“You say grace before meals.  All right.  But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”  ~G.K. Chesterton

“Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.  It’s a way to live.” ~Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

I have so much to be thankful for today.  I have work that I love, with people who are not just co-workers and clients but family.  I have amazing friends and a family that loves and accepts me for who I am, and whom I not only love but like… a lot.  I live in a time when my possibilities are practically unlimited and when change for the better is afoot.  I am open and curious and the world is full of things to wonder at and be awed by…

But today is no different than any other day; these things were true yesterday and they will be true tomorrow.  As much as I love and value that we take this day to mark our gratitude together, I wish we could move through our everyday life aware of our blessings, that we could say “thank you” with our every breath, that we could be as conscious of our “haves” as we seem to be of our “have nots.” 

So I’m making a Thanksgiving Resolution this year – this year I commit to being grateful.  There is grace in every moment and so very much to be thankful and I am resolved to seeing it.

Wanna join me?  ; )

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you’ that would suffice.” ~Meister Eckhart

This is the blog entry I was supposed to post yesterday… I had it 3/4 of the way done at 8:30 AM because I knew the day was going to be a bit nutty.  If only I had known that holiday travel would have me arriving in Cincinnati at 12:30 AM instead of 10 PM -I think I would have gotten up a half hour earlier!  AH WELL… best intentions and all… with a sigh from my perfectionist self…

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“I love the sweet smell of dawn – our unique daily opportunity to smell time, to smell opportunity – each morning being, a new beginning.” ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

 I love mornings.

A few years ago, I had a boss who remarked, somewhat negatively about my morning persona.  “We all know what kind of morning person you are,” she said.

“But I love morning.” I answered, shocked, “it’s my favorite part of the day.” 

 “Yes,” she replied, “but you don’t like anyone in your mornings.”

It took about 5 seconds for me to go from being offended to quizzical to thoughtful, to AH-HA… she was right, I don’t like just anyone in my mornings.  My AMs are invited guests only.

There’s something about that soft, fuzzy, in-between space, when we rise with one foot in this world while the other still walks our dreams.  We are at our most naked; the mask we wear not yet in place, our inner light, unhidden, shines out.

Even as a small person, I loved the softness of my family’s morning selves.  I loved to spend the night at my grandmother’s house, just so that I could be with her when she was in her morning space.  I can remember sitting at the kitchen table, watching her make breakfast.  Her hair, just brushed, was a golden halo around her head, backlit by the sun shining in the windows.  There was a gentleness about her, and a willingness to be silly, and I was most clear in these moments that she loved me.

I remember waking up on vacation and wandering down to the lake to find my mother swimming in her nightgown.  She was like a mermaid or a silke from Celtic mythology; cool and slick and free.

The openness and willingness to be vulnerable, the casual way in which we reveal our inner self makes morning precious to me. I like to savor it, drawing the time in between spaces out as long as possible.  Even when I’m alone, I putz my way along, waiting until the last minute to slide into my “game face” and join the larger world.

 But every day, I work to hang on to the sense of flow, the feeling of connectedness, the off handed way I expose my own soft under belly… every day, I work to integrate a little more of my morning self into the everyday and to share that brave, gentle, goofy self with the world… and I think I am better for it.

 “Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for the springing fresh from the word”

                                                                     ~ Cat Stevens, Morning has Broken

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” ~ Anatole France

The Chinese proverb, “better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” is a lovely and meaningful statement, but I am instinctually much more attracted to Jonathon Carrol’s “You’ve got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight.” It should go without saying then that I am not a “surrenderer” by nature – perseverer, creator, warrior, these are much more apt descriptions. “God helps those that help themselves,” that’s me (and Ben Franklin)…

In many ways, it’s a question of trust. Surrendering means giving up control (or the illusion of control, anyway) and allowing ourselves to be lead – not blindly perhaps, but with faith that, no matter how strange or odd or disturbing the path may look, we’re headed in the right direction.

I have lots of faith about certain things… parking spots, for example. I’m always completely confident that I will have a space at the front of the mall even at Christmas… and I always do – love that!

But the things that I struggle with are, of course, the things that are hardest to give up control of. SO much better to analyze every little aspect – OVER analyze, in fact – making minute course corrections as you go – that’s the way to get what you want!

(At least, that’s what my fear tells me – although, given its track record, you think it would keep its opinion to itself. But, NOOOO, like that know-it-all relative we all have, fear is constantly sticking its nose in where it isn’t wanted.)

Now, being a person who very much values balance, dislikes being afraid of anything, and who – intellectually, anyway – understands that we all need to be able to let go and lean, I started actively working on finding an image of Universal Love (God, Goddess, Yaweh, Source, Nature, The All That Is, Bob…. whatever) that would make the idea of letting go more comfortable.

I was an actor at the time, and supporting myself waiting tables (oh, the cliché!) The nightclub that I worked at played some pretty thumpin’ music, heavy bass beats, up tempo dance hits to keep everybody jumpin’. But at the end of the evening, as everyone was starting to filter out, the DJ would always play one slow song.

At this point, one of the bartenders, also a performer, would come out from behind the bar, and the two of us, making use of all those social dance classes they made us take in acting school, would ball room our way through the last number. He was a good strong lead, and I trusted completely that he wasn’t going to drop me on my behind in the muddy alcoholic slop that is the detritus of a busy bar night. No matter how low the dip, or how fast the spin, he was always there to catch me, which meant that I could completely give myself to the music, and just dance with no worry.

In ballroom, there is a metaphor for good dancing. A couple should be like a flower – the man is the stem, the woman the petals. It is the man’s job to provide a strong enough frame and lead for the woman to bloom with grace. If they are successful, the dance transcends its choreography and becomes something more – but it’s all about trust.

My bartender and me – he guided; I flowed; we soared… and people LOVED it. It got to be a thing – people would hang around at the end of the evening just to watch us dance.

And then, one night, as we finished and he pulled me back to my feet, both of us laughing with the joy of it all, I got it…

Bob (Universal Love, Goddess, Yaweh… etc, etc, etc) is the best dance partner you can have. Going with the flow is no more difficult than following a good strong lead on the dance floor. It doesn’t mean that you’re not still doing your part – you have to keep yourself in good shape, strong, and limber. And you have to stay tuned in, connected with your partner, so that you can shift with them in the moment, feeling and sensing the next step before it happens.

But if you do… if you let go, oh, what joy!

Yes, you may be Ginger Rogers dancing backwards in high heels, as frightening as that may seem, but you will be beautiful, and safe, and, while the dips may be thrilling and a little bit scary, you will never be dropped on your behind in the glop….

At least, I’ve come to trust that that is true… and a little bit of faith, and a strong image, can go a long way…

“Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn.” ~Sweetpea Tyler

“It would be nice if the Food and Drug Administration stopped issuing warnings about toxic substances and just gave me the names of one or two things still safe to eat.” ~Robert Fuoss

We showed Food, Inc., our HHP Movie of the Month, the other night.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, it is an in depth look at where our food comes from and the social and political ramifications of the industry’s growth over the last 60 years.  It is both heartbreaking and infuriating and will have you reading labels and shopping local before its end.

For me, beyond the labels and the farmers’ markets, there were some important ah-has….

The money we spend has power beyond the goods that it may purchase.  Every dollar spent is a vote in favor of a company similar to Tyson or Monsanto, a process like corn or grass fed cattle, or a quality such as organic or whole food.  Just like our vote for President, our food choices should reflect our values, and the only way to know what a company stands for or the consequences of a way of farming is to do our research. Then, not only do we guarantee that we are in alignment with our highest ideals, we send the strongest signal possible – the one that’s felt in the wallet – that we will not tolerate less from the manufacturers.

Sometimes we forget that we are not at the mercy of industry, but are, instead, the creators of the demand that the suppliers clamor to fill.

Each of us has a finite amount of time and energy; we must make choices about how we spend it.  We have our personal causes, the movements we champion and focus our resources on… but there are other principles which hit home.  While we may not be able to devote our time, we can financially support those who can… you can pay with time or you can pay with money.  Ultimately, many small donors can be as effective as one person giving a large amount.

We, as a holistic community, can be a significant voting block.  OUR voices can be heard… and in combination with OUR dollars, we can shape a world that is a reflection of our values and our needs…

We can put our money where our mouths are…

“It is the food which you furnish to your mind that determines the whole character of your life” ~ Emmet Fox

“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”~ Stephan Grellet

If you are ever fortunate enough to walk anywhere with HHP Founder Kurt Hill, you will quickly realize he knows half the people on the street… and those he doesn’t, he will stop to compliment – on his hat, on her dress, on how happy they look.  People light up, pleased to have been seen.

I once , while riding the Tube in London, told an older man who looked like he might be a barrister, how much I liked his tie.  He looked very surprised and flustered, and he blushed when he thanked me, but when he got off at the next station, he looked back and waved.

A woman I’d never seen before passed me the other day and stopped to tell me that I looked lit up on the inside… I laughed in surprise, but felt delighted… and walked away smiling and a little more bouncy.

There are times when being complimented by a stranger means more than the same words from a loved one.  There is no way to discredit or dismiss a person who has nothing to gain and is not potentially blinded to our faults by familiarity…

The cost of these small gestures is so little, yet it pays back such joyful dividends.  And unlike most investment opportunities, it takes absolutely no time for the good will we spread to return to us.  Watching someone receive and own a compliment, automatically makes us feel uplifted and more cheerful… never mind that getting our heads up out of our own lives and focusing on the broader world can give us a fresh perspective.

It is so easy to sprinkle joy, to touch people’s lives with a little bit of light in the midst of a busy day.  Some of them we may never see again – but others will become familiar to us, smiling when they see us coming, sharing small pieces of news, creating community.

What have we got to lose?

“I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers.” ~ Tennessee Williams, A Street Car Named Desire