Hm. Perhaps that should say "Monday Five," given that I'm getting to these a bit late... but better late than never, I suppose.


1) Who is the last person to whom you said "I love you"?
My Mark.

2) Who did you look up to as a child?
Everyone. I don't mean that facetiously; I was a shy and cautious little person and everyone else in the world seemed larger than life and somehow more grand and strong and powerful than I could ever hope to understand.

3) Which public or historical figure (s) do you admire?
This one is hard for me. (Why is that, I wonder? I admire so many people for such small and courageous acts, but I have a difficult time holding any one of them up as heroic or somehow beyond reproach; we are all human and we all have our shadows.) Perhaps I'll just list a few who come to mind, though, instead of trying to skirt the question: Thich Nhat Hanh, Ivan Illich, David Bohm, Rollo May, Carl Jung, the Berrigan Brothers, William Vollmann, Buckminster Fuller, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Paul Tillich, J. Krishnamurti, Ghandi, Arnie Mindell, Peace Pilgrim, Carl Rogers, Tenzin Gyatso, and... well. I could go on. There are so many who have touched me.

4) What qualities in others inspire you?
Kindness. Compassion. Wisdom. Equanimity. That rare trait of passion that flows from such a deep commitment that it emerges as something soothing and steady rather than unstable or uncontrolled. Patience. Brilliance. Integrity. Awareness.

5) What makes you feel loved & appreciated?
Oh, I speak all manner of love languages—everything from a hug to being listened to; from a spoken 'thank you' or 'I love you' to a gesture or gift. For me it's more the energy and attitude behind the words or behavior than the actual expression, and though it's hard to describe this in words, I think you probably understand.


And lets see... in the spirit of the game, a tagging should occur. I'm just going to say that if you're reading this, and you've not yet answered Jessica's questions, please consider yourself tagged. You're it. ;)

It's Friday already? Goodness.

1) What gift(s) would you like to give the world?
Acceptance is the first thing that comes to mind, and with that love, and with that attention.

2) What is the most unusual gift you have received?
When I was a freshman in college on the east coast my mother sent me, peacefully nestled in a UPS box, a mummified sheep she'd discovered high in the mountains of Colorado. I remember standing in the mail room while my new classmates opened their care packages of cookies and J Crew scarves, and I unwrapped what appeared to be the remains of an alien creature.

I wish I knew what eventually happened to it. 

3) What do you like best about gift giving?
Oh, nearly everything! I love the process of selecting gifts (it's such a fun opportunity to explore or consider how well you know someone) and I love the giving itself (and the suprise and delight when the present is well-chosen) and I love the necessary sharing of the experience. I love the whole notion of gift economies, too, but that's another story entirely. :)

4) What gifts do you want for the holidays?
I can't really think of anything I've been waiting or wanting for. I'd love to spend time with those I care most about, and would love to have some time to sit by the fire and read, and would love to do a little travelling, but these are all small things. I want those I love (and even those I don't ;) to be happy.

5) When has a gift(s) made you feel warm and fuzzy inside?
When hasn't one?

Okay. Those are mine. (Thank you, Jessica!) I'm tagging Ashley, Jill, Annaleah, Jaleesa, and Dustyn. :)

I just need had something else to share. :)

I'm subscribed to a wonderfully monthly missive sent out by David Spangler, an underrecognized, to my mind, but extraordinarily wise thinker and author and speaker with connections to Findhorn and the very beginnings of the emergent spiritualities of this era. His last letter takes as a starting point Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces; he describes the "monomyths" of culture and the way in which, for an era, we've defined ourselves by our hero's journey—seeing ourselves as the protagonist in our lives. And Spangler then writes how this mythology is coming to an end, and that we are now just beginning to learn to "think like a planet" and to embody a more holistic viewpoint. Nothing new, perhaps, but he finishes the letter with this:

The earth community, the Life Community, is not the property of any one religion or group or part of the world; it is the Commons that embraces us all, our planetary home.  And it needs us as never before.  It calls to us to become, not heroes but community builders, builders of home, gatherers and embracers, bearers of hospitality, keepers of the shared space that nurtures us all.  It calls us not to go forth and come back laden with honors but to honor where we are, who we are, and from that place to reach out to connect to and honor each other in the community of life.

The world calls us to a new myth.  It calls us to be The Community Organizer with a Million Faces.

I thought it was just beautiful, and so, so powerfully true. The rest of the letter, if you're interested, is here.  I think it's well worth the read.

The New York Times just published the sort of article that I'd love to see in the papers every day. It's about the contagion of happiness.

“Your happiness depends not just on your choices and actions, but also on the choices and actions of people you don’t even know who are one, two and three degrees removed from you,” said Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a physician and social scientist at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study, to be published Friday in BMJ, a British journal. “There’s kind of an emotional quiet riot that occurs and takes on a life of its own, that people themselves may be unaware of. Emotions have a collective existence — they are not just an individual phenomenon.”

In fact, said his co-author, James H. Fowler, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego, their research found that “if your friend’s friend’s friend becomes happy, that has a bigger impact on you being happy than putting an extra $5,000 in your pocket.”

Thank you, Jessica!

Goodness. These are going to be hard. I'm greedy when it comes to global experiences. ;)

1) Where have you traveled most recently?

The last place I traveled was to the Pacific Northwest. Mark took me for my birthday to Orcas Island; we spent a few days soaking and exploring and wandering through the fall, and it was all simply perfect.

2) What city / country have you always wanted to go? Is there a place that draws you?

Oh, there are so many! I've traveled to Europe a few times, but I've never been to Paris, nor Athens, nor Prague; I've traveled throughout the US more than once, but I've never visited Hawaii; I've been to other countries before but have never set foot in South Africa or Belgium or Croatia; I've been to other continents but have yet to see Asia. All of these, and more, are on my list.

3) Which place(s) have you found particularly magical or beautiful?

I could never pick just one, and if I had to, it would be this one—or, to put it another way, the one I'm in at the moment. Each spot on earth has its own magic, I think. It just depends on how closely you look.

4) If you could travel anywhere this holiday season, where would you go? and…

Anywhere? South Africa! I want to go visit Francois and Jodi and drink wonderful South African wines and look at constellations I've never seen. And if not that, I'd love a road trip, far into the Southwest or down to Mexico, to explore a more desolate world. And if not that, then I want to curl up by my own cozy fire, with homemade Advocaat and a warm blanket and a view out the picture windows at snow, and snow, and snow.

5) Who would you bring with you?

My Mark.

It's Monday already, but better late than never! (And as always... thank you, Jessica!)

1) What new experience(s) did you have in 2008?

Every experience is new, no? :)

2) What inspired you in 2008?

You! There were so many beings in this community--so many stories and words and incredible moments of support and sweetness and love. You inspired me, along with the amazing people with whom I work each day and those I get to call family.

3) What challenged you this year?

Ai. Quite a bit, actually: the teetering economy has made overseeing the financials of Gaia and the business of running this community far, far more stressful than I ever imagined; living alone in my own house for so many months has been a struggle (it gets lonely and I'm so eager for Mark to move); and most of all myself (I feel that still, still, despite how far I've come, I'm still my own worst enemy and harshest critic and it's humbling to confess how daunting it can be to still, still, facie down those inner demons). But (of course!) I feel grateful for each opportunity to grow and to stretch and to learn. With any luck 2009 will provide as many. :)

4) What new person or people entered your life?

Oh, I couldn't possibly list them all. I'm still new in town (it's only been a year) and as a result have had the pleasure of collecting literally dozens of new friends and acquaintances. (It's actually a treat to reflect on this question. I feel absurdly blessed.) That, and then, of course, there are all those who've joined Gaia in the past year, and all those with whom I've connect here. Again, I could not possibly list them all.

5) Which global event(s) had a strong impact on you?

Quickly, off the top of my head? The recent presidential election in the United States. Iraq. The ongoing financial crisis of the developed world. The summer cyclone in Burma. The election of the first Nepalese president. The Beijing Olympics. The terrorist attacks in Mumbai. And I was moved, deeply, by the deaths of Albert Hofmann, Studs Terkel, David Foster Wallace, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. (There may have been more, but these names are the ones that come to mind.)

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Please try; it's a rewarding exercise, and I feel grateful and pensive and so, so fortunate.

My wish is not tremendously exciting, but it's as regular as a heartbeat, and as sincere.

May I let go the boundaries of my heart, awaken, and be free. May I live in safety, be happy, be healthy, and live with ease.

May you live in safety, be happy, be healthy, and live with ease.

May all beings, everywhere, live in safety, be happy, be healthy, and live with ease.

And may all of us, everywhere, be peaceful, and be free.

Happy holidays, all, and much metta to each of you. The world is too beautiful not to be shared. :)