Iskip.com got some press in Colombia, South Carolina today in an article called "Help Yourself: Some days you have to be your own therapist".

The article suggests numerous ways to deal with your, "....average, run-of-the-mill, no-good-very-bad day. Whether you are battling a grumpy boss, overcrowded malls or a blue mood..."

It includes old stand bys like a hot bubble bath, deep breathing, counting your blessings, and just saying no. This is what it says about skipping...

Skip-to-my-Lou. Believe it or not, skipping has therapeutic properties. According to iskip.com, skipping just a few steps can instantly lift your mood and help you reconnect with your buoyant, exuberant, childlike spirit.

So skip on! It's good for the soul!

Calling all Bay Area Skippers!

On Sunday February 12th, a television production company from New York will be coming to San Francisco to do a piece on iskip.com and the virtual skipping club!

We will be having a Sunday Skip in Golden Gate Park and will have a rare opportunity to share the joy of positive energy of skipping with the world via the television pilot they are producing. We need at least 10 skippers to participate...and the more the merrier, of course. This is a unique and fun way to remind America what freedom looks and feels like. If you have a free skipping spirit, we need you!

The skip pictured here was one of the very first Sunday Skip in the Park back in 1999. The photograper is the wildly talented Margot Duane.

If you are free to skip on Sunday Feburary 12th send me an email and I'll keep you informed as the details continue to unfold! Thanks and skip on!

My grandmothers two funeral services last week were beautiful. We did one in the town where she has lived for the past ten years and one where my Dad grew up in Union City, Indiana. I gave my tribute at both and made it through without crying. I was channeling my gmother's strength for sure. It was intense, emotional, joyful, energizing, exhausting, and powerful all at the same time.

In sharp contrast to the emotionally intense events of last week, I helped my sister and brother-in-law host a birthday party for my magical niece Maggie on Sunday. She turns five on the 22nd and 15 of her closest friends came to the party. If you look carefully you'll see me camaflouged in the middle of all the kiddies wearing a bright pink sweater! We were singing, dancing, and skipping to Jingle Bells and fully enjoying the moment. Talk about vibrant energy full of life!

I am extremely grateful that it worked out for me to tele-commute for work through the holidays so I can be with my family during this intense time. I feel a bit like a fish out of water being away from San Francisco for so long, but know that the special moments I am sharing with my family are what life is all about.

It still hasn't sunk in that Grandmother's physical presence is gone forever....I keep remembering how good it felt when she stroked my hair as I snuggled up to her on the couch just a few weeks ago at Thanksgiving....She was so alive then...and now she's gone....I am grateful for her strong spirit now more than ever....That's because I can still feel it so clearly that it comforts me...She is/was such a blessing..

This afternoon we planned the funeral (which is Thursday) and everyone who is speaking rehearsed what we will be saying. I wanted to share the piece I wrote for the memorial service. I know you didn't personally know my Grandmother...But I do hope you will take a bit of her positive energy and help me spread it far and wide.

MY HERO

Amazing Grace. Compassion. Inner Strength. Faith. Determination. Patience. The ultimate balance between high standards, total acceptance and unconditional love. That's my beloved Grandmother. Helen Elizabeth Brandon Corbin. My Darling. My shero.

We shared so much. Hot fresh cinnamon toast fresh out of the oven. Long stimulating phone conversations about God and Faith. Silly laughter. Free flowing tears. Inquisitive minds, buoyant spirits and an incredible zest for life.

Because I live in San Francisco, I didn't make it back to say goodbye one last time. When my friends in California asked me how I was dealing with that fact, the answer came easily. I am happy she is free. I am happy she didn't have to suffer. I am happy she was able to die with the same grace in which she lived. Of course I would have loved to have heard her say how much she loves me one last time, but there was nothing either of us could have said that the other didn't already know deep in our hearts at a cellular level. Our unconditional love for each other is eternal. It will never die. We are complete.

I believe with all of my heart that the greatest gift we can give Grandmother is to allow her spirit to live on in each of us. I am looking at her death as a calling for me to let my own light shine that much brighter, It's up to all of us as her friends and family to look deep within ourselves for the grace, compassion, faith, and goodness she so generously modeled throughout her life, and to make those parts of ourselves even stronger. I pray for our collective ability to let every thought and memory we have of her serve as a reminder that it is our responsibility to keep the positive, loving energy that is my Grandmother alive.

I also pray we will learn to see both ourselves and others through Grandmother's unconditionally loving eyes more often and more easily. That when we notice we are judging others...or beating ourselves up...or letting the drama of life get the best of us... That we will remember to stop, take a deep breath, and ask, "What would Grandmother do?"

I trust completely that she is here with me now, absorbing my words and in typical Grandmother fashion feeling more proud of me than ever. So I'd like to close simply by saying THANK YOU. Thank you Grandmother for showing my heart what unconditional love looks and feels like. Thank you for being the beacon of love and light you will always be. Thank you for being my hero. I love you forever and for always. Blessed be.

My beloved Grandmother died this morning in her sleep. This is truly a blessing as her physical suffering at the end was minimal despite a long battle with lymphoma. She lived gracefully and she died gracefully. She is my hero.

I am flying back to Indiana tomorrow for the funeral and will stay until the New Year. It will feel good to be with people who know and love her as deeply as I do. It will feel good to go deep with my family.

I am very present to the fact that my Grandmother's spirit lives on through me. I'm writing something to read at her funeral about this, and would like to share it with you once I do.

I feel complete with Grandmother. I would have loved to see her one last time...But there was nothing she could have said that I don't already know deep in my soul. Our relationship is eternal. I feel that at the cellular level.

Please keep my family in your thoughts....and I would love it if you would call someone you love deeply just to tell them how much you love them on my Grandmother's behalf.

I am busy busy and at work at the moment, but I have been skipping the blog postings far too much lately....So wanted to quickly check-in!

It looks like a production company that is working on a pilot of a new television show is going to come to San Francisco in late January to do a segment about the national skipping club! This is very exctiing as it has been quite some time since the skipping project has been covered on television.

We are going to need at least 10-15 skippers to participate in the taping....We will likely be skipping in Golden Gate Park on a Sunday. If you or someone you know is a skipper in San Francisco, please have email me for more details!

That's all for now....Time for me to skip back to work. Onward and upward! Happy Holidays!

One of the books I am publicizing right now is Dr. Bernie Siegel's 101 Exercises for the Soul. He writes, “It is easy to get lost in our daily routines and lose touch with the things that are meaningful to us. We become human doings instead of what we are supposed to be—human beings. If this continues, eventually our true self will begin to die. By exercising our souls, however, we enhance our ability to live and love with enthusiasm and vigor, and increase our ability to overcome any difficulties or obstacles we encounter along the way.”

Skipping is a great way to exercise both body and soul, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive. If you skip just a few steps at a time you won’t lose weight, but it can offer a tremendous lift to your spirit. On the other hand, if you skip for miles and miles and hate every moment of it, your body would quickly get fit, but you wouldn’t be doing your spirit any favors.

There are no rules when it comes to skipping. It doesn't matter if you skip for miles, or just a couple steps. You can skip really fast, or really slow. Maybe you don't skip at all, or you occasionally skip a few steps with your kids. Some skippers alternate walking a block and skipping a block, others just half a block during their evening walks. There is a skipper who is doing full marathons and others who skip for a few miles at a time. It doesn't matter where you skip, or for how long, what truly matters is if you are enjoying yourself while you are doing it!! Skip on!

The biggest reason people tell me they don't skip is because they don't want to look crazy. But one of the main things I continue to learn through my skipping experience is that our world is much kinder, supportive, and encouraging than I ever gave it credit for being. For every negative reaction I have gotten about skipping, there have been 50 positive ones. People don’t laugh at me when they see me skipping down the street; they either ignore me or they smile, Every now and then people even flash thumbs-up signs my way. They don’t make fun of me...If anything, they seem to be intrigued and/or inspired by my ability to be so free, joyful, and not worried about what anyone else thinks about it!

There is a great quote that was written by Marianne Williamson and that Nelson Mandela used in his 1994 inaugural speech. It articulates perfectly the part of myself skipping strengthens...

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who I am to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you! We were born to manifest the Glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone—and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

When you are skipping down the street, your light can't help but shine bright! What a glorious thing. So let's skip on, shall we? Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!

When I tell new people about my passion for skipping, most haven't skipped or given a second thought to skipping for most of their adult lives. Some think I am absolutely crazy for wanting to share the joy of skipping with others. But most, regardless of whether they would ever actually skip themselves, agree that the positive energy skipping creates is something our world could use more of.

I've met many skippers from all ends of the spectrum since I created iskip.com in 1999. There are natural born skippers who never lost the ability to skip freely in the first place. These people either say, “Right on! I skip too!” Or they have a hard time understanding what the hubbub about the skipping movement is all about. Skipping is a perfectly natural thing for them to do.

There are the anti-skippers who would never in a million years consider skipping a step in their adult lives. These folks know that skipping isn’t for them and are either open to the idea of others skipping or are extremely cynical and confronted by others’ skipping enthusiasm.

There are people who love to skip with their kids...or who love to watch their kids skip. Runners who skip to warm up...Skippers who skip to get fit...Closet skippers who only do it when no one is watching or are too afraid to even give it a try... and Extreme skippers who skip with an edge! :-)

Regardless of how or why you skip or don't skip, I'd like to request that after you read this you invite someone else to skip...Ask an unsuspecting friend or family member when the last time they skipped was....Then if you are a skipper so inclined, skip just a few steps with them...(or skip for them if they are an anti-skipper) and watch their reaction! Or invite a kid to skip with you and watch their face light up! Or when you are out in a big group, start skipping and get everyone to join you.

Seriously, give it a try....Then email me and tell me how it went (or leave a comment here)! I would LOVE to hear from you! Skip on!

I just love the all of the positive energy people I meet through iskip.com. Even people who can't or don't physically skip, still can have a skipping spirit!!

Last week I heard from one such man. He lives in Delaware and his name is Felix. Twenty-two years ago he started blowing bubbles to track the ground winds while flying kites. He hasn't stopped since. He is the unofficial bubble visionary for The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and frequently makes bubbles at their events.

Here is a quote from my Felix's Bubble Manifesto you can read in its entirety on his website, "I cannot explain the attraction that people have for soap bubbles. It is beyond science and is somewhere out there on an intuitive and mystical plane. I just know I like to make bubbles. I like to watch bubbles. And I like watching people watching bubbles. It is unspoken harmony with the universe."

As an avid bubbler myself, I love Felix's enthusiasm...not to mention the great pictures on his website. My favorite time to blow bubbles is out of my sunroof when I'm stuck in traffic! It's a great way to pass the time and it makes people around you smile too! I also love to blow bubbles whenever I am around kids...Talk about pure magic!

I first got turned onto bubbling when I met my free spirited friend Esteban who is a bubbling fanatic who now lives in Chile! He used to bubble nearly everywhere we went. There are actually more bubblers out there than you might think!! I totally understand why! It's truly amazing to watch the faces of young and old alike as magical bubbles float joyfully through the air! So bubble on Felix!!!!! Bubble on! Bubble on!

Last weekend I attended "The Spirited Woman Workshop" that is facilitated by a lovely woman named Nancy Mills. I just love the work that Nancy is doing, so wanted to let you know about her mission of empowering spirited women everywhere!

This picture above is from the workshop. That's me in the bottom right hand corner throwing flower petals at the woman who is reading the pink paper...her name is Elizabeth! Nancy's workshops are a lot of fun, a little silly (in the best possible way), and extremely heart opening.

I love sitting in circles of women where the intention is openly and honestly sharing about our lives....The Spirited Woman workshop was one of those experiences. I love how I see myself in other women's stories. I love the way hearing other women speak from their heart helps me know I am not alone in this adventure called life.

Nancy gives workshops all over the country, so be sure to skip on over to her beautiful website and check it out. She invites you to post your thoughts and spirited women stories on her blog! The November question of the month is "What makes you Unstoppable!?" I posted my answer yesterday and would love to see yours there as well!

Skip on spirited women...(and men, too!) Onward and upward! Together we can change the world.

Back in 2000, the Wall Street Journal did a small piece about iskip.com and my skipping efforts. Shortly after, I got a vhs tape in the mail from a guy named Jeff Lester. He said I would understand why he sent it when I watched the tape.

Jeff is the producer of an amazing short film called The Last Real Cowboys starring Billy Bob Thorton. I couldn't believe my eyes when I was watching the film. Jeff and I clearly were inspired in similar ways by skipping! (You can watch it online by clicking here!)

It's unfortunate that the story ends like it does...and it is also unfortunate we fear a metaphorically similar fate in our modern world!

All the more reason for us to skip loud and skip proud! It's time to write new skipping rules as we joyfully and boldly exercise our right to freedom by skipping freely!!! SKIP ON! :-)

Yesterday I received this email from a European skipper...

I went on a mission to find fellow skippers on the internet and came across your webpage. I have enjoyed skipping very occassionally when amongst friends for several years but always forgot about it soon afterwards. Now I'm thinking it would be great to get involved in a group! I'm from London but living in Budapest at the moment- have any fellow skippers from here contacted you yet?

I have spent the last week or two realising/rediscovering how fantastic skipping is- it' s impossible to even think about it without grinning from ear to ear! I've been tring to convince others too and was delighted to see all of my reasoning set out on your website- the key one being- just try and skip whilst not smiling- It's impossible!! Happy Skipping! Jo

And here is my response...(By the way, if you are a skipper who would like to talk about your love of skipping in a skipper profile on iskip.com please email me and let me know!)

Yay! I love hearing from people like you who are so inspired by the magic of skipping....It really is magic! I'd be willing to bet just about anyone that if they skipped everywhere they went for an entire week, their lives would change for the better in powerful and unexpected ways!

Over the years, I have heard from various skippers in Europe, although I'm not in direct contact with any now (other than you!) I would love to do a profile about you and your enthusiasm for skipping on iskip.com...and then we could see if we could get the media there to write about your efforts if you wanted to start a skipping group?! Do you have some free spirited friends who would help you get something started there?

In Europe, I have found it is particularly important to mention that you are talking about skipping WITHOUT a rope. That's because most people there automatically think of skipping rope when they hear "skipping". I once did an entire radio interview on the BBC out of London...The very last question they asked me was, "Where do you buy your rope?" I quickly answered, "Oh no. I don't skip with a rope." The interviewers were shocked! In their most dignified English accent they say said, "What, no rope!?" I went on to quickly explain how I just leap happily from point A to point B like kids do before our time ran out, but they were definitely quite taken aback!!

Thanks so much for writing to introduce yourself! Let me know if you are interested in being profiled on iskip.com. SKIP ON!

Did you happen to see The Ellen Show yesterday?!? I'm not a bit surprised to learn that Ellen is a skipper!!

I was at work while the show is on, but thanks to Andrea in Florida, I heard that Ellen skipped at the start of the show....Here's Andrea's skipping report...

It was a short segment during the beginning of her show where she's walking down the hallway toward the studio and the voice over gives her stream of consciouness thoughts along the way. She just said something about how she likes to bounce along as she walks and then said, "maybe I'll skip" and did so for a few steps before going onto another line of thought.

Many thanks for Andrea for reporting this skipper sighting! And many thanks to Ellen for skipping on national television! Skip on Andrea! Skip on Ellen! Skip on! Skip on!

Happy Halloween!!

This past Saturday night I attended an event called SPIRAL DANCE for the first time. It's organized by bestselling author Starhawk and celebrates the day of the dead. There was an altar where you could write the name of people you know who have died....and another that celebrates the birth of new babies. Apparently during this time of year, the veil between the living and dead is thinner than normal, so this is a powerful time to connect with all things spiritual.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of people there. We sang a lot of songs and watched dancers perform while we waited for the Spiral Dance itself to happen. During the Spiral Dance, everyone holds hands to create a huge line of people that spiral and weave around the big open space of the pavillion where the event was held. There were a couple of different things you could sing... One went, "Let it begin with each step we take. Let it begin with each change we make. Let it begin with each chain we break. Let it begin every time we awake" or you could sing rounds of "Let it begin now. Let it begin now" or rounds of "We are alive. We are alive."

As the chain of people weaved around the floor, we all looked into each others eyes as we sang the song of our choice in harmony. It was an incredibly moving and powerful experience. So many people gathered with the intention of sending healing, positive energy to the earth and our world! I just love partipating in these kinds of events. It feels great to focus my energy and thoughts toward my desire of making the world a happier place.

I recently wrote an entry about a NYC super skipper named Extreme Gene who is making a supercharged, extreme contribution to the skipping movement. He is truly taking skipping to its outer edge! I love it!

Well, Extreme Gene just wrote to let me know that Warren Miller is including a segment about Extreme Skipping in his latest Higher Ground film! Wow! I skipped on over to Warren Miller's website right away and here's the description of Extreme Gene's segment in the film...

In a Warren Miller first, urban skipper “Extreme Gene” shares his love, intensity and enthusiasm for this adventurous new sport. In this hilarious segment, Gene emphasizes the three main aspects that factor into exceptional skipping; rebellion, freedom of expression and style.

If you haven't already, you simply shouldn't skip the short film on Extreme Gene's website that explains what Extreme Skipping is all about. I guarantee you've never seen someone skip quite like Extreme Gene does. He has turned it into an art form. Check it! Yeee-haw Extreme Gene..... SKIP ON !

This weekend I spent a lot of time curled up with Marianne Williamson's latest book called The Gift Of Change. Like The Translucent Revolution which I wrote about recently, she talks about the shift in consciousness that is gradually happening in our world. I was so inspired by this passage that I felt moved to share it here...

An underground revolution is sweeping the hearts and minds of the people of the world, and it is happening despite the wars and terror that confront us. This revolution is a fundamental change of worldview, and it carries with it the potential to reorganize the structure of human civilization. It brings a basic shift in the thoughts that dominate the world. It wages a peace that will end all war. It is a global phenomenon that will change the cellular structure of the human race. To those who are part of it, and feel called to it, its reality is a growing if not obvious truth. To still others, it's a lofty but ridiculous notion, a preposterous and sill idea.

Yet no social revolution of any import emerged because everybody woke up one day saying, "I get it! I get it!" Such revolutions emerged instead from what anthropologist Margaret Mead described as "a small group of concerned citizens." Not only are such groups capable of changing the world, according to Mead, but in fact, they're the only thing that ever has. And they are doing it now.

A spiritually attuned counterculture is already in our midst. It is marked not by clothes or music, drugs or sex, as was the counterculture of the sixties, but by the internal attitude of those who perceive it. They make suggestions and comments that are just a little bit wiser; they bring new insights into areas previously locked down by the status quo. They see some star in the sky that no everyone is seeing. And in their presence, we start to see it too. --From The Gift of Change: Spiritual Guidance for a Radically New Life by Marianne Williamson (Harper San Francisco)

Ohhhhhh, I LOVE reading those words...I love feeling like I get to contribute to the revolution she describes by promoting New World Library's amazing authors. I love celebrating my freedom by skipping down the street and not worrying about people who might thing I'm crazy for doing so...I love how it makes me feel like I am doing my tiny part to make the world around me a little more happy and free!

Onward! Upward! Together we CAN change the world!

Ever since I created iskip.com in 1999, I've wanted to write a book. As someone who worked in the book publishing industry, it seemed like the natural thing to do to get my skipping message out there...Only I didn't realize how hard writing a book and getting it published really is!

When People Magazine did an article on my skipping efforts, a top literary agent inquired about representing me. Back then the working title of my project was SKIP ON! A Guide for Following Your Bliss ... All of my financial eggs were riding in my book project's basket and when my manuscript fell short with publishers, they were smashed into a billion little bits. Financially and creatively I was completley out of gas.

I went back to working at a full time job and it felt like my dream of writing a book and promoting skipping full time was dead. I couldn't feel it at the time, but am happy to report that the inspiration and hope it would take for me to eventually skip back to the drawing board on my book project was still in there....It just took three years for me to find it again....and that time is now!

Working on the book again is helping me realize that every aspect of my experience so far--from the highest high to the lowest low--are all extremely valuable parts of my story. It was impossible for me to write my book before going through the most challenging part of my journey...Now I see my ability to survive the dark times and to come out skipping on the other end is ultimately what the book is all about!

Writing a book is definitely the most challenging thing I have ever tried to do in my life...So please send me positive thoughts... Imagine my fingers happily skipping across the keyboard with lightness and ease! I can use all of the positive energy support I can get on this project!! Thanks! Skip on!!

This past weekend my skipping friend Tania and I had another fun adventure!

A couple weeks ago I got a call from another skipper named Dina who had been on one of the groups skips I used to lead in Golden Gate Park. She said she was making a documentary on depression and wanted to include something about skipping.

So Tania and I met up with Dina and her lovely camera person (whose name I don't know how to spell) in Golden Gate Park on Saturday to get some skipping footage and to be interviewed about the benefits of skipping. There was a drumming circle by the conservatory of flowers and we skipped to their magical beat. Little kids skipped with us. The three of us held hands and skipped all around. It was another grand skipping experience.

Skipping (the kind without a rope...just leaping happily down the street like we all used to do as kids) is great exercise for the body AND the spirit! It burns twice as many calories as walking and has less impact on the body than running does. Another interesting way to look at it is that running is based out of our fight or flight reflex. Animals run to get away from something...But skipping is like an animal frolicing freely in a field...The energy of skipping is playful and fun....I think that's what makes it my favorite form of exercise! (I should also say that I'm also pro-running and am not saying that PEOPLE who run are escaping.) Skip on!

This email from a skipper in Florida made me smile...

I love to skip and get friends skipping when we're walking somewhere in a group. I will now do it more often. In fact, I will add skipping to my daily spiritual practice! I want to read more on your website since I am admittedly an infrequent skipper. One holdback being I "think" I should only do it when wearing a bra... not to scare onlookers *smile* luckily if I am walking in a group with others, we're usually out in public in a parking lot on our way somewhere so I have one on anyway :)

Ladies, it is true that bouncing boobs can be a skipping hazard! When I did a lot of radio interviews about my quest to make skipping a more acceptable thing for adults to do, the morning disc jockeys used to love to ask me about this very topic! I told them that I'm such a bouncey skipper that I often double bag em' by wearing a sports bra and a regular bra! :-) That always got a laugh!

It is really fun to invite a group of people you are walking with to join you for a skip. That's actually how I first started skipping. I was out on a Friday night with my friend's Todd and Rudy when Rudy broke into a skip and said, "let's go!" Todd and I didn't miss a beat and before I knew it the three of us were skipping, laughing, and having a ball.

I hadn't skipped since I was a kid and an entire vision of starting a national skipping movement flashed through my mind. I thought about how much fun I was having, how it had to be great exercise, and how I could start skipping groups in San Francisco and tell the media about it!

I didn't take action on my vision for two more years after that first skip, but when i did, it came true! What a long strange skip it has been.

I'd like to encoruage you to invite someone else to skip with you the next time you are out for a walk! When you do write me at kimskips@peoplepc.com and tell me all about it! Skip on!

One of the books I am working on right now is called The Real Meaning of Life. It's one of those books that makes you laugh and makes you cry. But most importantly, it makes you stop and think about what exactly it is we are all doing here on this adventure called life.

The book is written by a sophomore at NYU named David Seaman. When he was a freshman, he typed "What is the meaning of life?" into an online forum and was overwhelmed by all of the responses he received. So much so that he created a website thats purpose was to ask the same question. Now some 50,000 hits and 2,000 answers later he's compiled the best answers he received into a book.

Here are a couple of the entries....

If you see a big ring of fire ahead of you and it scares you half to death, jump through it! It is only our fears that veil our true identity. Conquer these and you’ll find what’s left of you is love, a love so brilliant that ten thousand suns would not be your equal. We are all searching for truth, we all want happiness. Learn to love yourself and these gifts will follow. Stop looking outward...the answers lie within. And for God’s sake, stop grazing in the fields of chaos and fear that the media is cultivating for you. Fear sells, and we’re buyin’. You are more powerful than you know. Enjoy. — Jack Dempsey Boyd

Life is a cocktail. It consists of various measures of family, relationships, play, and work. Our quest, should we be prepared to accept it, is to find our unique mix. Every decision we make alters this mix. Learning from our choices and making corrections as necessary will enable each of us to find our perfect cocktail. — “Sir Percival Blakeney”

Beer, ribs, professional sports, and Miles Davis. — Mike Barber

I’m a twenty-year-old, so my view on life is still somewhat...hazy. I need to live more. I don’t know if I’m being original — if I’m not, at least I arrived at this on my own — but I think that the real meaning of life is “to look for the meaning of life.” It’s not a circular definition — I’m just saying that the generalization of something this profound is wrong.

Six billion people in the world, all different from the inside out, might have something in common, but the meaning of life? It should be more like “what’s the meaning of your life?” What are you? Why are you here? What are you looking for?

I’m still looking for my purpose, and I believe that’s the meaning of life: to look for it. — David Yim

Today's skipping email comes from an enthusiastic 22-year-old skipper....

I spent a year off in college, and skipped everywhere on campus. I actually had to start wearing more jewelry with jingle so I wouldn't scare people as I came barreling around the corners! I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one out there with a passion for skipping. Which makes me wonder if there's anyone out there that loves jumping up and clicking their heels, and frolicing as much as I do... May you always have love in your heart, and a hand to hold as you skip!

Amanda, thanks for your peppy email...Your energy leaps right out of the computer screen! Hey, perhaps you should make a website called iclickmyheels.com! Skip on soul sister. Thanks for the email!

I've really been getting my blogging groove on lately...I am proud of myself for doing a post every day this week! Wow!

Today I have another skipping email I'd like to share....This one from Pam in Raleigh, NC.....

Kim; I loved to skip as a child and have been reading your newsletter for a while now. A friend from local church singles commited suicide this summer and the pastor who spoke at her memorial service challenged family and friends to do something ourselves that would honor her life. I signed up to walk in a Run for Life race that benefits a local home for pregnant teens since my friend loved children but never had any of her own. I have never run in a race as I have bad ankles. So I decided to skip as much as possible which I felt would make my friend smile. I took third in the 19 and up age range. I am 52. Not too bad for a first attempt. I am encouraged to skip on! If you need a head skipper in the Triangle area, I'm your gal!

Pam, what a touching skipping story...Thank you for sharing it. Isn't it fun to skip in walk/run events! It really spices things up.

As for being a head skipper, I definitely encourage you to skip loud and skip proud in Raleigh and would love to do a profile about your love of skipping on iskip.com. At the moment, there is not a unified head skipper contingent. However, I am slowly but surely working on a book about skipping and am collecting email addresses of skippers around the country who want to help create a national skipping day once it is published. I will add your email to the list...and in the meantime, SKIP ON girlfriend! :-)

I am a book publicist for a wonderful company called New World Library in Novato, California. I have worked there since March and can't tell you how great it feels to finally have a job I love with all of my heart.

When the skipping movement was at its height, I quit my book publishing job to focus on getting the word out about skipping full time. I naively assumed that if I leapt, the financial net would magically follow! Not! I basically skipped myself into financial ruin....and getting back on the beaten path once I skipped off wasn't easy!

Before finding my work home here at New World, I had some pretty crazy employment experiences, including getting fired on the day before Christmas by my 73-year-old bodybuilder boss. It wasn't pretty and I am so grateful that part of my life adventure has come and gone! Good riddance.

New World Library publishes amazing books that are dedicated to changing people's lives. On days when I don't have much skipping news, I thought it might be cool to share a quote or small exceprt from one of our books!

One that I am particularly passionate about is called The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You are Waking Up and Changing the World. The book's author Arjuna Ardagh examines the shift in consciousness that is gradually happening in our world and explains it in a way that isn't too new agey or out there. As someone who wants more than anything to do my part to make the world a better place, I love the book.

Here's a brief quote from The Translucent Revolution that recently appeared in O Magazine...

"We constantly resist not only our grief, but also our wild passion and sexuality, our anger, even our exuberance and joy, repressing their free expression. Big feelings overwhelm us. They can easily upset the fragile equillibrium of our lives. We keep a lid on ourselves, till we periodically explode. We don't realize that any deep feeling, pleasurable or painful, can be a wave we surf home into ourselves, into love."

So here's to feeling big .... dreaming big.... living big.... and skipping big! Skip on Arjuna Ardagh...Thanks for writing such a great book.

I recently got this email from someone named Madeline and wanted to share....

Hi, I live in Winter Springs, a suburb in Orlando...I don't actually skip, but, hey, there's a spring in my step & I have a very bouncy personality. Does that count?

Absolutely that counts!! In fact, that is what it is all about! Iskip is more about being a positive energy kind of person with a spring in her/his step than the actual physical act of skipping! There are so many different ways the energy of skipping shows up in our lives.... Blowing bubbles.. Playing with little kids... Dancing... Laughing... Singing.... There are unlimited ways to bounce through life! What counts is having enough courage to be true to yourself so your inner light shines as brightly as possible. Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!

On Saturday night, I participated in an all night Mayan prayer ritual called Mitotes with a group with 10 other women. My intention going into the experience was to find the willingness to believe in myself enough to write the book my heart has been calling me to write. I went in to the experience hoping to find enough inspiration that the scared little kid in me can once again have the courage to skip couragously through my life.

We divided into three groups and took turns singing/chanting a song/prayer that goes, "Spirit of the living God move afresh in me. Spirit of the living God move afresh in me. Melt me. Mold Me. Fill me. Use me. Spirit of the Living God move afresh in me" over and over throughout the night. Each group of women sang for 20 minutes at a time before waking up the next group whose turn it was to sing.

The sweet sound of singing women's voices filled the room from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. In between my group's turns, I drifted in and out of sleep until it was time to sit up and sing again. At certain times throughout the night, I felt myself throwing little hissy fits...I questioned why I had signed up for this. I was tried of singing and just wanted to sleep...But the part of me that was totally engaged and excited to be there was MUCH stronger and clearer than the part of me that wanted to be a brat.

It felt really good to just sing through the patches of resistance as I powefully invited the spirit in more and more. It's really quite perfect since what was at stake for me was the WILLINGNESS to move in the direction of my dreams and to not let my fear get in the way anymore. My mitotes experience gave me the opportunity to see how it feels to move past my stubborn childlike will and inner critic in a gentle powerful and feminine way! Through song!

We slept from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. and I had amazing dreams. Then several of us went to Glide's 9 a.m. service. (Glide is a very open minded church in San Francisco where EVERYONE is welcome... Christians, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, and even Atheists come together to celebrate life.) I skipped around the church as the choir sang "It's time for a miracle!" and it felt great. I was soooo high and full of the spirit!

I went home and slept soundly for four hours and then got up and worked on the introduction for my book. I spent several hours putzing around with it and am feeling really excited about the direction it is taking.

Onward and upward! Spirit of the living God move afresh in me.

Blowing bubbles ranks right up there with skipping as far as my favorite ways to bring more joy and positive energy to every day life!

When I go out in the city on Friday nights, I often bring a bottle of bubbles with me. It is great fun to stand on a street corner blowing bubbles and watching how they bring out the kid in the people that pass by. Bubble lovers respond by chasing after them....or trying to pop them...or by saying, "BUBBLES!!" in an enthusiastic childlike voice. It's great fun.

Saturday before last, I attended the Love Parade in San Francisco and blew bubbles as the floats and dancers went by. A man I didn't know started taking pictures of me, and I asked him to email them if any of them turned out. I was so happy when he actually did! The picture above is from that fun, magical, love filled day! There are more fun pictures from the Love Parade on the photographer Mikhail Rezhepp's website. Skip on! Bubble on!

I just loved this email I got from an enthusiastic skipper named Gail. It does a great job of capturing the pure joy and natural high that skipping creates. Get out there and try it for yourself. Skip on Gail!

Hi Kim! I kinda discovvered skipping by accident. I am 48, and an avid hiker. I try to hike local peaks here in San Luis Obispo County, California several times a week. When I hike I am listenig to my iPod with all kinds of great tunes. After reaching the top and taking in views, I start down the trail. All that is normal, but one day, a really great song came on and I started to sort of dance down the trail and fell naturally into a skip.

The feeling was elation; when the trail is steep or rocky, I take short sideways tiny skips...kinda like skiing. And when the trail is flatter, (and maybe it snakes through shrubbery) I skip really big and fast. And the amazing thing is, it really cracks me up! I laugh out loud because it is so much fun! And I love to hold my arms out and flap them like a bird.... and I love to catch "air" ......and I love to bounce off the sides of the trail if it is slanted on one side.....and I love to leap off of rocks.

I simply smile if I pass people who stare... or maybe they see me laugh...I don't care...I 'll bet some folks wonder what drug I've taken! But it has made my hiking experience immensely richer and delightful; I crave the experience and look forward to it. And it is fantastic exercise. When I get to the bottom of the trail, I am drenched in sweat and riding high on endorphins from exercise plus laughter. Had to tell you. -Gail

There's been something special about Wednesdays lately. It was Wednesday last week when Tania and I had our random fireworks skipping experience and tonight I had another truly magical skipping moment.

After work, I met my friend Karen to walk the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral. The labyrinth is a meditative, spiritual tool that pre-dates Christianity....It really helps me quiet my mind enough to get a big picture perspective on what is going on in my life.

Karen and I shared about the intense changes we are each experiencing right now....Me needing to go deeply inward so I can write the book I feel called to write....and her feeling powerfully inspired to step even more fully into her role as an ordained minister. We talked for quite some time and then quietly walked the labyrinth. It felt great to breath it all in.

As I walked to my apartment after saying goodbye to Karen. I heard the voice of a little boy behind me. I thought he was saying, "I got a balloon! I got a balloon!" But then I heard his Dad say, "That's not a balloon, that's a backpack." That was when I realized the little boy was talking to me.

For the past six years, I have carried a bright yellow smiley face back pack nearly everywhere I go. This little boy was mesmerized by it. I asked him if he liked smiley faces and he said that he did. Then he proudly announced, "I have a boo boo." I asked him where it was and he pointed to his knee. Then he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled up his pant leg to show me. He said it happened at his Mama's house.

I ooed and aahed at the boo boo and asked him how old he was. He proudly said "two" and then he started galloping down the sidewalk as he looked back at me. His Dad said, "He wants you to run with him!" before quickly stopping him because a car was coming.

After the car passed, he told the little boy to take his hand while they crossed the street. The little boy held out his other hand innocently signaling to me to hold it. The three of us held hands as we crossed the street, then the little boy was off and running down the sidewalk. His Dad laughed as he started jogging behind him. I naturally broke into a skip. His Dad was clearly a skipper too because he immediately joined me when he realized I was skipping. The little boy was too young to know how to literally skip, but he knew the most important part which was that the three of us were sharing a delightfully playful experience.

Before turning off on my street, I gave the little boy one of my iskip.com stickers and told him I wished there were more people in the world exactly like him! His Dad enthusiastically agreed and said, "Yes, wouldn't it be wonderful!?" Then we were waving goodbye and they were gone.

Random skipping encounters like I experienced tonight are one of my favorite things in the entire world! I hope I don't have to wait until next Wednesday for the next one! :-) Skip on!

There is a skipper in New York named Extreme Gene who has created a short film about his own personal approach to skipping. It's called EXTREME SKIPPING and it isn't for the faint of heart!

I personally tend to be your standard run of the mill skipper (if there is such a thing.) I occasionally throw in a twirl here or a backwards skip there...but for the most part I leap happily from point A to point B and call it a day. Not Extreme Gene. Think skateboarding without the board. Think jumps and other tricks. This dude is extreme.

If you are in the New York area and would like to check out what Extreme Skipping is all about, here's some info about the world premier of Extreme Gene's short film....

EXTREME SKIPPING WORLD PREMIERE

What has people Extreme Skipping from Dayton to Denver? What is behind 150,000 hits, a movie trailer and a groundswell of gremmies sticking 180 Degree Lizzies from Calcutta to Coney Island? What the heck is a 180 degree Lizzie anyway?

Spend an evening with the father and creator of the Extreme Skipping Phenomena, Extreme Gene. There is no better place to learn about it than at The Intrepid Air and Space Museum ( 46th and 12th) on September 27th at 8p.m. Watch a short film that gives us a glimpse into a great American underground extreme sports hero. From "Brand Evangilists" to major motion picture companies, people are starting to pay attention to Extreme Gene. Come and see why for yourself.... "CHECK IT!"

If you can't make it to the event, you can also watch a trailer of the film on Extreme Gene's website. Skip on Extreme Gene! Thanks for all you are doing to spread the good skipping word!

I just had the most magical San Francisco skipping experience and felt moved to share as soon as I got home!

Tonight I went to dinner with a fun group of people who were my coworkers when I worked at The Learning Annex. Five of us had a fun dinner and then my friend Tania offered to drive me home.

Tania is a skip chic extraordinaire...When I first started working at the Annex, the skip had practically left my step...But Tania just so happened to be an enthusiastic skipper herself....She had even emailed me through iskip.com long before I started working there! For her birthday she organized a group skip across the Golden Gate Bridge (The picture above is of Tania and her husband Jason on that day)....This girl inspires me and has totally helped me get my skip back.

As Tania and I walked to her car tonight, we both started skipping which was incredibly fun in and of itself...and then out of nowhere, a huge fireworks show started happening over the Bay, so we rushed over to watch. The fireworks were huge! Bigger than the fourth of July! We oooed and aaahed and hooped and hollered. We noticed that everyone else who walked by seemed unphased by the miraculous show...But not us...We were enthusiastic enough for the lot of them.

A guy on a bike who rode by us cheered and we were happy to have found a kindred spirit. He ended up coming over and introducing himself. His name was Charlie. After we chatted for a while, I pulled an iskip.com sticker out of my purse and handed it to him. His face lit up as he told us how much he loved to skip. Suddenly the three of us were joyously skipping all about as bright, colorful, explosive fireworks filled the sky!! Wow!

It felt like the fireworks show lasted forever. When it was done, Tania and I skipped back to the car. A cop stopped traffic and waved us on, "Only for you Skippers," he said with a smile. The next man we passed beamed from ear to ear....A woman in a large group waiting to board a bus nodded in approval.....It was city skipping at its best!

I am feeling wildly inspired by tonight! I invited Tania to go skipping with me on a weekend day in the city sometime soon so we can create more skipping magic like we experienced tonight. I can hardly wait. Skip on!

Last night I received this email from a skipper in the Midwest. Wow! Talk about a powerful testimony about how skipping can uplift our spirits and change our lives for the better.

I did a websearch for the term: "if I could find just one" .... and somehow found your page. I'm a 49 year old business man, and yes I do skip. Several years ago one of my brothers committed suicide and I went into depression.

After losing nearly everything I once owned because life didn't seem worth striving for, I decided I wasn't going to do myself in the way my brother had and I was too physically healthy to think I might be lucky enough to die soon, so I chose life.I began skipping to force myself up out of the depression I was in, even if it made me look ridiculous to observers. Well, I had nothing really left to lose at the time so it really didn't matter what observers thought or even said.

I want to share that I have done a pretty darn good job of rebuilding my life, and now that I even own a farm I still skip and there are no observers to laugh. I own a construction company and everyone in the local area knows that I work daylight to dark, but what they don't know is that at 5:30 a.m. I am outside skipping, jogging and singing to help to give me the stamina to make it through the frustrations of the day. Well, thanks for your webpage, it means something.

Thank God for answered prayer! I'm back from my 9th Burning Man and am definitely feeling more inspired about my book project and mission of sharing the joy of skipping with the world than before I left.

My experience in the desert this year was a lot more about tears, anger, and emotional upheaval than the glitter, bliss, and euphoria of past years. It began with all of the costumes I had created for the event blowing out of the top of the truck on the way there...and ended with an intense and painful relationship drama that broke my heart wide open.

While the majority of people were taking drugs and going wild out there, I was riding my bike alone in the open desert saying this prayer over and over, "Spirit of the living God work afresh in me. Spirit of the living God work afresh in me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Spirit of the living God work afresh in me." I guess I shouldn't be surprised that things in my world got shaken up a bit, now should I?!

As I read my pre-burning man post, I can begin to see some method to all of the madness I experienced...Before my intense and trying experience, I was feeling emotionally blocked and like I couldn't access the deepest part of me that I need to write my book and tell my story in a powerful way. I most definitely reconnected with that part of me through all of the emotional intensity of my Burning Man experience...It wasn't pretty or fun.... But it did the trick. Now I am left looking forward to the future with hope and anticipating for what comes next.

This morning I got my butt out of bed early and went to the gym before work. It felt great to start my day with a power skip on the treadmill... and it feels great to be exercising my writing voice through this post. I can feel myself getting my skipping groove back and it feels great...With everything that is happening in New Orleans, my desire to do good in this world is huge....So onward and upward....I can't wait to see what the Universe has in store for me next. SKIP ON!

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for my annual Burning Man adventure (this year makes 9 in a row!) Here is my special prayer/intention for my experience...

Dear God/Goddess/Spirit/Higher Power:

I give my Burning Man 2005 experience to you....I am tired of being blocked on my book project...I am tried of being too scared to move forward with it....I am tired of letting my self-dobut and self-disgust dominate this part of my life.

I want to feel as free and inspired and full of joy as I did when you first called me to start skipping. Thank you for how you are speaking to me and for how I know deep in my heart that documenting my journey in writiing is what you are asking me to do with my life. What a blessing that I can hear your instructions so clearly.

Even though I know it doesn't help, I have been extremely disappointed in myself for being too afraid to manifest my dream. I recognize my childlike will that is digging in her heels and wanting to stay right where she is. That part of me is terrified of fully putting herself out there again. I give that part of me to you. Please fill my being with so much passion and inspiration that my story effortlessly flows out onto the page. Wake me up in the middle of the night so excited about my project that I can't help but get up and write, write, write!

Let every breath I take and every step I make out there in the beautiful desert be a powerful prayer to you. Melt me. Mold me. Fil me. Use me.

With love, gratitude, and enthusiastic anticipation...

Skipper Kim

One of the most rewarding parts about having the iskip.com website are all of the amazing kindred spirits I have met throughout my skipping adventure. One such person is a man named Daniel Decker who has an amazing website called The Gift Of Kindness. His initative is devoted to encouraging people, from all walks of life, to develop habits of kindness and compassion toward their fellow man.

The coolest thing about Daniel is that he completely walks (or skips?) his talk...This week he gave the skipping movement an incredible gift of kindness. He took the video tapes I have from a couple of the TV interviews I did back in 2000 when the skipping movement was starting to sweep the nation.

If you have a high speed connection on a PC, you can now watch clips of a great piece that KVOR-TV in Sacramento, CA did on the skipping movement. You also can watch yours truly skipping with Donny Osmond on national TV! Check it out!

Also be sure to check out Daniel's website. It's sure to bring a smile to your face and to put an extra skip in your step! Give a gift of kindess today....It's worth more than money can buy.

I apologize for letting so much time skip by between entries. It seems that life is moving extraordinarily quickly these days.

I had to do a quick post after I read about the nun who was reprimanded for dancing wildly at World Youth Day in Germany. I loved the picture of the nun busting a move with a young missionary!

The story reminded me of my previous post about my experience skipping with a nun while working a trade show in the Midwest. The skipping nun's superiors asked that I not post the picture that was taken of us skipping on the web. At first I didn't understand why...But now I wonder if they were nervous about the potential for national media!

I have great respect for women who dedicate their lives to service....I will pray for the day that the holy spirit can move freely enough within them that dancing and skipping become a perfectly acceptable thing for them to do! After all, both dancing and skipping are glorious ways to celebrate life!

Keep the emails and comments coming. It makes my day to get emails like this one from a 13-year-old skipper named Kristi...

I skip therefore I am. Or do I? Oh yes... yes, I defintely skip. I also leap and bound. My sister also is a spinning enthusiast but this unfortunately makes me much too dizzy... ugh. Oh well. It isn't exactly the skipping aditude to get too worked up about things, is it? After all, us skippers are the sorta people that sing in public. :-)

Funny that you should mention spinning, Kristi...The other day I was playing a very casual game of volleyball with some friends and I started spinning around in a circle while the server on the other side ran after the ball. I spun and I spun until I was so dizzy I could hardly see!

Unfortunately, the server got the ball and hit it over to our side just as I stopped spinning! Happily my team mates are also fun loving spirits because I was so dizzy that I missed the ball. They didn't get mad...Instead they said, "What's next Kim, are you going to make a website called ispin.com!?" Skip on! Spin on!

Last weekend I got a message on the skipper phone from a skipper who lives in Northern California. He left me a message saying he is a 14-year-old sophomore who loves to skip. So much so that one day he skipped throughout the halls of Amador High School singing John Lennon's Imagine and handing out little peace signs!

I loved hearing his story....I love to imagine a world where every community has one bright light like this skipper who finds joy through spreading a message of peace and love! Skipping is such a powerful way to add positive energy to the world around you.

Gandhi said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." I believe with all of my heart that when we can find the courage and inner strength to skip through life, we are being the kind of change our world desperately needs. Skip on!

This is pretty cool. I recently was contacted by a woman named Gina Goff who was writing a piece for City Search about unique places to workout in San Francisco. She had discovered iskip in her research and was inspired about including it in her write-up. The only problem was that I'm not currently leading regular skips in the city. So there wasn't a location for her to link skipping to.

Gina was determined to let people know that there are skippers in San Francisco. So she went ahead and added us as a fun way to workout in Golden Gate Park. (When I do lead group skips, that's where it happens!) We couldn't get prime placement in the article since we aren't tied to a gym, but she put us at the tip top of the "More Spots to Work Out" section. Pretty cool. Skip on, Gina!! :-)

The other night I worked late so didn't feel like going to the gym on the way home. I told myself I'd go out for a long walk/skip....But before I knew it most of the evening had skipped away from me.

I decided to order take out Sushi from a restaurant that is several blocks from my apartment so I could pick up dinner AND get a little exercise. I put on a pair of sweatpants and put my credit card in my pocket....and then I decided to wear something else...Only I forgot to take my card out of the pocket!

I walked all the way to the restaurant before I realized that my credit card was still at home in my sweat pants! I had to go all the way home and back again! I laughed as I realized that I was getting a good workout after all! I skipped all the way back to my apartment.

It feels so great to skip freely down the sidewalk...One guy that I passed smiled widely and said, "I see you...Skipping along...Skipping along!" I skipped by my local video store and waved to the guy behind the counter. I thought about the email I had just gotten from Donna about how she couldn't help but skip because she was enjoying the sky and the sun. I skipped by the cable car on Powell Street and felt incredibly lucky to live in a city as magical as San Francisco.

By the time I got home with my Sushi, I felt great! Skipping rocks my world.

Just got this email from a kindred skipping spirit and wanted to share...

I am a skipper and was just introduced to your website! I was skipping out at the Bayshore in Palo Alto last week, much to the humor of passersby. But I was enjoying the sun and blue sky, the birds and the wind and the bay, so skipping was required! Plus it's such a great workout! - Donna

Skip on Donna! Like you, I love how skipping throws us into the moment and helps us appreciate the simpler things....It's hard to be stressed about bills or problems when you are gleefully bounding down the street!!

Skipping burns twice as many calories as walking does...So for you walkers out there, try skipping a block every now and then and you will get a double bang for your caloric buck.

If you are someone who loves to skip, I'd love to hear from you! Write to me at kimskips@peoplepc.com and tellme your skipping story! Skip on!

I loved getting this email from a skipper named Jenny. It's good to know I'm not the only one who likes to skip in stores....

I have many skipping stories, but this one is the best. I was skipping through Best Buy (yes I know what you're thinking) and a salesman saw me and told me, "ma'am, skipping is not allowed in the store." I could not believe it and I got mad at that guy. He did not know who he was messing with. He later told me he was just kidding and followed me around the store asking if I needed help with the Cd's. geez! He annoyed me but it was pretty funny.

Skip on Jenny! One of my favorite places to skip is at the grocery store. There's something incredibly free and a little rebellious for me about skipping there especially. If you aren't a skipper, this might sound a little strange. But don't knock it until you try it. It's a great rush...and while people might give you a bit of a hard time...As long as you are skipping with the right intention, it's hard for them to take it all too seriously. Skip on!

Back when I was focusing on the skipping movement full time, there were 70+ skippers where there was an official "head skipper" who was helping to spread the skipping message in their home town! When I went back to working in the book publishing biz, those people hopefully kept skipping, but head skippers were no longer an active part of iskip.com.

Just last week, I completed a proposal for a book that I hope to write about the benefits of skipping to the beat of your own drummer. If all goes well, the book could potentially be out in Fall of 2006. My plan is to start collecting the names and email addresses of skippers around the world who are interested in organizing skipping events and groups in conjunction with the book's release.

I recently got this great email from a skipping couple asking how they can get more involved in the skipping movement....

Hi there, I found this website a few days ago and just love it. I have been skipping for three years. I just started one day during my walking activity and alternated for awhile. Now I just can't get enough of it. My wife is skipping also during her 4 mile walks. We live in Arkansas, so you can imagine the looks we receive. During deer season, we have to be extreeeeemly careful. Hunters think we are deer bounding about as we do. I am 51 years old, a custodian, part time music teacher, full time kid. My wife is 53, a teacher, and part time kid. Let me know how we can become more actively involved.

I love getting emails like this...and if you are someone who loves to skip, I invite you to please email me at kimskips@peoplepc.com to introduce yourself. I am starting a new email list of people who are interested in being "head skippers" and would love to add you to the list. Skip on!

As a proud promoter of positive energy, I am a huge fan of the smiley face! So much so that I carry a smiley face backpack everywhere I go. I also recently painted smiley faces on the hub caps of my 1990 Acura Legend...and have an entire smiley face shrine in my cozy San Francisco studio apartment.

Because I love the smiley so much, I was saddened to read about Kentucky's negative reaction to their Mr. Smiley license plate that was decorated with a smiling sun. Apparently, Mr. Smiley was just too cheery for some drivers...and he is being replaced with a new campaign called "The Unbridled Spirit".

The unbridled spirit...Wow! If Mr. Smiley has to go, I'm happy that they came up with such an inspiring replacement concept! The unbridled spirit makes me want to get out there and skip! It also inspires me not to let some people's negative feelings about the smiley face deter me from sharing the smiley face love wherever I go!

Last night I went to San Francisco's famous Great American Music Hall to see the Chicago Blues Reunion Band. It had been a while since I'd been to a larger venue to see live music and I had forgotten how much I love it!

Early in the evening, I met two brothers who were going to be swimming the Alcatraz Sharkfest race from Alcatraz to San Francisco this morning. They were born and raised in San Francisco and both told me how they love to skip and have been doing it for years.

People who are natural born skippers who have been skipping their entire lives often have an interesting reaction to the skipping movement. These guys were a perfect case in point.

They said they loved to skip, but when I told them about my website they said, "I don't need to go there. I skip just fine on my own!" Other natural born skippers have an attitude that says, "I have been skipping for over twenty years. What do you think, that you invented skipping or something?!"

I guess I can understand where they are coming from...But the thing that they don't realize is that there are a lot of us out there..Me included...Who might have been blessed with a spirit that loves to skip...But who have a lot of cultural programming to get over in order to be able to skip freely down the street.

A huge part of the reason I created iskip.com is because I have a magical vision in my head of what would happen if all of the skippers of the world started skipping a lot more often...If skipping groups and individuals started being sighted in cities and towns throughout the country...What a fun and easily recognizable way to celebrate freedom and make a statement for positive energy.

If you are a natural born skipper, I encourage you to skip more often and more intentionally! If you are like I was, and have a lot of fear and a tough inner critic to get past before you skip, just do it! The joy and freedom on the other side of your fear is beyond worth it.

I believe with all of my heart that our world will be a happier place with more skippers on the streets! Skip on!

It's great fun when skippers (and non-skippers) leave comments for me after my entries. It really makes my day! (Hint, hint!)

Here's the latest. This one from someone named Dave B. in Portland...

It is so good to hear such positive stories about skipping. I myself am a skipper and I find it difficult for my co-workers to accept me. I hear there coments questioning my sexuality but I won't let it stop me. I've explained to them it's fun and healthy. I reused to be ashamed and let my co workers abuse me and the strength I receive from your stories help me through my day. So I will continue to skip and be happy no matter what they say or do.

I just love knowing that there are so many kindred spirits out there who are skipping through life! Thanks, David for the reminder about the joy that is the reward for being free enough to skip!

As you might notice, I have been skipping the blogging for over a week now..which isn't exactly the kind of skipping I advocate.

I went back to my hometown of Indianapolis over the fourth of July, and my blog habit seemingly fell to the wayside...It's amazing how hard it can be start a new habit and to stick with it! Oh well, I'm here writing now and that's what really matters.

My trip home was really special. We celebrated my amazing Grandmother's 85th birthday and had a quintessential Midwestern fourth of July.

My aunt is a Superintendent of a local school system, so she drives her yellow VW bug convertible in the parade every year. This year, I got the honor of sitting on the back of the car with my niece Maggie (4) and nephew CJ (9). I wore my red, white and blue Betsy Ross dress...and we threw candy at the hundreds of kids waving flags that lined the street.The high school marching band was right behind us...and the whole experience felt delightfully surreal! It was some down home Indiana fun. That's for sure!

There are a lot of things about America that I don't like right now..But my trip home reminded me about what is great about this country. It was a big slice of some pretty great things Family, community, celebration, fireworks, fun, and freedom!

Now that I'm back, my intention is to keep up with this blog! So skip back soon now ya hear?!

Skip on!

I got another email from a kindred skipping spirit that I wanted to share...

I heard about iskip a couple of years ago, I think in a Costco magazine. At the time I had just started walking every day and I would burst out skipping and then of course giggling. It was a rather spontaneous thing but now I try to do it fairly often. I also make sure anyone who walks with me makes a skipping attempt if they are able. What a joyful thing to bring to people! Thanks for the smiles! -Skipperdoodle Nancy

Skipperdoodle.....Right on! Thanks for the reminder that skipping is a great way to spice up your walking routine. Keep in mind that skipping burns twice as many calories as walking, so for every skip you step you get a double bang for your caloric buck!

For those of you who are nervous about skipping in public, my advice is to start slowly. Try skipping just 10 steps at a time the next time you go on a walk. Ignore your inner critic when it tells you that people will think you are crazy....and let your childlike spirit freely express itself! You won't be sorry. Skip on!

I am sitting here at my office admiring a picture that is bringing back an amazing skipping memory.

As some of you already know, I am a book publicist who helps get authors and their books mentioned in the media. I work for an amazing company called New World Library that publishes books that are changing the world for the better. I have been in my current position since March and am extremely grateful to have found a job that I love as much as this one.

About a month ago, I went on a business trip to Illinois to work at a trade show for religious booksellers. While New World Library's books aren't exclusively religious, we do publish some amazing books in that area.

The trade show itself was pretty standard and uneventful...Except for one magical skipping experience. In a booth nearby where I was working, I met a nun whose positive, radiant energy lit up the room. I talked to her several times throughout the trade show...and really enjoyed her company.

At the very end of the show, right before we were packing up to go home, I told her about iskip.com and my quest to make the world a happier place through skipping. Her face lit up and she said, "Skipping!?!? I skip all the time!"

Before I knew it, the sister and I were skipping up and down the aisles. People who saw us just smiled and wondered what we were up to! One woman said she loved to skip too and joined in the fun! It was a truly magical moment...and a reminder to me that the joy of skipping is for people from all walks of life!

The sister's superiors asked that I not post our skipping picture on my website, so it is for my eyes only...But every time I look at it, it brings me such joy to know that my new nun friend could be out there skipping right now! Skip on Sister!

Last night I was lucky enough to get to work at a Marianne Williamson event in San Francisco. She is the author of A RETURN TO LOVE and one of my favorite authors of all time.

I was the microphone runner during the question and answer section of her talk....and was moved to tears several times. She talked about how important it is for us to live our dreams...To pay attention to our hearts and where they are guiding us..To not be afraid to let our lights shine bright....and how it takes time and patience for our dreams to unfold.. It was an awesome presenatation. She reassured me that I am on the right path....and that we can't go wrong as long as we listen to our hearts.

At the end of the evening, after she had signed her book for tons of people, she signed one for me. I told her about the skipping movement and gave her one of my iskip.com stickers. Her face lit up as I told her about it and she said, "I don't know if I even remember how to skip!" She took off her high heels and the two of us started skipping around the room! She skipped inbetween the empty chairs and we smiled and laughed. Wow! What an honor!

I LOVE skipping moments like that one. I LOVE watching people skip for the first time in years...What an honor to get to skip with one of the most inspirational authors and speakers I know! Right on, Marianne Williamson! Skip on! :-)

I love getting emails like this one from a 76-year-old who recently started skipping for fitness...

My son came by for Dad's day. He is fit as fiddle - does triatholones etc...I gave him 8 pounds of weight (two dumbells for his hands) and had him skip my very long driveway...He came back and said it was a much more strenuous workout thatn he thought it would be.

It's true that skipping is a great workout. Prevention Magazine reports that it burns twice as many calories as walking...and it has less impact on the joints than running does.

If you are just starting out skipping, try alternating skipping and walking for a while. Also, keep in mind that you will be able to go for longer distances if you stay low to the ground and keep the bounce in your step to a minimum!

Quite often adults who are just starting to skip again are very exuberant in their skipping...But you'll quickly see that it isn't as effortless as when you were a kid! Stick with a lower impact skip and you'll be able to go for miles!

Skip on!

Last night I went to visit two old friends who I hadn't seen for five years! I believe it is a sign of true friendship when you can see someone after so much time has passed and feel like you never skipped a beat.

Charles and Curtis used to live in my apartment building, but bought their own place in 2000. At the time, I was so caught up in the skipping whirlwind that we didn't stay in touch when they first moved...and before we knew it five years had passed.

It was great to be able to catch them up on all that has happened in my life and the skipping adventure. It helped me get perspective on all that I have been through and all that I have learned along the way. We reminisced about the iskip glory days...about how it was a quite a phenomenon back in the dot com hay day ...about how the path hasn't ended up looking anything like I first expected it to....and about how I am proud to still be skipping through it all!

Charles was one of my first friends when I moved to San Francisco from Indiana ...and he is definitely not a Skipper type. Last night I got some insight into why that might be. He told me his skipping story for the first time.

When he was in second grade, his Mom got called into the school office because he was having a hard time mastering skipping and galloping. So after that, he and his Mom started practicing skipping together until he got it down. When I asked him if it felt great when he finally mastered it, he said it felt great to not be the only one who couldn't skip anymore!

I've met several people throughout the skipping adventure with stories similar to Charles'. People who were singled out in Kindergarten or elementary school for not being able to skip. Usually those people want nothing to do with skipping as adults, and I can understand why!! Since skipping is such a joyful thing, it makes me sad that little kids have to feel less than if they are slow on the skipping uptake!

There was a time when the skipping movement first started that I thought that everyone should love skipping as much as I do...But I quickly learned that skipping isn't for everyone. Back when we did group skips through the streets of San Francisco, I used to carry a meagphone to explain to people why we were skipping. What I said did a good job of sharing my realization that skipping isn't for everyone...and what I feel my big picture skipping mission is.....

"We are skipping activists who believe the world will be a much better place when skipping becomes an acceptable thing for adults to do. We don't ask that you skip, just that you are supportive of those of us who love to. Thank you and Skip on!"

There was a comment posted on one of my recent entries from someone named The Angry Republican. He said...

I tried some of that skipping.. A couple of guys looked at me funny so I had to stop. Do you have some kind of signs people can put on their backs to explain why we are skipping….AR

Mr. Republican...I think you might be onto something. Perhaps we should design t-shirts with an explanation on the back. The only question is what would your tshirt say? I skip to celebrate freedom!? I skip for joy!? I skip to make the world a happier place!? Skipping is great exercise! Skipping is fun!?

The fact that there are people out there who might look at me funny for joyfully skipping down the street is a big part of the reason I do it. I believe our world needs as much positive energy as it can get these days...and in my opinion, people who might look at me sideways for skipping are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Given the state of our world today....which is crazier? Expressing your joy by skipping down the street....or doing something that would inhibit that expression of joy by someone else? I don't know about you, but I am tried of letting negativity and the fear of judgement from others rule my life.

Why not try skipping on despite a funny look here and there? You won't believe how energizing and liberating doing so can be. Skip on!

Since today is Father's Day I feel inspired to give a shout out to dear ole' Dad.

When I first announced to my family that I was going to start a national skipping movement, my Dad likes to say that he thought I lost all of my marbles. But then, he tried skipping himself, and he loved it! I'm not surprised given the fact that he raised me with a philosophy that said life is a lot better when you lose a few marbles. It is short and is supposed to be fun.

Shortly after I graduated from college my Dad wrote and self-published a great book called The Edge Resume and Job Search Strategy. When I saw the book, I fell in love with it and convinced him to hire me to sell it for him. The project did quite well...and thus began my career in the book publishing industry.

Lately my Dad's passion has been fiction writing. He has written four novels and his energy and excitement for his craft are truly inspiring. You can read synopsis of his novels on his website at http://www.billcorbin.com. He also recently started a blog about his writing pursuits. Skip on over to http://billcorbin.blogspot.com/ to check it out.

I feel extremely blessed that I got Bill Corbin as my Dad! He's one of my best friends in the whole world...and I know that he believes in me with all of his heart. I feel the same way about him. What a gift!

Happy Father's Day Dad...I love you! Skip on!

Back when the skipping movement was at its height, there were 70+ cities where someone had volunteered to the be the "head skipper" in their community.

Some head skippers organized weekly skipping/walking groups...Others did one big fundraising skip like a woman in Atlanta who skipped 100 miles to raise awareness for the animal sanctuary where she volunteered. Some head skippers passed out iskip postcards to spread the word...and others just skipped by example and told people about the website when they asked why they were skipping.

As you might imagine, keeping in touch with the goings on of so many skippers became a full time job...So much so that I quit my publishing job back then to focus on it full time. I naively assumed that if I leapt the financial net would eventually follow. I was wrong.

After a couple of years of recovering financially from that fact, I'm back in the saddle as far as writing a book about the benefits of skipping to the beat of your own drummer. The skip is back in my step and I believe the world needs skipping energy now even more than it did back in 1999/2000 when this whole adventure began.

If you are someone who loves to skip, I would like to invite you to play a part in the resurgance of the skipping movement. I have just recently started collecting email addresses for people around the world who want to help the cause...So far we have someone in Ponte Verde Beach, Florida...Oklahoma...and Australia!!

Being a head skipper is a fun, unique, and easy way to make a positive difference in our world that can use as much positive energy as it can get these days! And the only requirement is that you love to skip and explain why when others ask!

If this sounds at all intriguing to you, please send me an email at kimskips@peoplepc.com and I'll add you to the list to receive information as the skipping movement continues to move forward! Skip on!

I decided to answer this email on my blog because this skipper asks some great questions....

This 76 year old kid skips now and then in his driveway. Question(s): regular running shoes ok for skipping? Do they wear out fast because of skipping (in running, it was the heels of course than worn down). ok to skip with light weights (3 lbs)? any ideas on how far "your people"--skippers tend to go (distance) for a decent workout? thanks. skippy

Dear Skippy, Yes, I've found regular running shoes work best for skipping..I try to find extra thick soles though...The balls of your feet will wear out faster than normal if you skip a lot....That is, of course, until we convince a shoe company to support the skipping cause by designing us our own shoes. :-)

As far as how long you need to skip to get a good workout...it really varies. Some people primarly walk and then incorporate skipping bursts for variety and to get their heart rate up...Others walk a block, skip a block, run a block, walk a block.....Skipping on the treadmill at the gym is also fun...I ususally set the pace at a brisk walking speed (4.2 or so) and ease into skipping a mile or two. Sometimes I skip a minute, walk a minute, skip a minute walk a minute.

Then there are the hard core skippers of the world! Ashirta Furman is training to set a Guiness World Record for skipping the fastest marathon. He skips for 15-20 miles at a time when he is training. He even had to create a plastic toe piece to go over his shoes because he was skipping so much and going through them so fast!

As far as skipping with light weights, I can't imagine that would be a problem..But if you are at all concerned about it, I'd check with a physical trainer or your doctor to be sure that will work for you.

I would love to hear more about how you are incorporating skipping into your life...and also would love to post your picture and a skipping quote from you on the website if you are interested! If I don't hear back from you, skip on!!! :-) kimskip@peoplepc.com

I am feeling really good right now! It's been quite a day.

After a really busy and productive day at work, I went to the Red Room Writer's Society (http://www.red-room.com) and made good progress on the book I am writing. On the drive back, I thought about how great it would be to go for a quick skip when I got home since I've been wanting to get my skipping groove back for quite some time.

When I got home I started doing what I've done for the past several months when it comes to exercise. I sat on the couch and thought about all the reasons I should to out skipping. I thought about how great it would make me feel to do it...I just sat on the couch and thought. Before I knew it half an hour had gone by and I hadn't moved a muscle!!

The difference between tonight and multiple others before it is that after about 45 minutes, I actually put my shoes on and went out the door! I put Queen's Fat Bottom Girls on my ipod and was off and skipping. I skipped down the huge hill that is near my house...and went for about five blocks. Then I turned around and climbed back up the hill....I skipped a few steps at a time on the way up, but in general uphill skipping isn't my favorite!

It felt great to go out and skip for no reason...Last night I went skipping, but there was somewhere I had to be. Tonight, I skipped because I love to skip...and it felt great! Skip on!

Since I created the iskip.com website, I'm often asked how much I skip....Back when I was in top skipping shape the answer would have been at least a mile three times a week for exercise..and a little bit here and little bit there whenever the feeling struck.

My skipping quota these days has been far less...I still skip here and there...But my routine of skipping on a regular basis got lost along the way somewhere. It amazes me to know that someone can go from being called a fitness guru by People Magazine to not being able to motivate herself to workout!

I'm happy to report that I just recently broke through my wall of inactivity and have been starting to go out for longer distance skips again. My intention is to keep it up!

I live on a steep hill in San Francisco and love downhill skipping! So tonight I skipped all the way down a huge hill and through the financial district. I was able to go much farther than I thought I would....and when I came out of my skipping zone enough to notice was pleasantly surprised by the smiles I received from passers by.

Skipping is pure magic! It puts me in the most amazing, positive energy place. I wonder why it has been so challenging for me to get back in the habit of skipping on a daily basis. Why do we humans resist the things that makes us feel the best?

Oh well, at least I am finally over the hump.....I'm going to keep at it because I KNOW how amazing and magical my life becomes when I skip on a regular basis...I'm ready to let that magic in again.