The air glistened as we rounded the residential stretch of street behind Mulberry School. You could feel the chill of the morning begin to soften, as the sun’s rays streamed through leaves on the tree-lined neighborhood. As we pulled into the parking lot, sounds of laughter and anticipation wafted in through the car window. Splashes of colorful posters and art waved at us from the school courtyard.

It was 8:30AM on Friday, September 18th— the last day of “Mulberry In Action” week. For the whole week, the school’s 100+ preschool to 5th grade students engaged in lessons, practices, art and experiments around the themes of kindness, gratitude, oneness, and interconnection. Nimo and I had no sooner pulled into the parking lot when we were swept into warm hugs from the school’s media specialist, Michelle, and her two children, Emma and Matthew, who’d arrived at the same time. Jane, fifth grade teacher and coordinator-extraordinaire for the day’s events, walked out and greeted us with her arms stretched wide in a warm welcome.

After less than a year of knowing each other, it felt as if we’d come home.



Last November, while searching for a song that the fifth graders could sing during their school-wide Thanksgiving Feast, co-teacher Halina came across “Grateful: A Love Song To The World". Amy, the school’s marketing director, dropped Nimo a note to see if the instrumental piece was available, and within hours they had the track in their inbox. At the same time, Lisa found “Being Kind" and instantly brought it into her classroom, where her second graders were already eagerly at work on Kindness Shop. That December, Jane and Halina’s fifth graders interviewed Nimo in a class Skype call, and their conversation unleashed a tidal wave of acts of kindness. Couple weeks later, Jane made the epic holiday-traffic drive to Berkeley for our first Educators’ Circle and, as they launched a school-wide 21-Day Kindness Challenge in February, Anne, Bradley, and I got to confirm in person that the school is, in fact, cloaked in kindness. :) Throughout the spring, Jane continued kindness experiments with a Values Fashion Show, where her students quite literally wore their values on their sleeve, and finished out the school year with plans for an Empty Hands Music school day event in September.

Last Friday, that day arrived, and after dropping our things in the library and informally meeting the 6th graders (who had gotten permission to take the morning off from their various middle schools just for this day!), Jane led us to the school courtyard, where each grade sat waiting in special formation.





Outside, a welcome banner greeted us along with a row of hand-painted posters and Lisa’s stunning mural of the school community’s spirit of compassion. Sara, the drama teacher, had choreographed each class into a silent “Human Sculpture Garden,” and as we walked through the courtyard towards the outdoor amphitheater for the morning assembly, we were blown away by the creative display of values that unfolded before our eyes. The second grade performed a domino display of “gratitude,” stretching their arms wide and folding them into cupped hands. (I’d never seen 7-year-olds display such reverence!) The fifth grade class untangled themselves from a human knot into circle, demonstrating the theme of “interconnectedness”. Kindergarten expressed “oneness” as they lay like rays of a sun in a circle around their teacher. And on and on. Parents and school community speckled the courtyard as a moving audience, and as each class finished their human sculpture, they joined the school-wide procession towards the amphitheater. In less than 15 minutes, we had already become enveloped by the love of an entire community. Nimo and I exchanged astounded glances as if wondering what incredible planet we had walked into. :)




As the school sat on the slope of the hill, Kara, the Head of School, took the stage and offered some welcoming remarks. Ninth grade Mulberry School alum Sophia shared a personal reflection, followed by a stunning rendition of "Grateful," by the fifth and sixth graders, along with Nimo. We flowed into a couple stories of kindness, and dispersed into more intimate visits with each grade.

With the sixth graders, Nimo shared about his journey with Ekatva and I was reminded of a volunteer’s spontaneous t-shirt gift at Karma Kitchen, and its continued ripples 5 years later. A few of the girls shared about how they like to make others smile and laugh—and how one of their favorite things to do is to wave and smile at others while they are driving or walking around.

Next, when we circled up with the junior kindergarten through 2nd grade, Nimo shared stories of different super heroes—from Superman to Batman to Spiderman, to the least known but most powerful of all: Common-man and woman. :) I offered a story of the hummingbird, and Lisa ceremoniously ended the session by inviting us to each drop a pebble into a bowl of water and watch the ripples it creates.

We then headed over to visit with the 3rd-5th grade group, where they had been reflecting on their favorite moments from the morning. Third grader, Isabella, pointed out that Nimo "gave some kids he didn't know a hug" and remarked, "When we sang for Nimo, it was powerful because I didn't have to hold in the kindness anymore." Her classmate, Graham, shared that his most memorable moment was when Nimo told a story about a rickshaw driver who feeds ants, "because they are family. We are all family." :) In the classroom, Nimo shared about the inspiration and journey behind the Being Kind video. I was reminded of a moment when I learned to drop into service by noticing the way a tree effortlessly serves its ecosystem, and as the clocked ticked onwards, we all assembled outside for a school-wide sing and dance-along.



Throughout the day, we were humbled again and again by the natural ease with which the youth fell into acts of kindness. They excitedly told us about feeling grateful for their family and friends, animals and nature, and shared stories of sticking up for each other when being teased, feeding animals and insects, making and giving gifts, and one boy even recounted how a group of teenagers at a diner saw him and commented amongst themselves they had to be mindful of their behavior so as to set a good example. The sixth graders seamlessly become classroom helpers throughout the day's activities. Ninth grade alum Sophia shared how she signed up for the Random Acts of Kindness Club at her high school. When Nimo walked through the kitchen on the way to the bathroom, one class was baking pita bread, and a student in his path instantly gave him a piece to taste. During the outdoor dance party, as the children waved ribbons on stage, one student noticed I didn’t have a ribbon and handed me an extra one. Then, another student came up and offered me an additional one, and when I showed her I already had one, she smilingly replied, “That’s okay, you can give it to someone else.” :)

In the classroom sharings, a fifth grader spoke about a squirrel’s tail they had found in the schoolyard, and how they planned to do an act of kindness by burying it and wishing the squirrel well. Soon after the morning’s events, the fifth graders decided to leap into action, and invited us to join them. As we walked over to the field for the burial, one student picked up an acorn, another found a pinecone, and a few others found flowers and heart-shaped leaves to adorn the burial site. Fifth grader Giselle picked up the tail and put it in an already-dug hole at the foot of a tree. Everyone circled up to bury it, and then artfully placed their objects around the tree, and collectively wished the squirrel well. It was all so spontaneous and filled with care, as the teachers mindfully watched over their offering.




As we continued to be mesmerized by the creativity and care that radiated from each child, we couldn’t help but notice how the grace and intentions of the school’s teachers, staff, and parents fuel such a blossoming community. Small touches of love greeted us at every corner, radiating like stars in a constellation on a clear night. The hand-painted labor-of-love posters, stones, and picture-book-inspired banner reflected a depth of nurturing care from all angles. The library lizard, Lizzie, and python snakes in the 3rd grade classroom filled students (and Nimo :)) with a lively sense of curiosity and connection to the environment. As we ate a delicious lunch with a crew of sixth graders and teachers, two parents walked into the room and surprised everyone by gifting the school a kindness peace pole, inspired by the morning’s events. On the counter sat a pile of snacks and a card “from a secret admirer” :) explaining the snacks were a gift in gratitude to everyone in the room. Amy beamed a wide smile as she pulled out a heaping plate of snicker doodle cookies that she had baked for everyone the previous night. When Kara  surprised us with a bag of gifts on behalf of the school, we told her how inspired we were to see the collaborative beauty of the school community—to which she replied in true-laddership-style how it all unfolds so naturally, and her job is to simply hold space and step out of the way.

Each minute-second-moment, the love in the air was palpable. From Nimo's natural way of becoming one with the kids to Jane's labor-of-love coordination, Sara's sound expertise and lively choreography, Amy's radiant photography, Kara's welcoming laddership, Lisa's stunning art, Michelle's warm presence, and all the full-of-heart students and parents and siblings-- it was inspiring to witness a community united in the human spirit. As midday swept into the afternoon, it was hard to peel ourselves away from such a full-of-heart crew. We joking told them that we were camping out in the reading boat. :) After our final round of hugs and goodbyes, we drove away with our cups of gratitude overflowing, both stilled and stirred awake by the timeless power of small acts with great love.



More photos from the day can be viewed here and here.