Giving Thanks

Today, my post is part of a larger movement being billed as #tweetsgiving on Twitter, an effort to raise awareness and generate funds for Epic Change. Learn more or consider a donation. "Last year, Epic Change, with only a #hashtag and accepting donations online in a 48 hour period, raised over $10,000 for a school in Tanzania. Tweetsgiving 2009 will go partly to create a dormitory/orphanage, library, school, cafeteria and additional classrooms are needed in partnership with Kamptoni in Tanzania. The other portion will go towards funded future change makers and social entrepreneurs in less fortunate conditions."

When Thanksgiving rolls around, I can get caught up in all the shoulds and have tos. The shopping, the meal, the cleaning, how to say no to some people and accommodate others. Then someone will say something that reminds me this holiday is about gratitude.

I’m most thankful for my supportive, understanding husband of 19 years and our two funny, bright children who are now, much to my amazement, 11 and 9. And across my lifetime there have been numerous other people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude, from my parents and siblings to friends and teachers. I’d name them here, but it would take far too long. The best “things” in my life are definitely people. Having said that...

This year in particular, I’m grateful for:

• Job skills that don’t rely on an employer. I love being my own employer. I have lots of flaws, but overall, I think I’m a pretty decent leader, even if I’m only leading myself and the dog most days.
• Books. Yeah, those bound paper objects that authors, editors and publishers have labored over so that I may be inspired, entertained or otherwise edified. I love books so much that I call my home work space "the library."
• Pets. I’ve rediscovered my old dog. She’s become a big part of my daily life.
  
• Coffee shops, free wireless and iced green (or white) tea. I’ve had a lot of fun working alone but not alone. While we’re at it, how about social media in general? I’ve connected with some of the nicest, most genuine people using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. And I’ve seen many of them in person. In coffee shops.
• The bizarre system of allergy shots, food avoidance, strange diet, supplements, medication, stress reduction and on and on that has helped me feel way better and lose over 60 pounds. I have my moments of weakness (mmmmm, chocolate) but overall, I’ve found it very livable.

Looking back at that, it really comes down to people, work, connectivity, health, animals and learning. Yeah, that seems about right.

I'm grateful to you, reader, for witnessing my little life here on Earth and for caring what I have to say. May your Thanksgiving be filled with gratitude.

Peace.

Other bloggers supporting Tweetsgiving:
Kenan Farrell
Douglas Karr
Nicki Laycoax
Lindsay Manfredi
Nancy Myrland
Pamela Reilly
Michael Reynolds
Scott Semester
Angie Six
Robby Slaughter
Amy Stark
Jon Speer
Lisa Sirkin Vielee
Scott Wise

Work Isn't Just About Money

My friend is on a courageous quest to find a career that is in alignment with his heart. Talking with a group of friends, he told us the careers he’s narrowed his search to. It’s an inspiring list that feels right for who he is. One of the more cautious of the group commented, “but those don’t pay that well.” I felt knocked back on my heels a bit. Only after a day of contemplation have I been able to verbalize my feelings.

There is income beyond Greenbacks. There are measures beyond coin. What's the cost of staying in a job/career/position that doesn't feed your soul – and may even eat away at it? Every $2 working a job that doesn't make your heart sing (when you're a person who needs to hear your heart singing) could be worth the same or less than every $1 in a job that does make your heart sing.

Maybe you’ve heard Andre Agassi speak about his book and his drug issues. People seem to be incredulous that he resorted to drugs to quell a depression he didn't understand. They say "how could someone who's on the top of his game, famous by anyone's standards and with more than enough money to have whatever he wants be depressed?" Andre's answer is that depression doesn't discriminate. It has nothing to do with how much you make or how famous you are. When it comes, it comes. And his depression came to him when he was feeling stuck in a life that wasn't his.

How does that relate? I think you probably get it, but in case I'm way too far out on a limb: making more money isn't the answer to one’s soul's calling. If amassing wealth regardless of the means (assuming ethics and moral behavior is engaged) feels like your calling, then the constant upward trajectory may be the right path. That’s fine.

As for my friend, he craves something different. Other people look at him and may see good balance in his life. They may see a loving wife and beautiful healthy children. They may see a good job that pays well and that his company loves him. They may even see that in a state that is experiencing over 10% unemployment he has a job. "What more do you want?" they may ask.

My wish for him is that he won’t let all the people who don't “get it“ get to him, that he won’t let them pollute his mind with those pictures of what we've been brainwashed to believe success is – the fat wallet, the big house, the fancy cars, the extravagant vacations. His measure of success might be quite different.

By the way, I’m not so naive to believe that if you find ”it“ that it will be sunshine and roses every minute of the job. All jobs come with annoyances, pain and failures. Even so, there’s just a difference of work that is aligned with your heart and simply going through the motions.

Trust yourself. Dare to be you.

Book Review: The Night Counter

I'm apparently in a phase of consuming writing rather than producing because I have yet another book review for you.

I never know how to pick a novel. A week ago I browsed the new fiction section of my local library branch and found myself attracted to a pretty blue cover, a title in an Arabic font and little stylized stars. What can I say? I’m still a designer at heart, I suppose. Anyway, after reading the flap summary, I decided I’d give the book a shot.

Having now finished, I can say that The Night Counter by Alia Yunis is a highly worthy read. The main character, Fatima Abdullah, is an 85 year old Arab American immigrant who spent the majority of her life in Detroit, Michigan. When we meet her, she is in Los Angeles where she has lived with her grandson for over three years and is visited nightly by the fabled Scheherazade. The story opens on the 992nd night of Scheherazade's visits and progresses through the 1,001st night when Fatima hopes to learn her own fate. Along the way, we learn about Fatima’s marriages, her childhood home in Lebanon and her offspring. As an added bonus, we sit in with two FBI agents eager to exercise The Patriot Act. The story is told third person yet the perspective varies slightly depending on the highlighted character.

As a woman, I can sympathize with Fatima’s joys and sacrifices in her life. As an white American, I was able to look through a different set of eyes at the American culture as well as the false assumptions and prejudices generalized to a whole group of people, especially since 9/11. And regardless of gender or ethnicity, I was reminded of the leaps of logic we make based on our own beliefs and outside influence.

I enjoyed the storytelling – both humorous and solemn. And as a student of the human condition, I appreciate the added perspective to my worldview. Now that I’m done with The Night Counter, I miss Fatima – and Scheherazade.

Book Review: A Year of Cats and Dogs

I can't say exactly what took me so long to read this book. It had been sent as an advance galley copy by the publisher on my request through LibraryThing. The offer description appealed to me with it's promise of animal companions and the I Ching. Perhaps it was simply the timing. I received the book in July shortly after I'd left my job. And things rather suddenly became tumultuous in the life of someone very close to me. I was soul searching, supporting the same for someone else – and I didn't quite want the distraction of escaping into someone's fictional story.

About a week or so ago when the turmoil in my loved one's life came to a conclusion of sorts, I was ready to read something besides blogs, articles and books on brand, business and health. So, I pulled my copy of A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins from the shelf.

I very quickly connected with Maryanne, the main character who tells her story first person, memoir style. She brought a knowing smile to my face as she related how she just passed through a major transition in her life and then chose to go through another. What she discovers about herself and her immediate world reminded me to accept and believe. The book isn't all lesson, however. In large part, it is simply enjoyable with language that paints word pictures I'm still holding in my mind, having laid the book to rest around 1:00 this morning.

The author uses a few devices to advance the book and add layers of understanding, the two most notable being those I mentioned earlier – animals and the I Ching. While the I Ching does show up in the text, it is mostly found as the chapter titles, corresponding to each of the 64 hexagrams in the Chinese divination system. The I Ching is also known as the Book of Changes, an apt parallel to the year Maryanne shares with readers. Her relationship with her cat Clement and several dogs, especially Bob, Gregoire and Harvey are key to the self-discovery Maryanne experiences as well as much of the action in the book.

I read A Year of Cats and Dogs over about five or six sessions, mostly as my evening relaxation reading. I'm not a particularly fast reader, with fiction especially, so you may find it faster for you. I find that I like to re-read a section or pause to take in the images or feelings of what I've read. As with all fiction (that I like), I had to force myself to call a break for sleep after an hour or so. I could have easily stayed up in to the wee hours reading it from cover to cover.

I'm neither a voracious fiction reader nor particularly critical of literary conventions. What I do want are books that offer glimpses into the human condition through character studies, relationships and symbolism. A Year of Cats and Dogs met my reading requirements nicely.