One California man is showing how small words can make a huge impact in people’s daily lives.
Every school morning for years, Dick Kazan has been standing on the street in Palos Verdes Estates offering something nice to say. He wishes for everyone — particularly children on their way to school — to have a good day.
“Everybody, no exceptions, wants to feel important. I want them to feel important,” the 79-year-old said. “I want them to feel beautiful. I want them to feel needed. And I want them to feel safe.”
What started as a simple effort to help direct traffic and meet his neighbors has turned into a labor of love over the last seven years.
“I get a feeling of love … I know a lot of these people are moved by me,” Kazan said. “I make it a point to learn the names because if you wanna make people feel important, you’ve got to learn their names.”
If he misses a day, people often notice. But it’s not only on school mornings that Kazan is spreading his simple, yet important message. He lets people know they matter, in his own neighborhood by greeting people at supermarkets or in the gym.