I remember going to the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Neb., as a kid with my family. Besides lots of trees, my memory is a little foggy on what the entire farm includes. They have a website so, I don’t have to tell you about it, you can see for yourself.

But I wasn’t just reflecting on Nebraska City this morning, even though I drive by it frequently on my way to Lincoln, Neb., to see someone. :) Today around most of the country is Arbor Day! I say most of the country because some states have a different day to celebrate based on optimal tree planting times. . . .

On National Pay It Forward Day, people are encouraged to give to others and pass on some love and smiles. You can do this by paying for someone’s meal, saying nice words or even giving a hug.

I got to watch the concept of Pay It Forward happen on campus this afternoon. My friend Janel is in a positive psychology course here at KU, and they spent their class today, paying it forward. It made sense to me that a positive psychology class would go out of their way to make someone’s day. . . .

During the last few weeks of college, students need a break from the monotony of studying, homework, tests, final projects and the impending doom of finals. So why go play hide-and-go seek?

So tonight some of my colleagues and I let the halls of the residence hall fill with hiders and seeks of college age. (We did have one little guy who played with us.)

The rules were simple. Hide, stay there and wait until someone finds you. I crammed myself in a trashcan and even won with a secret hiding spot one time. We had fun! . . .

Who knew one little light bulb could shed light on energy savings. I learned this as I walked out of the dining hall on campus of all places, and now am going to challenge you think about it, too.

So back to the dining hall. I walked out, and Celeste was sitting at a table passing out light bulbs. Spreading the green news about the Take Charge Challenge in Kansas, Celeste, a student I met during my environmental reporting days for the University Daily Kansan, handed me a light bulb and told me to take charge of my energy consumption so we could beat Manhattan, Kan. (Sadly, I have to report that we are lagging behind.) . . .

It’s not about eggs or bunnies, even though those are fun and cute. Today, the holiday we know as Easter, is about Jesus rising to sit at the right hand of God. I’ve heard the story of Jesus since I was a child, but I spent the morning reading all four gospel accounts of the resurrection. To read through them yourself, check out Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:1-12 and John 20:1-18. . . .