Hero
Friday, April 4th, 2008Who are YOUR heroes? And why?
Archive for the 'Making a Difference' Category
Earth Hour
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
Lifted from the music blog at WXPN Philadelphia:
“What is Earth Hour you may ask? Well, created in response to the question “how can we inspire people to take action on climate change?”, it is an hour during which people turn off their lights for just one hour. Around this time last year this project was executed in Sydney, Australia.
A reported 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney turned off their lights simply for one hour and it was calculated that if the greenhouse gas reduction achieved in the Sydney Central Business District during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year!
Therefore, this year on March 29 at 8pm The Philadelphia Zoo along with many residents around the city plan to participate in Earth Hour 2008, and you should too!”
The “Big Flick” as it is also known, includes turning off computers, tvs, etc, but especially lights. So get out your candles and lanterns and do something reflective or fun in the dark! I’m looking forward to it. With all the buzzing energy of technology, I think this will be a good break for me, in addition to the benefits to our earth. I hope you decide to join in…and if I’ve persuaded you, please let me know how it went. I’ll report from my end the next evening or soon after that.
There is more info on the event here: Earth Hour
It Just Hit Me….
Friday, March 21st, 2008Within a smattering of days of being home, I realize how much the politics of this country have shaped such a huge debt and depression, that out of it there is growing a groundswell of art and music that are quite inspiring. I’ve been out of the country far too long. But, coming home with a fresh perspective, I can see that people are not afraid to speak out for their needs. It’s a revolution not unlike that of the 1960s, to my uneducated eyes. I could be wrong, but that is the sense that I have… I believe this country and it’s people are not too far gone that we can’t pull ourselves and our environment back from the brink of demise.
Little Kindnesses Can Be Quite Big
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008Yesterday, Cameron and I made a visit to the beach and spent the day happily collecting shells, wading, taking photos and walking in the surf.
I can’t believe how little time we have together now, but I think we are both ready for it, as much as we can be. My stay in the U.S. is going to be a long one, because I am staying for many months, indefinitely. I have spent far too many years away from my family and friends, and my mental health is literally at stake over the whole thing, due to my bipolar disorder, in part. I need my support system around me, not that I don’t have one in Melbourne; but even the landscapes and culture of my homeland are things from which I feel torn. I also often miss out on seeing people I intend to visit, with such a short window of opportunity during visits, especially in the winter, with bad weather and busy holidays.
My brother gets married in June and my sister is having a baby in August, and I don’t want to miss out on Easter, Mother’s Day, 4th of July, Birthdays, Christmas or the simple everyday fun we have as a close knit group, yet again this year. Cam is going to try and get to my brother’s wedding in June. Then it will be played by ear. There is much more that goes into the whole thing, and it will be explained later on, after I’ve had some time to sort out feeling, needs, wants and the rest.
But, back to the beach.
It was a gorgeous day, warm with a brisk and refreshing breeze and we’d wanted to eat at our favourite restaurant there, but found out that a bill had been payed from our bank account earlier than expected, so the funds were not there.
We ended up compromising and going to a small Turkish restaurant, which was just as good, because the food and service there are excellent, and they play lovely Middle Eastern music. I love the atmosphere. (It is not the same one which I mentioned here before, Cafe Umut. I’ll give you the name of this shop once I look up the right spelling.)
The girl who brought us our meals seemed happy and breezy as she prepared things, and she did a little dance when walking back and forth from the kitchen. I smiled and laughed with her, at her playful manner. Cameron and I found that it was a blessing in disguise to be eating here rather than the other restaurant. Just as good a meal, for less cost, good music and a happy, yet quiet, atmosphere. We were the only ones in the place at the time, because it was just about 3 pm.
As we were paying our bill, and getting ready to leave, the girl who had served us said to me, “I can’t let you go without telling you that you have such beautiful eyes! I just had to tell you that!” And I thanked her for that sweetness. I was really taken aback, because it’s a rare thing for someone to come forward like that to be so complimentary. I was touched and it made my day that much brighter.
It just makes me think that if we treated each other this way all the time, how wonderful would our life become? Sure, we all have our grumpy, sour or blah moments, but focusing on other people to smile and laugh with them, or tell them something positive about themselves seems like a most important thing to me, even if the words aren’t many. Something she said, which could seem little, had made my day. Maybe some people live this way every day. I hope to become one of them! Are you up for the challenge? I call for more genuine compliments for people we do, and do not, know! It seems so important in days like these. It IS so important!
