Skippers of the World Unite!

2009-05-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

This month marks the 10th Anniversary of iskip.com and I created a new Facebook Page for the Skipping Movement to celebrate! Come join the skipping fun and spread the word to your skipping friends.

This has to be one of my all time favorite skipping videos. "Why should I skip and why are you going to put it on a website?" asked gangsta musician Jaye Swift. I must have said something right. Just look at him go!

2009-04-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful this magical moment skipping with the one and only Harry Perry on Venice Beach was captured on film. So much fun! Life was surely made for moments like this.

2009-03-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

This question recently came through the website:

Recently I started doing skipping. But few of my friends told me that it's not good for gents. It's only for ladies. Kindly let me know.

And here's my reply...

Your friends are wrong. Skipping is for everyone.

It is true that most men have a harder time breaking through unspoken cultural rules to skip. But the brave ones who feel inspired to skip do it anyway. And they do it well. A man named Ashrita Furman recent sent a Guinness World Record for skipping the fastest 5K.

So don't let your friends stop you! Skip loud and skip proud!

2009-03-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I never know just what I might find when I open the skipping mailbag. Take this email that I received this morning for example....

I was being held in Calif. on a 211 p.c. (armed robbery) charge, and I skipped bail, changed my name, moved to the rural south.

I'm currently running a Ponzi scam, and running for city council. These Hillbilly rubes are like children around here, and I'll be skipping this God-foresaken hell-hole as soon as I run the town dry, which will be soon.

I recommend skipping for both fun and profit. It sure changed my life!

Name Withheld
Last single-wide on the left at the end of the dirt road
East Jeuss, Arkansas

Dear whoever you are that wrote it, thanks for the laugh! I love your creative spirit. Skip on! LOL.

2009-02-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

After work tonight my will to skip pushed through all the resistance I've been carrying around for what feels like forever and I went on my first long distance skip in eons.

In 5 months I am planning on skipping in a 5K called SEE JANE RUN and that was a huge part of my inspiration.

I went for about two miles... Probably skipped 1/4 mile straight right out of the gate...Then I did walking/skipping intervals. I mixed up the count depending on what happy song was playing on my ipod...I'd walk four steps, skip four steps for a while. Then walk two steps, skip two steps...Etc.

It's amazing how different skipping along a quiet relatively rural road compares to the early skipping days when I lived in downtown San Francisco. It's much easier to go more deeply within with out a lot of people around. That's for sure.

It felt REALLY good to fully get my skip on again...and am intending tonight to be the start of a much more consistent skipping practice. Please send me good thoughts that it will be true!

2009-02-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

India was all I hoped it would be and more! I had a fabulous time and still feel like I'm in the process of integrating all I experienced into my regular life.

I've been uploading photos and videos and working on getting them in a sharable format. This video captures one of the highlights for me from the whole adventure. It was taken in a fruit market in Pondicherry and was such a magical moment!

2009-01-18T04:59:00.000-08:00

As I type this I am in India! I'm here celebrating my 40th bday. Don't have much time to blog, but am regularly updating my Twitter account. So if you are interested in skipping with me in India click here.

2009-01-01T23:38:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve I participated in a powerful Native American ceremony called a sweat lodge. This was the third sweat I have done...and it once again proved to be quite a powerful experience.

Sweats come from the Native American tradiition. This excerpt I found on the barefootworlds.net website does a good job describing the intention behind the experience...

"During the purification of one's spirit inside a sweat lodge, all sense of race, color and religion is set aside. As in the Mother's womb and the Father's eyes, we are all the same, we are One. Each of us has the ability to sit with the Creator himself. Healing begins here for dis-ease, physical, emotional, directional and spiritual.

As the steam and temperature rises so do our senses. Messages and vision from the Spirit World are received through the group consciousness of the participants. One at a time, the people inside get an opportunity to speak, to pray and to ask for guidance and forgiveness from the Creator and the people they have hurt. As they go around the circle, they tell who they are, where they are from, and what is their clan, so the Creator, the Spirit People, and all there can acknowledge them.

A sweat is typically four sessions, called rounds or endurances, each lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. The round ends when the leader announces the opening of the door."
----
Our sweat took place in a Kiva, which is a large hole dug deep into the ground that is supported by beams, etc. We sang songs from the Native Amercian tradition and took turns praying outloud. At the beginning of each of the four rounds, the firekeeper would bring in more piping hot stones before sealing the front door so the space would become pitch black.

As each of us sang, prayed, rattled, and drummed, the lodge leader added water to the stones which caused the Kiva to fill with hot steam. With each round the steam and temperature intensified...as did the energy behind the drumming, prayers, songs, etc. and my sense of connection to earth and to spirit.

The group of 20 or so people that participated was wonderfully diverse...from the four year-old son of the lodge leader on up to a radiant 79-year old woman who lived next door. Individuals from Spain, Ireland, and Peru were represented...as well as both East and West Coasters there all seeking a deeper connection to spirit and Mother earth. Several different languages were spoken, but we were all had gathered with the same intent - spiritual connection and healing for ourselves and "all of our relations."

Yellowbird, our lodge leader is the founder of the Institute for Cultural Awareness, a nonprofit that is dedicated to preserving sacred sites and indigenous traditions and bridging the gap between the elders and the children. You can read more about the important work he's doing in the world here.

I feel truly honored to have had the experience....what a renewing way to begin 2009. Aho Mataqui Yasin!

2008-12-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow in the United Kingdom, a former Pediatrician named Dimple Devadas will be giving a speech at her Toastmasters Club that asks, "Why Do Children Skip?"

Dimple contacted me through iskip.com well over a year ago now to interview me for an article she was writing that was later published that posed the same question.

You can reach the article that Dr. Devadas write by clicking here.

Thanks for spreading the skipping message on the other side of the pond, Dimple! Skip on!

2008-12-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

It appears the poet Hafiz was a skipper! Wanted to share this lovely poem that my Twitter friend Barb sent me over the weekend.

And For No Reason by Hafiz

And
For no reason
I start skipping like a child.

And
For no reason
I turn into a leaf
That is carried so high
I kiss the Sun's mouth
And dissolve.

And
For no reason
A thousand birds
Choose my head for a conference table,
Start passing their
Cups of wine
And their wild songbooks all around.

And
For every reason in existence
I begin to eternally,
To eternally laugh and love!

When I turn into a leaf
And start dancing,
I run to kiss our beautiful Friend
And I dissolve in the Truth
That I Am.

2008-11-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

For the past several months I have been working on the publicity campaign for a book called Why Walk When You Can Fly: Soar Beyond Your Fears and Love Yourself and Others Unconditionally by a delightful author named Isha.

The book's publication represents her North American debut. Isha is a widely recognized spiritual teacher from Latin America who has received unprecedented support from the international media for her extensive social outreach programs that are changing lives in high security prisons, hospitals, children’s homes, and with ex-guerilla soldiers. Inspired by her vision for a world united in the experience of love-consciousness, her revolutionary system offers a practical solution for inner change.

Because embracing life with childlike innocence and an open heart is a central part of Isha's teachings, her work resonated with my inner skipper right from the start. Here's a short excerpt from her book that reminds me a lot of how skipping makes me feel...

"A conscious person is just an innocent child who lives in each moment 100 percent, giving love to herself and everyone else, whom she also knows is self."

For the past several weeks, Isha has been touring the United States and Canada promoting her book...and today her travels brought her to our offices at New World Library. It was great fun to finally meet her in person and to skip together hand in hand.

For more information about Why Walk When You Can Fly and the Isha System, check out her website at isha.com.

2008-11-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

My TV interview with Cody Stark on GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO last weekend was a smash success! Just posted it on You Tube and wanted to share it here.

As you'll see, Cody asked me to skip over to their local Walmart to recruit people to join the skipping movement...and it went quite well.

Thanks to all the skippers who joined in the fun! Skip on! Skip on! Skip on!

2008-11-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just received this email and felt inspired to share...

After viewing your blog, I went outside to skip. There is something so freeing about the particular leg/arm/full body movements of skipping. Thank you for such a wonderful, easy and freeing invitation to be fully who we are. Skipping brought me directly back into my body and enlivened my senses!

This coming Sunday I am going to be doing a live TV interview on Sacramento's KOVR about skipping as a path to happiness in the 8 am hour! Be sure to tune in if you're in the area!

I'll also be working at New World Library's booth at the Green Festival on Saturday from 3-8 pm. If you're there, skip on by and say hello!

2008-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun on twitter...and now Facebook...that updating my blog has fallen to the backburner a bit.

Things have definitely been skipping right along...I'm nearing completion of the first draft of my manuscript...and remain commited to my goal of feeling great in my body when I go to India in January to celebrate turning 40. I'm down 10.4 pounds...So so far so good.

I've also been digging through the skipping archives and came across this super fun video from the 2001/2002 time frame. The more evangelical skipping days depicted here almost feel like they were a dream at this point...So it's fun to have the videos as documenting evidence...

I'll be doing my best to do updates here more often... and in the meantime please skip on by and say hello if you're on twitter @iskip, gaia, myspace, or facebook!

2008-10-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

My weight loss efforts continue and it's going relatively well...Although after yesterday's meeting, my results are beginning to feel a bit like the stock market. Down SIX pounds last week...and back up a pound and a half this week...despite following the program to the T both weeks.

I need to remind myself that this is a process that takes time... and that it will ebb and flow so I don't get discouraged! I'm down a total of eight pounds so far and my clothes are fitting much better...and that's what I'm going to focus on.

In other news.... A cool website called Take5Moment.com that features experts that deliver messages on motivation, inspiration, health, meditation, nutrition, exercises, etc. just used one of my skipping videos as their featured video of the week. Their mission is to provide people a landing spot in their day to "Take Time to Take Care, Take 5" to recharge, refocus and relax.

I had to giggle when I saw that they called me the CEO of iskip.com. :-) CSO: Chief Skipping Officer is actually more like it! :-) Skip on!

2008-09-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

This email from the editor of the God Bless Humanity website that recently published an article about skipping I wrote made me smile, so I wanted to share it here...

OMG Kim I LOVE THIS! I want to go skipping now!

And whats so funny, just the idea of skipping woke me up. (I worked a ton
this week on Young & Restless/Price is Right/Bold & Beautiful - I'm a Scenic Artist) I was yawning and trying to stay awake until 8:30pm and now I 'm ready to go out and skip. I think I should find some kids to skip with hehe hehe

Woo-hoo! Skip on, Gayle.... and keeping having faith in humanity and sharing the positive stories of the world with us all.

2008-09-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a good day. I went with a few coworkers a gala awards ceremony put on by the North Bay Business Journal to accept a "Best Places to Work in the North Bay award" on behalf of New World Library. We skipped out a little early, but all in all it was a positive, fun night.

I also just learned that a great website published an article I wrote about skippping. The site is called God Bless Humanity and it's a gathering place for people to share hopes, dreams, visions, prayers, intentions and good news with others around the world.

2008-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, I attended a weight watchers meeting for the first time in 23 years. The last time I went to one, I was a sophomore in high school and went somewhat against my will per my Father's well-intentioned suggestion. So just getting myself there on my own volition felt like a signficant achievement.

I'm turning 40 in four months and it feels good to once again be taking positive steps toward healthier eating habits. I pray that I'm at a place where my focus and determination will stay the course....I'm ready to feel good in my body again!

At tonight's meeting, I learned that I lost 3 pounds in my first week which certainly encourages me to to keep at it. The theme for tonight was "Dance it Off"... The leader suggested that we turn on music in our house to dance to at some point before the next meeting... So I decided to pipe up and share my love of skipping with the group....since it's also a great thing to do around the house (especially if you're too self conscious to do it in public.)

I shared how skipping burns twice as many calories as walking...and passed around some SKIP ON postcards I had with me. A couple of people came up to me after to say they were going to give it a try. That felt good! I hope they really do! I know that it's something I am intending on doing a lot more of because I know firsthand how doing so can speed up weight loss efforts. Think good thoughts for me! Skip on!

2008-09-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that I am the proud mama of a new kitty cat! I adopted him from the Marin Humane Society on Sunday. He's 8 1/2 years old and his name is Ozzy.

I've been stopping by the humane society for well over a year now.... Waiting for that special cat that made my heart go pitter pat....and at long last, my search is over! Ozzy is a big snuggly love bug who loves to purr and cuddle....and I'm beyond excited to welcome him into my life!

It's been nearly two years since my beloved Kidder Cat skipped onto kitty heaven.... And it feels wonderful to once again be opening my heart to a new furry feline friend. Yay!

2008-09-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

This past week I had a lot of fun guest teaching my friend Rachel's weekly Dance Your Bliss class in San Francisco. Of course, we skipped our bliss as well!Her website describes the class like this, "Imagine a space where you can really feel how powerful, alive and amaxing you are. You move with freedom, playfulness and creative expression. Suddenly, you are shaking away stress and entering a world of self-appreciation, spontaneity, and playfulness."

I sent out an email to the iskip mailing list announcing the class...and was thrilled to hear from the head skipper in Milwaukee, WI who found iskip way back in 2K. She's definitely among the most memorable of the bunch. She called herself the Cheesehead skipper and regularly updated me about her son who she called Little Cheese's skipping pursuits.

Well, imagine my surprise to receive the photo above of Little Cheese! He's not so little anymore.. Nearly 12-years old... Obviously, his old skipping name no longer suits him So, for now, I'll just refer to him as LC Skipper. Anyway, as it turns out, he is now an actor and a model! Here's the update his Mom sent...

LC is now 11. He will be 12 on Halloween. He has been cast in A Christmas Carol at the Milwaukee Reparatory theatre for the 2nd year in a row. The play has been running for more than 30 years straight. He will be skipping his little heart out since his part involves lots of singing, dancing and skipping.

Woo-hoo! You go LC Skipper! It's quite exciting to see the person who was once iskip.com youngest head skipper doing so many wonderful things with his life! Yay you! Skip on!

2008-09-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

I survived my 11th Burning Man!

This photo was taken on Thursday afternoon after an unrelenting white out dust storm with 40 mile an hour winds that raged on for six or seven hours! I'm inside my Coleman shade structure which was completely demolished in the process. No doubt about it, camping at Burning Man is beyond extreme and not for the weak of heart.

One of my highlights this year was going out with a friend with a video camera and inviting colorfully clad burners to skip with me for a complitation video I plan on editing and posting on You Tube soon! Skipping happens spontaneously and naturally on at Burning Man....and I'm excited to do a video about it! Woo-hoo! Skip on!

2008-08-20T22:17:00.001-07:00

At long last, I finished a new page on iskip about the rad sport of Extreme Skipping. It started in 2005, when a New Yorker named Extreme Gene introduced Extreme SKipping to the world with the following video:

In the years since, hundreds of Extreme Skippers have followed suit...and iSkip is proud to be profiling a particularly passionate group of them called Silly Boys Extreme Skipping. Skip on over to the new extreme skipping page to meet them for yourself.

2008-08-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry to not be posting much lately....I'm in major planning mode for the Burning Man festival in Nevada next week. I'm going with several coworkers and a bunch of other fun people! 8 out of the 11 people in our camp are first timers. We're calling ourselves Camp Bee Here Now...We all have bee suits and will be swarming the desert en masse! Fun!

If you haven't heard of Burning Man... Basically it's a place where 50K people gather in the Black Rock Desert (extreme weather...hot during the day, cold at night, and if you don't drink water u die!) and create a temporary city called Black Rock City. There is no commercial vending on site...The city operates on a gift economy. It's a fully operational town... Beauty parlors, massage places, dance clubs, small, intimate blues clubs, open mikes, live music, bars, adult sized playgrounds, etc. etc..... and the best part is the art. Huge installations that quite often are burned at the end of the event to signify the temporary nature of all things...and the joy of creating for the sake of creating. You can find all kinds of cool pictures on their website.

It's a pretty amazing experience...This will be my 11th year...I'm really looking forward to it!

Oh, my other exciting news is that I just got started on Twitter! You can find me there twitter.com/iskip.

2008-08-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have a few things to share today... First, a quote that I found in one of the books I am publicizing right now by Kamal Sarma called Mental Resilience: How to Develop the Focus of a Warrior & the Peace of a Monk...

"I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone weird wasn't weird at all and that it was the people saying they were weird that were weird." --Paul McCartney

Reminds me of something I often say which is that I think it is crazier for someone else to judge someone for skipping/expressing their joy in today's world than it is to want to skip down the street! Lord knows we need all the positive energy we can get! So skip loud and skip proud!

Also, here are two recent media references to the joys of skipping. Many thanks to author Melanie Bowden for sending them in.
* * *
In the August 2008 issue of Prevention magazine there is a workout on page 99 and one of the exercises is skipping. Here's what is says:

Lower Body Move: Skipping
Just like when you were a kid. Do it for 15 to 30 seconds. If you are indoors or have limited space, skip or jump in place.
* * *
And this was in the July 2008 issue of Parenting in an article of tips on mental-health boosters for moms:

Skip with your child. The steady rhythm naturally calms you and gives you a sense of being in sync with your body and the other person, Scott Sheperd, a psychologist in St. Louis says. "It's like two violin strings getting in tune with each other. Plus you'll feel like a kid again--and that rejuvenates you."
* * *
Two violin strings getting in tune with each other! I love that! Skip on! :-)

2008-07-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

I had such a fun night last night. At 7:30 pm, my friend Dale called to see if I wanted to come out to hear some great blues music. My initial reaction was to say no...I've been so focused on my manuscript lately that the polite decline tends to be my habitual response to most social invitations that don't involve writing.

But then I realized he was very close by at the Marin Center and that Buddy Guy and George Thorogood & the Destroyers were on the bill! So I seized the moment and told him I was on my way.

Forty-five minutes later, there I was, in the 8th row listening to the smooth, cool sounds of Buddy Guy...and, later, singing along with George Thorogood to "Bad to the Bone" and "You Talk Too Much." It was fabulous!

As it turns out, Dale has been friends with George's bass player Billy Blough for years and that was how he scored the great tickets. We also had backstage passes. At first, I imagined a wild backstage party scene, but alas, it was as simple as getting the opportunity to meet Bill and talking to him about the show before they hit the road for their next gig in Reno.

Imagine my delight when Dale introduced us and Bill said he had heard about my skipping efforts 9 years ago when I was a guest on the NPR show, "Wait, wait, don't tell me!" Pretty cool that he remembered after all that time!

Skip on Billy Blough & George Thorogood...and rock on too!

2008-07-28T12:28:00.001-07:00

All in all, I am very happy that I did the apple fast. I was amazed by how great I felt when I was finished.... and it seems I lost 6 pounds in the process....Pretty cool!

It's been a while since I've posted the interview I did about skipping on the Donny & Marie Show back in 2000, so I thought I'd share it again now...

Skipping with Donny Osmond was DEFINITELY a childhood dream come true! Skip on!

2008-07-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's day three of my apple fast and it looks like I made it! I actually feel really great today...almost like an altered state of consciousness or something. Pretty cool.

I went to work this morning, but ended up taking 1/2 a personal day this afternoon because it started getting hard for me to concentrate, etc. I scheduled a massage for myself which was a wonderful way to spend my last night on the fast.

All in all, I'm really happy that I did this... I feel like it will positively impact my relationship with food as I go back to regular eating over the next couple of days. I don't know if I've lost any weight since I haven't been to the gym where the scale is...(They recommend minimal exercise during the fast)...But that's not ultimately why I did it anyway (even though I most certainly would love to lose a few pounds.)

I've been focusing on letting go of some old ways of thinking throughout the fast...and feel lighter as a result. I feel like ever since I got in financial trouble because of quitting my job to focus on the skipping movement, that I've had a hard time trusting myself and my intuition as fully as I once did. My head and my heart haven't been in alignment... My heart wants to dream big again and my head has been coming up with a million reasons why it is too risky to do so... And that inner battle has been taking up way too much of my precious energy. So that is what I have been focusing on letting go of throughout my cleanse. Inner peace, baby. That's where it's at.

Tomorrow I can have orange juice in the morning and fruits/vegetables for lunch...and some grains for dinner. Then on Wednesday it's back to regular food....and exercise! I intend to get my skip on. That's for sure.

2008-07-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Day two on the apple fast and I'm going strong...Had about five apples again today...and lots of water.

I gave myself plenty of room to take it easy today! I read Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth and watched movies in bed. I've been surprised by how tired I have been. Last night I fell asleep at 9:30 with the lights on while watching a movie and didn't wake up until 10 this morning. And I've cat napping off and on all day. Honestly, it feels good to have an excuse not to do anything but lounge around and eat apples!

2008-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

So far so good on my apple fast! It's actually been much easier than I originally thought, so far anyway. I've eaten five apples today...and hunger has come in waves, but it doesn't seem to linger very long. Every now and then I get a very strong impulse to make myself a big, yummy meal. But then I remind myself...nothing but apples for three days! :-)

The most challenging part of today has been the persistent headache I've had since this morning...probably from caffeine withdrawl since I ususally have a couple cups every morning when I first get up.

I spent a while this morning doing more reading about cleanses/fasts and found great inspiration there. One website I found said..

Be kind to yourself during the fast. Let any emotions that have been pent up be leeched out of you along with all the other toxins. Let it all go, let it all out...

I suggest keeping a journal during the fast to see what bubbles up and needs your attention. Remember that you are cleansing yourself of all unwanted toxins: emotional, mental and physical.

What great advice...It really helps to see this process as going beyond the physical. Here's to releasing old, worn out, toxic ways of thinking and being.

2008-07-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

I'm doing something I've never done this weekend! I'm going to do an apple fast.

Basically, I will eat nothing but apples for the next three days. I also can drink water, herbal tea, and apple juice.

I've been feeling like I need to do something to become more conscious and disciplined about my eating habits....So after doing a lot of research online for a cleanse/fast that is relatively cheap, easy, and do-able.... The Apple Fast is what I came up with.

Here's what an article I found on Bella Online says the benefits of doing this are...

This is a purifying diet which cleanses your alimentary canal, kidneys and liver, as well as your entire system.

Fasting is a wonderful way to cleanse the inside of our bodies. The American diet is loaded with heavy duty fats, calories, sugar, and very little nutritional value. Fasting can teach you a lot about your relationship with food and meals. Many people eat because they are feeling anxious and bored, and not because they are truly hungry. After three days, your digestive tract is empty, and your body has adjusted to not processing the food in your digestive tract , and not relying on stored fats as part of the process. After the first three days of a fast you can expect to stop feeling hungry, and thus will be able to alleviate binge, anxiety or boredom induced snacking. An apple cleansing fast is ideal for beginning fasters. The apple is an energizing food and will keep up your energy while you are bringing down your food consumption.

So, how about them apples? Here goes nothing! I will be writing about my experience here.... So stay tuned!

2008-07-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

I subscribe to a really cool service called Notes from the Universe that is the brainchild of a cool guy named Mike Dooley....You might recognize his name from The Secret!

You subscribe to the service and then receive periodic emails from The Universe with positive reminders about life.

Imagine my delight when I noticed that The Universe was singing the praises of skipping in today's note...

If you just whistle every now and then, Kim; skip every thousandth step or so; skim the odd stone across the odd pond; go dancing on the occasional blue moon, if only alone in the dark; dress up sometimes, even with nowhere to go... for simply stirring up some little bit of hope, no matter how silly or disconnected your actions seem to be with the rest of the world, magic flashes in the unseen, friends are summoned, connections are timed, stars are aligned, opportunities are crystallized and serendipities are calculated, creating possibilities for new realities that cannot now even be imagined from where you presently stand. Shazaam - The Universe

Here's to skipping AT LEAST every thousandth step! Skip on!

2008-07-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I did an interview on Gold Radio in the UK as a result of the press release that went out on Wireless Flash...and have been having a fun email correspondence with a nice chap from there ever since.

Well, he wrote to me this morning and let me know about an article that ran in The London Times there that sings the fitness benefits of skipping, hopping, and jumping.

You can read the whole article here, but I thought I'd pull out the paragraph about skipping and share it here...

Skipping: The US National Institute of Health claims that skipping burns more calories (70-100 in ten minutes) than any other popular exercise except running. Done regularly, it also builds bone density in the hips and muscle power in the legs. Start with a 1:3 skipping-to-rest ratio - so if you skip for five minutes, rest for 15, then do five minutes of skipping again.

Woo-hoo! More calories than any other exercise! That's what I'm talking about. Skip on!

2008-06-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did a fun interview with a reporter from Wireless Flash, which is a service that feeds story ideas to radio/tv producers across the country.

When she wrote to email me her story, which I am cutting and pasting below, she told me that she skipped to work today....and that she giggled the whole way! Yay! Skip on Alex!

DON'T SKIP OUT ON THE SKIPPING REVOLUTION

NOVATO, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- Here's one new trend you
shouldn't skip out on: The skipping revolution!

Kim Corbin leads the skipping revolution, and encourages
people to skip wherever they go through her website,
iskip.com.

The Chipper Skipper, as she's often called, says,
"Skipping allows people to express their joy and be child-
like. I think it can change the world and make it a happier
place. A lot of people think that an adult skipping at the
grocery store is crazy, but it's not."

Corbin calls skipping an "extremely good form of
exercise" that burns more calories than walking, is easier on
the joints, and "fun to do on a treadmill at the gym."

Though she's received a few funny looks in the nine
years she's been skipping, Corbin hopes people will
eventually welcome skippers on the street.

She says, "We're contributing positive energy. People
should make room for us if we want to skip."

It's true.... In today's world, I DO believe that it is more crazy to judge someone else for expressing joy through skipping than it is for an adult to skip down the aisle at a grocery store! After all, our world needs all the positive energy it can get these days....and America IS supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave!

2008-06-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? How is it possible that an entire month has skipped by without me doing a blog entry? Amazing!

I've been a skipper on the go...Went camping over Memorial Day weekend and was in Los Angeles last weekend for the big BEA - Book Expo America trade show. It was really wonderful getting to meet so many of the people I work with throughout the year in person.

One person who came by the booth was the delightful Nancy Mills founder of the Spirited Woman website. Nancy is up to all kinds of exciting things connecting like minded women in the world! She recently started posting videos of spiritual women on You Tube....and did this quick interview with me at New World Library's booth at the BEA...

Woo-hoo! Skip on Nancy! And skip on Spirited Women (and Men) everywhere!

2008-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was one the best skipping weekends of the year thus far! I skipped with an amazing San Francisco dance troupe called The Devilette's at a super cool event called the Maker's Faire. The Devilette's performed and taught forgotten go-go dance moves from the 1960's on one of the main stages there....and invited me to lead a skipping circle as part of their performance.

I told the kids in the audience how I believe they make the world a happier place when they skip...and told them I need their help in getting more grown-ups to start skipping again. A big group of kids and adults came up on stage with me and the Devilette's and we skipped in a huge circle to a rockin' version of "Skip to My Lou". It was so much fun!

I always wish I was able to better explain my passion for skipping in those situations... I wish I could have better communicated how much I feel our grown-up world...with its many challenges and issues....needs and benefits from the carefree, fun-loving, energy skipping represents! I wish I could have let each of those kids know what a positive difference they make in the world just by being their beautiful selves!

Thankfully, some things speak louder than words...and the joy and fun of the Devilette's performance and our skipping circle spoke for itself! It was fantastic to see the audience cutting loose and shaking their groove things. I feel honored to have been a part of it and loved every minute! Many thanks to the wonderful and talented Devilettes! Skip on, ladies!

2008-05-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few fun emails I have gotten from kindred skipping spirits recently...

I live in San Jose and have wanted to start skipping for fun/spirit uplift/exercise - but have been worried about looking nuts. Glad I found your site to see I'n not the only one who "gets it" - I'm going to put on my shoes and go out to have a skip now! :^) Thanks! M in San Jose, CA

I am a 63 year old woman who walks and bikes every day. I will now include skipping in my hour workout. I heard you on the radio in Minneapolis. I started kindegarten when I was four. I was the only child who could not skip. My teacher sat the children in a circle and I had to try to skip around the circle. The children laughed at me and I was so unhappy. The teacher thought that the children's ridicule would motivate me to learn. I have vivid memories of practicing skipping with my mom in the alley behind our home in South Dakota. Skipping was a bad thing for me......until I learned!! I then remember skipping everywhere. You are so right....it is hard to be angry when you are skipping. Thank you for a wonderful idea and a great thing to cause me to smile. -M in Minneapolis, MN

Just found your site today. I I liked the post by John-Paul of SF who referred to himself as a "weirdo free-spirit." I guess I fit that category too. I often ride my bicycle and play guitar at the same time. It's not as hard as it sounds. I also play fiddle and can fiddle and bike too, but it's trickier. Lately I've been skipping and fiddling (in my yard) and it's great. I can get going surprisingly fast. I look forward to hearing from and meeting fellow skippers. -Chris in Chicago

2008-04-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I met my family from Indiana in Folly Beach, SC for Spring Break!

This was the second annual bunny hop on the beach for my 7-year-old niece and I.... Last year our vacation fell right on Easter... But we didn't let the fact that Easter had come and gone stop us from spreading joy as we skipped down the beach again this year.

Many of the people we encountered would say, "Why are you doing this?" And we'd answer, "Because it is fun and to spread the joy!" It was a truly special and memorable adventure that we shared....One of my all time favorite skipping moments for sure.

2008-04-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

There's been some exciting skipping stuff happening lately...

Last week, I gave a presentation at a super cool design firm in San Francisco called Ideo. They put on an event called a Quickie and the theme was Creative Play. I told my skipping story, explained how/why I believe skipping can change our lives and the world, and invited the audience to skip. It was great fun! The energy in the room during the live skipping demo was electric and magical!

I also did an interview this week for a show out of Minneapolis called the GET REAL GIRLS! I am the "Get Real Girl of the Week"....The show will this Saturday April 6th at 8:20 am on 107.1 FM.

After the interview, I got a sweet follow-up email from Joan, who is one of the hosts...Here's what she said, "I was struck, after you hung up, with the courage it takes for you to live your passion...and how silly it seems, for us to teach our kids how to skip, and then teach them to stop!"

And here's what I wrote back to her, "Thank you so much for taking the time to send this note...It meant a lot to me! Yes, courage is definitely a key component of living a dream/following our heart.... willingness too! When my skipping inspiration first struck, I didn't really understand what people meant when they would comment on how much courage it must take for me to live my skipping dream...since it was such a fun and wonderful ride with the national media singing my praises and all! But now that I have skipped through the valley too, I know EXACTLY what it means!!!"

Here's to having the courage and the willingness to do the things our hearts are calling us to do! Skip on!

2008-03-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited to share this amazing video of a pilot for a TV show called JOIN THE CLUB.... The production company that put it together came out to San Francisco to film the SF skippers a couple years back....and this is the first time it has been released for public consumption. I just LOVE the closet skipper part...

Woo-hooo! Skip on!

2008-03-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! The amazing You Tube skipping videos keep coming. Check this one out.... It's all about skipping to class....

Brilliant! Love it! Skip on! Skip on! Skip on!

2008-03-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Redbook Magazine recently ran an interview with Kim Raver, the actress from Lipstick Jungle, called, "What Every New Mom Must Know." Here's what she had to say about skipping in #7 on her list....

"This morning, Luke and I were running out the door to his school, and he was in his corduroy jeans and his little boots and his corduroy jacket with his cool little hat, and he started skipping. And so I started skipping down the street with him singing, 'Skip, skip, skip to my Lou' and I was like, Oh, my God, and I had this flash of the streets of New York and the taxis and the smell of winter and snow, and it reminded me of my childhood, which was great."

Yeah! Skip on Luke and Kim.... It's such a gift when parents skip with their kids...and show them that adult life can be fun, happy, and free!

Many thanks to Melanie Bowden author of Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me? for letting me know about the article!

2008-02-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Leap Day!!

If there ever was a day that is perfect for skipping, this is it! I just couldn't let the day go by without doing a post. So I thought I'd share this fun email I got from a delightful woman who lives in Hawaii...

We are kindred spirits! When my daughters were growing up, they used to be so embarrassed when I would break out skipping in public. Then, they finally took it all to heart and thought I would think that skipping class would be equally fun, so we didn’t skip for awhile. Now, everyone has grown up … except our skipping together. I am serious. -Katie Davis, author of Awake Joy

Yay! Skip on Katie!

2008-02-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I go to You Tube and do a search for skipping to see what comes up. While most of the videos that are on there are about rope skipping.

Well, today I found the very best skipping video I've ever seen ! I absolutely love it! You gotta see this to believe it.

Oh yeah, baby. You gotta love skipping Dutch Men! Skip on, Holland! :-)

2008-02-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to Vegas, baby!

I met my Mom, Sister, and Aunt who live in Indiana there. My Aunt recently celebrated her 60th birthday and never had been, which is why we planned the trip!

We went to see Cirque De Soleli's LOVE show which features Beatles music. It was super cool...and there was a lot of skipping in the show which was fun to see.

I also did a bit of skipping with some colorful characters myself and thought I'd share the pictures here! Skip on!

2008-02-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I just went to google to try to find a heart image to include on this post and was delighted to see the image at the right...It's their logo with an older couple skipping off into the sunset! Thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share it here.

Here's a fun email exchange with a born again skipper who couldn't remember how to skip when he first tried it as an adult...He writes...

I'm glad I found your website. I loved skipping as a child. It was the easiest and most "fun" thing to do, getting from one place to another.

I guess I took it for granted that once you know how to skip, you always can. Well, I cannot skip any longer. Maybe it's because I'm too old. Maybe because I have a back problem. Maybe because I've gained weight. I can run and walk and I cannot skip.

I asked some of my friends if they could skip and all said "yes" to the question. Yet, very few actually were able to skip. Those that couldn't, had that same bewildered look I did when I failed. So, my question to you if you can answer it, is how can one forget how to skip? Mind you, I can still ride a bicycle. I would appreciate your thoughts on this one.

I replied... "Somewhere in there is the part of you that remembers how to skip! And it makes since that it might take a few tries to rediscover it if you haven't skipped in decades...Can you gallop? As in skipping without changing sides with your legs?!?! That might be an easy way to start since you are having a hard time remembering! You might consider asking a young child to help you remember how to skip by showing you how until you get it right! It would make their day I am sure."

And a few weeks later, all was well...

Yes, I caught on again! Not that I do it often and only when alone.
I found your site by using "google". I believe I googled "I forgot how to skip" and your site was one of 6 or so that came up. Glad I did find you anyway. It's a fun thing I did as a child and as you get older, you start to appreciate those lilttle things we took for granted when we were kids.

2008-02-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a super fun new video I recently posted to You Tube! Do you remember the TO TELL THE TRUTH show? As in, "Will the real Kim Corbin please stand up?" Well, here's my appearance on the show back in 2001.

We ended up winning the maximum prize money... $5,000 split between the three of us...It was such a fun experience....Although it was hard for me to be less than chipper which is what the producers suggested. They didn't want my usual enthusiastic energy about skipping to give me away, so I had to intentionally put on the dimmer switch.

The woman who got all the votes was a wonderful spirit! She was going through a lot of intense stuff in her personal life at the time, and said that being on the show helped reconnect her with her own inner skipper....which obviously shines very brightly! Yay!

2008-02-05T12:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Super Tuesday! I cast my vote today for Obama after going back and forth between him and Hilary for quite some time. In the end it was the ground swell of grassroots support from the young people of this country that won my heart! I love the idea of a President who will be able to tap into that energy and once again start asking, "What can YOU do for your country?"

Between the election and the big Eckhart Tolle/Oprah news I shared yesterday, I'm feeling really inspired by the possibility of major positive change in this wacky world in which we live. It feels great to be feeling this way again.

Here's what Eckhart Tolle had to say about the election in an article that ran in the Vancouver Sun today...

"Even though he's an introvert, Tolle says he feels life is asking him to "surrender" to the need to tour the world, give public lectures and sell books to save the planet. The 59-year-old author hopes his teachings will help elevate a person with higher consciousness into the White House this year.

"I'm personally not interested in politics as such. But, since everything is relative, if you look at [former U.S. president Bill] Clinton compared to what he have now [George W. Bush], Clinton was a Buddha," Tolle says with one of his ready laughs.

Disturbed that more than 140 million people were "murdered" through wars and other conflicts in the 20th century, Tolle's voice rises in passion as he talks about the need to elevate individuals' consciousness to stop such "madness" continuing into the 21st century through such things as the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

"You can only tackle such things on the individual level, because that's where change happens. Individuals who have gone through a change of consciousness can take responsibility for their actions, rather than act out an old form of conditioning," he said.

"If we believe we'll change the world by changing the outer structures, we'll make the same mistake as the Communists did [in the Soviet Union]. They believed you could change the world by changing the outer structures. But they hadn't changed inside. So they recreated the same evil they wanted to fight against -- yet even worse."

Here's to being the change we wish to see in the world! Skip on!

2008-02-03T22:55:00.000-08:00

Did you see that Oprah picked A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle has as her latest book club pick? Oprah and Eckhart are also going to be teaching a free web class through Oprah.com for 10 weeks starting on March 3rd where they will be discussing the book chapter by chapter.

I'm really excited about this for a few reasons...

1. For quite some time now thanks in large part to my experience starting the skipping movement, I've recognized that our collective culture is in desperate need of a radical shift in consciousness....and the fact that Oprah is acknowleding that fact...and sharing Eckhart's work in this way is a huge step in that direction.

2. I've had a copy of A NEW EARTH on my bookshelf for a couple of years...and now I have the incentive and inspiration to start reading it. It's fun to imagine all of the other minds and hearts who are being similary affected by his words as I read them.

3. The company I work for, New World Library, is the publisher of several of Eckhart's other works including his New York Times Bestseller THE POWER OF NOW..which I wrote about a few months back when Paris Hilton took it with her into the pokey! Even though we didn't publish A NEW EARTH, the fact that Eckhart's work is going to a whole new level will undoubtedly be a great thing for our company!

Woo hoo! Skip on Oprah! Skip on Eckhart! Onward and Upward! Together we can and are changing the world!

2008-02-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

I've received some especially great mail from skippers around the country lately and wanted to share...

For a number of years, I lost touch with skipping. This is a reflection of a losing touch with myself. In 2000, I visited my favorite spot in Florida and when I got out of the car, my joy exploded into a full out skip. I now skip when I am happy. And, after visiting your web site, I am setting the intention to skip more often. In fact, I have been telling myself to begin jogging once a week and I am going to make it a jog/skip combo. Love, light, joy and abundance. Sandra in Florida

I skip down my long driveway which runs between 13 condos and is hidden from the street and from my neighbors. I love to skip. --Timi in California

just a cute skipping story for you. my oldest son turned 5 and started kindergarten this past fall. i have 2 younger children - a 4 year old and a 2 year old. we live about 3/10th a mile from the school, so we walk there. i put the 2 younger kids in a double stroller and make the trip twice a day. well one day, my son asked if we could skip. ever since then, the baby will say "skip skip mama" ---- and if i stop to get a rest, cause i AM pushing a double stroller as i skip, he will say "skip skip again". my 5 year old asked why we skip to school instead of driving like all his friends do --- and i always tell him that skipping is good exercise, so it is good for your body, it is good for your mind and feelings and helps keep us feeling good and happy (releasing those endorphins), and it is good for the environment cause skipping to school doesn't require any gas. but now the 3 boys not only want old mommy to skip pushing the double stroller all the way to school, but they want me to sing a "skip skip skipping to school" song. this is particularly exciting to my 4 year old who has autism and loves to sing songs over and over again. so, i'm sure we are quite a sight to the cars and school buses driving by. :) -Johnetta, Lexington, KY

Yay! I can't tell you how much it makes my day every time I hear from a kindred skipping spirit! Skippers of the world unite. Skip on!

2008-01-29T15:01:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-01-22T22:40:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-01-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-01-02T21:10:00.001-08:00

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!

2007-12-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

Marc Allen, the wonderful founder and President of New World Library just came into the office with eyes still damp from crying after hearing a song on the radio called, "Bring Him Home Santa" that is sung by a 6-year old girl who wants Santa to bring her Dad home from the war for Christmas.

I was so moved by his heartfelt reaction, that I went to the song's website and found the following video.
It is a poignant reminder about the sad realities of living in a time of war...Something that feels far too easy for me to forget since I don't personally have friends/family who are putting their lives on the line over there.

Please join me in sending love and positive energy to all of our soldiers who are serving in Iraq and to all of their families....Let's all pray that Santa's magic will help bring them home soon.

2007-12-16T21:07:00.001-08:00

I spent my day today at the beautiful Spirit Rock Meditation Center at a daylong workshop about perfect timing, syncronicity, and dreams. This was my first visit to Spirit Rock since moving to Marin County a year ago...but it definitely won't be my last. What a beautiful, sacred place.

The teacher for the day was David Richo, a psychotherapist and author who combines Jungian, transpersonal, and mythic perspectives in his work.

I took pages of notes and thought I'd share a few of the highlights here..

**Synchronicity = Coincidence with meaning. It's when chance and meaning come together...It offers us a message that has to do with the fulfillment of self and the contribution we are meant to make.

**Whenever we become controlling, we get in the way of synchronicity. When we let go of ego, we hear the messages more fully.

**Fear is the ego's first name.

**My role as a free being is to say YES to the love that my ego is afraid of but that the Self is made of.

**When fear stands in your way, use the AAA approach...(1) Admit you are afraid (2) Allow the feeling fully (3) Act as if the fear could not stop you

**Fear of grieving is at the heart of all fear.

**Love makes meaning visible. Trust its power.

And so it is! Skip on!

2007-12-13T21:24:00.001-08:00

I work with an amazing skipping spirit named Jessica at New World Library who just recently learned that iskip.com exists...She loved the idea right away...and we've been talking about doing some fun skipping stuff on MySpace and Zaadz together...Her positive energy about skipping is like a breath of fresh air! She's a kindred spirit for sure.

All of her good juju inspired me to finally get around to posting what has to be my favorite skipping television segments that was ever done about iskip. It aired on Evening Magazine in the Bay Area.

I'm in awe of the focus and passion that pulsed through my being back then...My spirit was completely running the show. I was a woman on a mission and nothing was going to stop me from getting my message out! As I watch it now, some six years later, having skipped both on that mountaintop AND through a long and dark valley on the other side, hearing myself say, "Skip on" at the end takes on a whole meaning!

I still believe with all of my heart that our world needs as much of the joyful, positive, free-spirited energy that skipping provides as it can get these days...Even though I'm no longer feeling compelled to pick up a megaphone to shout my message to the world, it is delightful to feel the flame of my passion for skipping being reignited in my heart again. I wonder where it will take me this time...and know wherever it is, I'm feeling more willing to follow than I have in a very long time.

2007-12-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

For most of my life, I have dreaded mornings. Dragging myself out from under the covers in time to get ready for work almost always takes a gallant effort...I'd happily and easily sleep in until noon if given the chance.

Well, this evening a new friend presented me with a challenge when I confessed what a struggle waking up ready to face the day has almost always been for me. As an early riser and a firm believer in the benefits of starting the day off in an intentional way, she asked me if I would be willing to try a few simple things each morning for a week.

(1) spend the first few minutes i am awake focusing on feeling gratitude (2) drink a large 8 oz. glass of water immediately upon rising (also with gratitude) and (3) sit quietly for a couple minutes after lighting a candle and reading the following affirmation in a beautiful sparkling jewel frame she gave me, "you are illumined and all around you serves your greater good. everyday is the arising of splendor. there is nothing but everyday life. om."

Back when the skipping movement was going full throttle, I did spring out of bed truly excited about my life...and the idea of feeling that way again really appeals to me...Listening to my friend rave about the impact starting her day in a positive, intentional way has on her own life really sparked my curiosity and gave me hope for feeling that way again. I like that she suggested such simple things that don't take very much time at all.

I'm intrigued and feel up to the challenge! Tomorrow will be my first day. We'll see how it goes.

2007-11-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a great skipping location skip tip from a skipper named Jim in Virgina...

Ever try skipping at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate and gardens? If you ever make it to Virginia, you should try it - lots of open spaces, great for skipping. In fact, that's what I'm going to be doing this morning! I go there all the time, and skip too. The gardens are beautiful, and very skipper friendly.

While I can't imagine Washington himself skipping there (well, at least *I* can't) , I'm sure Nelly and Washy Custis did, and I'm sure they weren't the only ones. ;)

While I haven't skipped in Virigina yet, I do have a few preferred skipping places these days...in the beautiful nature preserve behind my house...and on the trails in Sedona, AZ. Definitely a far cry from my more evangelical skipping days with megaphone in tow when I lived in downtown San Francisco!! That's for sure.

Would love to hear where your favorite place to skip is? Either leave a commment here or email me with YOUR favorite skipping locales. Skip on!

2007-11-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Back in 2000/2001, when the Internet bubble was still intact and iskip.com was really hopping, I met a fun fellow free spirit online named Randy Constan, also known as Peter Pan from his website Pixyland.org.

We connected because he saw a picture of a skipper on my website that he was hoping might be his Tinkerbell....and we have been "pen pals" ever since.

In 2001, Randy's website won the Webby Award for the "Weirdest Website on the Web" and he invited me to come to the gala awards ceremony as his guest. The theme for the night was "anything goes" so I wore a sparkly green dress, my SKIP on visor, and sported a smiley face fan and antannae! We had so much fun.

Well, after his long and diligent search, Randy recently emailed me to say he has finally found his Tinkerbell and is engaged to be married! Yay!

This morning I read this exclusive interview that Wired did with Randy..Imagine my surprise when I read this part...

Long distance relationships are indeed way tougher than I ever imagined, and in the end none worked out to be more than close friendships. But among them all I still have wonderful memories of meeting the "skipper" grrl (Kim, from Iskip.com). It was shortly after we met on-line that I was invited to the Webby Awards with an all expense paid trip, and so we went there together. That was back in 2001. We went to a party put on by the people who manage Burning man the next night. What a party that was!

Reading that made my day and brought back such fun memories! Yay! Thanks Randy....and a huge congratulations to you and Dorothy! May you skip happily everafter. :-)

2007-11-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

As you've probably heard by now, there was recently a major oil spill in San Francisco after an oil tanker hit the Bay Bridge.

If you live in the Bay Area, the Marine Mammal Center is looking for volunteers to help save oiled birds by preapring food, building chages, answering phones, etc. For more information call 800-228-4544.

And this just in from another friend...

Hi Kim: I am volunteering for a nonprofit who is helping to alleviate the suffering of birds and other shore animals. Would you be willing to announce in some way their request for memberships and donations? Their website is www.wildcarebayarea.org A basic membership is $35.00. They are in dire need of clothes pins, ceramic feeding bowls and heating pads which have temperature control dials. Thank You Kindly!

2007-10-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that loves to underline concepts and phrases that stand out for me in the books I read. I thought this would be a great place to share a few from time to time. I found these while doing research for the manuscript I am writing about my skipping adventure. They're from a book called Dark Nights of the Soul by Thomas Moore....

"It takes a strong heart, a steady intelligence, and a visionary imagination to go in the direction of life."

"It's all right to have grand and eccentric longings. It's all right to be afraid. Only by embracing these two emotional pillars will you glimpse the nature of your soul, which is the ground of your existence."

"Compared to surface life, the mysteries of the heart unfold within a different time scheme. The soul reveals itself in cycles and timeless circles of experience."

"Unconsciousness is like junk food. It's an easy way to go through life, but it doesn't give you the nourishment you need."

“A dark night of the soul is dark because it doesn’t give us any assurance that what is happening makes sense and will ultimately be beneficial. We can’t understand what is happening to us, and if we are in the habit of always wanting to know what is going on, this aspect of the dark night will be maddening. We can find meaning in these times of change, but we have to think differently about our lives, be less psychological in our approach, and more philosophical and spiritual.”

"You may not avoid tragedy, but you have the opportunity for a recovery of soul. Everything depends on how the dark night is handled: Will you try to overcome it and run away from it, or will you let it transform you and, "in solution," give you new life?"

2007-10-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Full Moon! :-)

The video I am posting here is one that is permanently filed in the "things that are horrifying at the time, but end up making great stories later" file!

As you'll see, I overslept for this early morning interview back in 1999 when the skipping movement first started. I woke up hours after I was supposed to be there and was completely mortified at first when I learned that Mark Pitta skipped on without me!

Several months after the fact, however, I met Mark at a comedy club in San Francisco. When I sheeplishly introduced myself and told him how sorry I was to have stood him up, he said, "No worries!" Apparently he got TONS of positive feedback from the piece so all ended up being well at the end.

Enjoy! Skip on!

2007-10-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I went back to Indiana to attend my 20th high school reunion...and had a super fabulous time. I graduated from Carmel High School in 1987!

Interestingly, I had dreamt about attending my reunion many times before the actual event, and I must say that the real thing far surpassed my wildest dreams. It was great fun to see everyone again.

Being from Indiana, my life path has ended up looking vastly different than the majority of my classmates. Most of them are happily married in the Midwest with at least a kid or two. It's funny, because part of me has always wished that was how my life would have turned out. I would have liked nothing more than to have found the right guy in Indiana so I could have settled down to live happily ever after, but it seems that life had a far different plan for me...and so I find myself out here on the left coast having never been married and living footloose and free.

My high school reunion ended up being a lovely reminder of how each of our lives and hearts call us in such unique and different directions...I left Indiana this weekend with a feeling of peace and contentment about who I have become in the world. Instead of wishing for the life my midwestern roots sometimes make me feel I "should" have, I feel happy and content to be right where I am. What a blessing!

2007-10-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

There was a new moon tonight...and I had my second new moon manifestation circle in San Francisco! There were eight women there this month...and it was wonderful once again!

My fabulous friend Cathy helped facilitate the group...and she led us in an amazing energetic exercise where we first got clear about some of the limiting beliefs that habitually arise when we set intentions for ourselves and our lives....and then we released them. We focused on how the fear, self-doubt, shame, judgement, etc. that gets in our way feels in our body...and imagined cutting energetic ties with it through the power of our minds. It was a truly powerful exercise!

Then we got crafty with images and created collages that we got to take home with us as visual reminders of our intentions. It was a wonderful new moon night. May all of our intentions be realized.

The full moon is on Friday October 26th this month...and the next new moon is Friday November 9th!

2007-10-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

Have gotten some fun stuff in the skipper mailbag this week...

From Edie in Pennsylvania... I was skipping last night... I was with 3 friends and we went to a local golf course to make wishes under the full moon. One friend (her name is Harmony) and I skipped and danced around one of the greens. What fun! I particularly enjoy the Wizard of Oz skipping style.

From Maria in California...I went on your website and had the most amazing memory of one my best friends in college skipping down the streets in New York city, and how I would join her in pure abandon, in the face of the hundreds of New Yorkers with somewhere to go, there we were skipping together, holding hands like Dorothy and the lion on the yellow brick road.

And here's a fun exchange with a skipper named Derrick in Nebraska..

He writes...Hello, I have a question, I'm a big fan of skipping and try to as much as possible when out at night, my friends know I'm gonna do it and most are past being embarrassed by me doing it around them. My question is, what is the distance of a skip? Reason being, my friends say that I bound or leap, not skip. And I always tell people that I can skip to a certain spot in a certain number of skip steps and then it causes a fight. Please clarify for me. Thanks, Brent

And my response...So is your question if size matters in skipping?! :-) The answer is no! The sky is the limit when it comes to skipping strides! That includes how high up in the air you go...and how much distance you travel. Skip large! Skip on!

Keep those cards and letters coming...Be sure to email me the next time you have a fun skipping story to share.

2007-09-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

As I type this, the light of the full moon is shining in my window. I've really been enjoying paying closer attention to Her cycles lately! Taking the time to notice and connect with the moon helps me feel more connected to nature. It also helps to put this grand adventure called life in perspective to remember how very small we are in the scheme of things

Lisa Dale Miller starts her monthly astrological Full Moon Message by writing the following about tonight's moon, "This is the Full Moon of the child: a celebration of innocence, adventurousness and starting anew."

Sure sounds like what skipping is all about for me! Yay! Skip on! Happy Full Moon! Be sure to make a wish!

2007-09-24T22:06:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday night I participated in a really inspiring event. More than 35 countries, hundreds of yoga studios and thousands of yoga practitioners worldwide gathered as a part of the Global Mala Project...and I was lucky enough to be at San Francisco's event.

The intention behind the event was to take the positive energy and peace that we gain on the mat in yoga off the mat and out into the world. The Global Mala Website says the project is, "a seed of a world-wide experiment into the power of meditation in action." Yum!

The event included yoga...We did 54 sun salutations (and boy did I feel it the next day), meditation, chanting, and kirtan which is a really inspiring call and response singing practice. Throughout the night, we were reminded of our intention of creating peace in our own hearts so we can share it with the world. It felt great.

I love that there are increasing numbers of things like this to connect with these days! The spirit of Global Mala is very much like the spirit of skipping movement. As individuals, we skip to express our joy and to contribute positive energy to the world...and collectively I truly believe we make a difference.

Even though there is a lot of really scary stuff happening in the world right now, it also is a truly exciting time to be alive with the ever expanding consciousness and awareness of increasing numbers of individuals around the globe. That's what I choose to focus on, instead of all of the fear that the media tries to feed me every day!

Onward and upward! Together we can and are changing the world...

2007-09-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just read an awesome thing and wanted to share!

Today is the 25th birthday of the digital smiley face.... The symbol that looks like this :-)

It was first posted by Professor Scott Fahlman while taking part in an online debate. He typed it and told everyone to to look at it sideways.

Professor Fahlman says, "I have never run into anyone who claims to have invented it before I did."

You can read the whole story by clicking here.

2007-09-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much time can skip by between my blog entries if I'm not careful. It's hard to believe it has been well over a month since I've written anything here. Better late than never I suppose.

I most certainly haven't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs! The first weekend in August, I went on a cruise to the Bahama's with my family to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary....and the last weekend of the month, I attended my 10th Burning Man. Talk about an action packed month!

Both trips helped me connect with important parts of myself...My family roots on the Cruise...and my creative, expressive independent spirit at Burning Man...So as summer winds to a close, I find myself energized and ready to get my skip on this Fall!

I've been writing my manuscript in progress on a much more regular basis...and organized a fabulous women's circle on the new moon on September 11th to help my friends and I get clear about the things we hope to create in our lives in the coming months.

For centuries, women have gathered on New Moons to set intentions and clarify their heart's desires. So it is a particularly powerful time to articulate the positive changes we hope to create in our lives....and also to let go of old thought patterns, habits, etc. that might be the standing in the way of our reaching them.

We had a fabulous circle with 10 women present...and we are planning to meet again on the next new moon to check-in with each other and to put our intentions out there once again! It felt so good to gather together with positive, like-minded people in order to support each others dreams! I highly recommend organizing a circle like this of your own. There's great power in it.

My main intention for this Fall is to complete the first draft of my manuscript with a sense of enjoyment and ease...I also am going to be watching the moon cycles more closely...and plan on using the powerful collective energy that happens on those days to check in with myself and to restate my personal hopes and goals. That will also give me a great excuse to write on my blog more often...So I'll see you back here on the Full moon which falls on September 26th this month if not before. Until then, skip on!

2007-08-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here's to being crazy enough to believe it is possible to change the world for the better...

Onward and upward! Together we can and are changing the world!

2007-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely skipping story I recently received that I just love....

As I recently walked home through the MIT campus, I had a small skipping adventure that I thought you might enjoy.

As I headed east on Massachusetts Avenue, a father with young son approached holding hands. The boy started to skip, tugging at his dad's arm to join him, but Dad was much too sophisticated and was resisting. So I, a white-haired, 60-year old man, began blithely skipping toward them. Sure enough, dad loosened up a bit and joined in the fun. I didn't turn around to see how long the skipping continued, but am hoping it will be a little easier for the father next time the boy wants to do some skipping.

I love it! Skip on! And be sure to email me whenever you have an interesting skipping encounter of your own!

2007-07-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the most recent skipping video I uploaded to You Tube! This one was from October of 1999 when I was in Los Angeles as part of a big multi-city skip day.

2007-07-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from Skippers around the world...So be sure to email me whenever you see a skipper in the media, have a skipping story to share, etc. Skip on!

This just in from the skipper mail bag....

Hi! I just read your website and you said that if anyone knew how to
say skip in languages other than those you've shown there, one should
contact you!! Well, I'm Brazilian, and we speak portuguese here! Skip
here translates do 'bater punheta'!!! Or you can translate 'let's go skipping' as: eu bato punheta com o dedo no cu!' ' cute isn't it? Kewl website, by the way!! Keep skipping!

And in response to the Who's Skippin' section of iskip.com...

Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter movie (and book) always skips when walking.

Just for the sake of completitude ;)

2007-07-20T11:27:00.001-07:00

Loved this fun video and thought I'd share...Check out Granny and Grampy's cool skipping moves! Should be called Ghost Skippin' if you ask me. Oh yeah! Skip on!

glumbert.com - Ghost Ridin' Grandma

2007-07-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I am finally learning how to convert all of the television interviews I did about iskip.com into digital formats! That means they are up on You Tube...and I can share them with you here.
This one is from the first ever happy hour skip I organized in San Francisco. The SF Chronicle did a big story about it the day before, and much to my amazement 50+ skippers and television crews from CNN and the local NBC station showed up.

Stay tuned for more fun skipping video to come!! Skip on!

2007-07-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Independence Day was really special for me this year.

Several weeks back, I met a guy named Don Foster at Downtown Novato's weekly farmer's market. He was there recruiting volunteers to participate in a group called PeaceNovato's entry in the annual 4th of July parade. I signed up right away!

Whenever an American soldier is killed in Iraq, PeaceNovato volunteers hand fold a paper crane and write the name, rank, and hometown of the deceased on its wing to honor that person. Then they attach the red, white, and blue cranes to portable display stands that are carried along the parade route. They needed over 20 people to carry the cranes this year.

I just love how the intention behind their project is one of honor for fallen soldiers. I also love how it puts a visual reminder of the cost of war in front of our faces so we have to look at it. I'll admit on the day I met Don I didn't know what the casuality count of the Iraqi war was. I'm glad I know now. I'm also glad to be contributing my energy toward raising awareness about the realities of the war in such a positive way. The more angry end of the peace movement spectrum has never really worked for me because I believe we literally must "be the peace we wish to see."

There were about 3,700 cranes in this year's parade, which was 1,000 more than last year. Julie, one of PeaceNovato's organizers, read off the names of soldiers over a megaphone as we walked. Since I was waearing my festive Betsy Ross dress, I also was given the honor of carrying a large sign at the front of cranes that included the number of Iraqi's that have been killed....conservative estimates say 70K....as well as the number of injuries, coalition deaths, etc.

A reporter from the local paper interviewed me at the parade for the story she was writing..and I made the paper. Here's an excerpt from the article...

If you've been to the parade before then you know what happens: Basset hounds dressed up in festive garb lope along Grant Avenue, dancers from Love2Dance perform a festive routine and the crowd soars with respect and adulation as the Pearl Harbor survivors ride by in a military vehicle.

But for Kim Corbin, a recent Novato transplant, this was her first parade. Corbin decided to not just be a passive observer, instead she put on a Betsy Ross costume she purchased in San Francisco and joined PeaceNovato with its crane entry.

“It's really nice seeing what America is all about, which is nice because there's a lot I don't like about America right now,” Corbin said.

“What I like about this entry is that they're honoring soldiers that have died. It's so important to give people a visual representation of the war,” she added.

The cranes were well received by the crowd with applause and genuine appreciation. My heart swelled with emotion in response to the warm reception we received. It was truly a magical day and I am proud to officially be a part of PeaceNovato's efforts.

Onward and upward! Together we CAN change the world

2007-07-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

I hardly consider myself a bible thumper, which is why I found my recent impulse to take the Bible off my shelf somewhat peculiar. But I learned long ago how fun and interesting my life becomes when I honor my spirit-fueled impulses, so I picked the good book up and dusted it off.

I randomly flipped it open to any page could hardly believe the words I read. I had no idea just how closely Jesus' propehecies match what is happening in our world today. Check out these passages from Luke Chapter 21...

"Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name claiming, 'I am he,' and 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."

"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city."

"There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the rearing and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redepemption is drawing near."

All of the above are quotes directly attributed to Jesus! Crazy stuff.

Now, fear not, I'm not about to veer off into an evangelical "Come to Jesus" rant....While I certainly think Jesus is the coolest, I personally believe the "second coming" involves the awakening of Christ's consciousness within our own hearts more than that one man who will somehow magically descend from the clouds one day.

But, regardless of what you do or don't think about Jesus, you have to admit it's pretty eerie reading such an accurate description of some of the scarey stuff that has been going on in our world lately. Man. Just sayin'!

2007-06-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I'm fascinated by medtiation and have been dabbling with it off and on for quite some time.

Recently, I have been meditating on a much more regular basis...At least 10 minutes a day...And it's amazing what a difference it makes for me. It's hard to put into words exactly what it gives me, but I sure am enjoying it.

I recently came across an article that offered the following thoughts on the benefits of meditation and I thought I'd share...

Sonia Choquete writes in her book The Psychic Pathway, "Learning to meditate sharpens your awareness, increases your concentration, and assists in shutting off the mind chatter, the endless drone of voices that run through your brain. You will slowly learn to become more aware of the voice of guidance within."

In an article on Shinzen.org, Shinzen Young writes, "A person with high base-line attentiveness finds, in general, all life activities to be more fulfilling. Intrinsically pleasant experiences (food, music, sexuality, etc.) are vastly more intense and satisfying simply because one is more fully in the moment." Furthermore, ordinary banal experiences (washing dishes, driving to work, social conversation, etc.) take on a quality of extraordinary vibrancy and fascination. Bordeom becomes a thing of the past."

Pretty cool! Skip on! Meditate on! Good stuff. :-)

2007-06-14T22:32:00.001-07:00

My world and Paris Hilton's world have been colliding lately!

That's because the book she is reading while she is in the pokey, along with the Holy Bible and The Secret, is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle which is New World Library's bestseller ever. That's the amazing publishing company where I feel truly honored to be a book publicist.

We've been getting all kinds of calls this week from tabloids like OK Magazine and Life & Style to national media like TV Guide to The Early Show wanting to interview the author to learn what his book might help Paris discover while she is behind bars.

Eckhart Tolle is not your every day author, though. While most authors would leap at the chance to talk about their book in the national media, not Eckhart. He truly practices what he preaches and is not swept away by the energetic rush that the media whirlwind so often creates in our culture. Explaining this to producers and editors is its own unique callenge as a publicist.

Whatever he's doing, it's hard to deny it is working! His book is a New York Times Bestseller that week after week tops our weekly sales charts. I personally love his way...How detached from it all he is...and how he really and truly stays deeply in the present moment, even in the face of great success.

Since Eckhart's media appearances are so few and far (especially between compared to the authors of The Secret), I thought I'd share the following excerpts from a companion book we publish also by him called Practicing the Power of Now. It will give you an idea what The Power of Now is all about...Not to mention a glimpse into what is keeping Ms. Hilton busy in her cell.

**The present moment holds the key to liberation. But you cannot find the present moment as long as you are in your mind. Enlightenment means rising above thought.

**Start listening to the voice in your head as often as you can. Pay particular attention to any repetitive thought patterns, those old audiotapes that have been playing in your head for many years.

**Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the now the primary focus of your life.

**Make it a habit to ask yourself: What's going on inside me at this moment? The question will point you in the right direction.

**Presence is the key to freedom, so you can only be free now.

**Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life.

**Observe the many ways in which unease, discontent, and tension arise within you through unnecessary judgment, resistance to what is, and the denial of the Now.

**Make it a habit to monitor your mental and emotional state through self-observation.

**Become aware of your breathing.

**Die to the past every moment. You don't need it. Only refer to it when it is absolutely relevant to the present.

**To stay present in everyday life, it helps to be deeply rooted within yourself; otherwise, the mind, which has incredible momentum, will drag you along like a wild river.

**Whenever an answer, a solution, or a creative idea is needed, stop thinking for a moment by focusing attention on your inner energy field. Become aware of the stillness.

**Use your senses fully. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don't interpret. Listen to the sounds; don't judge them. Touch something and feel and acknowledge its being.

Excerpted with permission from Practicing the Power of Now. Copyright © 1999 by Eckhart Tolle. Reprinted with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA.

2007-06-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past several hours updating iskip.com for the first time in over a year! I've mostly been using this blog to report any skipping news, and as a result the website itself got put on the backburner.

I've been having a great time rediscovering the stories of all of the amazing skippers I have met on this miraculous skipping journey in the updating process...It's incredible to take a step back and take stock of all of the skipping magic that has filled my life the past 8+ years.

I added a media section to the home page that includes links to interviews I did on the Donny & Marie Show and KOVR out of Sacramento...Amazingly, many of the links to the newspaper articles that were written are still live, so I included those as well! I even found this article that I'm not sure if I've ever seen before. It has to be one of the most in-depth and interesting ones ever done! What a treasure for the skipping archives. I am really excited. :-)

Here's a snippet from it...

"Other people also skip in order to raise money for favorite charities. Alpharetta, Ga. skipper Susan Reineck spent more than a week last April skipping 100 miles from Atlanta all the way to Ellijay in the North Georgia mountains to raise money for a local wildlife rehabilitation refuge. “It’s just fun,” proclaimed Reineck. “It’s about the same pace as a walk, but you’re really using your lungs a lot more. So, I’m able to just sit back and enjoy the scenery while I do it.”

Skipping is an activity appropriate for all ages. Just ask 67 year-old Laura Middleton Downing, a Boulder, Colorado skipper. She and her friends skip through the bustling Pearl Street Mall, and she’s even been spotted skipping through some local road races. She also leads a senior citizen group in skipping routines.

“We got all sorts of strange looks and smirks, but we also got some people to skip with us,” she said. “I’m finding that it does look kind of silly for adults to do it – especially for seniors. But, if people will do it they find it’s a lot of fun and it makes you feel good. “

This activity has to be catching on, if watching Billy Bob Thornton skipping on the screen is any indication. . After all, it’s all about self-expression.

“It’s a great metaphor for the evolution of the male--losing the (inner) child, and losing the freedom to truly express ourselves in all silly ways,” said Jeff Lester, who, along with his wife, actress Susan Anton, produced and directed The Last Real Cowboys. “We (have) become much more rigid and concerned about the way we’re coming off and the way we look. I just thought it was great to take a leap back and ask the question: where in history did that happen?”

Lester says the premise of the comic short film is simple. It’s about a cowboy in the 1800s who poses the question, “Why don’t we skip no more? You know like when we were kids – skipping. I used to love skipping.” The response from his befuddled companion is simply, “Men don’t skip.” Just like they try not to show their feelings, trust a stranger, or believe in love.

You can watch the Last Real Cowboys online by clicking here

I sure have been enjoying my virtual skip down memory lane this evening! What a long strange skip it continues to be. Yee-haw! Skip on!

2007-05-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

The section of Positive Thinking Magazine I was recently profiled in is called "Love Your Life"...So they asked me to come up with three tips on how to do what you love and love what you do....Here they are..

**Make it a priority to connect with the still, small voice in your heart. Don't be so concerned about what you think you have to do.

**Create a regular spiritual practice. Do whatever it takes to build the inner strength you need to go where that voice leads.

**Spend less time worrying about what other people think and more time doing the things that make your heart sing!

And so it is! Skip on!

2007-05-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that Positive Thinking Magazine did a lovely feature about my skipping dream in their May/June issue. They even sent a professional photographer out to take a photo of me skipping with my New World Library coworkers! We had such a fun time and the picture really captures it.

The article is pretty accurate, except I never actually had a book DEAL...I just had a literary agent that was trying to help me secure one..

It started simply enough: One night in 1997, Kim Corbin was out on the town with friends when someone suggested they all start skipping. "I immediately got the idea that I was going to start a huge national skipping movement and get the whole country to start skipping for recreation," says Kim.

In 1999, she launched the website iskip.com and began organizing public skipping events near her home in San Francisco. The events drew hundreds of participants as well as national media coverage and an offer for a book deal. "I quit my job and took on the role of Head Skipper," she says.

Kim traveled around the country to spread the word about skipping. "As adults, we're conditioned to conform and worry about what other people think," she says. "When you skip, you get in touch with the side of yourself that doesn't care abotu all that."

Groups formed in other cities, and the members seemed to agree with Kim's idea that "skipping is a way for people to connect in a happy way, to feel like kids again." But after a while, Kim started feeling too much like a kid. Being Head Skipper didn't pay much, and her finances slipped. Then the book deal fell through. "I got carried away," she admits, "I put all my eggs in one basket, and things didn't pan out like I thought they would."

Kim learned to balance passion with responsiblity, finding that she could make a living and still living joyfully. Now she works as a publicist for a publisher and organizes large skipping events just a few times a year. She still skips daily and recommends it as a workout for both body and soul. "Skipping is a way to connect with myself," Kim says. "I remind myself that life has its hills and valleys and eventually you come out on the other side."

2007-05-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

One of the books I have been working on this season is called The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year by Jennifer Louden. It is absolutely beautiful inside and out...It's all about learning to make time in your life to follow your heart and navigate your dreams.

Well, it just so happens that Jennifer is a skipper too! Check out this excerpt from a recent article she was featured in...

Jennifer Louden, women's lifestyle expert and author of "The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year" and other best-selling books for women, suggests that moms try something different to combat burnout-her personal favorite is skipping around her neighborhood with her daughter and dog for 10-15 minutes. But if you are looking for an activity that won't leave your neighbors questioning your sanity, Louden suggests playing a game.

After describing some of the fun games that are on the market today, the article ends like this...

So listen up, you "supermoms," you've heard it before: It is time to take a "time-out"-today, tomorrow and every day thereafter. Soak in a bubble bath, skip around the yard or sit down to play a casual game. With a little consistency, you'll realize immediate benefits and thank yourself for taking the time to ensure that your mind and body are renewed. You might even be admired by friends and family for being brave enough to actually take care of yourself.

So skip on Jennifer...and Super Mom's everywhere! Life is short let's get out there and have some fun.

2007-04-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was just reading an article about the Virgina Tech shootings and found this quote by a poetry teacher who once had the killer expelled from her class particularly compelling and inspiring,

"We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid," the 63-year-old poet with the close-cropped, platinum hair told the grieving crowd. "We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness."

Another article I read before the gunman had been identified said they weren't sure if was a terrorist attack and would be investigating the case fully. I'm sorry, but if this wasn't a terrorist act, I don't know what is....If you ask me, terror is terror no matter how you slice it...And violence only begets violence...It doesn't matter if it generates in the middle east or here at home....and while I wholeheartedly support and appreciate the men and women that serve in the military...The fact that we are still in this senseless war that isn't working simply doesn't feel right deep down in my soul.

I know this is usually a happy go lucky blog...But when I let myself think about the state of the world right now, it's easy to slip into a not so happy go lucky place. I think that's why the poetry teachers words above touched me so deeply...She helped me remember that despite all the blood and tears that are being shed in our world at large right now, the possibility of reinventing the future always exists. There is hope. Peace is possible...and it begins with me. And so it is. I think I'll go for a skip now....

2007-03-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

I had a great skipping moment at the gym this afternoon.

As usual, after I did the elipical machine, I headed to the group exercise room with my yoga mat and ipod in tow. I set up my mat, cued up a particularly happy song on my ipd, and was about to start skipping when a woman (whose name I would later discover was Ann) walked into the room. She asked if the yoga mat was mine because it was in the spot she normally set up the spinning bike she was about to ride.

I told her I'd be happy to move the mat. That it wasn't a problem. Then I asked her if it would bother her if I skipped around the room a little bit. She said it wouldn't bother her, but I might look a little silly....and I told her I was actually alright with that.

A moment later she said, "You know, there are a group of people out there who are really into skipping." I smiled as I told her that iskip.com was my website and she confirmed that she had heard of it before. She is a physical therapist by trade and mentioned that she wondered how much of the core muscle group skipping works out. I told her about the warm reception my skipping idea received from the fitness community...and she said that as long as something inspires people to keep moving, she was all for it.

She went on to tell me about her personal passion/dream which is the creation of a new website for Buff Babes over 50! She talked about how powerful it can be for older women to truly realize their body's strength and power. I could tell by the way she talked about it, that her project will be a great success!

As she pedaled away and I skipped around the room while listening to that great old song that goes, "I'm on top of the world, looking down on creation, and the only explanation I can find..." ...I felt a surge of gratitude and appreciation for having discovered my very unique calling of skipping through life! I also felt excitement for Ann's blossoming dream....and was filled with a sense of hope that ever increasing numbers of people out there are finding and living the unique contribution they are born to make in this lifetime. Yes! And so it is! Skip on!

2007-03-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

This will be a quickie post as I'm super busy at work today.

This morning I got this email from one of my professional colleagues and wanted to share...

Just wanted you to know...Saturday I saw a Mom with a stroller and her
friend, skipping in the Presidio! I yelled, "Keep up the good skip!"
Cheers! Shirl

Woo-hoo! Skippers of the world unite!

2007-03-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

There are about 1,000 acres of undeveloped land behind where I live that leads to the edge of the bay. I've walked/skipped the path several times now, but today I was inspired to take my bike out for my first spin. I'm not much of a biker and I have certainly never gone off roading in wilderness, so the adventure was especially fun.

My heart couldn't have been more full of joy as I glided down the dirt path with my ipod blasting, "Ooooh, child, things are gonna get easier. Oooh child, things'll get brighter." When I came up on a happy couple who stepped to the side so I could pass. They said somethnig I couldn't hear, but I took note of their big smiles and positive energy as I went by.

I wasn't more than ten feet ahead of them when it happened. My wheel got stuck in some loose dirt and my bike slid out from under me. It felt like I was moving in slow motion as I flew over the handle bars. As time stood still, something told me I was going to be alright. I landed as softly as could be expected with my hands outstretched out in front of me.

I didn't realize the couple had witnessed the whole thing until I saw their smiling faces rushing toward me. I laughed outloud as I removed my headphones. The man congratulated me on a beautiful and dramatic fall! He said it was very smooth and that he too could tell as it happened that I wouldn't be hurt. The three of us spent several laughter filled minutes and I marveled at what funny moment with a thankfully happy ending we had shared.

Further along my happy jaunt towards the bay, I couldn't help but recognize the energetic similarity in my bicycle tumble and the fall I experienced when I quit my job to follow my skipping dream. Something that was also witnessed - online by all of the positive energy people who made the national skipping movement and my dream what it was. Even though it certainly wasn't pretty, it feels good to be able to recognize and acknowledge the grace that has been with me all the way through. And so it is! Onward and upward!

2007-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was contacted by the web mistress of a great site called the Quote Garden. She said, "My site has been around for nearly a decade and has many tens of thousands of quotations spanning hundreds of subjects. Skipping happens to be one of those subjects, not to mention an activity that I love very much."

She wrote to ask if she could incorporate some quotes from iskip.com on her site and to also share the quotes about skipping that she had already collected over the years.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the skipping quotes here...

"You see, Wendy, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." ~James M. Barrie, Peter Pan

"It's only a matter of inches, but skipping gets me just that much closer to heaven." ~Jessi Lane Adams

"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind." ~Leo F. Buscaglia

"I don't think it's possible to skip with a frown on your face.... I'd like to see the world's governing and terrorist leaders on a skipping tour through the Middle East and across the subcontinent and China to Korea." ~Sue Irwin

"If I had time for only two exercises, I would choose yoga and skipping." ~Astrid Alauda

If you have one to share, email it to me and I'll be sure to share it with Terri at The Quote Garden!

2007-02-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love hearing from skippers around the world..Here are two examples...The first from a skipper who is 50+...

I'm working up to going skipping down our road regularly, but I think I need a t-shirt first. I was thinking of asking my son to make me one for my upcoming 55 year birthday that said, "Skippers over 50" to give me some "legitimacy" but your website tells the story so well, I want it to say iskip.com. Would you mind? My best skipping story:

In the 80's, I was in Yosemite camping and had just climbed to the top of Glacier Point disappointed after the long trail of switchbacks, that a tour bus had arrived at the same time, and that storm clouds were gathering. Not wanting to get wet, I found that skipping was the fastest way down, and got into a rhythm, had a fun time, and beat the rain. A little while later at the bottom, a man remarked, "There's the wood nymph that was skipping down the trail." He was smiling and so was I.

For the record, iskip.com belongs to all of the skippers of the world...So you can feel free to use the logo on tshirts, etc. for your own use (but not for resale!)

Here's another email from a young skipper who is already getting some slack from her peers who have lost their skipping spirit far too soon. I love her sense of humor!

I am 12 years old. I live in Knoxville, TN. All of my friends at school make fun of me, because apperantly I was left off of the mailing list that sent out the memo that you are supposed to stop skipping in first grade. I don't know. But for me, skipping is a little like flying. Now, ever since I saw Peter Pan I have wanted to fly. And skipping seems like an OK comprimise for the time being. I don't really mind that I was left off of the mailing list, or the phone chain, or the chain letter or whatever. Because I like to skip. And I probabally would have lost the memo anyway.

Skip on! Skip on! Skip on!

2007-02-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am psyched to announce what what has to be the most unique, unusual skipping news I've ever had to report in the 8-year history of iskip.com!

As I shared in December, Ashrita Furman got approval from Guinness to establish a 5K skipping record. Ashrita has set a record number of Guinness records....127 in all in his lifetime!

I'm excited to report that he set the record this past Sunday. He skipped the 5K in 35 minutes and 19 seconds...and he did it in a MOST unusual way. Perhaps the best way to tell the story is to let you read Ashrita's email yourself....

Well, it's been a wild journey! I broke the 5K skipping record on Sunday by skipping the distance in 35 minutes and 19 seconds. The time was disappointing but I lost at least 4 or 5 minutes because of a tiger!

i did the record at a place called the Tiger Temple in Thailand where monks allow people to walk with a tiger. So i decided to skip with one! The monastery people were a little worried because they thought the skipping might remind the tiger of an injured animal and provoke him to attack me. But I skipped the first 100 meters with the tiger (on a leash) with no problems, then speeded up by myself and finally tried to do the last 100 meters with the tiger. Unfortunately, the big fellow thought he was going to be put back in his cage and he was moving really slowly. After 75 meters I got impatient, handed the leash to one of the handlers, and skipped to the finish line. That was a foolish thing to do! The tiger saw me rushing away and instinctively went into his attack mode. It took 4 handlers to restrain him!

Overall, it was a great adventure and sInce Reuters Press Agency was there, the story went worldwide. Later in the year, I plan to try again (with no animals) and do a better time. I just love the skipping! Thanks for all your encouragement.

All the best, Ashrita

Wow! Amazing! This one seriously belongs in the , "You couldn't even begin to make this stuff up" file! Sfgate.com even wrote about it! What can I say but SKIP ON ASHRITA! SKIP ON!

2007-01-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's hard for me to believe it's already the end of January! It's been quite a month...a wonderful, magical, start to 2007. I am very excited to see what all this year will hold.

On the 17th of this month, I turned 38....and am full of gratitude that my life is going so great. I moved out of my studio apartment in the city where I lived for the 10 years I have been in California and am now living in beautiful Marin County. I LOVE IT! It feels so great to be out of the madness of the city and to have nature all around me.

There is a lovely lagoon right behind my condo and I must say that skipping alone in nature seems to suit me much better than skipping in public places these days. Not that I don't look back at my big city skipping days complete with mega-phone, cape, and crown and smile a big happy smile! It's just that my skipping is increasingly becoming more about my own personal spiritual practice and less about an evangelical mission. Nothing energizes my spirit like skipping does! Of course, I still plan on organizing group skipping outings in San Francisco from time to time, but for now my heart is here in Marin and loving every minute of it.

I also joined the local YMCA and have been doing some skipping there. In fact, I discovered a whole new way to skip this week! Skipping laps in the swimming pool! I got the inspiration as I watched some older people slowly bobbing from one end of the pool to the other...and when I started skipping, I couldn't stop! I felt like Forest Gump when he couldn't stop running. I skipped about 10 laps before the pool closed...and could have done 10 more! I highly recommend under water skipping. It's a ton of fun! Skip on!

2007-01-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

I am having so much fun meeting like-minded skippers on zaadz.com. Several people have posted skipping stories already!

Here's an example of the skipping perspectives zaadsters are bringing to the table. This is from a woman named Romana...

"Skipping really challenges the 'boundary conditions' of consciousness…that is to say, it shakes up your box, and the box of those who see you doing it….in that way, it shifts the internal state both for the skipper and the skipper-watcher….and opens the field of potential and possibility….the odd thing is that it is so completely easy to do….and it leaves you with this question…why in the world did I ever STOP skipping? Of course, I am reminded there of a comment made to me by an lovely elderly woman a few days ago, where (upon my discoursing upon enthusiasm and going for it at 100%) she remarked, 'yes, but what about dignity?' Which of course, brings to mind the question, 'what have we sacrificed upon the altar of our dignity?' WHY would someone think it undignified to express enthusiasm?

Skipping is a fun, easy, simple, and free way to shift your state, to raise your energy, and to bring the walls of your box tumbling down….if you ever feel stuck, try this as an experiment and see what happens….you may never know what will fly in the face of your dignity….perhaps the inspiration of a lifetime? perhaps the answer to your stuckness? perhaps a moment to feel good and take care of yourself? perhaps the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything?"

Well said, Romana! Skip on!

2007-01-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a great start...Something tells me this is going to be a great one...After all 2007 rhymes with heaven!

A couple of months ago, I joined a fabulous online community called Zaadz. It's like an intentional My Space....Everyone who joins shares the desire of wanting to use their lives to change the world for the better. It's VERY cool! Check it out...Espeically if you are someone who believes we must be the change we wish to see in the world.

You can start what they call pods about certain subjects...So of course, I just started a skipping pod. It would be great if skippers all over the world would join. (That means you!) Here's the description I wrote:

This pod is for positive energy people who love to skip! Yes, skip, as in leaping happily down the street...whether spontaneously in the moment or intentionally for joy, fitness, or to change the world!

Every time we skip, we add joy and positive energy to the world....All the while challenging well-entrenched, unspoken cultural rules about self- expressoin and personal freedom. Seeing adults consumed by the joy of skipping sends a compelling message about the power of the spirit over fear.

Let's experirment with skipping more intentionally and more often as a social experiment! Let's celebrate the small energetic contribution we make to the collective consciousness with each skip we take.

Let's get our skip on and share our magical experiences (skipping and otherwise) here!

If you join Zaadz or already a member please be sure to add me as a friend! My nickname on there is SKIPPER. Skip on!

2006-12-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! And happy holidays...

Thought I'd share this great and hopeful article from the Boston Globe I was recently interviewed for....

The favorite thing he wrote about our interview was...

"But today, she contends, skipping can be an act of defiance in the face of geopolitical gloom and doom."

Although I can say with almost complete certainty that the word geopolitical has never come out of my mouth!!! :-) That's definitely the reporter's word, not mine. (It wasn't a direct quote.) I literally couldn't have said it better myself.

I also found this quote from naysayer P.J. O'Rourke interesting...

All this sweetness and light is enough to give a certified curmudgeon like P.J. O’Rourke a toothache. ‘‘I seem to remember we tried all this in the summer of 1967,’’ growls O’Rourke, a humorist and author who lives in New Hampshire. ‘‘My memory is foggy, but somehow I think it all ended in tears.’’

Aaaah! This frustrates me so....Tears and seemingly insurmountable roadblocks are a natural part of birthing any dream! I so wish the disenchanted ex-hippies would re-open their hearts and their minds to the possibility of creating real change on this planet...This time perhaps it would help if it wasn't completely drug induced....The worst thing we can do when we run into a wall with our dreams and good intentions is to become jaded and cynical...Even though it seems to be human nature to do so! All that does is ensure that the dream will never be realized. All I want for Christmas this year is for all of the ex-hippies of the world to believe again....and to help inspire and harness the energy and idealism of the young people to create the positive change on this planet I know is possible.

And, finally, just in case you don't have time in the midst of the holiday hubbub to make it to the very end of the article, here's another "keeper" of a quote..

"Corbin, too, chooses to see silver linings and rosy scenarios. Paradoxically enough, she suggests that nice draws its strength from nasty. ‘‘It is in direct correlation with the amount of fear,’’ she says. ‘‘As the fear gets more intense, there’s this countermovement of rising above it. Because otherwise, it looks pretty dreadful.’’

Here's to skipping on despite terrorism, wars, questionabile polticians, and all of the negative stuff that stands between us and who were were born to be and what we were born to do. Skip on!

2006-12-18T23:05:00.000-08:00

At long last, here is the big skipping news I promised....

Super skipper extraordinaire Ashirta Furman recently told me that Guiness has approved his request to establish a 5 K (3.1 mile) skipping category! Ashrita, who skipped an entire marathon a couple years ago, is training to set the record now!

As you might know, Ashrita has set a record number of records....127 in all in his lifetime! Wowsa! Categories include fun things like: Hula hooping with the largest hula hoop - 16 feet in diameter, pushing an orange with his nose for a mile in 24 minutes 36 seconds, somersaulting 12 miles, and pogo stick jumping 11.5 miles up and down the foothills of Mt. Fuji.

It's a real treat to have such a multi-faceted and amazing person representing the skippers of the world! Skip on Ashrita! Here are a few questions from the lengthy interview I did with him that you can read in its entirety on iskip.com

How does skipping make you feel? What does it do for you physically? Spiritually? Mentally?

For me, skipping is pure joy. I just try to abandon all thought and simply glide along without a care in the world, centered within. It becomes a type of meditation, and sometimes I really feel as if I’m floating on air. Unfortunately, since I train on the streets of New York City , this feeling is usually interrupted by an angry motorist trying to bring me back down to Earth so he or she doesn’t run me over!

Besides the tremendous peace and joy I get from skipping, I have also discovered that it is a fantastic workout. It obviously strengthens all of the leg muscles, but it also works the arms, shoulders and neck. And there is another important benefit of it skipping—it is a great core-strengthening exercise (abs and back) as well. What more could you want—a sport that strengthens and tones the entire body and is fun as well!

Do you have any words of wisdom for people who are too embarrassed to skip?

Life is too short to worry about what other people think about you. The opinion of others is not going to add one iota to your happiness. You have to be brave and follow your heart. That is the first step on the path to happiness. As Sri Chinmoy, my meditation teacher, so eloquently says:

“Never allow anyone
To clip the silver wings
Of your golden dreams.”

SKIP ON ASHRITA!

2006-12-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Wow. I can hardly believe an entire month has skipped by since my last entry. So much has happened.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, my beloved Kidder Cat had to be put to sleep. He was 16-years-old and I was lucky enough to adopt him 8 years ago shortly before I started the skipping movement, etc. That cat saw it all....From the joy and zest when my skipping dream was first born to the tears and disillusionment when certain parts of the path didn't end up looking like I had hoped. He was such a bright light and companion in my life and my heart aches for his purr and loving presence.

This was the first time in my life that I have experienced the passing of a pet in this way...I chose not to go when we had to put our childhood dog to sleep...But I am glad I was in the room and holding sweet Kid and looking into his eyes when he drifted off to whatever comes next. Talk about intimacy. It is a moment I will never forget.

My other big news is that I am moving to Marin from San Francisco at the end of the year! (Just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.) I have been in my same apartment for the 10-years since I moved to California from Indiana....and the time has come for this butterfly to leave her cocoon. Wowsa!

My new place is so close to New World Library that I will easily be able to ride my bike...or possibly even skip to work! There's an amazing lagoon and nature walk that leads all the way to the Bay right outside my new back door. It's defintely going to be a big change going from the heart of downtown San Francisco into the wonders of nature.....But it feels like the right thing for me to do, so I'm going for it!

I also have some exciting skipping news to share and promise not to let another month go by before I do so. Until then, SKIP ON!

2006-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

I recently received this email from a 40-year-old skipper in San Diego and wanted to share!

I thought I was the only skipper out there! I’m so glad to find others. I started skipping after suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, which running was exacerbating. I realized that I did not suffer any upper body tension when I skipped. At first I was so embarrassed, but after realizing how much better I was feeling, I came ‘out of the closet’ and now skip in public regularly (hey, after 40, who cares what people think?). I also find it just makes me happy! Thank you for the website and good company!

Yay! Skippers of the world unite.....And also don't forget to skip yourself out to your polling place tomorrow to vote!! Vote as if the fate of our world depended on it...Because it does!

2006-10-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was "Back Home Again in Indiana" to enjoy the beautiful fall colors. It had been eight years since I'd been back during what is hands down my favorite part of the year there.

I watched football, went on a nature hike with my niece and nephew, and skipped on country roads. I also taught my parents how to meditate which was really something! It was a wonderful and relaxing long weekend.

This morning, I found the video from a newscast I did way back in 1999 when I first created iskip.com. It is from a station out of Sacramento and it was so fun to watch that I decided to post it on You Tube! You can watch it for yourself by clicking here.

I can't believe how young I look! And little did I know then that I would still be skipping loud and skipping proud nearly a decade later. :-) What a long, strange skip it continues to be. Skip on!

2006-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

I receieved an email from a young woman named Rossana who lives in Malta and wanted to share...

Hey, my name is Rosanna, im 16 & i come from Malta..well im sending you an email because ive been constantly complaining about my thighs that arent exactly in good shape..i just have exses fat that i cant really find out how to get rid of it and turn it into muscle. Now i bought a skipping rope and till now im only managing to survive doing 200 skips as im not that fit (though i'm not fat or anything, pretty normal weight.) I'm just asking how much do you think I should do and how many times a week that will help in improving my losing of excess fat from my knee upwards. Hope you will be able to give me an answer that will help. Thank you. Rosanna

And here is my reply....

Hi Rosanna,

First of all, I encourage you to work on loving yourself exactly as you are!! Most women's thighs are "fatter" than we might wish or think they should be (Thanks in large part to the supermodels in women's magazines)....But something tells me you are a beautiful young woman who looks more fantastic than you realize! So instead of obsessing about your thighs, I'd like to encourage you to focus on self-acceptance and appreciation for your youthful, energetic body as much as possible instead!!

My website is actually about non-rope skipping....Skipping down the street instead of walking or running! Kind of like they did on the Wizard of Oz...So I'm not sure what to tell you about the number of rope skip repetitions...What I can tell you is that in my experience, when I am doing the things that involve moving my body because it is FUN and I LOVE to do it on a regular basis...Like skipping or dancing or yoga....I'm always amazed at how weight effortlessly falls off of me....However, when I'm in a place of self-judgement and frustration with my body, even if I am going to the gym on the regular basis, the weight goes nowhere fast! It's funny how that works.

So I encourage you to find exercises that make your spirit happy....and to do them with a spirit of joy and celebration rather than trying to annihilate your thighs in anyway possible...and see what happens!

Skip on!
Kim Corbin
iskip.com

"Why march to the beat of your own drummer when you can skip?" --Dave May, The Official Skipping Ambassador of Oklahoma

2006-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a magical San Francisco skipping kind of day...It started when I was contacting the local media about one of the books I am publicizing right now called A Writer's San Francisco by Eric Maisel. The book offers creative inspiration for writers amidst the backdrop of the city by the bay.

What I love most about the book is how it represents the creative soul of San Francisco I fell in love with when I moved here from the Midwest over a decade ago. Unfortunatley, it feels like a big part of the city's spirit has eroded in recent years...I think due in large part to the dot com days when artists were driven out in droves because they couldn't afford to live here anymore...So it makes me really happy to be spreading the word about a book that celebrates and honors the creative spark that makes San Francisco the magical place that it it is.

After work tonight, I spent some time with a couple of friends along SF's Embarcadero water front. There was an anti-Bush protest going on nearby and my friends told me there was a huge paper mache effigy of President Bush there. It sounded like it might be an interesting protest so we headed over to check it out.

My friends were on bikes and I was skipping between them. There was a woman on the stage screaming about how oppressed we are by the Bush administration and how it is time for us to fight back. She was really angry and the energy she was putting off was anything but peaceful. There were quite a few people standing around and listening...Without even thinking about it, I started skipping throughout the crowd...Weaving throughout clusters of people as I listened to the woman on the microphone tell me how outraged and angry I should be..I consciously made a decision not to let her negativity stop me from being the peaceful, positive energy I want to see in the world.

There was a sharp contrast to my free skipping energy and the mood and intensity of the crowd...The vibe of the event was laden with anger, oppresion, and rebellion...All of which are certainly an important part of the process of waking up from the deep slumber we have collectively been in as a culture... But it also is not where I personally choose to invest my time and energy in my quest to use my life to help create positive change on this planet.

The San Franciscans of the 1960s knew that love was the answer...and I hope and pray and pledge to do my part to help recreate that predominant cultural philosophy here and now! There are so many ways we can use our creative energy to create change on this planet without letting our grievances with the Bush administration become so intense that they drain the creative, positive part of us that is so desperately needed in this city, country, and world right now!

Positive energy people of the world unite. Onward and upward! Together we can and are changing the world.