So everybody, we're we're doing this new special series, Random Acts of Kindness, short episodes where we're just going to talk about people who do random acts of kindness that are absolutely vital to growing this army of normal folks. And we were brought a interesting story by our fen Casey Clark about a guy named Aaron Shining in Atlanta who happened to build a friendship with his UPS guy. I guess is the story Aaron tell me about that?
You know?
That's that's absolutely right.
Tim has been our EPs guy for the I think the fifteen years that we've lived in this neighborhood in Atlanta, and I don't even really remember how it started.
Exactly a number of years ago.
I remember it must have been cold, because it was dark outside early and he was wearing a Dallas Cowboys hat winter hat.
You're not allowed to do that in Atlanta.
Yes, sir, well that's part of the problem. So I started giving him grief. I'm like, Cowboys man, come on, you're in Atlanta, and he said you a Falcons fan, and YadA, YadA, YadA. One thing led to another, and we just started talking about football. And so every time he would come by we'd talk, you know, he'd show up, he'd come by, knock on the door looking for me, just to talk about the games from the day before or something like that. And we became kind of friendly
that way. And then come to find out that his kid went to the same school as my kids, and we just you know, started I started keeping cold gatorades in the fridge during the summertime and you know, hot drinks in the wintertime if he wanted to stop by and get something.
And we found.
Out his birthdays a few days before my wife's, so we would have him over for birthday parties. And I knew a lot of people in the neighborhood liked him because he's so likable. He could have just been us. But then we just kind of, you know, swap numbers, texting, talking trash about football. He's so mad about the Cowboys keeping Dak Prescott and not making any more moves this offseason. So yeah, he just became.
A good friend. That's that's that's awesome. I mean, yeah, it used to be back in the day your your postal worker walked and everybody kind of knew their postal worker, And unfortunately, I think we've lost some of that inner connectivity. But it sounds like Tim the ups guy. Tim Davies was just an old school throwback I know, the people in your neighborhood kind of guy. Yep. But I understand as you got to know him and talk to him that you notice he walked with a little bit of
a limp. It wasn't a little bit.
I mean, the man just limps period.
And you know, a job was a dude that's on and off a big round truck. He packages all the time, do that job.
I don't know. I had a smile and a smile and a handshake and a fist bump whatever. And the summertime you'd see him, you know, wearing shorts, and he'd have these big braces on both of his knees, and so we would start talking about that too, and he would tell me, yeah, I gotta get him replace, get my knees replaced. Gotta get my knees replaced. I was like, man, you gotta do that. You know, time to do that, and yeah, yeah, yeah, And he didn't do it.
He didn't do it.
And then finally he said, well, it turns out I gotta get my hip fixed before I can do my knees. So he finally scheduled that surgery for this earlier this year and got the hip replaced and so hopefully once he's healed, he can get the knees done.
So Casey, where do you fit in all of this?
Well?
I had seen him around my neighborhood when I'm walking my dog or when he's dropping off a package, and he is just the friendliest person. I mean, he just makes my day, you know. And after like several interactions like that with him and just like he just made me proud to be a part of this community, I was like, We're so lucky to have him, have somebody like that who just randomly throughout your day is going to like make you smile, make you feel better about
whatever's going on in your life. And so yeah, I just I opened Facebook one day and I saw a picture of Tim. I didn't even know Tim's name, but I recognize his face immediately, and I thought, is something going on with him? Is there something I can.
Do to help him?
And then I read Aaron's post and I was like, oh my gosh, I got to let Tim know that we're going to miss him so much.
And so yeah, you know, we talk about on an army of normal folks all the time to make your impact where you are, and you don't have to be part of some big five OHO one C three. You don't have to be part of some massive organization to
actually make a difference in the world. And it sounds like this tim guy, just through his kindness in doing the job that he's job had an effect on the people that he served literally packages to, but served with a smile and a simple hello and yeah, Aaron, I think I read that even when he didn't have a package, when he put by your house, he'd honk his horn and wave at you, just say, hey, our.
Kitchen faces the front of the street, in the front of the house, and I'm off and in there cooking, And sure enough, around six point thirty you'd hear the truck coming and hear this honk, and we just turn and wave and see him, and he'd be waving back at us and driving down in. The lads became that
we sort of were used to it. In fact, I texted him last week because somebody drove by with exact same honk and honked and I reflectively looked and waved, thinking it was him, But of course it's not so yeah, it's the sound of the evening to us as Tim's truck and that honk pretty phenomenal.
So he has to get his hip fixed before he get his knees fixed, and clearly he's going to take some time off. And you had an idea. Did there?
Ever?
Another abor of ours who's friends with him, also we decided to uh try and raise a little bit of money to try and get him, you know, a food delivery gift card, an uber eats gift cards, something while he's laid up, you know, so he didn't have to worry about that kind of stuff. So I put this post on our neighborhood facebook page with his picture and explain what was going on and say, hey, I'm trying
to raise a little bit of money. Here's my Venmo and uh, you know, if you're able to, you know, feel free to contribute.
And that was it. I did not.
Think much more of it than that. We were thinking we could raise a couple hundred dollars to feed him. And you know, I'm one of those people with my phone, I've got all the notifications turned on. My wife hates it, so my Venmo. If someone Venmo's be I got a text message and I get an email.
I don't really I need to go in and fix it, but I don't. But so my life.
And I was just sitting there watching television that night after I posted it, and then Venmoth and just starts running like it's on fire. I mean, it's like the bell going off, yes, sir, like a constant. And at some point finally I looked and within an hour we'd raised five hundred dollars, which was more than I ever thought we would raise in the first place. And by the time I went to bed that night, we had raised a thousand dollars. And I was so incredibly touched.
And then it also made me reflect a little bit. Well, of course Tim's not just mine. Of course Tim's not just Kim, my friend down the street. Of Course Tim impacts people the same way he impacts me, because this is a nice neighborhood, of friendly neighborhood. And I was just overwhelmed.
So did you have your feelings hurt that you found out that them wasn't just your best friend, he said, everybody's best friend.
I definitely did not. I actually felt kind of selfish and ignorant. I mean that he was mine somehow, you know that that guy had a claim on him that was wrong. I did not feel embarrassed.
I was I was.
I was like, heyah, of course, of course. So I posted that night within like an update and said, you guys are amazing. I can't believe this and went to bed.
And you know.
By the time I woke up the next morning, it was up to fifteen hundred, two thousand dollars. And at that point, you're like, nobody can use that much Uber Eats in Atlanta, right, this is not just a gift card anymore. We got to figure out something else to do. So and then by the end, Billy was I think he ended up transferring five six hundred dollars to him. Wow, which is amazing. I mean, just absolutely amazing. I was just blown, absolutely blown away.
But it speaks to the power of random acts of kindness and an army of normal folks, and the random acts of kindness here on this story, Casey, it's both. It's Tim's random act of kindness while doing his job to everybody comes into contact with that then inspired random acts of kindness among all the people on his route that found out he was going to be awful while
and they just wanted to help. And then together, this army of normal people, through Tim's random acts of kindness, and the people he inspired through that kindness to be kind back and reached enriched one another's lives.
Yeah, it was incredible. Like Aaron said, I wasn't surprised to see how many people had such nice things to say about Tim, how they were, you know, inspired by him, how they had been impacted by him. But it it was overwhelming the number of people. You know, I don't know if you've counted how many people made comments on that Facebook post, but was it one hundred people?
Was it? Yeah?
Well, I actually printed it out yesterday because yeah, I can't I certainly don't have time to read them all.
But it's oh, it's picture of list after list after list from all these people in this Eastlake neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia that just wouldn't shut up about Tim and continue to give little bits of money to have fifty five or six hundred dollars so that when Tim was getting the surgeries. You know this, this isn't something that's raised ten million dollars and affecting people all over the world.
But if we're going to make a difference where we are, this is Tim making a difference where he is, and all these people making a small difference where Tim is and little itty bitty random acts of kindness. And if you look at the smile on Aaron's face in Casey's face when talking about this, you can and see how restorative it is to your very soulce Amen, it really is.
It's just astonishing, you know, Casey said, it's easy to put a comment on Facebook. I was more shocked by the number of people who were then willing to put their own dollars behind it. That was what was truly astonishing to me. I mean, some people sent hundred and fifty dollars, some people spent ten, you.
Know, And.
To provide your own hard earned dollar in this day and age for somebody that you only sort of know that you like and all, but don't really know their situation. It's just really really affirmed my faith in humanity to a degree. And I just love it, love the neighborhood even more for it.
Well, I think it speaks volumes about the kindness in your heart to do that for a Dallas Cowboys.
Fan, if I have time to share. The Cowboys played the Falcons in Atlanta last season, and of course Tim went, and by some miracle, the Falcons won, and so I was looking for him that monday. Man, I was looking for him, and I saw the truck up at the street at the neighbor's house. And I wasn't playing to get a package. So I went up there and there's some other dude. I'm like, where's Tim. He said, oh, you didn't show up today, and I said, oh, come on.
He said he's probably worried about getting ribbed over that Falcons Cowboys getting I was like, dang it, I didn't get him.
So anyway, you feel free to cut out. Hey, Alex, speaking of Cowboys fans, do we have any anywhere around?
Yeah, it'd be I think we're ready for surprise number one.
Oh we'll be right back.
Hey, we've been talking about your dude, it's now your time to join. That's around your camera though.
My man, what's up that? First of all, how's that him?
Uh didn't battle about sixty you know, so it's getting there, guys, getting there.
I can't believe you're not wearing any Cowboys, so I know you're on this thing. I'm in the cowboy room. You know, there you are, Cowboy room, a tim. I got to ask you a question. You took a job at UPS to make a living. Yes, yes, But whatever it is inside of you that makes you do the job the way you do that inspires people along your route to care enough about you and to talk about
you the way to do. I'm sure you like the money, but I cannot imagine that that money is anywhere close to what you feel when you hear people talk about how much they appreciate you, when you hear what you've just got through here and what's going through years.
Well, you know, my whole route, I love each and every one of them, and it's just like I got a friendship with everybody, and it's just different.
You know.
We talk about sports, talk about life, talk about kids, and it's very emotional, you know, to hear everything that was said.
And I was overwhelmed.
When Aaron came to me and told me what he did, and you know I had to sit down for a minute like, oh, but you know I was raised to treat people in a nice, kind way and smile.
You know, I wake up with a smile. On my face. I don't care what's going on in my life.
I got a smile on my face, and I want my cousin to know that I appreciate.
Y'all and they make my day.
So I supposed this surge is supposed to happen, probably like two years ago. But I miss I missed my cut. I loved my customers like they make my day. But I knew they want the surgery more than I did. But I said, I knew I got to get it, but just say I got to do it because I was this hip went out on me, so I knew I had to do it. But you know, it was just emotional and like I said, trying to leave my customers.
And I told my super bows, I said, when you do find somebody to run my rap, make sure they care because all my customers they spoiled and and I love to spoil them.
Jim Jim, we uh. We talk about on the show all the time about making a difference where you are and you don't have to be rich, and you don't have to be part of some big organization too. As a member of the army of normal folks, just normal folks. See areas of need and employ your abilities and your passion. And your abilities and passion are simply to shed a little sunlight and a little happiness everywhere you go. And there is a need you see or just the people
along your route. And you're a living example of what little random acts of kindness can do to inspire people's hearts. And I just want you to know I'm inspired by you, dude. Just the just just being able to do what you can do where you are changes the world. And I have a list here of thousands of people who or hundreds of people along your list whose world you changed every day by simple act of kindness. And how would you say too? Yeah? Well, I mean and Aaron are
are are just living proof of that, Jim. How long have you worked for UPS? Going on eleven years? Wow? Well, I want to tell you one more surprise is uh. UPS has a guy that's got like one point seven million followers on something right Alex on what Instagram or TikTok or whatever it is. Yeah, And he has a route down in the Southwest, in Texas somewhere, and he's been a guest on the show. He's been all over the world on social media, he's been interviewed by everybody,
and he's called the Dancing ups Man. Tim. Have you ever heard of this guy him? Yeah, his name's Russell Butler. I love the dude. He hung out with me one day in Memphis and told his story and we did it in front of a live audience, and he lit the place up. And he can do ice ice baby and spin around like nobody's business. And there seems to be this recurring theme we keep tripping across, which is
some of these ups folks are just great guys. And Tim, while you inspired the people along your route with your random acts of kindness, and then they inspired you with their random acts of kindness, this guy wants his people to smile too, and so while he's on his route bouncing around, he'll just bust a move for everybody. And
I love him. And his name's Russell Butler. And so, Aaron and Casey, in honor of your random acts of kindness for Tim, and in honor of Tim's random acts of kindness for the people on his route, we have the very own Russell Butler Dancing ups Man, to give you guys a high ho And Hello, Alex, where's Russell? What up? Dude? My man, How you doings?
I'm doing great, Bill?
How you doing? How do you feel when you find out there's other ups guys sharing sunshine out there?
Hey, Tim, Man, I just I just heard your whole story, Dude, I absolutely love it.
Man.
My brother and Brown keep doing the thing.
Man looking Brown do for you.
That's right, that's right, man, I tell you, my my heart goes out to you. Bro. Like my knees. There's days my knees don't want to function. I can't imagine having hipster place needs. I mean, that's you're doing the thing, dude. You know again, I'm I'm proud to be your brother in Brown.
Yes, sir, yes, sir ac. Have you have you seen Russell's moves? I'm not well. I'm hoping to Yeah, all right, dude's sick and you would not have any idea if his knees are busted up. Trust me, speaking spin and to my dance moves are dangerous because I go about two sixty. So when I go right and then I come back left, some of me is still right. And then when I bust back right that that side swipe might hurt somebody. So I got to be really careful.
But that cat is lean and clean. And Tim with your new hip, we got to get Russell to start teaching you some moves, so you that on your route. When I get the needs that they it is on a Russell, I got a question, what football? Are you? A Cowboys guy? Being down there?
What do you I was just about to say, shout out to them Cowboys, the Boys.
That's right, Aaron, you're getting out numbered here, I know. Let me. Let me let me tell you something. We've got six people on the screen. We're looking at at Tim and ups guy in Atlanta, We're looking at at Russell,
A Upskay in Texas, Aaron and Casey. Y'all, if you don't believe in the power of an army of normal folks, just look at the grins on this screen today, all from people who deliver packages for a living and decide to make smiles along the way just to brighten people's day, and then human beings touched by that who then want to do little random acts of kindness to give back. If that is not the power of what we try to talk about every week, I don't know what is.
And all four of you simply make my weak.
Hey and Bill and Alex, thank y'all for doing this. Aaron Casey, thank y'all. Seriously, that's a pretty special deal with y'all did for Tim. It's pretty amazing.
Anything you do to get ten back on the route.
Said, I love eating her one, y'all. I love that. I appreciate it is you're gonna feed him tonight too. In fact, Alex, Alex, you got anything to say about all this? You put it all together. Yeah.
The only thing I failed at is I tried asking Tim before the interview, Hey, what's your favorite song? Because, like you know, we often have like entrance music for guests, and he wouldn't give me his favorite song. You couldn't forgot this. I wanted to surprise you, Tim with ruffle dancing your favorite song, but not allow me to do so. So I don't know if you got one on this song you could think about.
Well, now boots on the ground with the fans, I personally think, if it's all right, just go with ice ice baby and we can entro it with some with some video of that cat doing his stuff. And I'm telling you you will all freak out the things that on him. He moves things I don't even have fans. I don't even know. It's Gray.
I got Tim song called up.
Would you be game to dance or wrestle? Yeah?
Hey, I'm ready, dude, just give me, just give me the goat.
All right, let me pull it up here. God, I cheating?
Got them?
I didn't. Damn.
You're ready with them fans with fans, with fans any one time?
Oh my god, I got my boo. Where the friends that this dude does this on his roup? Y'all?
That's awesome.
Yeah, I never heard of Yeah, that's tremendous. Yeah so so, uh, Tim, time step up your game over there in Atlanta. I'm telling you, Hey, it's coming. It's coming. As as Aaron, thank you so much for thinking enough about Tim to do what you did. It feels like it inspired a neighborhood to give back. Casey, thanks so much for being a part of it, letting us know. Tim. Just know those little random acts of kindness and those smiles they
inspire the neighborhood. They've inspired us, and now there's gonna be thousands and thousands of people that see and hear the story that will be inspired by you, and maybe hopefully they hear this driving down the street or on their morning walk, and today they just give somebody they don't know an extra smile because of what you've done. And if we had a million people doing that today, I just feel like it may break down some of those walls that continue to invite us. A simple smile,
a simple hello Russell, a simple dance move. You guys are inspiring. You're a member of the army of normal folks. You're random. Acts of kindness are no smaller feat than some billionaire giving away millions of dollars to some big philanthropy. It all counts, at all matters that we do what we can where we are, and if we stand together and join the army and normal folks, we can change our culture. And it's all walks of life. And you guys are the absolute illustration of what that looks like.
And I salute all of you, and I thank all of you for what you do and for joining us today.
Thanks, thank you, Bill, thank you, thank you