About Us

The world is hard.

Here's a nice place to relax.

 

Nice isn’t just an imperative (“Be nice to your brother!”), but can also describe a treat (“Homemade cookies? Nice.”), denote a pleasant respite (“Such a nice cozy café.”), or even express gratitude (“You colored that picture for me? How nice!”)

 

Don’t we all need more of that? That sweetness? That goodness? That sense of rest? And maybe even that reminder to share the toys with our brothers?

 

I do. That’s why I began imagining a site with media and essays and stories that celebrate small kindnesses. And because niceness is found in community, I asked the very nice John Kohlepp Jr. to join me in this venture. Plenty nice is designed to be a little different than other “good news” sites.  We’ll be concentrating on simple niceties that can be enjoyed every day, on stories and songs and neighbors. We want to create that nice cozy café feeling, and to fill the virtual seats with you, our readers—with your suggestions for books and music and movies, and with your real nice stories.

 

We're not naive. We know that terrible things happen. But there are a lot of people talking about those dark things, and fewer pointing at the light. By launching this site we hope to make it easier to find kindness online, to recognize it in everyday life, and to be proponents of nice, too.

 

​We hope plenty nice becomes a place of rest and rejuvenation, a place where you come to remember the good in the world, to recharge depleted batteries, and to become inspired to be nice to a world that may always not deserve kindness, but needs it so much. And we hope you enjoy your time with us.

Cindy Brown

​

In our daily online lives, we are sorted and divided with an endless invitation to conflict. On the other hand, a conscious intention to add niceness to our lives creates a space to share with those who may otherwise be in an opposing camp. Being nice doesn’t mean being a doormat and setting aside justice or principles. Adding nice to our toolbox creates a calm, compassionate space where we connect with others. And I believe through these humble connections we have the potential to heal our world.

 

I think “nice” as a choice, a conviction, and a kind of walking meditation. Plenty nice is a great place to recharge your batteries and find inspiration to gently connect with our immediate world. Our lives have been molded in the twenty-first century into opposing pockets of exclusionary space. It will take conscious, focused effort to maintain spaces where we can de-stress and create simple, authentic connections with people in our lives: our family, neighbors, coworkers, and the various people we may interact with in our day.

 

Our online environment amps up and monetizes conflict and division, but we can create a space where people can gather and be humans rather than warriors. There is such a precious value in renewing ourselves with a moment of happiness and peace. I’m very excited to help build plenty nice to share with all of you nice people.

John Kohlepp

​