Katie Spotz

Katie Spotz is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean ... alone.

She's rowing to bring awareness to the global need for safe drinking water. It's 2,500 miles of open water from Dakar, Senegal to Cayenne, French Guiana. When she completes the three month journey (mid-March) she will be the youngest person ever to row across an ocean.

Katie hopes to inspire at least 1,000 people to make $30 donations to Blue Planet Run Foundation. Each $30 donation gives one individual a lifetime of safe drinking water. There are one billion people on our planet who lack access to safe, clean drinking water.

To be one of the people inspired by Katie, go to www.rowforwater.com where you can also follow Katie's blog from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. You can follow her on twitter at @katiespotz.

Amazing!

Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin 's TED talk ... fantastic!

If you want to understand the Autistic Mind, listen to Temple.

Be sure to see the HBO Movie Temple Grandin

Erma Bombeck

If she had lived to see it, yesterday would have been Erma Bombeck's 83rd birthday.

In 1979, at age 52, Erma wrote ...

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

Someone asked me the other day if I had my life to live over, would I change anything.

My answer was no, but then I thought about it and changed my mind.

If I had my life to live over again, I would have waxed less and listened more.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I'd have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the "good" living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble wbout his youth.

I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.

I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television...and more while watching real life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.

I would have eaten less cottage cheese, and more ice cream.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the Earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for a day.

I would never have bought ANYTHING just because it was practical/wouldn't show soil/guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my child kissed me inpetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more I love yous...more I'm sorrys...more I'm listenings...but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it...look at it and really see it...try it on...live it...exhaust it...and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.

My lesson from the weekend:

I am opinionated ... but I hate to argue.

I feel my opinions ... in my heart, in my stomach... only later do I ever back them up with facts and intellectual thought.

Lately it has been my intention to feel my opinions, yet keep them to myself. I don't like getting on a high-horse or a soapbox. But sometimes I just can't help myself.

Hopefully, communicating with real honesty, an open heart, and a pure intention ... everything works itself out.

Happy Valentine's Day

lovey dovey, Sunday walks, & holding hands for hours;

duvet days, pillow fights and tingly long showers,

... gazing eyes, starcrossed lovers thinking gorgeous things;

all consuming eternal lust and then a wedding ring,

... soon along come babies, sleepless nights and getting really stressed;

it's hard to be romantic when you always feel a mess,

... mortgage payments, washing up and pants upon the floor,

... there is always something to moan about, it really is a bore,

...but remember this my true love,

I think that you're the best,

... I treasure every single moment, the good, bad and the rest,

... we will no doubt have a daily rant about the lid up on the loo,

... but I still adore you and our life together and am thrilled I said "I do"...x

Married Life Poem

Year of the Tiger

This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 14th.

2010 is the year of the Tiger!

The tiger is a sign of bravery.

give it away... creatively

An inspirational article in the New York Times (thank you, Kitty) reminds me to commit to creative acts of kindness and philanthropy.

"It’s a great technological trick that it now takes no more than a text message to send $10 to Haiti. But with that simplicity comes a certain passivity. There is a benefit, too, to having a creative challenge built into some personal charitable giving — innovation of all kinds requires ownership, reinvention, elaborate consideration."

Let's get our hands "dirty". What creative acts of philanthropy can you share?

Soles4Souls

Doing some soul searching?

In the wake of the earthquake devastation in Haiti, Soles4Souls is collecting shoes to send to those in need: infants, children, teens, adults ... many with nothing left. We can easily help by getting them some shoes. Souls4Souls started after the 2004 tsunami. This Nashville-based non-profit has been collecting shoes for people in need for the past 6 years. During that time they have given away almost 6 million pairs of shoes!

This is an easy class, school, neighborhood, or family project.

For collection locations click on Soles4Souls

Quest for Literacy

Yesterday I went to The Learning Lab's annual Lunch for Literacy.

There, I was introduced to John Corcoran. His story is tremendously inspiring while at the same time profoundly heartbreaking. John Corcoran was illiterate until the age of 48... yet he managed to graduate from high school and college, and work as a teacher without being discovered.

To be able to pull this off proves Mr. Corcoran is more than just smart. He's tenacious, clever, wildly intelligent, and charismatic.

John Corcoran was illiterate because he was dyslexic, but was never diagnosed. His teachers continually seated him in the "dumb row" at school.

At 70 years old he wrote a memoir, The Teacher Who Couldn't Read. And more recently published, The Bridge to Literacy: No child - or adult - Left Behind.

A fantastic legacy of personal determination in the quest for literacy.

Linchpin

I just finished Seth Godin's new book, Linchpin. It was wonderfully motivating. Everyone has a gift to give; everyone can add value; everyone is an artist. Somewhere at the intersection of Dignity, Humanity, and Generosity lies our ability to change the world.