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Maybe we can’t solve all the big problems, but by working together, we can solve a lot of smaller ones. And we’ll help ourselves too. I call it strength training for the soul. By making kindness a regular habit, we can exercise our compassion muscles and keep them strong.

Here are some simple suggestions of ways to be a nice-a-holic:

• Give your used DVDs to children in the hospital. Movies distract them from their pain during chemotherapy and relax them before surgery and other procedures.
• Donate pet toys and bedding to comfort abandoned animals at an animal shelter or sanctuary. If your pet has passed away, donating some of their things to help needy pets is a wonderful way to extend your love.
• Organize a "dinner tree," "carpool tree" or "laundry tree" to help a friend who is sick, has a new baby or otherwise needs help.
• Instead of buying presents for birthdays and other occasions, give a coupon to spend time with someone. It could be going on a picnic or spending an evening playing a game, or even cleaning out the garage together. We need more time with the people we love.
• Send books to schools, libraries and hospitals.
• Donate packages of pasta, cans of food and other food items to food banks.
• Clean out your wallet! Send your used gift cards, hotel room key cards and expired library and other plastic cards to be recycled. Your old cards will be made into new ones, using just a fraction of the energy that’s normally required and won’t hurt the earth.
  

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