Andy Smallman

Melinda and I just returned from an event in Seattle called “A Call for Compassion: Collective Impact 2012” (learn more). Based on our work with PSCS and with Kind Living, we were asked to attend. Certainly, we’re all in favor of bringing more compassion into the world. And when we had a chance to talk about how we incorporate kindness and gratitude at PSCS, we had quite a few engaged listeners.

Anyway, I’m posting late tonight because of it and went searching for an image in support of it. I found this one, “graffiti” from our trip to Italy last spring.

Just like how I can get behind calls for compassion, I like graffiti like this.

Today’s Prompt: What does compassion mean to you?

I had a quick email exchange with my brother Scott earlier today (that’s him in today’s photo, after a fishing trip in the late 1970’s). I asked him if he enjoyed waking up and hearing a live Seattle Mariners baseball game on the radio. The Mariners are in Japan to start the baseball season and the time difference has had the two games they played there begin in the wee hours of the morning in Seattle where, of course, they are being broadcast live on the radio.

Scott is a stockbroker by profession. Living on the west coast, he has to get up early in order to be in his office by the market’s opening. But he takes it to an extreme, getting up each workday just after 3am, right about the time the two baseball games started. Perfect timing for him. Here is what he said:

“I absolutely love listening to live baseball on the way to work, but guess it won’t happen again for many years. Yesterday was certainly better than today. I put George Sherrill on a June 1st release date; I think he may be done.”

Today’s Prompt: Share a story about a sibling with someone.

It’s what’s called “block break” at Chloe’s school, Quest University in British Columbia, and Chloe is home for the night. Block break takes place from Wednesday afternoon, when the block wraps up, until Monday morning, when the next block begins. A large group of her college friends have worked it out to spend a couple of days at a cabin on the Hood Canal, a beautiful area south of Seattle. You might say they are “passing through” Seattle tonight.

Let me just tell you that Chloe is a great kid. If you need any more proof, just look at today’s photo.

Today’s Prompt: When has “passing through” been a great thing for you?

A PSCS student came to me early in the day today and told me she had met the mom of a former PSCS student on her bus ride in to school. That parent, who happens to be a bus driver supervisor, had noticed the student and deduced that she must attend PSCS. The student was so excited about the experience that she literally beamed as she passed on a hello to me from this parent.

I like this story. I like it a lot.

An hour or so later I got this email:

Hi Andy, I enjoyed meeting a PSCS student on the bus today. Was qualifying on a route from Duvall to Seattle, heard her doing math and noticed she rode the whole route. I figured any student that buses that far and deboards at 5th and Jackson just may be headed to your place. So asked and sure enuf, told her to tell you all hello. Take care and thanks for creating such a great place.

Like I said, I like this story. I like it a lot.

Today’s Prompt: Tell someone a sweet story, a true one from your life.

If you know me at all, you’ll understand that I believe everything is connected…

A few years back a member of the PSCS staff connected one of his friends to the school, a man who, as a member of the school’s Board of Trustees, has become an incredible contributor to the school’s success. A couple of years ago, the mom of one of our students introduced this man to one of her best friends. They began dating and then last spring, they were married. Two weeks ago I sat next to them at the annual school play. The woman and I started talking about the connections that take place that lead us to where we are, including how she and her husband met. Over the weekend she emailed me about a new TV show she had just watched, and referenced our conversation.

Melinda and I just watched the pilot episode and it made us cry. You could say it touched us.

Today’s Prompt: Share a connection in your life.

Here’s one for our French friends to roll their eyes over. Are you listening Frédérique & Laurent and Christine & Bérnard? See what Melinda bought from Ikea this week and was busy assembling this morning? That’s right.

For everyone else, you really need to go read this post from September 26, 2010, the 88th day of our sabbatical.

So now we have a “caddy” in the United States. Next we’ll be regularly walking to the grocery store and taking the caddy on public transportation (where we live in Seattle this means nothing more than a bus – boy, do I miss Ligne 2).

The weather is beautiful in Seattle today, sunny with a high in the upper 50’s. I guess that’s got Melinda and me thinking of spring last year in Nantes (it was in the low 70’s there today…).

Today’s Prompt: How do you honor an important experience in your past?

Ella is a permitted driver in Washington state and seconds ago left with Melinda, Ella behind the wheel. I snapped this picture just before she hopped in the car.

Before leaving France last summer, Melinda bought the sticker you see in this picture for our car. It’s required in France when you have “accompanied driving” (the literal translation). She thought it would be fun to have this reminder of France in our car once Ella started driving.

The sticker also serves to remind us of when Romain got his license a year and a half ago and Melinda doctored up one of these stickers for him. Given how much time the Boudeaus spend driving us around, we both thought it was fitting. Learn more.

Today’s Prompt: Recall when you started driving, or a time when you helped someone else learn to drive.

Today’s photo, for my money, is the best photographic self-portrait I’ve ever seen. I mean it. Ella took it in 2004, just moments before taking the picture of Melinda in yesterday’s post. She had the hand mirror out on the dining room table, caught herself in it, and snapped this picture (remember, click on it to enlarge it).

I like the expression on her face, like she’s not quite sure if this is going to work out. She looks a little self-conscious, too, like she’s not sure she should be taking her picture.

I like her hand on the mirror, holding it in place. And I especially like the fingernail polish. What color is that anyway? Turquoise?

Today’s Prompt: What’s your favorite self-portrait?