How Simple Acts of Kindness Define Us

SPEAKER 02 : 0:01

Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.

SPEAKER 07 : 0:09

Hello there, friends. Auntie Austin and Jim Stovall. We’re talking about his Winner’s Wisdom column. And this week it is the. Oh, which one are we doing with this week, Jim? We are talking about everyday heroes. Everyday heroes. It’s funny because I had all your columns stacked up and everyday heroes went away. All right. Everyday heroes. Well, I like that topic. I like that one a lot. All right. So let’s get right into it. What are you teaching us this week?

SPEAKER 05 : 0:36

Well, Everyday Heroes came about, you know, we hear so much bad news and, you know, you tune in every night and you just think everything is falling apart and the whole world is in a decline. And then you realize every once in a while you get a reminder. And Beth, who works for me, she picks me up. on the way to work to the office every day. And when she’s not working with me, she trains dogs and rehabilitates dogs. And she and I actually did a book together earlier this year called Think Like a Dog.

SPEAKER 07 : 1:07

And they had her on the show recently.

SPEAKER 05 : 1:10

We talked about her dog training. It was wonderful. So Beth called me about 10 minutes before she was going to pick me up. She said, hey, I’m just going to warn you. When I pick you up, there’ll be a dog in the backseat. He’s wonderful. His name’s Zeke. And he’s a nine-year-old hunting dog. And I’ll only have him about 10 minutes when we get to the office. Somebody’s picking him up. I said, great. So I get in, and I’m playing with Zeke and everything. And Zeke got too old to hunt, and the guy that had him as a hunting dog basically turned him back into the pound and didn’t want to keep a dog. And it couldn’t hunt. And so I asked Beth, so somebody’s coming to pick him up. And she said, yeah, yeah. And I said, so it’s the new owner. No, no, it’s a guy that’s going to take Zeke 100 miles to Oklahoma City. I said, oh, the new owner’s there. She said, no, no, somebody in Oklahoma City is going to take Zeke to Ardmore. And then someone’s going to take Zeke to Denton, Texas. And someone’s going to take Zeke to Dallas. And seven rides later, Zeke will be at his new home tonight with a family in Houston, Texas. And I just could not believe it. So this guy comes to pick up Zeke at the office. And I said, well, it’s handy you were going to Oklahoma City. He said, no, I wasn’t going to Oklahoma City. I’m just taking Zeke to Oklahoma City, and then I’m coming back. I mean, this is a four-hour round trip. And, you know, 500 miles away, they’re taking Zeke in one day. And so they picked him up here, and We were looking online. They had this little thing so you could follow Zeke’s trip. And he had his little carry-on luggage and everything. He was ready to go. And by 6 o’clock that night, Zeke was arrived at his new home. And here are seven different people that volunteered a part of their day for an old hunting dog they’d never even heard of that’s going somewhere they don’t know. And it’s just, I’m thinking, okay… The world is a pretty great place, and there’s a lot of amazing people. And so every once in a while, you just got to kind of, you know, okay, yeah, there’s some idiot doing some knucklehead thing on the news, and okay, fine. But seven people got Zeke to Houston, and I’ll put them up against anybody.

SPEAKER 07 : 3:28

You know, I, okay, this is so cool. Like, I would do this myself. There’s something, I was going to Puerto Rico, which I haven’t done yet, but I was in this Puerto Rico group. And people were talking about finding dogs there and, like, how to arrange to get them rescued or brought back to the States. And I came across this Flight Angels. And I don’t know if it’s just in Puerto Rico or how it works exactly. But you you can make arrangements for one of these flight angels and you can volunteer. Like if I’m going to go there. Right. And I’ll be coming back to the States. I can actually sign up and volunteer to bring a dog back. And you don’t pay for it normally unless, of course, you want to volunteer to contribute to the nonprofit. But what a neat way to help rescue dogs. But it’s interesting when you mentioned how many ways they do it. Beth, you’re Beth and I talk a lot about. a dog rescue guy that is constantly driving around or getting deliveries from various dog delivery volunteer services or the shelter itself might Lee Asher Lee Asher Asher house is what they call it and he started Jim with like one dog and he had like a condo or a small place he was in the financial world and somehow in the last few years he’s turned it into this multi-million dollar business where he makes supplements for dogs this that and the other but he rescues everything from llamas to cats to dogs to whatever in fact today he posted his favorite rescue video which was an eight or nine hour llama rescue because they couldn’t catch the llama and the two sheep they were inseparable these three and llamas to catch and to tackle and to hold down and to get into some kind of transport is not easy And so it’s actually the rescue where he found out that he was going to marry the woman that he was dating because he’s like, I found my person during the nine-hour llama tackling rescue excursion. But I love talking to Beth about animals and some of these things, but that Lee Asher is somebody that I follow a lot because – He’s taken this from, you know, one dog at a condo to in Oregon is acre after acre. And he’s gotten so many donations. And I think between you and me, he’s like very handsome and like six, six and muscular and walks around with his shirt off that that helped build his popularity. But with that said, he’s so devoted to these animals. It’s really neat to have seen his rescue organization grow so much and do so much good in such, you know, like within five years.

SPEAKER 05 : 5:55

Yeah, I have a friend here that has a thing outside of town, an exotic animal rescue, and he goes all over the country because people are forever… They come back from overseas, and they think this tiger is so cute. He’s four weeks old, and this little tiger, and they put him in their apartment, and I don’t know what they’re thinking, but it’s not long until you’ve got a 400-pound tiger here, and… It doesn’t take long until you realize, okay, I can’t keep this guy. My friend will go and get them. He has lions and tigers and an elephant and some amazing snakes. Sometimes he’ll have me over to meet the animals. I’ve had some unbelievable experiences with these animals. It’s just amazing to see. to see what people will do or just to rescue a dog. And I mean, you know, and I always remember that scripture, when you’ve done it unto the least of these, you’ve done it unto me. And somehow I feel that extends to dogs and cats and whatever. I mean, you know, someone that cares enough to do that is my headline story for the day.

SPEAKER 07 : 7:06

Yeah, the whole idea of finding something to do as an everyday hero. I mean, we’re specifically talking pets, dogs right now. specifically that. But I found a search engine and it’s changed names now, but I’m sure you could Google it and find anything to be similar. And I was just trying to find something that matched to me. And so as I was going through the search engine, it took my likes and found different volunteer matches that might be good for me. So let’s say the Denver Rescue Mission or working with young people or tutoring kids. Well, mine happened to be, imagine this, volunteering with my animals at either an elderly facility or a hospice. And so it actually linked me with a couple of different organizations. And then you fill out there, you know, sometimes you have to do a background check and other things like that. Faith and I have gone twice. And, you know, we’re not the highlight. They’re so excited to see the Pomeranians that we bring in. And and and choosing the right one. I’ve got the you know, the one that jumps off the walls. It’s like the ADHD Pomeranian that runs in circles for an hour and then the mellow, you know, chill one. And I took the wrong one, you know, for the senior facility. I took the puppy one. Right. And that was like a little bit much. So then the next time I took the, you know, more like the stuffed animal Pomeranian that just kind of sits there and lets you hold it. So anyway, I just think it’s neat that you can go on to these aggregators or these search engines that can actually match you with the right. Because people are always saying like, what’s my calling or what would be good for me? And we’re just sitting in the lazy boy of life trying to figure out like it’s going to drop like a brick on our head one day. But there are so many tools now that we can use to find the right fit for us.

SPEAKER 05 : 8:49

Oh, yeah. And there’s always, you know, if you’re looking for something to do on your own time, your own schedule, whatever, you can always find something like you talked about. Or if you can’t find anything else, Big Brothers and Big Sisters is an amazing program across the country. Yes. Just whatever you were going to do anyway, you take the kid with you, and it’s an amazing day for them.

SPEAKER 07 : 9:20

Good point. Whatever you were going to do anyway, you take the kid. And sometimes it’s fun to have a kid to go to the zoo with rather than to go by yourself.

SPEAKER 05 : 9:28

Oh, absolutely. I mean, as a blind guy, I have different friends I go to different things with. So cool.

SPEAKER 07 : 9:35

I wish I lived near you. It would be so much fun to go do something like that with you.

SPEAKER 05 : 9:39

You know, I got a friend that’s a computer geek and an intellectual guy. Yeah, you don’t want to take him to the zoo or the art gallery. You’re not going to get much out of it. You know, here’s a picture. Here’s another picture. Who cares? There’s animals here, bars and cages and everything. But there’s nothing more fun than going somewhere with a little kid because they are just – everything’s amazing. So true.

SPEAKER 07 : 10:03

I just was in St. Louis, and this little kid threw – did I tell you about the St. Louis? union station they turned it into this giant facility there’s an entertainment facility and there’s a lake there that used to be a pond you know ages ago and it’s so full of koi that when you throw food in it’s like a carpet of koi fish that come to the surface like hundreds of them so this little girl anyway she threw some in and her screaming and her laughter i turned to her mom and i said she’s better than the koi like she’s more entertaining than the koi and i took a video just of her because of her laughter and you’re right it’s just like their joy and excitement is than the event that you’re taking them to.

SPEAKER 05 : 10:41

Yeah, I have been to the old Union Station there, did an event there one time. And it’s amazing when people get excited about it. You know, it’s just fun to see anybody get that excited about anything. It doesn’t matter what it is. And I remember when I was working with some kids’ groups here, and they had a deal out at the zoo. And we get off the bus, and it’s a quarter of a mile hike up the deal to the entrance of the zoo. And this kid says, stop. Wait a minute, Jim. There’s a worm right here on the sidewalk. Look at this worm. And I said, kid, you know. Right at the top of the hill, they’ve got lions and tigers and elephants and everything you want. But, no, we had to all stop and look at this worm. That is so funny. Yeah, and that was his worm. And, you know, it’s great. So, yeah, it’s just always a matter of what happens. But I just, you know, you can be an everyday hero. And, you know, I just thought about what, you know, Zeke and this dog, and it’s just – Really, really incredible.

SPEAKER 07 : 11:41

What ways do you like being an everyday hero? Because I know that you talk to people a lot and work with people a lot when they’re trying to reach goals. Is there any other way that you like to work with people?

SPEAKER 05 : 11:53

Well, yeah. I mean, of course, as you said, I have 10 million books in print around the world and my contact info is in all of them. So I try to talk to everyone that calls me and help them in any way I can. But probably my biggest thing is just looking at my talent and skill set. For every arena event or corporate convention I do, I go make one speech for free, usually here in my hometown, and I’ll go to a Sunday school class or a ladies group or whatever. And, you know, I mean, you know, I just, it doesn’t matter to me. I just will go somewhere where they wouldn’t have had a chance, and I’ll just volunteer and show up, you know what I mean? And, you know, one of these speakers bureaus that books me makes fun of me. So last night you talked to 18,000 people in L.A., and tonight you got three old ladies in a phone booth somewhere. And I said, yeah, that’s about the way it works, man. And I really enjoy some of the little tiny things where you go in and you talk to a dozen people. I know you do.

SPEAKER 07 : 12:52

I know you do.

SPEAKER 05 : 12:53

And the students, you love working with the students. Yeah. Oh, I love my students. And, yeah, so those are the things I do best. And – Yeah, I enjoy that. And so, you know, look for ways to go make a difference.

SPEAKER 07 : 13:07

Look for ways to go make a difference. And just Google that, you know, volunteer search engine to see if you can find something that matches with you. I know a bigger search engine bought it out because I got an email saying that it had changed. I don’t know who it went into because I didn’t need it then, but pretty cool. JimStoval.com. Thank you, friend. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER 04 : 13:30

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SPEAKER 03 : 14:27

Erie, thanks for tuning in to KLTT, the Mighty 670.

SPEAKER 07 : 14:36

Hello there, friend. Angie Austin here with the good news. I hope your day is a good news day. I’ve got some important info coming up about something that I have done recently that I think you may want to consider if you haven’t done it already. which we’ll get to because we have an interview coming up. But prior to that, I wanted to talk to you about some daily notes to self that we should all be more familiar with before life gets any tougher. These are just things, in my opinion, which can make your life better. And I need a lot of these reminders myself sometimes, um, For instance, like every day, you know, I have this like I have three little plaques by my bed. And one is today only happens once. Make it amazing. And then I have one just about hope. But then another one that says joy, you know, comes in the morning to kind of like remind me to like not be such a crab in the morning. Not necessarily to other people, but just like. I’m just not a morning person. I don’t pop out of bed like a lot of people. And when I visit people and stay with them, when I, you know, on these adventures, I go on a lot of times I stay with friends and they’re all like up and having coffee and all cheerful. And I don’t want to like go anywhere before 10, but I never say that. Like if they want to leave before 10 AM, I’m like, Oh, okay. You know? And then I just really just resolve to get up earlier. Like I kind of am like an eight or nine o’clock person to get up in the morning and And then, you know, get ready, obviously. And so I have to have a reminder that joy comes in the morning, you know, because it doesn’t actually come naturally for me. But anyway, so these are things that can really make our life better and easier. And one of them, the key. to a better life and a more positive life is keeping the right thoughts at the top of our mind. And, you know, there’s scripture that goes along with that. Um, you know, and I do a lot of these notes to sell for like these plaques next to my bed that when I roll over, I just kind of see them. So keeping the right thoughts at the top of your mind, you know, thinking about things that really benefit your life, um, and, Not focusing on the negative. I really think that you your mind, what you think is what you become. And, you know, if you need to use scripture, then do that. You know, I have like a book that kind of explains that. and gives you scripture for every, you know, issue you might be, um, you know, thinking about, you know, if you’re like having an issue with depression or, um, relationships or whatever. And, uh, what is it? Philippians four, eight, um, Philippians 4.8, here we go, advises meditating on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. I mean, that’s just basic common sense, like really in life, thinking about the things that bring you joy, that are positive. Alright, so you know I love this website, Mark and Angel. So these are 12 daily thoughts that really can make your life better. So keeping positive thoughts at the top of your mind and learning to maybe even ignore certain people. Number two, learning to ignore certain people and things is one of the great paths to inner peace. And I don’t know if I would say ignore. I would say there are certain people in your life you don’t put a lot of weight in their opinions or their outlook or their advice to you. And if you’re related to them, they might have to be in your life, but don’t give these people free rent in your head. All right, number three, when things aren’t adding up in your life, begin subtracting. Life gets a lot simpler when you clear the clutter that makes it complicated. Bring your attention back to what’s important and move forward. haven’t you heard a million times like the things that we deem important today that we really think are a big deal or that are upsetting us you know in a year or two or a day or two a week or two won’t even matter number four do your best to take a deep breath and another remind yourself the strongest sign of your growth is knowing you’re no longer stressed out by the petty things that once used to drain you one of my kids really uses breathing a lot to like control her emotions and make her you know feel better per se and All right, number five, you can’t control how other people behave. You can’t control everything that happens to you. What you can control is how you respond to it. In your response is your power. That is so true. I’ve really taught my kids that and I try to show them that and like not lose my cool and really show them that, you know, how you respond, like that’s your power and that’s your choice to make. All right, number six, the trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away all your days waiting for better ones ahead. Just appreciate where you are right now. You’ve come a long way and you’re still learning and growing. Be thankful for the lessons. Take them and make the very best of things today. So many things that we have today that we maybe take for granted, we really wished for or worked for earlier in our lives. Isn’t that the case? so enjoy your life don’t wish it away don’t wait to have fun until you take a vacation or till you get your mba or till the weekend number seven forgive yourself for the bad decisions you’ve made and for the times you lacked understanding for the choices that hurt others and yourself forgive yourself for being young and reckless these experiences are vital lessons and what matters most right now is your willingness to grow from these lessons that’s so true so many people dwell on things they’ve done i have um someone close in my life that sold a house and I actually suggested that they did and I feel like she brings it up to me to like blame me that like that house increased in value and she could never afford to buy it back but she went to another country with her son where she had a lot of family and had a lot of support when he was little and I felt like that was really beneficial to him and to her and then when she moved back to Los Angeles the house was like way out of her price range and she she’s probably brought it up to me like no less than 25 times and And I always say to her son, I’m like, woulda, shoulda, coulda. You don’t want a woulda, shoulda, coulda through life, you know? Like, accept that you did that, and there were reasons for that, and you benefited in some ways from that. Okay, number eight. Everything gets a bit uncomfortable when it’s time to change. That’s just a part of the growth process, and change doesn’t necessarily feel good. With effort, things will gradually get better. Be patient and remind yourself, life never gets easier… it doesn’t really, sometimes it does a little, you just get stronger. Okay. I don’t totally, life does sometimes get a little bit easier. All right. Number nine, if you don’t allow yourself to move past what happened, what was said, what was felt, you look at your present and future through the same dirty lenses and nothing will be able to focus your foggy judgment. I always tell my mom this, like you’ve got to forgive and move on, or you’re going to be looking through gray cloudy glasses for your entire life. And I have to admit she’s gotten a little bit better. I don’t know that she’s forgiven people in her past, but she definitely doesn’t dwell on it as much. Number 10. Oh, somebody wrote to me and said, do you think your mother gets upset when she hears all the things that you say about her on the radio? First of all, she never listens to my show. Second of all, like I’ve taken care of my mom. pretty much my entire adult life, you know, helped her buy a home, bought her a car. Her retirement fund was funded by me and my brother, you know, got her a home loan, you know, that I put the down payment down on the house. Like I’ve done all these things to really make her life better. So I’ve really put a lot of effort into making her life better. So it’s my reality too, that I’ve had her living with me and my kids and my husband for the majority, well, of my marriage. And so I feel like it’s, my reality so i do talk about it because you know it’s like my day-to-day life you know so anyway she doesn’t listen to my show so don’t worry about her she’s fine all right number 10 impress yourself show yourself that you can grow and get better it’s never about competing with anyone else in the end it’s just about you yeah remember that when you’re on social media Just it’s you. I mean, I could compare myself to so many of my girlfriends and be like, oh, their house is eight times as much as mine or their husband’s this. And, you know, and they go on these vacations. No, no, no, no comparisons. Just live your best life. Number 11, you need to do hard things to be happy in life. Oh, yeah. You need to do hard things to be able to enjoy your life maybe more later in the future. Like a lot of the hard things I did were in my 20s and 30s. And that’s why I get to travel more now and do things because, you know, I was pretty poor growing up. You know, Section 8 low-income housing, it doesn’t get a lot poorer than that. You know, I guess homeless would be, you know, less comfortable. All right, you need to do hard things to be happy in life because the hard things ultimately build you up and change your life. They make the difference between existing and living, between knowing the path and walking it, between a lifetime of empty promises and one filled with progress. Progress is tough. It’s not easy. All right, number 12. If you wait until you feel 100% ready, you’ll be waiting the rest of your life. Realize this. Some people wait all day for 5 p.m. Some people wait all week for Friday. Some people wait all year for the holidays and all their lives for happiness. Don’t be one of them. Hmm, I like that. Now it’s your turn. What does Jim always say? You know, today’s the day. Like, I don’t know. I love that little plaque on my bed that just says, today only happens once. Make it amazing. Make it amazing. All right. Let’s change gears now and talk about something that I’ve recently done. And that’s my shingle shots. Why? Because I’m of that age now. Got them for my mom. My brother’s getting them. And today I’m joined by Dr. Kelsey Godderwiss and Dr. Leonard Friedlandt. And I want to talk a little bit about this today because I think that this is a good time. A lot of us are getting our flu shots and other shots this time of year. So Dr. Leonard Friedland, as Vice President, Director of Scientific Affairs and Public Health, GSK Vaccines, and Dr. Kelsey Godderwiss, Pharmacy Manager with Kroger King Soopers, as you probably know it here. where I am based in Colorado. All right, welcome to both of you. Thank you so much. So tell me, Dr. Friedland, what is shingles and how is it caused?

SPEAKER 06 : 24:41

Yeah, so shingles is a disease that’s characterized by a painful blistering rash that can last weeks and that can be very disruptive to our lives, work, home, social activities, sleep, etc., The disease is caused by a virus, and that virus is the herpes zoster virus, and that’s the very same virus that causes the disease of childhood called chickenpox. But while we recover from chickenpox, the virus doesn’t leave our body. It stays in our body, goes dormant, and it can reactivate years later. And when it reactivates, it reactivates as this painful blistering rash that can last weeks. The most important risk factor for this reactivation of this virus is advancing age. As we age, particularly starting at around age 50, our immune systems will sort of naturally weaken, and that can allow the opportunity for this virus to reactivate, causing this painful, blistering rash shingles. But in addition to advancing age, there are some underlying medical conditions that are associated with increased risk of shingles, and those include diabetes, asthma, heart disease, COPD, and chronic of kidney disease.

SPEAKER 07 : 25:55

Okay, Dr. Godderwiss, what are some key facts that people should know about shingles?

SPEAKER 01 : 26:00

So shingles is so much more common than we think. There are about 1 million new cases of shingles just in the United States every year. And so as Dr. Lin said, that age limit of 50 and up is where we see a huge spike in the disease. So I recommend always reaching out to your Kroger pharmacist to figure out if you’re at risk for vaccine preventable diseases like shingles.

SPEAKER 07 : 26:21

All right, Dr. Friedland, let’s go to you. Who is at increased risk of developing shingles?

SPEAKER 06 : 26:28

Yeah, so the most important group who’s at increasing risk for people over the age of 50, and that’s associated with our weakening immune systems as we age. But in addition, there are underlying medical conditions that are associated with an increased risk of having cases of shingles, and those include asthma, diabetes, heart disease, COPD, and chronic kidney disease.

SPEAKER 07 : 26:53

All right, Dr. Gutterwiss, would you talk about how your pharmacist, your Kroger or King Super pharmacist help people better understand their risk for shingles?

SPEAKER 01 : 27:02

So October is American Pharmacist Month, and your Kroger pharmacist is your most accessible health care provider. So we are there anytime we are open to answer questions about any disease states, especially those that are vaccine preventable. You can always go to our website, kroger.com slash health, to find out more information about vaccine preventable diseases and also to make an appointment to see your local pharmacist to get those vaccines.

SPEAKER 07 : 27:24

And what questions should people ask their pharmacist about shingles?

SPEAKER 01 : 27:28

So Kroger patients can ask their pharmacist any questions about why they’re at risk or how they’re at risk and what they can do to help prevent developing a disease like shingles. We’re going into the fall busy season right before holidays. So speaking to your pharmacist about any vaccine preventable disease like shingles is really, really important this time of year to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of that fun time with your family and to help you live your healthiest life.

SPEAKER 07 : 27:51

All right, Dr. Friedland, would you tell us where people go to learn more? Yeah.

SPEAKER 06 : 27:55

So, of course, you can always learn more about vaccine-preventable diseases, including shingles, by speaking with your health care provider, including your trusted pharmacist. But in addition, we have a website we created, easyvax.com, E-A-S-Y-V-A-X.com, where you can put in information about where you live, your zip code to find out about Which pharmacies near you have the available vaccines for vaccine preventable diseases, including shingles?

SPEAKER 07 : 28:23

Thank you both so much for your time today. I think this is a really important subject. And that’s why those of us in my family that are of that age, you know, are getting or have already gotten the shingles vaccine. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER 02 : 28:36

Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM 670 KLTT.