When I first decided to try to start a national skipping movement, I had no idea how seriously the fitness community would take my idea. At the time, I simply thought of it as a fun, positive energy thing that free spirits could do together.

Before I knew it, though, magazines like Prevention, Fitness, Shape, and Sports Illustrated for women were singing the many health benefits of skipping! Here's a You Tube video of one of the most informative news segments about skipping that was ever done from the fitness benefit angle...



Watching the video again and noticing how much thinner I was then than I am now inspires me to get out there and start skipping for longer distances and in a more disciplined way! Skip on!

Helen Fink in Lima, Ohio was one of the most active head skippers back when there were 70+ cities where someone was helping to spread the skipping message. Her vanity plate even reads "I Skip!" One summer I got the opportunity to visit her in Ohio...We had sooo much fun spreading positive energy around Lima at their annual Lima Bean Festival.

I got this email from Helen today and wanted to share...I love imaginging her skipping up to the podium, don't you?

Today (1/22/08) at Noon, I had to give a presentation about myself and my interests. I skipped up to the podium while playing the song "Walking on Sunshine - Don't it Make you Feel Good! I said, "Hello, my name is Helen Fink, and I confess, I am a skipper. It says so on my car license plate, and there is no cure." Everyone laughed and I got a round of applause.

Skip on Helen! Am so happy to be back in touch.

This weekend I sent an "As the World Skips" newsletter out to the iskip mailing list for the first time in almost two years!

I've gotten some great emails in response from skippers around the country I haven't connected with in years...and some I am e-meeting for the first time. It's great fun. Here's one that I particularly enjoyed... It's from Michael in Salt Lake City...

Uncanny timing! I am not the biggest skipper by far, but every once in a while a full on skip comes over me, and it just has to be let out. Yesterday was one of those days, and I thought of you! I don’t belong to any skipping club, or have a bunch of friends that skip for fun, it’s just me. Well actually Colby my 7 year old golden retriever was with me, and I think he was kinda skipping too. Actually if skipping brings a sense of being happy and carefree then Colby has skipping mastered.

I just thought it was cool to wake up and have an e-mail from you, who I have never met before, or even e-mailed before that I can think of, the day after I had a skipping episode! Thanks for being part of my mindfulness about being fully alive.

That's synchronicity if I ever saw it....Reminds me of the flood of synchronicity/magic/grace that inspired the skipping movement to begin with. Good stuff!

Interestingly, most of the skipping I know about these days is just like Michael's.... free form, spontaneous, and in the moment....which is really what the nature of skipping is all about! My personal "skipping movement" vision has shifted in recent years... Before I was soooo excited about trying to change the world with its unique positive energy message that I somehow lost touch with the magic of skipping along the way. I learned the hard way just how futile an effort hoping to change the entire world can be....and have been focusing instead on building inner strength and living from the heart so I can contribute as much positive energy/love as possible in my immediate environment...which is really all any one of us can do, right? Skip on!

Happy New Year!!!

I returned to work today after a wonderful ten day break for the holidays! New World Library (the publisher I work for) closes between Christmas and New Year's...Something every employer should do in my opinion! I returned to work feeling rested and ready to create lots of magic for the books and authors I am promoting this season. 2008 is going to be great!!!

Another fabulous thing that New World Library does at the end of each year is provide a percentage of our profits to each employee to donate to a charity of their choice! Again, just think what a better place the world would be if all companies gave back in this way! I divided my money between two non-profits...a new healing center in San Francisco called the Artemis Center where one of my sheros Karen Junker is starting a new program called Sunday School for Grown-ups....and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation because one of my best friends in the whole world has CF and I want her to be around for as long as possible!

I spent Christmas in Indiana with my family and had a wonderful time. Santa was quite good to me....and getting to spend quality time with my family, especially my nieces and nephews, is truly priceless! I love them all so much.

Instead of making New Year's Resolutions, I choose to set New Year's intentions instead...and I thought I would share some of them here:

*I intend to complete my manuscript this year.

*I intend to appreciate life as the magical adventure it is with grace and a sense of adventure in my heart.

*I intend to joyfully embrace self-discpline through meditation and regular physical exercise...which means more skipping of course!

*I intend to devote my God given talents and personal power - mentally, spiritually, and physically - to the greater good.

And so it is! Here's hoping that 2008 brings us all a big step closer to the realization of our wildest dreams. Skip on!