a helping hand

i have been meditating on how i can help out japan. for some reason, this time around, i did not rush to make a donation to unicef or the red cross like the other times mother nature stomped her foot down and shook the earth in places like haiti and sent mad tsunamis to sri lanka and thailand. every little bit counts, not matter how it is given, and although japan of all places holds a special place in my heart, i felt stuck and wanted to make my donation a little more focused and specific. i knew that the right moment would surface so i decided to go about my business and focus on myself and the answer would come - patience pays.

this afternoon, while jumping around in my inbox a bit, i came across an email from materials and applications and decided to open it and see what the upcoming fund raising event for japan was all about: heartbeat drawing. i was so bummed that i am not los angeles that weekend to be able to attend, but the answer finally came to me: the fund raiser is a benefit for architecture for humanity in japan. bingo! this is where i knew i had to donate. i immediately followed the link to their website and not only do i think that the cause is a most noble one - actually aiding in reBUILDING the city of sendai, i was also greatly moved when i found another worldwide effort has been launched by students: paper cranes for japan.

it amazes and humbles me to see how many people around the world, starting from my circle of friends and their businesses, to other small business owners on a global scale, as well as non-profits and corporations alike, are helping out however they can and donating some or all of the proceeds from product sales or services. we need to remember that even as an individual, our help counts too. so if you haven't found your favorite way to give a helping hand yet, hopefully you will be as inspired as i am to help rebuild japan!

be careful what you wish for

in light of the new season that is upon us, i, like the blooming buds on tree-lined streets that surround, am emerging from transition. i now live in athens, georgia. it's official! and i am proud. when i first got swept up in love and realized the impending challenge that was ahead of me - getting very involved in a romance that was headed south, the deep south that is, i was a bit skeptical, i have to admit. although i now know to trust in the universe more than ever, and all it brings, i still never in a million years envisioned myself living in georgia. what the hell? i had total faith in the man behind the plan, but there was still some undefinable irking inside - my whole life is in so cal - and after all the years of travel and adventuring off into the unknown, for some reason, it was unsettling to think that now that i got my cake, i have to move to the other side of the country to eat it, even though both of our families and many friends are in the greater l.a. area., and start a whole new life there. oh woes me!





so i packed up everything (almost) and stuffed it into a 6x7x8 cube and off it went, my car having left days prior on a massive enclosed 18-wheeler. miraculously, all made it, mostly unscathed, and i am all the better because of it. my mind skips back to the frame of a tai chi posture: "change is difficult", and the voice of master zi rings in my ear, explaining the challenge of leaving the old behind and shifting our weight to what is new. and then i remember all of the times when i would wish to run off and get married, move to a farm (of the glamorous sonoma sort), leaving the often hectic or humdrum and sometimes risqué l.a. lifestyle behind to have babies and make pie and jam. so far, i seem to be right on schedule, only i landed in this most quirky concoction of southern hospitality meets college frat/sorority house culture and pub-lined streets, with the roots of the beginnings of alternative music and deep mountain hippie food coops and a damn good restaurant and sustainable agriculture scene to boot.

i now believe more than ever in the power of words and how when you direct your intentions and put energy behind them, the world is your oyster and magic really does exist - we are truly the creators of our reality. just believe.