A safety pin has so many uses in a survival situation. It can be used to take out splinters, mend clothing or gear, to make a finger splint, replace a zipper puller, use as fishing hooks, wound closure, pin a shirt sleeve to a shirt to make a sling, to get knots out of your fishing line, use on a blanket to make a sleeping bag or as part of your shelter. There are hundreds of uses, this is why you will see safety pins as a part of the best survival kits.
An alarming statistic was recently published by the Centers for Disease Control with regards to suicide. With all the resources being poured into social services and all of the agencies available to individuals, the United States, annual suicide rate still increased from nearly 36,000 to over 38,000 individuals during the past several years. The biggest increase was in the 50 – 59 year of age group. Nearly all other age brackets remained about the same.
Each and every one of us is the safety pin in each other’s lives. We are all here to hold each other up when we are about to fall. There are many people struggling to get by, it is up to all of us to provide the friendship and comfort needed.

Bicycle Patrol Police Officer Brett Kaczmarczyk of the San Francisco Police Department has worked in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood for 12 years. I’m sure he has seen just about everything. This haven of tourists and individuals, from every walk of life, are the very fabric of this bohemian enclave. Hats off to the men and women in blue who “keep the peace” here.
I have ridden The Kindness Bicycle down this street on a few occasions, talking with shopkeepers and locals. The consensus is, that it is all about the children. No matter who the individual may be, people want to see a safer world for children. Many of the homeless and transient souls who walk the streets here, have led difficult childhoods and are supportive of my ride, hoping that other children don’t have to endure such challenging upbringings.

Michael MacNeill, Vice Chairman of The Respect Institute, spoke proudly as he told me of the work being done by this organization.                               Their mission is to make respect the status quo, giving youth and their influencers the tools to redefine respect and build self-respect so they can break cycles of disrespect and thrive.

• Practicing respectful and nonviolent communication, integrity and accountability. Being mindful of our impact and intentions as leaders, giving and receiving honest feedback, and staying true to our organizational outcomes in all our activities. We believe: How we get there matters. Developing self-respect and mutual respect skills for all individuals to foster their ability to thrive.
• Self-respecting individuals’ powerful ability to create more respectful relationships, homes, schools, communities and workplaces.
• Creating social change through partnerships with allies in communities nationwide.
• Including diverse voices, expertise and experiences in our work—all change is created through relationship.
• Walking our talk by constantly practicing The Respect Basics to improve our self-respect, relationships, self-efficacy, community and future, and supporting the self-care of those who work with us.
• Using resources thoughtfully to make the most wide-reaching, sustainable impact possible on the people and organizations we serve.
• Continuously learning and evaluating our work and behaviors to create an effective and nimble organization that makes a meaningful and measurable positive impact on the people and communities we serve.

There is something about the California lifestyle that suits Bogart in a big way. Actually, he loves all the coastal waters of the United States. From Maine to Florida and all along the Pacific, Bogart loves the water. The slower pace seems to bring out the laid back side of Bogart as we go about our daily interactions with people.
One look on his face sums it up. It’s gonna be hard to break the news to him when we start heading east.

A unique idea was presented to me for getting kids to perform kind acts. Michael Bogan, co-founder of Promise Monsters sent me the following information of their upcoming launch:

Promise Monsters is a line of plush monsters, manufactured in the USA (Indianapolis), that spread sneaky acts of kindness. Every Promise Monster comes with a Monster Mission – a fun and sneaky act of kindness for kids to complete. When the kid completes his kind mission,  Promise Monsters mails him a reward! Promise Monsters are sold at independent retail locations and online atPromiseMonsters.com.

Through Kickstarter – the popular crowdfunding platform – Promise Monsters aims to create a new monster, Albert, and all new kind missions. Rewards for backers of the project include the monster himself, Albert; donations of monsters to Riley Hospital for Children; picking the kind acts to be included with the monsters; and even the chance to have a backer’s drawing made into a Promise Monster.

See Something! Say Something! This is the rallying cry of students and teachers at Luther Burbank Elementary School when it comes to bullying. Principal Julian Szot invited me to visit some of his classrooms at this K-6 school. I stopped there to drop off information on the ROCK ride, I hadn’t been gone for more than 30 minutes,  when the school called and asked me to come back for a visit. I love when this happens.
Talking with students, 30-40 at a time, in a classroom setting, is like having individual conversations with all of them. It has the highest degree of possible effectiveness. As one of the teachers put it, “Just keep showing kids positive messages, as often as we all can.”
Thank you to everyone for making this last minute visit take place.