I wonder...

I wonder if I had been this age in the 1960's...when the world was turning upside down...and everything people thought they were fighting for was worth protecting...

Would I have stood up... or just stood by and watched?

Would I have joined the revolution...

...or would I have started it?


Are we dawning on an age of enlightenment once again?
What role will I play?

It's Burning...

James approached me last week about attending the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City. When he first mentioned it to me, I admit...I was very intimidated. These people pay money to live in the Nevada desert heat for a week just to form a community of people that are joined together to create. I honestly don't feel like I am "cool" enough for something this big. It may sound weird, but when you have always been the fun and creative person in your family and group of friends...I can't imagine what it feels like when you surround yourself with everyone else that is just fun and creative (if not more).

I have been doing a lot of research since we stayed up that night talking about the opportunity to participate. We've decided that we don't have the funds to fully prepare for the trip this year (the event occurs end of August/beginning of September), so we will be attending the festival in 2010. It takes a lot of planning because you have to be self-sustaining while you are there.

Again, very intimidated by the idea of living in this community for a week and surrounding myself with people that are so artistic, driven, and focused. But again, having the opportunity to meet these people and participate with them in their projects and collaborate with them is the kind of experience I thrive on. I miss working with my friends on theatre performances. I miss feeling creative and driven.

So I will start saving money to fund our trip out west. I will use the time to get down to my goal weight (so I can withstand the desert heat a little better). I will look at this journey as a chance to challenge myself and remove myself from my comfort zone. I've sat here for far too long.

Signs from Starbucks?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about going back to school. For what subject or degree...that is still to be determined. I'm currently paying large, lump sums each month to my undergraduate student loan, so I know that I need to be fiscally smart about this decision. Which means, I am apprehensive and because of it, I have not done anything more than a few hours research.

I have been putting the idea of a return to academia in the front of my mind, only to think of monetary woes; which then allow the thoughts to return the back recesses from which the original thoughts first came.

Today I stopped by Starbucks for my daily coffee fix. I almost always ready “The Way I See It” opinion piece on each cup because I find it refreshing to read what others think is so important to say that they submit it to be printed on a cup. Today I received #298:

“Our prejudices arise from the fear of things we do not understand. If my generation has a single goal, it must be to promote education – education that advances us not only technologically, but also intuitively and emotionally. In today’s fast-paced world, advancing has to mean more than scientific discovery; it is out responsibility to force ourselves beyond our comfort zones and become knowledgeable about the people around us.” –Jessica Arden Ettinger (Starbucks customer and student at the University of Virginia)

I love Jessica’s approach to education. Seeking education in life comes in many different forms. Most importantly, seeking education allows us to live outside ourselves and get to know the world around us.

So…I think it is time that I figure out a way to step out of my comfort zone and finally decide if returning to university is the best decision for me.

I want to see beauty everywhere I go...

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/umbrellas_bloom_in_the_neighborhood.html

Secretary of the Arts Petition

via: Alexandra (http://mllesays.tumblr.com/post/69961211)

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts—now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

To those that blog - please reblog and help spread the word.

Wake Up the New America.

There seems to be a real "buzz" in the Chicago air today. A mix of excitement, nervousness, curiosity, fear, fulfillment, and happiness. I felt all of those things as I watched last nights results and speeches. I woke up with these same feelings this morning. There is so much that is still uncertain about our future...about the future of America...but a change was needed and the call has been answered. We have witnessed the brink of a new America.

The band Bad Religion knew in 2000 that something had to change and I have felt it coming since I first heard their song "New America"...

Do you know the cost of future misery?
Have you lost your sense of sustainability?
We are just a step away from realizing what we strive to be
But we've got to break out from this insulated blind and lame senility

Wake up the new America
Transcend the mass hysteria
Change is the thing you're wary of
We need a new America

Laurels, human triumph, bestowments from the past
Victories don't mean a thing if they don't last
We are just marching toward extinction with blinders on our eyes
Jeopardizing everything we've learned and come to realize
You call that wise?

Open your eyes America
See through the lies they tell to us
Confront the fears that worry us
We need a new America

We don't have to be afraid to re-invent
We've got to start to build, progress, and implement
For when we take our fill, and never pay the price
We only build ourselves a fleeting, false paradise

You can live in staunch denial and mark me as your enemy
But I'm just a voice among the throng who want a brighter destiny
They say with me

We are the new America
This is the new America

Today...I believe we can. Today...I believe this can be a new America. Today...I believe.

we're all searching for something...

"Most Unitarian Universalists believe that nobody has a monopoly on all truth, or ultimate proof of the truth of everything in any one belief. Therefore, one's own truth is unprovable, as is that of others. Consequently, we should respect the beliefs of others, as well as their right to hold those beliefs. Conversely, we expect that others should respect our right to our own beliefs. Several UU's then, would likely hold as many different beliefs. Other beliefs they may hold in common are a respect for others, for nature, and for common decency, leading to a particular caring for the poor, the weak and the downtrodden. As a result, issues of justice, including social justice are held in common among most." – Gene Douglas, Harrah, OK

Recently we have been talking about checking out one or two of the UUs in the area. We went to one in Atlanta a few times but my work schedule changed and I was no longer able to attend services. I tried to go to Buckhead Church as much as I could, but since I was the only manager on site each Sunday, it was hard. Also at Buckhead, I met a wonderful group of women which allowed me to create a great small group. I really miss my Monday nights with them.

I'm sure I could find a church like Buckhead, but I feel myself pulling more toward the structure of a UU and how diverse they are in their teachings and services. I miss having a church family. At this point in my life I need a more open and accepting structure. I want a church that teaches more and preaches less. I want an environment that will let me ask questions and help me search for possible answers. I want to share this part of my life with others that have a lot to teach me about the world.

In this, I hope we can all find what we're searching for...