My story is a long story, so I will keep it short. It was a dark and stormy night…oops, wrong story. I was a soldier once. I fought a couple of wars. my experiences set me out on a path for enlightenment. What is the meaning of life? What is truth? Where do socks disappear to in the dryer? My path has taken me to many places and has placed me in many roles. A scholar,a poet, a dreamer, a writer, a carpenter, a craftsman, and as of late, some guy who oversees a salad bar. That one I did not see coming, kind of like a Nolan Ryan fastball, “where did that come from?” But I have come to a conclusion about one of the purposes of life. That one is to extend kindness wherever you can. One single act of kindness, like a pebble tossed into a pond, can ripple infinitely outwards, affecting lives of unknown proportions, in ways we may have never imagined. Do not settle for being merely nice, instead work on being kind. Yes, there is a difference, but that is another lesson. Peace.