Author Archives: Andy Smallman

Each interaction we have with people opens a metaphorical circle. Simple interactions, like those we have passing a stranger on the street, cause the circles to open and close quickly without much work on our parts. But those interactions we have with people in which something significant takes place create larger circles with larger openings.Continue reading “Hearts Expand By Expressing Gratitude”

If you believe Mr. Rogers, and I do, every day is a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Certainly, some days it is hard to recognize this and far be it for me to tell anyone that they must. So I’m going to take a minute to describe how I look at things while fully supportingContinue reading “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

There is a lot going on, to say the least, and much of it is concerning. Still, the pulse of our collective lives continues, and the seasons change. Recently, here in the northern hemisphere where I live, we experienced the first day of spring. At my home in Seattle, we now have more hours ofContinue reading “Be the Daylight”

Understandably, many of us are confused by and nervous about the coronavirus pandemic. In times like these, it is natural for our in-built negativity bias to kick in. So while it’s true that as humans we tend to dwell on negative things, we can actively take steps to overcome this. The website linked above suggestsContinue reading “Savor Positive Moments”

For over 25 years I’ve facilitated kindness classes and throughout this time, it seems, participants in the classes have most enjoyed and felt good about those kindness actions they completed anonymously. One of my favorite kindness stories comes from when I was facilitating an in-person intergenerational kindness class in a Seattle retirement community in theContinue reading ““You Have Been the Victim of a Random Act of Kindness””

Over the years as an educator, I often told my students what I think is a pretty sound strategy for being happy and feeling purposeful. I told them it’s a secret, but really it’s not. It’s pretty simple, although lots of things conspire to make it complicated. Here’s how it works: 1) Identify something youContinue reading “Four Steps to Finding Happiness & Purpose”

Consider for a minute any part of your life that causes you some stress. Got it? Hold it in your mind both carefully and gently, carefully so that it does not cause you additional stress by bringing it forward, and gently so that you can take a minute to consider it as part of yourContinue reading “One Step to Reducing Stress”

Back when I was the Director of the Puget Sound Community School (PSCS), I often offered a class called “The Importance of Virtue.” I began the first class session by telling the students the class was predicated on a couple of my personal beliefs: There exists a way of behaving that, if followed, either purposelyContinue reading “The Importance of Virtue”

(“Do You Think it’s Possible to Create Peace on Earth by 2030?” I was asked this question back in 2018 by Jon Ramer, the founder of the Compassion Games. In response, I wrote this short essay.) I’d like to respectfully suggest that there may be a clearer way to get to the point of thisContinue reading “Peace on Earth, 2030”

The title of this essay comes from a quote from journalist Charles Kuralt: “It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn’t in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals.” -Charles Kuralt I find the quote to be centering, concerned as IContinue reading “There are People in the Country Besides Politicians”