Dear Center Friends-
This issue of
Thriving Together
features the work of one of our newest senior scholars, Dr. Gail Christopher, whose concept of Rx Racial Healing Circles connects people on the basis of their shared humanity. Her model connects us to one another through compassion, empathy, and mindfulness. You’ll also learn about the many ways our Elena Prien well-being scholarship mentors make a difference in our students’ lives. Dr. Mandy O’Neill, our center’s new Director of Research, shares her vision of collaborating with other universities and our senior scholars to advance large-scale research projects aimed at developing cultures of well-being in organizations and communities. Senior Scholar Dr. James Maddux reveals what science tells us about financial well-being and happiness.
As I’m writing this column, the movie
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
is being released.
Mister Rogers
was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I grew up - he was a local idol to many of us kids and grown-ups alike. My mother sat my brother and me down each afternoon to watch the show and I vividly remember his soothing voice and gentle messages about our collective humanity. One in particular seems especially timely given the events happening in our world, “
Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”
Mister Rogers shared that dream nearly 50 years ago. Today, we find ourselves yearning for this same shared vision.
As we approach the holiday season and the New Year, I find myself filled with reflections and emotions about the many gifts I received throughout my life. Most of those came in the form of lessons learned from the wonderful examples of my elders who have all passed, but left me with lasting memories. They taught me that what matters most is what’s left at the end of each day. While they didn’t have a command on the research that supports gratitude and how it impacts our well-being, my elders modeled the simple, every day expressions of graciousness and kindness. And through that, I discovered the joy and benefits of connecting to something larger than myself.
Many of us have been the recipients or givers of random acts of kindness. In the context of well-being, kindness is less about being random and more about intentionality. And while the World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on November 13, it’s really about what we do the other 364 days of the year. As we enter the season of giving, I hope you put the biggest gift of all at the top of your list – kindness to one and all.
With gratitude,