Good Samaritan delivers joy

Bob Dolven of Phoenix stopped in Gulf Breeze recently as part of his 48-state motorcycle tour of the lower United States during which he plans to commit as many random acts of kindness as possible. The man is a captain for a major U.S. airline. Joe Culpepper/GBN

Bob Dolven knows he can't change the whole world.

But the Phoenix, Ariz., resident figures he can make a small difference in the lives of many on a nationwide kindness tour.

"I'm traveling the country - 48 states - doing random acts of kindness," Dolven, 45, said recently as he spent three days in the Gulf Breeze area during his two-month endeavor. He arrived here after visiting 10 states and logging close to 3,000 miles on his BMW touring motorcycle.

Dolven is a captain for a major airline. A recent personnel issue motivated him to take time off from work and recharge his batteries. A motorcycle enthusiast, he decided to travel the lower 48 United States channeling his disillusionment into something positive.

"I needed to trump that negative, and this is what I came up with," Dolven explained while shopping at a local Flowerama outlet to purchase more than $200 worth of flowers to distribute to residents of a local nursing home.

Roberts

"Hopefully, the people I touch along this journey will have a somewhat brighter outlook on life. It's a positive thing to give things away. I'm going out, experiencing America, trying to help Americans in this time of need."

Dolven is single and financially secure. With the urging of friends and sponsors, he decided to take time off and become a Good Samaritan. He travels with a digital camera and photo printer and uploads photos and blogs to a Web site he created, www.kindnessquest.com.

Dolven created a list of 250 acts of kindness he wants to accomplish during his journey. It includes acts like buying flowers for moms on Mother's Day, folding laundry at Laundromats, dispensing free bottled water at the beach, giving away gold coins, etc.

When he walked into Flowerama several days ago, the ladies behind the counter were stunned that Dolven was spending so much money to make local seniors' day a little brighter. He purchased 16 individual flower arrangements, including two bound for nurses' stations.

"I was taken aback, to say the least," admitted Delores Roberts, a Flowerama cashier who lost a son 10 years ago. "You don't hear very often of many good acts anymore. He's a young man who just wants to give back and see the joy in people's eyes when they receive. The nursing home trip was one of those.

Joe Culpepper/Gulf Breeze News Bob Dolven displays one of the 16 flower arrangements he purchased prior to distributing them at a local nursing home.

"We know for a fact that there are a lot of lonely, little individuals whose spirits would be lifted and their hearts blessed."

Dolven hopes to convince people - strangers - that the country is not in as bad a shape as it seems.

"I've got friends at home losing their houses, losing their jobs," he said. "They are losing their marriages, families, everything. It's really tough to stay positive.

"Through this, I think that maybe I'm making a difference by touching a few people along this journey. I wish I could change the entire country, but all I can do is a little at a time."

During Dolven's brief stay here, he visited the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola NAS. There, he discovered the last known photograph of a plane piloted by his father - the late Lt. Cmdr. Beal Gordon Dolven - who perished with six other men in a flight training crash in California when Bob was just young boy of 5 years old.

"My father went through flight training here, so I came here to visit his old stomping grounds," Bob said.

After leaving Gulf Breeze, Dolven planned to bike to Savannah, Ga., then travel up the East Coast. He said he had no set itinerary; he just has to be back in Phoenix by June 10 to board a transcontinental flight for a vacation in Greece and Egypt.

"I'm getting a lot back from this journey myself," Dolven said. "Lee Iacocca used to say that 21 days and a habit is formed. If I think about goodness for 21 days, I'll be in the habit of thinking good.

"I've changed my attitude. I'm immersing myself into kindness. I only look for kindness. I've noticed that I smile more, say 'please' and 'thank-you' more - all those nice, little courtesies. It's so nice to be immersed in this, and I love the kindness that I feel."