermarket courtesy. One of my major peeves is the laziness of supermarket shoppers who load their groceries into their vehicles and leave their shopping carts standing right there in the middle of the parking lot. Our car has numerous dents and dings on its sides, and each new one we picked up is a mystery to us, except that we discovered them in parking lots. Is it really such a burden to walk a few feet to push your cart into a cart corral, or to return it to the store? Heck, the exercise would do you good. Of course, on the windy days we often experience around here, you might want to avoid those parking lots altogether.
Exercise more supermarket courtesy. While waiting at the register, you may see a shopper slight of stature in line ahead of you. If you think you are stronger than her –it’s usually a woman- she might need a hand to get that watermelon or case of soda out of her cart. Another way to earn a smile and a thank-you is when you are unloading an entire cartful of groceries and the person behind you has only one or two items. Express lines notwithstanding, it will cost you no more than a couple of minutes to wave that shopper through ahead of you.
Drive kindly on the highway. Here is where you can not only demonstrate courtesy, but also help prevent serious accidents when you are behind the wheel. When preparing to make a turn, use your turn signal. When seeking to change lanes, signal your lane change. And for goodness sake, don’t try to be macho by speeding up to prevent a driver from moving into your lane when that driver has given you the courtesy of a signal. I appreciate seeing these good habits on our roadways, and I’m sure you will, too. Besides, it’s the law!
Be considerate on the telephone. How many times have you answered the phone and the caller just starts in talking to you, regardless of what you might be doing at the time. If you are the caller, try asking, “Am I interrupting anything?” It will make it easier for the person you’ve called to issue an invitation for a call-back if necessary, instead of feeling that he must listen to you at that moment.
There they are, little things that, taken singly or together, can make your own immediate world a little kinder, a little nicer.
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