Inspiring Kindness continues partnership with Clark County Sheriff's Office

Inspiring Kindness continues partnership with Clark County Sheriff's Office

Inspiring Kindness Update

Inspiring Kindness powered by Life Vest Inside is continuing its unbelievable partnership with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Vancouver, Washington. So much has been going on in fact that I am only going to be sharing the events of the last 48 hours.

On Wednesday, December 18th Deputy McCarty and Sheriff Atkins planned a kindness sneak attack on an unsuspecting staff member at Sunset Elementary School. As hundreds of students and faculty entered the gymnasium they all had the same question, why are the police and the news cameras here? They would soon find out! Principal Michael Martin introduced Deputy McCarthy and Sheriff Atkins and then invited Angie Winston aka “School Mom!” Today Angie was issued a “Kindness Citation” for her above and beyond efforts at Sunset Elementary. She is the Safety Patrol supervisor where kids and parents are greeted with a smile and a hug. Amazing! She also supervises the cafeteria (thankless job) during lunch and is in charge of all the kids' medications. If that is not enough, she also fills in as a secretary or sub when there is a need, and always does it with a smile on her face. Today was an incredible day for an incredible ambassador of kindness. You can see the news story from KATU Channel 2 right here.

Then on the morning of Thursday, December 19th I was invited to attend the Clark County Sheriff’s Office: “Shop with a Cop” at our local Walmart store. Deputies are paired up with families with children in need and get to have the shopping experience of a lifetime. It is magical, the relationships between law enforcement and children. It was an incredible way to start a morning. More available on their Facebook page.

Following “Shop with a Cop”, I had the opportunity to meet with and train additional deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office who have volunteered to be part of the Inspiring Kindness initiative. Our community is seeing the incredible impact that a little bit of kindness can spread. The ripple effect is definitely being felt as Life Vest Inside continues to get requests for this brand new program from multiple law enforcement opportunities across the United States! For more information, please check out last month’s Kindness Flash story.

Prepare yourself; you may be the next recipient of a “Kindness Citation!”

by LifeVestInside

Reflections on Resolution

Reflections on Resolution

by Orly Wahba

A resolution is more than something we make at the beginning of a New Year; it’s something we contemplate at the end of one as well. The concept of resolving something means that before you begin a new chapter, you must first take an accounting of the chapter that’s just about to close. Afterall, how can we figure out where we’re going before we take the time and effort to understand where we’ve been; the mistakes we’ve made, the accomplishments we’ve achieved, the person we’ve become, the hopes realized and dreams pursued, the missteps and the choices that led us to where we are in the here and now.

For most, we create lists upon lists of what we hope for the future - what we envision the new year to bring. However, we don’t invest ample time evaluating the past. For some, looking at the past is scary. It brings up emotions that we may rather stay hidden, locked away. But we can’t hide from our past. Whether we like it or not it’s a part of who we are but it doesn’t have to define where we will go. For some, the past makes us feel sad. Perhaps we’ve strayed from the person we had hoped we would become, perhaps we have lost sight of what’s important in life, of who is important in life. Or perhaps looking back makes us feel guilty of the things, the people and the memories we left behind. Creating meaningful resolutions isn’t easy because it requires that we shed light on the darkest parts of ourselves. For some, remaining in the darkness is preferable. After all if you ignore what you need to change, you have no responsibilities. But responsibilities and “growing pains” are the reasons we live life. We are here for one thing - to improve our character. Not to compare ourselves to this person or the other, but to compare ourselves to who we are meant to be. Feeling guilty never helps anyone. When resolving to make resolutions be careful not to allow the gap of where you are to where you want to be crush you and stop you in your tracks, preventing you from taking the first step. We can’t climb a mountain overnight, but we can take steps each day to ensure we reach the top.

Resolution comes from the Latin word resolvere which means to loosen or release. When we think of resolution - the concepts of being determined, firm and strong willed come to mind. But when we look a little closer we learn that to make a lasting resolution - one that will stick - we need to loosen our grip. We need to take a moment to step back, reflect and experience true release. Only by doing so can we begin to break things down into its parts. Once we do that, we now have a blueprint instead of one larger than life goal. As I always say, Dream BIG, but think small! Don’t forget to list the small steps you will need to take to turn that dream into a reality.

But be aware - just because breaking things down into their parts is an important process in creating a resolution, focusing too much on the exact pathway you think you need to take to get you there is dangerous. It can blind you from seeing other pathways you never knew existed. A true resolution is a perfect meld of both release and control; of being cautious and taking a risk. Too much of either can leave you feeling frustrated.

by LifeVestInside