When Paul Mitchell Schools Dean and Cofounder Winn Claybaugh lost his good friend Ann Bowler last year, he wanted to do something to honor her. “Ann was 92 years old and an absolute joy to be around,” Winn said. “She was funny, witty, incredibly intelligent, and very politically and community active. I was very saddened by Ann’s passing, and when my heart aches the only thing I know to do is to get busy and give back.

“During our time together, each and every time I asked Ann if there was anything I could do for her, her one and only response was, ‘Just be my friend.’”

Inspired by that simple request, Winn called upon the student-run Be Nice (Or Else!) teams at his 100-plus cosmetology schools to hold “Ann Bowler Day” last December, and it was a resounding success. This year, he invited them to repeat the event, and the response was overwhelming again. Students and staff members flocked to nursing homes and senior centers across America, singing Christmas carols, bearing small gifts, and offering mini manicures and hairdos. They also made it a point to sincerely thank the nurses, doctors, and caregivers who look after these beautiful people. Most important, they gave the gift of their time, providing love and companionship to their new friends.

“Of all the people I could have taken as my date to the 2009 Paul Mitchell Schools FUNraising dinner, who did I want there with me? My best friend, Ann Bowler,” Winn said. “She loved having her photo taken that night with John Paul DeJoria, Donny Osmond, Leeza Gibbons, and Larry King, and she was captivated by all the magic created by our Paul Mitchell Schools. I’m sure she would be very proud to see the magic our schools now create in her honor.”

Here are just a few examples of the activities held by Paul Mitchell Schools:

• Paul Mitchell The School Las Vegas held a Christmas sing-a-long at a nearby assisted living center.
  
• Paul Mitchell The School Green Bay’s newest students held a “Mini Mani” event at Woodside Manor in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
  
• Paul Mitchell The School Cincinnati split into groups and visited three different nursing homes, spreading cheer across the tri-state area.
  
• Future Professionals from Paul Mitchell The School San Diego sang Christmas carols, played board games, and gave hand massages at a local nursing home. “When we walked in, it was so quiet,” said Be Nice (Or Else!) Team Leader Lizzy Becknell. “Of course we brought the Paul Mitchell energy in, and within 20 minutes, the entire mood of the nursing home changed.”
  
• Paul Mitchell The School Arlington visited Oakwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Arlington, Texas, bearing gifts and snacks, singing Christmas carols, and providing manicures. One instructor bought 80 pairs of socks so no one would be left out. “It was such a joy to see the look on the residents’ faces as we traveled from room to room, spreading Christmas cheer,” said Be Nice Team Creative Master Misty Staples.
  
• Paul Mitchell The School Houston started out in two tiny rooms at Parkwood Place nursing home, but the buzz began to spread and their two rooms turned into five, on three different floors.
  
• Cactus Academy, A Paul Mitchell Partner School in Garden City, New York, has made Ann Bowler day a quarterly tradition. Instructor JoAnne Turano says, “Now all our ‘special friends’ at the Gerwin Nursing Home know about our Be Nice (Or Else!) club and Ann Bowler and what a lovely woman she was.”
  

Visit http://paulmitchell.edu/photo-gallery to see more photos from Ann Bowler Day 2011.

The Kindle Lending Library, a new feature on Amazon.com, has just added Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) to its roster of downloadable books. Amazon Prime members can download Be Nice (Or Else!) and thousands of other titles for free, once a month, with no due dates. “It’s a new way for people to access my book, so I'm super excited about it,” Winn said. “I know a lot of people who got Kindle or Kindle Fire as a holiday gift, and I think it’s wonderful that they can ‘borrow’ Be Nice (Or Else!) this way.”

In addition to a free Kindle book each month, Amazon Prime members get unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, free two-day shipping on millions of items, and no minimum order size. Learn more at www.amazon.com/gp/prime.

On September 9, 2011, two days before the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, Richard Radstone found himself sitting on an airplane, thinking about that fateful day. Seated across the aisle from what he initially described as “the smelly sock traveler (sans shoes),” Richard forced himself to think beyond his “nasal discomfort” and chose to examine the humanity of the situation. “After all,” Richard concluded, “he is a fellow-human; probably tired, most likely as uncomfortable as I, and surely has no intent of bothering me.”

His observations led Richard to an unusual commitment: Every day for a year, he would meet a stranger, ask a few questions, and blog about the experience. His “365” experiment calls upon readers to stop speculating, stop withdrawing into our own shells, and to simply say hello to “our neighbors in life.” Now more than four months into the challenge, Richard says, “You know what I’m discovering? We are fascinating and have more than we realize in common. . . . The human experience is magnificent.”

Richard came to our attention on day 110 (Dec. 28, 2011), when he blogged about Amanda, a young woman he met at a rental-car counter:

She speaks selflessly in sharing thoughts like, “I don’t understand how people can be mean to each other,” . . . “We don’t have to be best friend with everyone, or take abuse, but we also don’t have to contribute to the downfall of human kindness,” … “Good guys can finish first,” … and “It’s not about how much money you have or where you live, but the feeling you have at the end of the road.”

In a way, Amanda is a world watcher. She tells me of her observations of the people around her, citing one example of a close friend of hers. She uses an explanative in describing this friend. In setting it up, she tell me this, “I can tell you that, because I told it to my friends face.” Never once did Amanda character assassinate or bag on her friend. Her perspective was completely compassionate. “I gave her a book to read, Be Nice (Or Else!), reading it changed her life, and she thanked me for that.” How many of us have dismissed friends for their bad attitudes or negativity. Yeh sure, sometimes it’s all we can do to protect ourselves. But do we have the courage to speak up before doing so? Amanda does, and for this, she has helped another to have a better life.

You can follow Richard Radstone’s “stranger journey” at www.richardradstoneblog.com. And Amanda, if you’re reading this, we’d love to hear from you and send you a signed copy of the book!