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!