In yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle in the "Public Eavesdropping" section of Leah Garchik's column it said:
"Dad, do you like to skip?" "I think skipping is great." --Small boy and father discussing the important issues, overheard in the parking lot of Diamond Heights Safeway by Ken Higgins.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
Mystery
Last night I attended a meditation workshop where we did a sitting meditation and then listened to a dharma talk. The theme of the night had to do with the mystery of life.
The instructor had us break into groups to share stories of a time in our life when something mysterious and magial happened. A woman in my group told of meeting a man who had just gotten into a fight. She was at the right place at the right time and prevented the fight from escalating. He was sure she was an angel who helped him out of a potentially dangerous situation.
When it was my turn, I told about the first time that I skipped as an adult, and how I had a complete vision of me starting a national skipping movement. At the time, I ignored the call. But two years later, inspiration struck again...and that was when I created iskip.com.
Within a couple of months, the national media was telling the story and thousands of skippers were a part of the movement! All because of unexpected vision and inspiration....I still wonder where it came from!
After I told my story, the woman who had been the angel to the man in the fight was smiling from ear to ear. She said there was something about her story that she had left out. After she intervened in the fight and the two of them were walking away together, the man took her hand and said, "let's skip!" The two of them went skipping down the street together in a moment of joy!
What a "coincidence" that skipping was part of her story too! I love magically mysterious moments....When I'm able to skip through life, they happen a lot more frequently....Stay tuned and I have no doubt that this blog will be full of accounts of such moments in no time. Skip on!
The instructor had us break into groups to share stories of a time in our life when something mysterious and magial happened. A woman in my group told of meeting a man who had just gotten into a fight. She was at the right place at the right time and prevented the fight from escalating. He was sure she was an angel who helped him out of a potentially dangerous situation.
When it was my turn, I told about the first time that I skipped as an adult, and how I had a complete vision of me starting a national skipping movement. At the time, I ignored the call. But two years later, inspiration struck again...and that was when I created iskip.com.
Within a couple of months, the national media was telling the story and thousands of skippers were a part of the movement! All because of unexpected vision and inspiration....I still wonder where it came from!
After I told my story, the woman who had been the angel to the man in the fight was smiling from ear to ear. She said there was something about her story that she had left out. After she intervened in the fight and the two of them were walking away together, the man took her hand and said, "let's skip!" The two of them went skipping down the street together in a moment of joy!
What a "coincidence" that skipping was part of her story too! I love magically mysterious moments....When I'm able to skip through life, they happen a lot more frequently....Stay tuned and I have no doubt that this blog will be full of accounts of such moments in no time. Skip on!
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
My 36th birthday was Monday January 17th...which also happened to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year! I celebrated by taking part in a march (I skipped too, of course) through the streets of San Francisco that celebrated his life, his vision, and the relentless pursuit of his dream.
It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday, especially since my intention for 2005 is to stay true to my dream of writing a book about the benefits of skipping through life. During the march, I overheard a woman behind me talking about Martin. She said, "They say that he had a spiritual dream....a dream that God had given him...They say he wouldn't let go of his dream no matter what."
As I listened to her, I thought about my own skipping dream that started six years ago...I remembered how it felt to be skipping on the mountaintop...Getting national media attention...Having absolute Faith that I had found my life calling and was being Divinely guided...I remembered the brazen courage I used to quit my corporate job and how convinced I was that because I was doing what I loved...and what God wanted me to do...that the money would undoubtedly follow.
Then I thought about the valley that came on the other side of that mountaintop. The rejection letters that came from publishers instead of my hoped-for large advance....Trying to stay positive as I got another"real job" which ultimately resulted in the shock of being fired...The hard, cold, financial reality and bankruptcy that ensued...and the intense doubt and fear that eventually overshadowed my hope and faith.
Luckily, that's not where the story ends...The past year has been all about picking up the pieces of my shattered dream and putting them back together...My time in the valley lasted several years...and I'm still not all the way back on top of the mountain, but the skip has returned to my step....and a sense of hope has come back to my heart. I am once again excited to see what the future will bring!
The birthday gift I received from Martin Luther King Jr.'s example was the realization that the incredible journey that I have been on...with all of its ups AND downs...is what following a dream is all about...It is one thing to skip when the national media is singing your praises...and another all together when it feels like your hopes and dreams are broken all around you. My time in the valley put my "skip through life" philosophy to the test....and I am extremely grateful tosay that I'm still here....and I'm still skipping!
I truly believe that deep in each of our hearts is a dream waiting to berealized....When I think about the time that I spent trying to skip through the darkness, I wonder how many people give up and let go of their dreams during those challenging times....and if they realize howthe tests they are going through are a normal part of the process. Myhope is that this year, 2005, will be the year that more people thanever start believing in their dreams again! That is my birthday wish forme....and for you as well!! Skip on!!!
It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday, especially since my intention for 2005 is to stay true to my dream of writing a book about the benefits of skipping through life. During the march, I overheard a woman behind me talking about Martin. She said, "They say that he had a spiritual dream....a dream that God had given him...They say he wouldn't let go of his dream no matter what."
As I listened to her, I thought about my own skipping dream that started six years ago...I remembered how it felt to be skipping on the mountaintop...Getting national media attention...Having absolute Faith that I had found my life calling and was being Divinely guided...I remembered the brazen courage I used to quit my corporate job and how convinced I was that because I was doing what I loved...and what God wanted me to do...that the money would undoubtedly follow.
Then I thought about the valley that came on the other side of that mountaintop. The rejection letters that came from publishers instead of my hoped-for large advance....Trying to stay positive as I got another"real job" which ultimately resulted in the shock of being fired...The hard, cold, financial reality and bankruptcy that ensued...and the intense doubt and fear that eventually overshadowed my hope and faith.
Luckily, that's not where the story ends...The past year has been all about picking up the pieces of my shattered dream and putting them back together...My time in the valley lasted several years...and I'm still not all the way back on top of the mountain, but the skip has returned to my step....and a sense of hope has come back to my heart. I am once again excited to see what the future will bring!
The birthday gift I received from Martin Luther King Jr.'s example was the realization that the incredible journey that I have been on...with all of its ups AND downs...is what following a dream is all about...It is one thing to skip when the national media is singing your praises...and another all together when it feels like your hopes and dreams are broken all around you. My time in the valley put my "skip through life" philosophy to the test....and I am extremely grateful tosay that I'm still here....and I'm still skipping!
I truly believe that deep in each of our hearts is a dream waiting to berealized....When I think about the time that I spent trying to skip through the darkness, I wonder how many people give up and let go of their dreams during those challenging times....and if they realize howthe tests they are going through are a normal part of the process. Myhope is that this year, 2005, will be the year that more people thanever start believing in their dreams again! That is my birthday wish forme....and for you as well!! Skip on!!!
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