Gratitude & Kindness ... two sides of one coin

The Harmonica Man and the Secret to Happiness ... guest post from the Kindness Magnet

“I guess they don’t need a harmonica player in heaven yet.” ~ Andie Mackie

Last week, Heather Brebaugh, Substack author of Kindness Magnet, posted a story that stopped me in my tracks and made me rethink life and my approach to kindness. I believe generosity and kindness spring from the well of grateful … for life, for the world around us. This story reminds me to be grateful and practice both generosity and kindness. Thank you, Heather for sharing this story and for generously allowing me to share it here.

Scottish born, retired cattleman Andie Mackie had just undergone his ninth heart surgery. His doctors had prescribed 15 different medications that he had to take every day.

But the side effects made life for Andie miserable. So one day, Andie just stopped taking them. He used the money he would have spent on the drugs to buy….wait for it…. 300 harmonicas. When a month went by and he didn’t die, he bought a few hundred more.

Eleven years and 1,600 harmonicas later, Andie has been going from grade school to grade school, giving out harmonicas and free lessons. The kids love him. And they can play a mean harmonica.

The Secret to Happiness from Harmonica Man, Andie Mackie, photos courtesy CBS News

As the kids got older, Andie wanted to keep their interest in music as alive as he was. So he started spending most of his social security checks on supplies to make what he called “strum sticks”. And guess what. He has given away thousands of those, too.

For the kids who show a special interest and talent, he gives store bought instruments…along with free lessons to everyone.

He has a plan to keep the music going. He teaches the older kids to teach the younger kids.

Andie says,

“I found music is a gift. You give it away. You give it away and you get to keep it forever.”

“I can’t explain the joy. I don’t think Bill Gates feels any richer inside than I do.”

When asked if he feels that he is still alive today because of the kids and the music, he replied, “I really believe that.”

After Andie’s story was captured by CBS news, one of the viewers gave Andie a gift of $5,000. He used the money to hire a part time teacher who is now showing the kids how to make the strum sticks.

Andie lived for thirteen years after giving up his medication, giving the gift of music to more than 12,000 kids, along with more than 20,000 harmonicas, 5,000 strum sticks, and 500 scholarships. Andie said it was his secret to happiness.

According to the Mayo Clinic, kindness can positively change your brain, making you happier by boosting levels of serotonin and dopamine. Both are neurotransmitters that produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being and cause the pleasure and reward centers of your brain to light up. It’s a scientific way to say, you are happier when you are kind. I’m thinking that Andie’s brain must have been a virtual Fourth of July Fireworks.

Kindness can also improve your cardiovascular health by lowering your blood pressure and reducing stress. Andie may have ditched his medications, but he started taking something else that kept him going for another thirteen years. Now that’s powerful.