NICE Testimonial: A Helping Hand

Wow, I'm thrilled that there are so many entries already to the Louella Press giveaway! Though I'm not surprised, those prints rock.

I have a quick, delightful Testimonial today from the adorable Rachel of Pittsburgh, PA. Isn't she the cutest??

I was visiting NY state this weekend and it was a beautiful afternoon. My mother and I were sitting outside a pizza shop, eating and talking, when a woman with a baby walked up to our table and asked if she could have our extra chair. We said “Sure!” and I went to lift the heavy, cast iron chair for her. But before I could get to it, an older man and his wife walked by and instead of watching me struggle, the man said “Here, let me get that for you,” and carried the chair over to her table. He walked away after we thanked him and my mom said to me “now that’s how people need to treat each other.” I told her I was just thinking that :)

They're right. Remember that whole "do unto others" concept? I think sometimes we forget that. I'm not one that likes to ask for help, but when someone offers it, I'll gladly accept. I remember two distinct IKEA incidents I had. One time I was there buying a crazy heavy bookcase. Well, crazy heavy to me because I have little twig arms. I backed my car up and struggled for a good ten minutes to get this thing into the back of my car. People wandered by and no one offered to help me out, even though it was clear that it was a daunting task for little ole me. The next time I went to IKEA by myself, I was picking out some outdoor furniture, and even though the pieces were not nearly as heavy, a kind gentleman spotted me as soon as I opened my trunk and instinctively headed over to help. I was so grateful! Maybe even more so because I remembered my past experience.

It doesn't take much effort to help move a chair or lift a box into a trunk or reach something on a tall shelf. How great would society be if we were all inclined to lend a helping hand?

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Giveaway: Louella Press

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway on here, so I'm really excited!

First, let me give you a little back story. Back in April, I posted about how I was going to be attending the HOW Design Conference and how I had a few reservations about meeting new people. In short, I was crazy nervous! But thanks to my post, I found out that Brooke, a designer at Two Paperdolls, a company whose work I had been drooling over for years, was also going to be attending with a group of her coworkers. And hey, coincidentally, we were all booked on the same flight out to Austin and back to Philadelphia. Awesome!

Brooke and her coworkers (Maggie, Terry, Chris, and Vanessa) ended up being the absolute nicest folks ever, and were kind enough to let me infiltrate their group throughout the trip. All my concerns about sitting by myself at the nerd table quickly vanished, and I suddenly had a new group of friends. I couldn't have been more grateful!

Well, the gang at Two Paperdolls (who have a retail collection of the most incredible letterpress goodies called Louella Press) were not only generous with their friendship, but they also thoughtfully offered up two of their 8"x10" limited edition letterpress prints from their brand spankin' new etsy shop for a giveaway!

How amazing are these??? Gorgeous letterpress. Beautifully designed. AND promoting kindness. Couldn't be more perfect!




They are giving away one of each of these two prints shown here. That means TWO winners. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here, let us know which one you prefer, and tell me what you're thankful for today. It could be a person, or your morning coffee, or a forthcoming vacation. Whatever you'd like! I'll draw the winners randomly next Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

As for me, I'm thankful for the ladies and gentleman at Two Paperdolls/Louella Press for making this giveaway possible!

NICE News: Compliment Guys on Tour

Saw a tweet this morning from the Philadelphia Inquirer saying that the "Compliment guys spread cheer in Philadelphia." So I clicked the link and was presented with an adorable story about two guys from Purdue University who are on a 12-city tour, doling out compliments to strangers. It started as a Wednesday tradition, complimenting people outside of the Purdue chemistry building. But after some YouTube exposure and a feature on Good Morning America, they were offered sponsorship to take their complimenting on the road...by Kodak!

Okay, how exactly does one get discovered by a bajillion dollar company and get the offer to travel around the country (or world) just being nice? Because I think that sounds like a good plan for me. :) Yoohoo! Canon! Sony! Pepperidge Farm! I'm right here! And I don't even need a big RV with my face on the side. I'll take a Prius.

Enough of the selfish talk. The story is really sweet! Brett and Cameron started this project with the nicest intentions. After noticing how the students on their campus kept their heads down when they walked, they decided they wanted to give them a reason to look up. Good for them!

And hey guys, if you decide you need an older, half-Asian sidekick, give me a call!

NICE Testimonial: A Gesture of Fries

Good morning! Having a good week so far? I think I might be entering a 1/3 life crisis. I keep asking myself, "What should I be doing with my life?" No conclusions yet. In fact, my problem is that there are TOO MANY things I want to do with my life. I can't seem to narrow it all down. Should I be designing? Or drawing? Or doing something with music? Or fashion? Or should I get more involved with society and doing social good? I'm getting closer to 30 every day. I just want to make sure I made the right choices.

Onto a less heavy note! Today's testimonial comes from Kris, who had a super aggravating experience turn into a delightful moment!

I was at a McDonalds inside the mall with my Daughter. I placed our order, and stepped aside and waited for our order. It seemed like it was taking a while, and I also noticed other people who had ordered after me were getting their food. I tried to get someone's attention behind the counter and was being completely ignored. The manager (or someone) noticed that I was trying to get someone's attention and I said I just needed to get my order. When the employee finally gave me my food, I didn't have a good grip on it, and dropped a happy meal box and the french fries spilled out. I was so frustrated at this point, and I tried to get someone's attention (again) and just gave up and told my daughter we would share our fries.

We found a seat in the food court and we were eating when a man came up to us, and he had a McDonald's bag, out of which he pulled a small fry (replacing the one I had dropped). He simply said "I saw your frustration". Of course, I thanked him profusely. It was such a little thing, but it cheered me instantly. And of course one of the neatest things was that my daughter got to see it too.

I can feel her pain when I read that story. The fact that a man was aware of her frustration and then went and did something about it is exemplary! I have a habit of zoning out and drifting off into a dreamworld when I'm in public places. Imagine all the opportunities to help I missed out on. I have to work on being more mindful of what's going on around me like this man was.

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Assignment: Learn Someone's Name

Hi everyone! Did you guys have a nice weekend? I'm still coughing, can you believe it? It's certainly annoying, but it could be way worse, so I'm trying to look on the bright side.

Today's assignment is going to help me tackle something that I'm terrible with. Remembering names. When I meet people, I'm always so concerned with saying my own name and not stumbling over my own words, that by the time I shut my mouth, I've already forgotten the person's name. It's terrible! Luckily my husband is awesome at remember names, so he's usually my crutch. But it can be such a problem. You don't know how many people I refer to as "Heeeeyyyyyyyyyyy you."

Today's Assignment: Learn Someone's Name

How many people do you come in contact with daily, weekly, monthly, whose name you don't know? Geez, there are even people I work with whose names I don't know! Maybe this is the week to introduce yourself and find out that person's name. And once you know it, use it!

Using someone's name is a known sales technique. Why? Because people love hearing their own name. When someone addresses you personally, it makes you feel important and acknowledged. And in turn, it makes the other person seem friendlier.

So go ahead, introduce yourself to your barista, and thank her personally for preparing your morning beverage. Or check out that grocery store cashier's name tag and tell him to have a great day. It's a simple way to brighten someone's day!

NICE Testimonial: More NICE Day Activity

Hi guys! Well, I took yesterday off so I could sleep through the entire day, and I think it worked. I'm still coughing, but at least I feel a bit more human today. Phew!

This is awesome. You guys know Jennifer Marr, the sweetheart that bought treats for her coworkers last Wednesday. Well, like mother like daughter. I received an email from Jennifer's daughter Ali with a link to this video of Ali and her youth group handing out water in a local park in honor of Operation NICE. How great is that?!



Way to go Ali! Thanks so much to you and your youth group for taking part! Also, I love that song. :) It always reminds me of Gob from Arrested Development!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Testimonial: Reaction from a NICE Day Recipient

I was so excited to receive an email from Meredith of the Life by Days blog, with a link to one of her posts. Turns out she was one of the recipients of our little NICE Day flower distribution event! And here she writes about what it was like from her point of view. I've posted her story below:

I ate lunch in Rittenhouse Square today. I love that park. Just a whole city block of grass and benches and trees and shade. It's lovely. (Also, I love that in Philadelphia you can sit outside during lunch in July and not die. Texas summers are brutal.)

So today, I was eating lunch and a couple of women walked by with baskets of flowers that had tags on them. They passed me and suddenly one of them stopped and turned to me. She handed me a flower and said, "This is for you."

It was a lovely flower. A pink carnation.

Behold:


The tag says: "This gesture is courtesy of Operation Nice. Pass it on. OPERATIONNICE.COM."

Here's a closer shot.


I thought it was so great! Such a lovely flower and I sure love pink. I was already thinking of showing Jeff when I got home that night.

And then it hit me. I wasn't supposed to keep it. I was supposed to pass it on. At first, I was totally fine with that. You receive something nice and then you pass it along to someone else. How great is that?

But then you have to actually do it. Like you have to pick someone out of the crowd and walk up to them and hand them a pink carnation.

Suddenly, Operation Nice became Operation Let's Make The Rest Of Your Lunch Awkward As You Try To Decide Who To Give The Flower To.

First off, I didn't want to give it to a nicely dressed business man. I was afraid of looking like I was hitting on someone so I decided against that. Besides, then he'd just use it to actually hit on someone and I didn't want to enable any unsolicited come-on.

Then I started thinking about maybe who deserved the flower more or who would most appreciate it. There were a few homeless men around that I could have given it to, but then I was afraid I was suffering from a messiah complex: "See how much better your day is now that I, a young white woman, has given you, an older homeless man, a pink flower. Feel blessed and praise God."

So I nixed that idea too.

After a few minutes I looked up and saw three elderly ladies walking down the sidewalk. The one in the middle was using a walker. And so I decided - she, the walker lady, was going to get my pink carnation.

As she and her friends approached, I grabbed the flower and stood up. I took a step towards her and said, "This is for you."

At first she seemed a little confused, but her friends started saying things like, "Awww, that's so nice!" She took the flower and said, "Thank you, that's very kind of you." I was glad she appreciated it. She smiled real big and then she said, "God bless you, sweetheart."

Then I started to get a little uncomfortable. I mean, you know, it's just a flower, lady. I was just trying to be nice. I didn't know it was going to make your day or anything and OH MY GOSH WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Why am I embarrassed that the gesture means more to you than I had intended. I mean, isn't that good?

I spent the walk back to work thinking about how apparently not used to being kind I am, and how not used to interacting with kind people we must all be.

Maybe I'll try and do something about that.

It was wonderful to hear what she thought about the gesture. And I can empathize with her awkwardness because it was hard for me to get over my anxiety and talk to strangers that day. And choosing the right person was tricky, especially knowing that folks out there were saying "no." But I love that she literally "passed on" the gesture and made someone's day.

On one hand, it's crazy that small acts like that mean so much to people. That means that they must be few and far between. But on the other hand, it's good to know that doing something small can really affect someone. And that makes those gestures even more special.

Thanks for sharing your story, Meredith!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Day Recap

I'm alive! Just barely. I still feel absolutely horrendous, but life doesn't stop, so I'm pushing along. The worst part about this sickness is the cough, which is brutal to say the least and doesn't allow me to sleep at night. It's been about five days of crummy nights of sleep in a row, so I'm a total zombie crankypants. I even coughed my way through our weekend trip to NYC for Rob's birthday. It was fun, but it would have been more fun if I would have had the slightest bit of energy, and if Rob didn't completely resent me for keeping him up all night with my hacking. I know he was *this close* to smothering me with his pillow.

But enough complaining!!! I have to be on the road to recovery by now, right???

Despite my poor health, last Wednesday's Day of NICE was a blast! My Twitter pals Gloria and Eileen joined me in Rittenhouse Square for some flower distribution. We squatted in the park to attach all the tags, and went on our way. Thanks to my friend Crystal for taking pictures for us!

So, I have to admit, I was shocked at the number of people who flat out refused the flower. We tried to explain that there was no catch, it was just a kind gesture, but they'd hold up their hand, shake their heads, and move on. But for every person like that, there was someone who was thrilled by the act. A few people asked about what Operation NICE is and agreed with the mission when it was explained.

I approached on couple, sitting along the wall and handed them flowers. The girl slowly took it while checking to see if I was crazy. The guy first refused, then changed his mind, then took his hand back. I explained what I was doing and the girl said, "Really, for free?" We had a conversation about how Philadelphia needs some more NICE people, and we're so accustomed to people expecting something in return. And hopefully that can change one day, where handing someone a flower isn't suspicious, it's just, well, nice.

I have so many emails I need to respond to! People who have sent me the things that they did for NICE Day last Wednesday. I have stories to share and posts to write. I'm not neglecting you, I promise. I'm just trying to regain some strength. It'll come in due time. :) I hope you all are doing well!

Blogiversary Update Coming Soon

Hi guys. I just need to make a quick post to tell you that I'll have photos and an update about flower distributing in the near future, but unfortunately I'm suffering from some terrible cold or something. I don't know what the heck it is. All I know is that I feel like I swallowed a spiky, glue-covered tennis ball, and I can't even walk to the bathroom without feeling like I'm going to fall over. Fun times, fun times.

I hope you guys are having a great week!

One Whole Year!

It's been a fabulous year. When I started this project, I never knew what would become of it. I figured it would be another little blog that I posted to maybe once every other week, and the only people stopping by would be a few of my internet friends. But the response was huge, right from the beginning, which assures me that there are so many really NICE people in the world! I hope you still enjoy stopping by because I'm so glad that you do!

I have 120 carnations (minus a few morning commute casualties) ready to be passed along to unsuspecting citizens. Here's one for you (pic on right)! I hope that you have thought of a small way to make today a little extra NICE.

Yesterday I told you about Jennifer Marr's plan to treat her coworkers. Well this morning she sent me a picture of her gesture!

Isn't that so great?! I love it! Thanks for playing along Jennifer! If you decide to participate today, I'd love to see a photo or video of what you've done. Email me, I'll share it with everyone here!

How will you celebrate?

I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought 60 carnations for $20. I plan to hit up another store tonight for another 60 or so. Really, you can't beat that price. I have a few people from Philadelphia who are going to join me in my NICE-spreading event! If you live in/around the area and would like to stop by, we'll be at Rittenhouse Square at 1:30. I'll be sporting my "Practice Kindness" t-shirt, as long as I remember to bring it with me to work.

And if you're nowhere near Philadelphia but still want to participate, you can always click here to download the flower tags and pass some out in your own town. Or you can find your own special way to celebrate the anniversary of Operation NICE.

Like super-NICE Jennifer Marr, who copied me on an email that she sent to her coworkers this morning. She explained to them what Operation NICE is and wrote, "Tomorrow morning, in honour of that anniversary…and to just be extra nice to all of you wonderful people…I’d like to buy each one of you a beverage from Tim Horton’s. Tea, coffee, juice, water, etc….anything you’d like! Hopefully that will start your day out with a smile on your face! So before the end of the day today, please send me your order so I am sure to bring you what you like!"

How sweet is that?! Thanks Jennifer, for playing along and making July 15th an extra-NICE day!

EDIT: By the way, if you do something special tomorrow, please take a picture or make a video or something and I'll share it will everyone here! THANKS!

NICE Assignment: Make Wednesday a NICE Day!

Guess what! This Wednesday is the one year anniversary of Operation NICE! Holy cow, can you believe it?! In one year I've made 310 posts (counting this one) that, in one way or another, focus on the idea of encouraging people to be nice. I'm so proud!

So I'm hoping that you, my trusty army of NICE, will join me to make this Wednesday an extra NICE day!

Today's Assignment: Make Wednesday a NICE Day!

Here's my plan. On Wednesday afternoon, I'm going to explode in a fit of kind gestures at Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. More specifically, I'll be handing out flowers to strangers with little Operation NICE tags on them.

Would you like to play too??

If so, I made a download for you! Just click here!



You can hole punch them and tie them on with a string:



Or wrap them around the stem and staple:



And then hand them out to unsuspecting citizens. I gave the one in these photos to a woman on the street. She seemed stunned at first, said "thank you," and smiled a huge smile. You can get any kind of flowers from anywhere. At my grocery store, I can get 30 carnations for $10. That's 30 big smiles for $10, which seems like a bargain. I'm going to see if there's a nice florist in Center City that will maybe give me a good price because I'd love to get a lot of flowers. And I mean a lot!

So what do you say? Will you join me in making the Operation NICE anniversary a special occasion???

All fixed!

Phew!

Still having problems!

Hi guys! I'm still having major problems with this site (and my other two blogs). Looks like the posts are still showing up in readers, but when you try to directly access Operation NICE, you receive a Blogger error. I'm a little disappointed with the Blogger customer service. They don't have a phone number, email, or contact form. All they have is a forum, where I've posted many, many times starting yesterday around 6 pm, and I've yet to hear any sort of response from anyone at Blogger. So I have no idea if they are even aware of my issues.

Slightly frustrating! So I'm going to skip posting today, since it seems fruitless anyway.

But I have to remember to be nice. Even to the jerkwads* at Blogger.



*Just kidding! I love you Blogger! Fix me please!

EDIT: Finally got a tweet from @Blogger letting me know that they were working on the issue. Cross your fingers!

Blogger Issues?

I'm receiving errors when trying to access both this site and my new blog, 160 Pages. Fingers crossed that it gets working again soon!

NICE Photo: You're a Nice Person

Thanks for the support with my previous post. You know what I can't stand? Haters. Or is it HATERZ, with a Z? Seriously, don't crap on someone else's joy. Am I right?!

Speaking of joy, I felt a tremendous amount of it when I received this email from Mel Weiss! Looks like she took Operation NICE to heart and started her own campaign for kindness right in her own front yard! LOVE IT!!!

I felt inspired to do something nice after reading a bunch of your testimonials. However, following people around until they need a door open or cpr (which I don't know) seemed to be something that doesn't ring true to the "Nice" direction...and is probably illegal in LA. So I brainstormed just a bit to see what I could do this second...right now, at my own home, that could possibly be helpful.

In the end I came up with something simple. I live on a very busy street in Venice Beach and many folks meander (love that word) past my gate every day. After reading your post about seeing the "You're Beautiful" sticker, I decided to use that...and you...as inspiration. I posted a simple sign on our entrance that says, "You're a nice person."

Not everyone is lucky enough to check out your blog...but they should be lucky enough to be reminded that there is a nice person inside of them. Who knows, perhaps it will be ignored or dismissed. But I thought, maybe, just maybe someone will take in that reminder and grab the next opportunity to be nice that they might have otherwise passed by. *fingers crossed*



Thanks Mel, for fighting the good fight!

Do you have a NICE photo that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

Favor? - Help Combat Negativity!

Hi guys! Can I ask a favor?

I got an email from Operation NICE member Sarah Karnas last night, and she needs some help. Two of her friends were featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in a story about their upcoming green wedding. Awesome! They are the sweetest couple and are doing a wonderful thing for the environment.

So you can imagine how frustrating it would be to see comments filled with negativity like, "The whole idea is ludricrous. I said it and I meant, I'm sure they are nice people, but that doesn't stop them from being fools." And that's one of the tame ones. How rude is that? I've mentioned before, I think newspaper comments sections are the absolute worst. I have never seen so much pessimism and hatred spewed. Like when my story in the Philadelphia Inquirer got the comment that I looked like a vampire. Okay, sure, I'm pale, but that's not relevant!

If you happen to have a free minute today and you don't mind registering, please read the delightful story and leave a positive comment, if you have one. Don't let the Negative Nellies ruin what should be great exposure for a wonderful couple!

Thanks everyone!

NICE Campaign: The Uniform Project

Those of you who subscribe to Daily Candy might have seen the post/email last Friday about The Uniform Project, but just in case you didn't, I wanted to mention it here because it's a wonderful campaign.

Sheena Matheiken, who began this project in May, decided to wear the same dress every single day for one year as "an exercise in sustainable fasion." Technically it's seven dresses, all the identical, designed by her friend, Eliza Starbuck. Using creative accessorizing, mostly with vintage or donated items, Sheena creates a brand new look for the simple black dress each day and documents them on theuniformproject.com.

Not only is this project an aesthetic challenge, but it also aims to do social good by fundraising for the Akanksha Foundation's School Project, which will "fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India." Sheena herself will be donating a dollar a day to the Akanksha Foundation and encourages others to help as well, either with a donation or by raising awareness.

See a short video on the project right here.

NICE Testimonial: Friendly Skies

Today's testimonial comes from Laura Cococcia of Laura Reviews. She witnessed an incredibly kind-hearted act in a place where most people usually aren't so concerned with others.

Yesterday, I was on a plane from Chicago to New York City. As we were boarding, I was walking behind two older people - a husband and wife - who were having difficulty walking. Both had canes and they were holding each other up by holding hands.

As we entered the first class cabin to walk back into a coach, a younger couple seated in the first two seats saw the older couple, stood up and offered them their first class seats. The younger couple said, "Why don't you take our seats?"

The older couple smiled, graciously took them up on the offer and the older woman started crying. She said, "No one has ever done anything that kind for me in my life."

As we were walking back to coach, I asked the young man why he did that - I expressed how impressed and touched by what he did. He told me, "There are people in this world that need comfort much more than we do. We're just lucky enough to have worked for a company that can afford first class - but that doesn't mean we deserve it more than anyone else."

Amazing. I gave them both a hug. They hugged back.

How awesome is that?? Those two people are my NICE role models!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Photo: You Are Beautiful

I was wandering around outside my building today, searching for what my next journal entry might be, when I found a pair of newspaper boxes. I always loved those, particularly when they are covered in graffiti and stickers, so I took a few camera phone pictures. As I got closer though, I received a little treat. Check out the sticker on the top of the one:



I can't believe I found a sticker from YouAreBeautiful! It was like stumbling upon a special treasure! If you aren't familiar with YouAreBeautiful, you should visit their website. "The main goal of this project is to spread a positive message throughout the world by any means necessary except through commerical use."

NICE Assignment: Your NICE Role Model

Happy Monday everyone! I don't know why, but I'm having the toughest time keeping my eyes open this morning. I'm blaming it all on my crappy mattress, which will be gone as of tomorrow thanks to the fancy new luxurious mattress we bought yesterday! Ahhh, I can't wait. I didn't want to leave the showroom once I plopped on that little piece of heaven. Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful weekends, and those of you in the U.S., I hope you had a fantastic holiday!

As if I don't have enough to do, I decided to take on a vow of journaling. 160 pages by the end of 2009. It's going to be tough, but I figure I need to force some creativity into my life until it becomes a habit. If you're curious, you can see the journal pages here. :)

Onto the task at hand. This weekend my husband, Rob, began reading a biography on Roberto Clemente. Rob is a huge fan of baseball, so it wasn't a surprise seeing him read a book about such an iconic player. But he started telling me a few things about Clemente that I never knew, including his huge commitment to charity work. (To be honest, I didn't know much.) And Rob really piqued my interest when he read me one of Clemente's quotes:

''Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.''

What a powerful statement! This story, however, doesn't have a happy ending. Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while headed to deliver aid to earthquake survivors in Nicaragua. He wasn't just another amazing athlete. He was an amazing humanitarian. So I started thinking about role models and people that inspire us to be good people.

Today's Assignment: Your NICE Role Model

So I want to know, who's your NICE role model? It could be someone famous, like Roberto Clemente or Michael J. Fox. Or it could be someone you know personally.

Mine is easy. It's my grandmother. She was the epitome of nice, and I really credit her for the creation of this blog. She taught me the value of kindness, which still resonates with me to this day. She began working as a volunteer for a telephone helpline when I was very young. Her dedication and compassion eventually led her to the position of Director for the local chapter of that organization. I can still remember her taking helpline calls at home because she knew she had to be available for the people that needed her. She was always available for the people that needed her.

I don't think I ever heard her say a negative thing about anyone. Love and family was the most important thing in life, and a part of me went cold when she passed away a few years ago. I even found out shortly before she passed away that she took my father to civil rights rallies in the early 60's. How awesome is that?! I only wish I could talk to her about all this today.

But since I can't, I'll continue fighting her battle for kindness, hopefully doing her proud.

Your turn! Post a comment here about your NICE role model, or write about it on your blog and post a link here. I'd love to hear about who inspires you to be a great person!

NICE Testimonial: An Honest Gentleman, Part II

While on the topic of honesty, I thought I'd post Jen Ulasiewicz's story about an honest gentleman that she encountered last fall.

October 7, 2008 - We went to a birthday party that weekend for our friends' 3 year old twin girls. The party was held at the gym where they take gymnastics and they got to jump around and do all kinds of things. While we were standing there talking and watching the kids play, a man came in asking if anyone owned a blue SUV. I said that we do and asked why? The guy said he just backed into us. I thought great, the whole front end is smashed in but no, luckily there were just some big scratches in our plastic bumper. I didn't think they could fix that, I though we would have to get it replaced. But I was so grateful for this guy's honesty to come and find us to let us know so his insurance could take care of it for us. You don't find that much these days ya know? He gave me his business card and his insurance did take care of everything for us. We got our car back after being in the shop for 5 days and it looks just like new. I have thanked him repeatedly for being so honest and letting us know what happened, I really did appreciate that otherwise it would have cost us about $800 for repairs for something that wasn't even that major.

I think it's fair to assume that most people would have left the situation. I know that's happened quite a few time to me, my family, and my friends. Walking out to your car to see a big ole dent in the side is not a pleasant feeling. This man's honesty is admirable, and more people should learn from him!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Testimonial: An Honest Gentleman

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my last post regarding what the future holds for Operation NICE. It means so much to hear what you think! This blog/project only exists because of all of you! Honestly, I was worried when I began it that I would run out of things to post after a few weeks, but you continue to send me your testimonials and interesting links. I have a huge collection of stuff stored up! Who knows what the future holds, but at least a future exists.

I wanted to share a testimonial of my own from my trip to Austin.

On the final evening of the conference, HOW always puts on quite a party. In 2004, it was a "White Party." In 2005, it was a masquerade. In 2006, it was Vintage Vegas. And the theme for the party this year was "Keep Austin Weird." Quite open to interpretation. So I donned my weirdest outfit (see right), and went to boogie down!

Obviously I must have been partying a little bit too hard because I didn't notice that the $60 I had sitting in my pocket had somehow dropped to the floor, mid-dance move, most likely. I felt a tap on my shoulder and there stood Noelle Gonzalez, holding my wad of money. I was incredibly embarrassed and thankful! I tried to scream over the loud music about how much his honesty meant to me, while giving a quick elevator speech about Operation NICE, but I'm pretty sure I was just rambling.

Even though I told him there was no way I'd forget his name, he gave me his card. Turns out he works as a designer for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. So I wanted to publicly thank (and recognize) Noelle Gonzalez for being a truly NICE guy!

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