Greetings Friends:
My friend Kristy is an information broker. I like that idea. I call myself a journalist and a mind builder but in many ways I am also an information broker. I gather it up and I pass it on.
This blog, called Random Acts, should not just be about me. It should be about opportunities to get involved. It should showcase what others are doing. Anyone reading this should feel free to send me their own stories and ideas and resources. It should be a forum, not a report.
There are so many people out there doing so many great and unusual things. This blog should be a platform for those stories as well as my own. Sometimes it is a good thing to tell about the random acts of kindness we do in our everyday lives and sometimes it is better to keep what we do to ourselves. Sometimes we can be a greater inspiration when we share what others are doing -- and believe me, others are doing great things all around the world. These are the stories that, sadly, seldom get told.
Bad news is everywhere. Good news takes a little searching to find. When you get some, pass it on. Inspire someone.
I did a little research this week to try and find more information about this concept of random acts. It is a movement. It is a spirit. It is way of life.
There is a foundation devoted to news about random people doing random things all over the globe. I joined that foundation and soon I will have the opportunity to build a web page a post my blog. It will provide a great forum for people interested in reading about random acts or sharing their own ideas and stories. It will also provide a great resource for teachers, parents and community leaders looking for something positive to do that will truly have an impact. Go there and see what its all about: www.randomactsofkindness.org
Can you imagine what your workplace, your church, your town or your own family would be like if each person involved tried each day to do just one simple kind or helpful thing? We'd have a revolution for good instead of bad. People would not know how to respond. We'd show we are Christians by our love. We'd engage ourselves in a paradigm shift of logic. We might actually solve some of our biggest problems. We'd be out to make a difference instead of staying the same. Imagine that!
In the process of my search I stumbled upon a woman from Washington, D.C. who launched her own Random Acts foundation after having a vivid dream. In her dream she saw herself in Africa encountering a woman who was simply walking down a long and dusty road. Somehow in her dream it became quite clear that she was being called to go there to help whatever women she encountered. She tells the story far better than I do. You can read it by following this link: http://randomactsfoundation.com/story.html.
Here is one example of a typical American, a businesswoman from D.C., who caught the vision of doing random acts. Granted, not everyone is going to have a dream that huge. Not all of us will have the gumption or the resources needed to follow that dream but in a world where random acts are so desperately needed, I do believe we all can do something. We can find random acts of kindness to do in our own communities, we can support those who do random acts all over the planet, we can become advocates and information brokers, we can start a discussion.
It has often been said that the best way to contribute to the downturning of our nation and the discouragement of humanity is to do nothing at all. If you want to have a positive impact on the world around you, get involved. Do something now!
Blessings,
Cindi (aka. Poetic Justice)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
LIFE IS A DANCE -- JUST MOVE
Dear Friends:
Committing to a daily blog is a lot like making a New Year's resolution. It is like trying to stay on a diet or committing to working out at the gym. We start out with plenty of passion and drive and energy -- but then it disappears.
We want to stay true. We want to stick with it. We want to once and for all finally follow through with something we started.
More often than not, we don't. Our enthusiasm wanes. Stuff gets in the way.
Do not be discouraged. True leaders are those who understand the process. It is not always about the finish line or being the fastest or proving our worth by taking on so much it overwhelms us. Sometimes its just about staying steady.
The flow of life has its ups and downs. It is like a dance.
If you have ever watched DANCING WITH THE STARS or SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on TV (especially the auditions) you will know some people have the ability to glide and to flow while others definately do not. Some have rythem, some don't.
I don't know if I'm much of a dancer. I do know there is a place in the Spirit where things just happen naturally and that, my friend, is a really beautiful place to be. Sadly, we don't get there very often and when we do we sometimes ruin the moment by trying too hard to control the environment. Have you watched someone trying to dance the jive to a slow romantic ballad? Have you seen someone trying to jitterbug to hip hop music? Its easy to be awkward and out of step on the dance floor, and with God. When this happens, we not only look foolish -- we feel it as well.
Does that mean we should hang up our dancing shoes and sit on the sidelines of life? Absolutely not. One of the greatest things we can do is keep dancing. Dance like no one is watching. Dance freely but take the time to LISTEN to the music. Sometimes we hear the beat but we do not listen with our hearts. Hearing is the process of sound waves entering the ear and hitting the brain. Listening, however, is comprehending those sounds. Listening involves turning noise into meaning.
One of the most important things is to never give up completely. Keep trying. So you started a blog, a diet, a daily workout and you missed it a time or two. Is that the end of it? You may have indulged in some chocolate today but that doesn't mean you've blown the whole diet. Maybe you missed a day at the gym. Perhaps you only accomplished one thing on a very long "to do" list -- at least you have one less thing left to do now.
Too many times we give up. We set out standards or our expectations so high we know we can't attain the goal. Why bother. We were doomed from the very start.
I say keep moving. Do not let the momentum stop. Forward, backwards, sideways . . . just move.
Life is a dance. Sometimes we go forward, sometimes we step back and sometimes we stand still. As long as we keep dancing, we'll get where we're going in due season.
Just dance,
Cindi (aka POETIC JUSTICE)
Committing to a daily blog is a lot like making a New Year's resolution. It is like trying to stay on a diet or committing to working out at the gym. We start out with plenty of passion and drive and energy -- but then it disappears.
We want to stay true. We want to stick with it. We want to once and for all finally follow through with something we started.
More often than not, we don't. Our enthusiasm wanes. Stuff gets in the way.
Do not be discouraged. True leaders are those who understand the process. It is not always about the finish line or being the fastest or proving our worth by taking on so much it overwhelms us. Sometimes its just about staying steady.
The flow of life has its ups and downs. It is like a dance.
If you have ever watched DANCING WITH THE STARS or SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on TV (especially the auditions) you will know some people have the ability to glide and to flow while others definately do not. Some have rythem, some don't.
I don't know if I'm much of a dancer. I do know there is a place in the Spirit where things just happen naturally and that, my friend, is a really beautiful place to be. Sadly, we don't get there very often and when we do we sometimes ruin the moment by trying too hard to control the environment. Have you watched someone trying to dance the jive to a slow romantic ballad? Have you seen someone trying to jitterbug to hip hop music? Its easy to be awkward and out of step on the dance floor, and with God. When this happens, we not only look foolish -- we feel it as well.
Does that mean we should hang up our dancing shoes and sit on the sidelines of life? Absolutely not. One of the greatest things we can do is keep dancing. Dance like no one is watching. Dance freely but take the time to LISTEN to the music. Sometimes we hear the beat but we do not listen with our hearts. Hearing is the process of sound waves entering the ear and hitting the brain. Listening, however, is comprehending those sounds. Listening involves turning noise into meaning.
One of the most important things is to never give up completely. Keep trying. So you started a blog, a diet, a daily workout and you missed it a time or two. Is that the end of it? You may have indulged in some chocolate today but that doesn't mean you've blown the whole diet. Maybe you missed a day at the gym. Perhaps you only accomplished one thing on a very long "to do" list -- at least you have one less thing left to do now.
Too many times we give up. We set out standards or our expectations so high we know we can't attain the goal. Why bother. We were doomed from the very start.
I say keep moving. Do not let the momentum stop. Forward, backwards, sideways . . . just move.
Life is a dance. Sometimes we go forward, sometimes we step back and sometimes we stand still. As long as we keep dancing, we'll get where we're going in due season.
Just dance,
Cindi (aka POETIC JUSTICE)
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