#TDL - the daily love ...

quote for #love2011 ... this is indeed a timely quote (over here) from the daily love (on web, twitter) given yesterday's event and circumstances.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

something to ponder,
give it some thought ...

a l'il about the love project 2011 ...

what is the love project?

the love project is a the creation of yvette francino. yvette started the love project, as described more over here, to honor her friendship with a man named craig dunham, who died of ALS last year.

the love project is a year long project with bit-sized, weekly assignments - all encouraging one to explore, experience, and share love with others and with ourself. so whether you do each week's assignment or weave in and out of the project, know you are helping out yvette as she writes her book, and you are doing a little self-awareness and self-improvement along the way. here is my take on the love project. and as mentioned in my post, yvette shared as part of the love project roll-out -

"I'm copying Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project idea. I'll blog and learn about love and write a book about it. ... This one will be completely non-fiction and will not reveal the mysterious details of my own love life. ... I chatted with Gretchen briefly and got her thumbs up for me to go ahead with my project and I have some fun stuff in mind... Prompts for bloggers (similar to reverb10), a "website of the week" segment, themes, videos. Stay tuned for more information!"

as a side note, i met yvette through reverb10 and shared mutual thanks for our virtual budding friendship with my gratitude to her (over here) and yvette's to me (over here). and i also have been enjoying her book, the laptop dancer diaries. puffy heart!

where can one check it out?
as of february, the love project has been part of yvette's current blog, lessons of  love from a laptop dancer. yvette's love project posts have the label - love project (of course). and as always, using the love project's main page (over here), you can keep up on the week's assignments.

how can i let others know about the love project?
there is the old school way of telling your friends via face-to-face over coffee, tea, food, etc., but of course there is the virtual and electronic world.  you can help spread the word by cutting and pasting the following (or some form of the following) -

"Join The Love Project: http://bit.ly/aJWbG0 #love2011"

- into a tweet or facebook post or even point them to this page.

how can someone join the love project? 

you can simply start - by commenting on yvette's blog post for whichever week's assignment you are doing. and if you want to do more, you can do so many ways-

• privately as part of your own journal,
• with and for your friends on facebook, twitter, flickr, youtube,etc.,
• as part of your on-line presence via blogger, wordpress, or even your own site, and/or
• coffee-or tea-talk with friends

just let yvette know what you are thinking about the love project. again, it will help her as she does her research and writes her book.

my fun with the love project - a work-in-progress
with my nutshell monthlies, it is apparent that the love project fun can (and will) be regularly posted. i use the label love2011 for my love project posts. here are my monthly shares -

• january '11 - this month's theme is self love. i did a bit of playing catch-up on the weekly assignments of wk1 affirmations and wk2 love goals. some of my contributions crossed over in other posts - a fiberbreak with lamb's beautiful song gorecki, on initiating contact (through on-line dating) with younger men, getting the love project's week 2's MVP for my younger men contribution, dovetailing the project with operation beautiful for week 3 assignment on beauty over here for my week 3 game plan and over here for results of a couple of make-overs (home and hair). week 4 was all about self-portrait, so i shared a pic while visiting my dad (and got MVP for the week). week 5's assignment was know yourself; i shared my thoughts and results of friend's one word descriptions for me (albeit in february).

• february '11 - continuing with week 5's assignment of know yourself, i shared my results of friend's one word descriptions for me (albeit in february). week 6 began with love notes (coincident with the 2011 valentine's day fun), sharing some activities in progress, and more show & tell. week 7's assignment was kindness, and i kicked it off sharing about my friend christina's "kindness tapas"; dove-tailed with random acts of kindness (RAK), i share a few thoughts, a few more thoughts, and a bit of a donation inspired by RAK. week 8 was about reframing rejection and gathering a few more thoughts.
  
• march '11 - rounding out the end february with the beginning of week 9 on celebrating age, some of my random thoughts about age, and about being over 40. for whatever reason, i didn't do something romantic for week 10. restarting with week 11,     we began the assignment with gratefulness - thank you! and as march was rounding out, i didn't participate the in remaining end of the first quarter assignments which included week 12 on "what's your story?", however, i appreciate yvette's sharing on her wednesday website a post of mine about a jeremy passion song - stephanie. and the last week of the project being week 13 - go on a date!

thanks, yvette, 

for a great 

first quarter of 2011!

f|break: sunday morn

#love2011 + music ... @jeremypassion may not have known that after listening to the first 3 lines of his song stephanie, tears would stream. i thoughtfully listened to every track of the passion CD - saturday afternoon as i was driving to a friend's annual brunch/open house. and i had NO IDEA why i started tearing up and crying when i first heard this song yesterday.

after doing the obligatory google-stalking for my own curiosity, i found a few bits and pieces ... and because of those pieces, i am reminded of my dear friend, jengyee, and other dear friends. this morn's post - a little love project 2011 and a fiber break.

love2011 ... i have been participating in yvette francino's the love project 2011, which i also describe over here. (join any time!) with weekly assignments rooted in self-exploration of the concept, attributes, and actions of love, music can serve love well. i certainly can appreciate, as the listener, the expression of love through music that a songwriter and singer shares. and for that, i am grateful for jeremy writing and singing stephanie.

remembering jengyee ... after learning the back story of the song, i was immediately reminded of my connection to my friend jengyee. i shared a little about jengyee's charity and life during week 7 of the love project - kindness. stephanie is a young woman with lupus/rheumatoid arthritis; jengyee likewise had lupus for which she died at 25 years old.

although i am not yet sure why i had my immediate emotional reaction to jeremy's song (given i had no idea about the back story at the time), i do know that because of this song, i am reminded of my friends who have overcome pain and health issues, as well as those who have not or are certainly engaged in striving to beat the conventional odds. and i am thankful for knowing that music can touch my soul.
fiber break ... friday night i picked up passion, and when the last track, stephanie, came on, i was overcome with emotion. the tears started with the first 3 lines and just continued to move me. with a little google-stalking, i came across a clip of jeremy performing below.

enjoy this touching fiber break with jeremy (over here)
for ~6:38 min as he shares the the back story

she strums her guitar
the rosewood is stained with the tears from her eyes
her phone has twenty missed calls
she didn't realize she's been crying all night
she said she's too young
always rushed to get older
now she's running out of time
don't wanna believe the doctor's orders
just awhile ago things were fine

stephanie, beautiful beautiful stephanie
she smiles for the world though she knows that sometimes
life's not fair
oh stephanie, stronger than anyone thought she'd be
she closes her eyes, lifts her head to the skies
Lord are you there
are you there
are you there

she keeps a diary of all that she feels
and hides from the world all her pain
she's speaking to Jesus though she doesn't know
whether to trust or to blame
she faces a wall and just wants to get over
but her body is too tired to climb
rest in his arms and cry on his shoulders
the battle is not yours to fight..

stephanie, beautiful beautiful stephanie
she smiles for the world though she knows that sometimes
life's not fair
oh stephanie, stronger than anyone thought she'd be
she closes her eyes lifts her head to the skies
Lord are you there

i don't know the answers to all of my questions
why this had to happen to me
but my heart is trusting in you
can you set me free ...

stephanie, beautiful beautiful stephanie
she smiles for the world though she knows that sometimes
life's not fair
oh stephanie, stronger than anyone thought she'd be
she closes her eyes lifts her head to the skies
Lord are you there

i am here
i've been here
i'll never leave you, nor forsake you
i love you
i've been here

thanks for love and music ...

#love2011: week 11 on gratefulness

the love project ... this week 11 assignment - gratefulness.

(image from artist:
kelly paige standard)

yvette, the project's creator, is giving us an opportunity to reflect and acknowledge those around us by sharing our gratefulness.

Assignment 11: Be consciously aware of the people in your life each day who help you and thank them, either with a heart-felt 'thank you,' or by following up with an email, a card, or some other token of thanks. If you write a blog post or comment, let me know, and I'll feature you on Website Wednesday.

(last week's assignment: week 10 on romance,
but i didn't do the assignment; will do a make-up.
meanwhile, my last, last week's assignment - week 9 on celebrating age)

oh reverb10, how you revisit me! ... as soon as i saw this assignment, i smiled. i remembered a previous week's assignment that involved my response dealing with gratefulness - week 5 - ONE WORD (over here). it was my thoughts on week 5 that included a bit about gratefulness. for ease of rolling into week 11's assignment, i'm going to reminisce a little more about what i shared in week 5.

"it's a gift" ... to this day, i ALWAYS remember the little 1994 "it's a gift" story. and just to restate, it goes something like this -

• a friend commented on how lovely i looked in a dress i was wearing.
  
• i said, "oh, this is just a dress i got, ...".
  
• she cut me off reminding me, "please don't take away the gift i gave you. you brightened my day. this is when you simply say - thank you."

interestingly, yesterday i was catching up on my dvr and watched the most recent episode (patient siberia) of the mentalist. in the last scene, a man offers during a heartfelt scene a saint's medallion as a gift and thank you to patrick jane (aka the mentalist and hottie simon baker). initially, patrick does not accept the medallion - saying he doesn't believe in it. ultimately, he does accept it. ... i was glad to see the scene end with patrick being thankful.
daily thanks ... one of the blogs i visit is that of a woman, yvette, whom i met through my reverb10 experience. long story short - her blog titled ramblings includes daily - YES, DAILY(!) - thanks. yvette shares three things each day. it's awesome! she's awesome! quite inspirational, i tell ya!
healthmonth ... finally, as one of my march health month rules, i have list things you are grateful for every day. here is what i chose for today's entry.

you're welcome!

#love2011: week 9 on being over 40

celebrating age ... i remembered a note a friend, aurora, sent out a couple of years ago (april 2009) about an andy rooney piece. turns out the original piece was from in praise of older women, by frank kaiser (of suddenly senior). therefore below, i've copied the frank kaiser piece, AND the andy rooney piece.

either way - age always is something to celebrate, whether younger or older. when you are celebrating your age, you are celebrating you are alive. and in keeping with the love project, you have the opportunity to be loved and to love.

celebrate the love around you and celebrate yourself! check out yvette's 51 ways i celebrated turning 51.

in praise of older women by frank kaiser (over here)
© Copyright 2000 — Frank Kaiser

One of the perks of dufferdom is an increased capacity to appreciate people. Friends. Spouses. And, for me, women. All women.

When I was 20, I had eyes only for girls my age. Any woman over 30 was ancient, over 40 invisible.

Today, now in my 70s, I still appreciate the 20-year-old for her youthful looks, vigor, and (occasional) sweet innocence.

But I equally enjoy women of my own age and beyond, and every age in between. I've learned that each has its own special wonders, attractions, magic and beauty.

As I grow in age, I value mature ladies most of all. Here are just a few of the reasons senior men sing the praises of older women:

• An older woman knows how to smile with such brightness and truth, old men stagger.
  
  
• An older woman will never ask out of the blue, "What are you thinking?" An older woman doesn't care what you think.
  
  
• An older woman has been around long enough to know who she is, what she wants, and from whom. By the age of 50, few women are wishy-washy. About anything. Thank God!
  
  
• And yes, once you get past a wrinkle or two, an older woman is far sexier than her younger counterpart!

  Her libido's stronger.

  Her fear of pregnancy's gone.

  Her appreciation of experienced lovemaking is honed and reciprocal.

  And she's lived long enough to know how to please a man in ways her daughter could never dream of. (Young men, you have something to look forward to!)

• Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off that you are a jerk if you're acting like one. A young woman will say nothing, fearing that you might think worse of her. An older woman doesn't give a damn.
  
  

  ---

  “If the Lord made anything better than a woman, He kept it for Himself.” — Jerry Lee Lewis

---

• An older, single woman usually has had her fill of "meaningful relationships" and "long-term commitments." Can't relate? Can't commit? She could care less. The last thing she needs in her life is another whiny, dependent lover!
  
  
• Older women are sublime. They seldom contemplate having a shouting match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive dinner. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.
  
  
• Most older women cook well. They care about cleanliness. They're generous with praise, often undeserved.
  
  
• An older woman has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A young woman often snarls with distrust when "her guy" is with other women. Older women couldn't care less.
  
  
• Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to an older woman. Like your mother, they always know.

Yes, we geezers praise older women for a multitude of reasons. These are but a few.

Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.

For every stunning, smart, well-coifed babe of 75 there's a bald, paunchy relic with his yellow pants belted at his armpits making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize for my fellow geezers. That men are genetically inferior is no secret. Count your blessings that we die off at a far younger age, leaving you the best part of your lives to enjoy and appreciate the exquisite woman you've become. Without the distraction of some demanding old coot clinging and whining his way into your serenity.

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?', here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

celebrate age
and celebrate those younger and older around you!

(my past posts for week 9,
celebrating age - over here and here)

#love2011: random thoughts for week 9

celebrating age ... this week 9 love project assignment is allowing me to take a little short-cut and combine week 9 with dating.

but first, my random thoughts ... i've been thinking not only about celebrating age (my prime age) but the ritual of celebrating other recurring events, such as anniversaries, memorials, work anniversaries. those that come to mind have the more common measure of years past. i'm giving thought as to what are the other celebratory milestones that are NOT measured annually. still thinking beyond celebrating the end of a semester in college ... the second date that leads to a third date and possible fourth date ... others?

dating ... meanwhile, this morning i listened to yvette's sunday evening interview on the dating market place with nic & neely while getting ready to head to cubeopolis. it's a quick, informative and fun interview!

ah-ha ... celebrating dating and age! enjoy my little flashback to this past mid-january ...

"when i saw he was 41 years old ...
... i came to grips with my age - i'm 47 f*cking years old."
(over here)

and the outcome, by the way, was not a peep or acknowledgment from the 41 year old. however, i have since contacted a few other men younger than me. (note to self ... step up the meeting people.)

as for the flip side of dating someone older, i've done so back in the day when i was younger. i've met a few men who are older than me.

enjoy these reasons to date an older man
(from my 30-year old friend),
which means a man 48 years or older.

#love2011: week 9 on celebrating age

the love project ... this week's assignment - celebrating age.

(image from artist:
kelly paige standard)

yvette, the project's creator, has included a main assignment and an option simply for a quick version of the week 9 assignment -

Assignment 9: Write a blog post or comment about your age and why it is the perfect age to be. Variations might be what you think the perfect age is and why. You can also talk about your birthday, why it's special, and how you are going to celebrate. Or if you really just want a very easy Love Project Assignment, then help me celebrate MY age by leaving me a Happy Birthday comment! Today I'm 51!

(last week's assignment: week 8 on reframing rejection

day after yvette's birthday - TODAY, 02/27 ... it's a GREAT DAY today - just-a-smidge-over 1-year anniversary of yvette's book over here and on amazon.

on internet radio - TODAY, 02/27 ... and CONGRATS to yvette and her book (The Laptop Dancer Diaries: A Mostly True Story About Finding Love Again) and her blog (Single Again Online Diary) for being featured on Boston's the dating marketplace with nic & neely, unregularradio.com internet radio - their show this evening at 8 pm (EST) and therefore 5 pm (PST) for west coast folks.


happy happy joy joy birthday, yvette! ... yesterday (feb 26) was yvette's prime number (51) birthday, so as is the case for any birthday greeting ...

and of course,
the happy happy joy joy celebratory chant
is from mr. stinky wizzleteats
of ren & stimpy fame or infamy(?) (over here)

Happy Happy Joy Joy @ Yahoo! Video

happy prime number 51!

#love2011: gathering week 8 thoughts

reframing rejection ... this week 8 love project assignment on reframing rejection is giving me a little nudge to continue rolling over old blog posts (from 2006-2009) into girlnutkin.

as mentioned in yesterday's post about the week 8 assignment -

"... from rejection, i have found i experience moments of writing emerge. little epiphanies pop-up, and reminders of lessons learned peek around the corner. the main thing is that i MUST acknowledge these moments. so that means i write, acknowledge mini-epiphanies, and learn a few lessons."

(pic of my friend todd, because he will cut you!)

flashback rejections result in writing ... dating - a common topic of rejection. and so the story goes -

• in early 2007 ... i dated a man for a couple of months, for which we spent at least 4 days a week with each other amidst home-cooked meals 2-3 nights a week and a full weekend day of personal projects, errands, and date night to cap it off. then we broke up, and i was VERY SAD. then i wrote about it.
  
• in the spring of 2008 ... my ex-boyfriend emailed me; we reconnected and started dating again - on and off throughout the rest of the year. then in early 2009, we broke up, and i was VERY SAD. then i wrote about it.
  
• in winter 2009 ... my ex and i agreed to be just friends. we saw imogen heap at the fillmore. fun. i was clear on the "just friends" after the concert; he was not. he later poo-poo'd my not hanging out with him after the concert, however, we remained friendly. several weeks later, after wishing him (via telephone) happy holidays/new years, he divulged that even before he and i met and dated, he was in a long distance relationship and the woman he was seeing was staying with him.
  
• it's 2011 ... we will not reconnect. it's mutual.

writing to express my feelings ... for each of the little milestone break-ups, i have discovered my go-to of writing to express my feelings. and

• in 2007 ... i wrote my foreigner. this short little story actually started off as an email. i don't remember at what point i decided to throw it into a story. i think it was after i got tired of listening to myself, burdening my friends, crying, and just spending way too much time on a treadmill of sadness. the result? - self-discovery, as shared in the story.
  
• in 2009 ... i wrote let me believe. like my foreigner, this story started off as an email. and when i spoke to a few friends about this "round 2", i kept saying that i could not believe what happened - again. well, as my friend, reggie, shared during one of my "i'm-sad-for-myself and i-want-to-talk-about-it-more-than-i-should and maybe-i'll-heal-but-for-now and blah-blah-blah pity-party" ... reggie said, "girlfriend, believe it!" and then poof - let me believe was written. i read this outloud for nearly 3 weeks straight.
  

lessons and transitions ... in reframing rejection, i believe i did learn more about myself and relationships through the break-ups -

• from my foreigner, as shared in the story, i learned about ignorance. my thoughts were shared in a may 2007 post (reposted over here). and this has since resulted in my being very interested and exploring race, ignorance, knowledge as shared over here.
  
  
• from let me believe, when i read it now, i have learned the importance of communications - spoken and unspoken, and although it all may sound like a cliche, i have a choice ... i have choices - how to react, how to transition, how to heal, etc.
  

friend shares support ... i do remember my sadness, shock, anger, and confusion back in 2007. and i am reminded of a quote sent to me in april 2007 from my friend tracy ...

Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.

- Fred Rogers
from "The World According to Mr. Rogers"

thanks, love project,
for my moments of flashback.
awesome lessons learned and learning!

#love2011: week 8 on reframing rejection

the love project ... this week's assignment - reframing rejection.

(image from artist:
kelly paige standard)

yvette, the project's creator, has included a main assignment and a little extra credit for this week -

Assignment 8: Write about a time you were rejected and realized that it turned out to be a good thing. Maybe it opened a new door for you. Maybe it gave you material for a book or comedy routine (see video!) Maybe it motivated you to keep trying. Maybe it helped you finally get out of a relationship that wasn't good for you. If you leave a comment or write a blog post, I will feature your blog on Website Wednesday.

Extra Credit: Use humor! Find a funny story or video (or make your own!) and let me know about it and I'll include it on the Friday Funny post.

(last week's assignment: week 7 on kindness)

girlnutkin, shirlrelo2, and shirlrelo flashbacks ... given my blogging is just life observed & experienced spewing, i will scour some of my previous blogs' posts for this week 8 love project assignment. killing two birds with one stone - revisiting posts to pull into girlnutkin and reflecting on perspectives and experiences of rejection. (it's like a reverb10 moment - reflecting.)

yvette's sunday tidbit ... yvette shared a thoughtful, simple post today - so you don't get an email response - big deal! for some, it is a big deal - it's a big deal in that person's head. (for others, it's what it is - an unanswered email). so the simple solution - close the loop and check-in with the person.

(side bar rant & rave ... in my physical life - my home, my office, my car trunk, my garage, my purse - i get to choose how i fill up (or not) my space. and having some unoccupied space is great (as borrowed from my friend kit), especially to create new things to come into my life. sometimes my space ebbs and flows with my moods. but for the most part, i look to keep my physical space occupied with those things that feed my soul. (and i'm working toward a better fed cubeopolis existence) ... likewise, if i'm going to have space taken up in my mind, i'm going to choose something worthwhile. rejection? is it really worth taking up space in one's head with all that "story" about an unacknowledged email (or text message or social network comment or phone call) as rejection, with all the negativity behind it? NO, it is not. ... end of side bar)

initial thoughts for week 8 ... from rejection, i have found i experience moments of writing emerge. little epiphanies pop-up, and reminders of lessons learned peek around the corner. the main thing is that i MUST acknowledge these moments. so that means i write, acknowledge mini-epiphanies, and learn a few lessons.

in some cases, for me it's simply about taking a deep breath and being self-aware of the circumstances - AND THEN it becomes a l'il less than simple than that, but it is really important to me - seeking to understand what we create and what (and who, where, why, why not, how) we choose to let rejection affect us. i process this shit as quickly as i can because i believe it's part of becoming a better person.

i am not saying people bring upon rejection, but i am saying that CHOOSING to really experience and understand one's own feelings, reactions, and approaches often associated with rejection - sadness, anger, loneliness, self-esteem loss, hurt, etc. - is really important. choosing to be pissed off - fine, but really?! so take a deep breath THEN choose to be honest, and do not give blame or take blame.

after rejection,
everyone has the right to feel worthy.
occupy your space -
mental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical -
with self-awareness and seeing your potential!

#love2011: day 6 of RAK - donate (and day 5 RAK) ...

#dokindness ... day 6 of the RAK kindness challenge is to donate to a cause. as part of last week's secret valentine's activities, i donated to The Arc of Alameda County on behalf of the woman i had as my secret valentine.

my charity and cause of choice for today's RAK ... jengyee for a better world fund. it's simple (and tax deductible) using pay pal, google checkout, old-school bank transaction, or even donating in the name of someone else with a gift card.

the purpose of jengyee's fund ...

To "better the world", the Fund has three major goals:

1. Fight Diseases and Improve Health Care Systems,
2. Preserve Our Planet, and
3. Develop People.

jengyee and i met ... through a cal mentorship program (a bit over here). we became friends and supporters of each other and of the environment. and as a result of just a simple girlfriend chit-chat, she wrote a book - hello real world - to share with others her thoughts and tidbits for those transitioning from college into the work force. here she with her toastmaster's speech (over here) - be careful what you ask -

enjoy a little break of almost 7 min with jengyee

"confusion, regret, surprise,
fear, hope, disappointment, acceptance"

my friend, jengyee ... died of lupus at the age of 25 years old in november of 2008. in february of 2009, family and friends held a memorial at the cal berkeley campus, and a couple months later on april 27, a memorial tree planting and dedication was held outside on the northside of cal's CITRIS building.

(no transition; just more kindness.)

day 5 ... of the kindness challenge for RAK week was carpool or pay someone's bus, metro or subway fare. my contribution was paying for a commuter's tool.
albeit this was not quite public transportation related, however, i figured if the toll collector would occasionally also tell others (besides the recipient of the gratis toll) that "... it is random acts of kindness week, so please consider doing something kind to another" - well, that's a few more people in the world. (i'll revisit this fare payment kindness when i commute via bus and reduce my carbon footprint.)

got kindness?
consider donating to jengyee's fund,
a new charity, or maybe a favorite of yours.

#love2011: more thoughts on week 7

#dokindness ... yvette is dovetailing the love project week 7 assignment with a week's event by random acts of kindness. my previous thoughts on week 7 included a little about valentine fun, smiling, donating, and giving gratitude.

RAK challenge ... given yvette dovetailed with RAK, i've been having fun with RAK's daily challenges through this week beginning of valentine's day, the 14th - to date being -

• send a note of appreciation to someone (day 1)
  
• smile at 10 strangers (day 2)
  
• hold open the door for someone every chance you get (day 3)
• bring a treat to your work/school or someone in your neighborhood (day 4) (thanks paddy!)
  
• carpool or pay someone's bus, metro or subway fare (day 5)
  

thursday's tasty RAK treats ... these 3 pastries - bear claw, chocolate croissant, almond horseshoe - were gobbled up by the gentleman that man the parking garage, which i use for work. yes, i realize they are not organic and not that healthy, but i also realize they are what makes someone's morning - especially given their running to park cars, coordinate customers, etc.

today's RAK ... i can use the carpool lane, which means i can zoom by many, MANY others. HOWEVER, today, i am going to become a conventional solo-passenger commuter and purposely pay full toll AND pay the person's toll behind me AND have a longer commute in AND learn patience ...

... and i'll visit paddy's coffee house
for a tasty treat of my own.
patience and sugar,
this morning's pick-me-up!

#love2011: thoughts for week 7

kindness ... yvette is dovetailing the love project week 7 assignment with a week's event by random acts of kindness. with valentine's day as part of the week, needless to say, there is lovin' and kindness being shared among many. and for some, a birthday greeting for my friend. just wanted to share a few thoughts ...

smiles and laughter ... a big "thank you!" to my friend l.a.g. in cubeopolis for her fabulous morning greeting. when i popped in to say good morning (with heart ears in tow), she smiled and laughed and said -

"thank you! you totally made my day."

- and of course, i said -

"you are welcome. my pleasure!"

- and i left her cubicle with a big smile. (yes, don't think i didn't pop my head into others' cubes. who wouldn't want to see smiles and hear chuckles!) and THAT is all it takes. a quick acknowledgment of happiness and gratitude.

donating to share love and kindness ... as part of this year's secret valentine's activities, one of my gifts to my valentine included a donation to a local organization, the arc.

during the celebratory morning breakfast events for secret valentine participants, i shared with them tidbits about my participation in the love project. and i mentioned that love notes was last week's assignment and this week's assignment is kindness. my valentine told me that she LOVED the donating to an organization as part of another element for the annual secret valentine's activities. as part of her thank you note to secret valentine participants, she mentioned she is going to encourage others to consider donating to an organization - and perhaps also do so in the name of someone for whom they care.

that put a big smile on my face! hmmm ... speaking of ...

today's RAK challenge ... smile at ten strangers (details over here). given that our health month's team CDWL@edi requirement includes -

DAILY DO smile at least to one stranger

- this means i just have to step up my game! no problema!

thanks, love project,
for dovetailing with random acts of kindness ...
my cheeks will be hurting today! love it!

#love2011: week 7 on kindness

the love project ... this week's assignment - kindness.

(image from artist:
kelly paige standard)

yvette, the project's creator, has made this week's assignment a bit of a two-fer ... dovetailing the love project week 7 with a week's event starting up by the random acts of kindness foundation -

Assignment 7: Do something kind for someone. Pretty simple! If you blog either about your act of kindness or an act of kindness that was done for you, I'll add it to this week's Website Wedneday.

Extra Credit: Want a bigger challenge? Take the Extreme Kindness Challenge. From the press release:

“The ‘extreme’ in our challenge is that we’re urging people to take their kind acts to extremes by committing to do a random act of kindness every day for a week,” explained Marilyn Decalo, director of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. “We’ll provide plenty of help with daily action prompts and daily updates on how many acts of kindness the group completes. We believe that encouraging extreme kindness in this way is Our Ticket to a Kinder World.”

(last week's assignment: week 6 on love notes)

(although i'm still in the midst of week 6's love note assignment, given valentine's day tomorrow, i am looking forward to this week's assignment, as well.)

my friend, christina, and kindness tapas ... just yesterday afternoon, before i knew about this week's love project assignment, i was talking with my friend, christina. christina shared with me a vision she had of what she would be accomplishing, AND it was all about her making a difference in peoples' lives - on a VERY broad, international scale - through kindness.

what i see ... as christina was sharing, i could completely see this for her, and this is when i started talking about her and kindness tapas, essentially, a bit of a spin on kindness - taking bite-sized acts of kindness along with some food component (and it was not like she mentioned food). i have NO IDEA how food crept in, but it did ...

• small acts of kindness + small plates of food,
• maybe it will be some sort of kindness and hunger nexus,
• kindness and health-minded foods, e.g., organic, locavore, nutritious, etc.,
  
• kindness and bringing people together over tapas where they accomplish a group project,
  
• ... WHO KNOWS?!

whatever christina will be doing, i'm in. i will support her however i can! who wouldn't want to support someone dedicated to kindness?!

back story - why christina and i have stayed connected ... because christina and i believe that what others think of as dreams, we know to be possibilities. christina taught me this many years ago in 1993.

i've known christina since 1991, when i worked in san diego. in 1994, when i had my epiphany (as shared in reverb10's one word), christina was there not only to support me but also to explain what i was experiencing - something i completely did not understand. christina and i later left that cubeopolis for our own journey and self-expression. and through the years, we have kept in touch via telephone, email, and my occasional eyeball-to-eyeball visits to san diego (for which i am long past due for another visit, so i'll work on that for an april trip). through the decade or so, we always seem to check-in with each other at really special moments in our lives - those moments of transition and discovery. and every time we have done so, i have left the conversation that much more excited and energized. i am excited to see what we create in 2011! needless to say, christina is stuck with me, in a good way. xoxo

thanks, love project,
for bringing kindness and love together!