{"id":254,"date":"2008-10-27T16:51:51","date_gmt":"2008-10-27T20:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=254"},"modified":"2008-10-27T16:51:51","modified_gmt":"2008-10-27T20:51:51","slug":"kindness-appreciated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/kindness-appreciated\/","title":{"rendered":"Kindness Appreciated"},"content":{"rendered":"

About six weeks ago, I wrote about my trip to the Dale Chihuly exhibit in San Francisco. Nevertheless, I was surprised to open my mailbox this morning and discover a large package from Chihuly<\/a> Studios. Since I knew I hadn’t ordered anything from there, I thought it might be a belated birthday gift. I was wrong. It was a gift from Chihuly’s executive assistant and included a copy of one his books and a compilation DVD.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What had prompted this gift? I wasn’t the random winner of a drawing, but the recipient of a thank you that came in response to something I’d sent the artist a couple of months ago. Here’s the original letter I sent:<\/p>\n

Like many parents and grandparents, I was delighted to\u00a0discover your art kit for kids and gave it to my\u00a0three-year-old granddaughter last Christmas. Long\u00a0before she was toilet trained, Zoe approached making\u00a0art with an earnestness and concentration that seemed\u00a0exceptionally mature. I had also been talking to her\u00a0about Venice and about your work, which she had seen\u00a0at Bellagio.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

A couple of months ago, Zoe and I began exploring the\u00a0kit. First we did the Marshmallow Madness exercise and\u00a0then we went back to her room and talked a little bit\u00a0about some other things in the book. She turned to a\u00a0blank page and drew an oval and the little body\u00a0underneath. I asked what she was doing and she said,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m drawing Chihuly as a boy.\u201d While she was working,\u00a0I said, \u201cYou know, Chihuly says he never met a color\u00a0that he didn\u2019t like.\u201d She didn\u2019t acknowledge that\u00a0she\u2019d heard me, but kept on working. When I saw the\u00a0final picture, I knew she had taken in what I said.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

So I present to you, a copy of <\/em>Chihuly as a Boy<\/em><\/strong> by Zoe\u00a0Barron.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you for bringing so much beauty and joy to the\u00a0world\u2014and inspiring the next generation of artists.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, I was thrilled to get the response, but that wasn’t why I wrote the letter in the first place. Showing appreciation to people who enrich my life is a longtime hobby. Sometimes I get an answer back, but even when I don’t, I know that I’m adding to the pool of kindness in this world. We simply can’t have too much of that.<\/p>\n

Genuine giving feeds joyfulness. The more generosity, the greater joy. And we can be more generous than we ever thought possible. ~ Geri Larkin<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About six weeks ago, I wrote about my trip to the Dale Chihuly exhibit in San Francisco. Nevertheless, I was surprised to open my mailbox this morning and discover a large package from Chihuly Studios. Since I knew I hadn’t ordered anything from there, I thought it might be a belated birthday gift. I was…<\/p>\n

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