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?"

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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...

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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 ;)

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

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!

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

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'!

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. :-)

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.

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!

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!

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."

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.

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....

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!