7 Inspirations for Your Daily Practice: Creating and Giving

"I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God."

~Martha Graham

Do you ever have weeks where a word, image, or idea keeps popping up? When it happens to me, it usually means that I need to pay attention, and tell your guys about it. For the past week, examples of daily practices around creativity and giving have been showing up, so I thought I'd share them with you.

I don't know what it is about November, but there are a bunch of challenges for creating and giving coming up:

30 Days of Gratitude

Carla Kay White, creator of the Gratitude Journal app, is encouraging folks to record 30 days of gratitude in their journal, with her app, or as a photo journal on Instagram. If you decide to share what you are grateful for on Instagram or Twitter, use the hashtag #novembergratitude

Art Every Day Month

The lovely Leah Piken Kolidas started Art Every Day Month 10 years ago as a challenge to herself to create art every day for a month, and post it on her blog.  You can sign up on this page, to join this year's AEDM. Most people post a photo of what they made on their blog, or Flickr.  If you share your posts, or photos on Instagram, or Twitter, use the hashtag #aedm2012.

You can listen to my October 2010 interview with Leah on the Arts and Healing Network Podcast, and view my Flickr set from participating in 2010.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

Leah was inspired to create Art Every Day Month by NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The first NaNoWriMo started 13 years ago with a group of 21 writers. Last year, 36,843 writers participated!

Check out their website. It's full of fun resources and ways to connect to fellow novelists. Lots of folks are sharing tips on Twitter with the hashtag #nanowrimo

I've also been noticing a number of books about 365 days of creating and giving (I haven't read any of them, by the way):

One Good Deed a Day (Diary) by Chronicle Books

Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt

365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! by Noah Scalin

One Good Deed: 365 Days of Trying to Be Just a Little Bit Better by Erin McHugh

All of these challenges and books make me want to try a creative and/or giving practice during the month of November, or in 2013. Howabout you? Do you already have a daily creating or giving practice?  If not, do you want to try one?

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Free Classes at Coursera: Be a More Educated Activist

Have you guys heard of Coursera?

A just learned about it last weekend, and think it's the coolest thing ever. It's a social entrepreneurship company that partners with universities to offer courses online for free. According to their website, part of their vision is to:

"[G]ive everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few. We want to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in."

As of this writing, they offer free, online courses from 33 universities like Berklee College of Music, Columbia University, John Hopkins University, Stanford University, University of Melbourne, and Wesleyan University.

I'm ridiculously excited to start taking classes. Not only is it an opportunity for me to explore personal interests, but also to learn more about causes I care about. I've already signed up for a University of Melbourne course about Climate Change (date TBD), a John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health course, Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public Health (January 2013), and a University of Florida class, Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (date TBD).

What courses are you going to take? 

Maybe we'll be in class together (:

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 P.S. I have three blogging classes coming up in October:

• Oct. 14 (Berkeley, CA): Tea and Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers (Bring a friend!: Buy One/Get One Half Off - when registering for 2 spots)
• Oct. 16-Nov. 6 (Virtual): Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art & Play of Blogging
• October 27 (Berkeley, CA): Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work

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Art and Aging: Tim Carpenter of EngAGE

According to Pew Research Center's population projections, in 2030, all members of the Baby Boom generation will be 65 or older, and 18% of Americans will be at least that age.

I believe that new models of aging and senior life will emerge from this wave, and can't wait to see what is created, which is why I loved stumbling upon The New York Times article, For Healthy Aging, A Late Act in the Footlights. It profiles an innovative organization called EngAGE.

EngAGE is a nonprofit that changes aging, and the way people think about aging, by transforming senior apartment communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness and creativity. One of its project is the Burbank Senior Artists Colony, a first-of-its-kind senior apartment community with high-end arts amenities and programs (how cool is that?). The NOHO Senior Arts Colony and the Long Beach Senior Arts Colony will open in 2012.

I truly believe that projects like EngAGE are models for happy and healthy senior communities, so I was thrilled when EngAGE's founder, Tim Carpenter, agreed to chat with me for the Arts and Healing Network's Podcast.  In 2008, Tim was named an Ashoka Fellow. In 2011, he received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.  He also serves on the board of the National Center for Creative Aging, and is the host and producer of the EXPERIENCE TALKS radio show.

You can listen to the interview on the Arts and Healing Network's website, through iTunes, or on the player below.

What other innovative aging and senior living projects have you seen?

 P.S. I have three blogging classes coming up in October:

• Oct. 14 (Berkeley, CA): Tea and Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers (Bring a friend!: Buy One/Get One Half Off - when registering for 2 spots)
• Oct. 16-Nov. 6 (Virtual): Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art & Play of Blogging
• October 27 (Berkeley, CA): Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work

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How Are You Unfurling? (Video)

What's unfurling in you right now?

Who (or what) are your allies as you unfurl in this way?

How do you get out of your own way?

What's the soundtrack?

Who are you becoming?

These are the five questions that the lovely Amy Kessel asks each person in her Unfurling video blog series — including me! You can hear my answers by watching the video below, or on Amy's blog.

I've never done a video interview before, especially with such deep questions!


Unfurling With Britt Bravo from amy kessel on Vimeo.

P.S. I have three blogging classes coming up in October:

• Oct. 14 (Berkeley, CA): Tea and Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers (Bring a friend!: Buy One/Get One Half Off - when registering for 2 spots)
• Oct. 16-Nov. 6 (Virtual): Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art & Play of Blogging
• October 27 (Berkeley, CA): Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work

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Playing Big to Change the World

"[W]omen playing big is a large part of what is going to bring the world out
of the mess it’s in." ~ Tara Mohr

Tara Mohr is a wise lady, which is why I asked her to share a guest post with you about Playing Big. I know that many of you have big visions for a better world, and that some of you are looking for guidance about how to "play big," so that you can realize that vision. My hope is that Tara will be a resource for you either through her Playing Big program, her blog, her videos, or her Twitter feed. Enjoy!

Playing Big
by Tara Mohr

A few years ago, I sent a survey to my blog readers and asked them, “What’s the biggest challenge in your life?”

My blog readers are a lot like the readers here – intelligent, socially conscious women who want to contribute something of meaning to the world.

I listed a whole bunch of choices for that “biggest challenge”:


__I just can’t find enough time to do all that is important to me.
__I don’t have clarity about what I want.
__I have unsupportive people in my life.
__I have major financial challenges.
__Work-family balance.
__My work isn’t satisfying.
__Health issues.

…and so on.

Then, almost on a whim, I added one more potential mega challenge:

__I’m playing small.

When the survey results came back in, I was stunned. Across hundreds of responses, by far the most popular answer to “what’s your biggest challenge?” was “I’m playing small.”

I was stunned because we don’t often talk about our playing small, but it turns out that quietly, inside so many of us, there is a pained sense of playing small.

Of course, we could chalk this up to our unrealistic expectations of ourselves, or our culture’s focus on everything being big, bigger, biggest. But after working with hundreds of people around the work of playing bigger, that’s not what I’ve found. Their sense of playing small isn’t coming from misguided expectations. What I’ve found in people is a wise knowing that they are holding back their boldest ideas and most radical questions, that they are still playing the skeptic in relation to their own big callings to serve. Fear and self-doubt are still running the show, way too much of the time.

Those survey responses helped me see the need for a training that would help women play bigger, that would take them step by step through the inner work and tactical training needed to really start playing big. Teaching the Playing Big women’s leadership program is now the focus of my work. More than 250 women have been through the program.

Creating and leading Playing Big has allowed me to have my own “have fun, do good” journey. For me, helping women play big feels like a crucial kind of service because I think women playing big is a large part of what is going to bring the world out of the mess it’s in.

So, here are two questions for you to consider today:

How are you playing small in your work right now? Where are you betraying your voice, your gifts?

What does playing big look like for you? If you set aside the world’s definition, and get real about what playing big really means to you, what images or ideas come up?

Love,

Tara

Visit HERE to learn more about Tara’s program Playing Big, or check out her free 10 Rules for Brilliant Women Workbook HERE.

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P.S. I have three blogging classes coming up in October:
Oct. 14 (Berkeley, CA): Tea & Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers
Oct. 16-Nov. 6 (Virtual): Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art & Play of Blogging
October 27 (Berkeley, CA): Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work

Your (Free) October 2012 Big Vision Worksheet

The hubs is back from his work travels, and so are the Big Vision Worksheets. Yay!

The photo is from the roof of Gaudi's La Pedrera/Casa Milà in Barcelona, one of my favorite places we visited on our trip to Spain.

You can download a PDF of My October 2012 Big Vision worksheet for free from Dropbox here.

I wrote my big vision for the month under, "My October Big Vision," and then wrote my 4 actions steps, at a diagonal, near the numbers on top of the 4 funny heads. Obviously, you can write on it however works for you (:

What are some of your big visions for October?

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P.S. I have three blogging classes coming up in October:
Oct. 14 (Berkeley, CA): Tea & Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers
Oct. 16-Nov. 6 (Virtual): Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art & Play of Blogging
October 27 (Berkeley, CA): Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work

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Why I'm Volunteering to Be a Reading Partner Again

When I was on vacation a few weeks ago, I had a dream that I was walking through a large public school library filled with students. They were all going to take a standardized test. There were so many students in the room that they were sitting on all of the window sills, and on the tops of bookshelves.

As I walked through the library, I realized that they were all going to fail the test because they couldn't read. Many of them were going to end up in jail.

I woke up feeling deeply sad, and a bit befuddled by why my subconscious would decide to stage a dream about America's messed up public education system at the beginning of my vacation! Over the next two nights, I had more dreams about working with young people, but the first one was the most vivid. It stayed with me throughout the trip.

Then, this week, I read The Washington Post story, SAT reading scores hit a four-decade low.

Sooooooo, I've decided to be a volunteer "reading partner" again at my local elementary school.  Once a week, I'll read one-on-one with a kindergartner for half an hour, and then with a fifth grader for half an hour.  We'll stay reading partners throughout the school year.

I took a break from being a reading partner during the last last school year 'cause frankly, working in the public school system depresses me.  It's not the kids, it's just the overall dysfunction of the system. But you know what?  I need to get over it 'cause it's only an hour a week for eight months out of the year. And I always love working with young people. And I have a flexible schedule 'cause I work for myself.  Come on, Bravo!

If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity, search around on VolunteerMatch, Idealist, and Serve.gov, as well as on individual organization's websites. Don't forget to see if your local public school and public library need volunteers too!

Will you be volunteering this fall? If so, what made you decide to volunteer?

Harriet the Spy was one of my absolute favorite books growing up.  I read it more times than I can count!

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3 Fall Blogging Classes (1 Virtual, 2 in Berkeley)

Just wanted to let the bloggers among you know that I have three blogging classes coming up this fall (one virtual and two in Berkeley). You can see examples of some of my past students, and their blogging successes in the most recent issue of the Juicy Blogging eNews: 13 Juicy Bloggers.

Tea and Cupcakes with Creative Bloggers
October 14
Teahouse Studio
Berkeley, CA

Juicy Blogging E-Course: The Art and Play of Blogging
October 16-November 6
Virtual

Blogging for Writers: Build an Audience for Your Work
October 27
The Writing Salon
Berkeley, CA



Let me know if you have questions!


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Courage, Leadership, Grandmothers, Half The Sky and The Mission List

My in-box was so full of have fun, do good books, films, events and classes to share with you I decided to gather them all into one post. Enjoy!

Grandmother Power
Photo journalist Paola Gianturco (who I interviewed for the Big Vision Podcast in 2007) has a new book out, Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon. Check out Tara Mohr's interview with her on The Huffington Post.

 




 Playing Big

Tara's 6-month long Playing Big, a program for "women who want to play bigger" starts in October. You can get a taste of Tara's wisdom by watching this clip from her recent appearance on the Today Show where she talks about common ways women undermine themselves with their own words.

Rockwood Leadership Institute has Art of Leadership Trainings coming up on both coasts. The Art of Leadership is a, "retreat workshop for social change leaders from the nonprofit, philanthropic, labor and socially responsible business sectors."

Check out the piece, Playing It Safe, by Rockwood's President, Akaya Winwood.

Marianne Elliot has created a new online course, 30 Days of Courage, "for people who want to step out of their comfort zone, through the small acts of daily bravery that add up to a courageous life." She's offering a special deal right now that if you buy her book, Zen Under Fire: A Story of Love and War in Afghanistan, you will receive 30 Days of Courage for free

You'll notice when you click on the link for Zen Under Fire, that the book is only available from New Zealand at this time. It'll be more expensive than the usual paperback for folks outside of NZ, but with 30 Days of Courage added in for free, it's a deal!

Zen Under Fire will be available in the U.S. June 2013.

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwise is now a documentary. It will air on PBS in two parts on October 1st and 2nd.

Check out this article in MORE Magazine about Diane Lane, one of six actresses involved in film.

I originally found out about the Half The Sky film through The Mission List, an online community for women who want to use their influence in social media for social good. You can join their Twitter chat about Half the Sky on both nights with the hashtag #HalftheSkyTML.

I also read about Giving Tuesday on The Mission List. Giving Tuesday is a campaign to create a national day of charitable giving at the start of the winter holiday season. It will take place on on November 27, 2012 - the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Full disclosure: I'm involved with most of the people and projects I mentioned personally and/or professionally. I'm completely biased!

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5 Things I Loved About Spain

After one of the best meals of my life at Casa Lucio

I'm back from a 2-week vacation in Spain, and wanted to share some of my reflections before it all fades away into the routine of everyday life.

Walking

The hubs and I spend about four days in Madrid and 10 in Barcelona. During that time, we walked at least 6 miles a day around the city.  Sooooo much better than sitting in front of a computer all day. Why does modern life involve so much sitting!

Real food

I don't think we ate any processed food in Spain. Even though I ate way more animal products, and pastries (: than I would at home, I felt great.

Sunshine

I know we're all worried about skin cancer, but geesh does daily sunshine feel good.

Time

I don't remember the last time I had a two-week vacation, but wow is it different than a weekend away.  It was wonderful to have such an extended break, and to be able to spend so much time with the hubs. Highly recommend.

Art and Beauty

The highlight of Madrid for me was going to The Prado.  I usually get a bit weary after being in a museum for a couple hours, but when we left The Prado, I was energized and inspired. My two favorite paintings were The Three Graces by Rubens and Amalia de Llano y Dotres, condesa de Vilches by Federico de Madrazo.

In Barcelona, we toured through Gaudi's Casa Milà/La Pedrera with its amazing roof, strolled through his whimsical Parc Güell, and walked around the outside of La Sagrada Familia (the ticket line was a zoo, so we didn't go inside). I particularly enjoyed the exhibit case in La Pedrera that showed examples of shapes in nature (e.g. the spirals in shells) that inspired Gaudi's designs.

We also went to the city beaches in Barcelona on the blue Mediterranean Sea. It doesn't get more beautiful than that!

*****

Good food, exercise, sunshine, relaxation, time with loved ones, art and beauty.  Sounds like the basic ingredients for happiness to me.  Now to figure out how to make each day a little bit like a Spanish vacation!

Did you have some time away from your regular routine this summer? If so, what did you love about it that you'd like to integrate into your everyday life?

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Chana Saag Recipe from Vegan Slow Cooker

Next month, the VegCookbook Club will be cooking together from The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester.  To entice you to join us, I asked Kathy for a recipe to share with you, so here's her recipe for Chana Saag. Yum!

If you have any questions, or need help troubleshooting slow cooker issues, Kathy said she'd be happy to answer your questions. You can contact her through her website, or on Twitter at @geekypoet

Chana Saagsoy-free, gluten-free and oil-free option

You can use any combinations of greens here, such as spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, and collards, or anything that’s plentiful where you live. Some greens, like collards, are less bitter after they go through a frost.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil (*saute in broth or water to make oil-free)
• 1 small onion, minced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) grated fresh ginger 
• 1 pound (454 g) assorted greens, washed, torn into bite-size pieces, and spun dry (you can also buy a prewashed mix in a bag) 
• Zest of 1/2 lime 
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or to taste) 
• 1/2 cups (353 ml) water 
• 2 tablespoons (12 g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon or 4 tablespoons (24 g) Chickeny Bouillon (page 19) 
• 1 can (15 ounces, or 420 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups (340 g) homemade (page 17) 
• 1/2 to 1 cup (120 to 235 ml) plain nondairy creamer or nondairy milk 
• Salt, to taste 
• Rice, for serving 

The night before:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Store the sautéed onion, grated ginger, and prepared greens in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store the lime zest separately in the fridge. 

In the morning:

Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine the sautéed onion, ginger, greens, spices, water, and bouillon in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours About 30 minutes before serving, purée the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a countertop blender, being careful of splatters of hot soup, until smooth. Add the chickpeas, nondairy creamer, lime zest, and salt to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 30 more minutes, until the beans are heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings Total prep time: 15 minutes Total cooking time: 6 to 8 hours 

Recipe ideas and variations
Add 1 or 2 chopped mild chiles during the last 30 minutes of cooking to give it more heat. Don’t like chickpeas? Substitute 1/2 package (15 ounces, or 420 g) soft, firm, or extra-firm tofu, pressed and then cut into cubes. It will mimic a popular dish called saag paneer.

Full disclosure: The link to The Vegan Slow Cooker is linked to my Amazon Associates Account. If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I will most likely use to buy more books.

What environmental issues are close to your heart?

Last week, I went on a rejuvenating retreat with the folks at Upwell, a nonprofit PR firm with one client — the ocean.  One of our meeting spots was at a picnic bench by the ocean (how cool is that?), where I took these photos.

Tide Pool

Sea urchin

Bean Hollow State Beach

Now that I'm back in the city after two days in the outdoors, I've been think a lot about nature deficit disorder, and how detrimental it to us personally, as a culture (at least, in the US), that we're spending less time outside.

When reviewing the Have Fun * Do Good survey questions, I was struck by how many of you shared that you "have fun" by being spending time in nature (e.g. hiking, fishing, going to the beach, gardening, kayaking, walking). Just this morning, I read in Aging As a Spiritual Practice that one of the 8 lifestyle factors that contributes to healthy aging is being nature, so keep on doing those outdoor activities!

I'm curious.  What environmental issues are close to your heart?  I've cut and pasted the list of environmental issues from Wikipedia below. It's not meant to overwhelm you; just to provide fodder for your answers.  I'm looking forward to reading your responses in the comments (:

"Climate change — Global warming • Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean acidification • Shutdown of thermohaline circulation • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban Heat Islands

Conservation — Species extinction • Pollinator decline • Coral bleaching • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Endangered species

Energy — Energy conservation • Renewable energy • Efficient energy use • Renewable energy commercialization • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Environmental degradation — Eutrophication • Habitat destruction • Invasive species

Environmental health — Air quality • Asthma • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Electromagnetic fields • Electromagnetic radiation and health • Indoor air quality • Lead poisoning • Sick Building Syndrome • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Genetic engineering — Genetic pollution • Genetically modified food controversies

Intensive farming — Overgrazing • Irrigation • Monoculture • Environmental effects of meat production • Slash and burn • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture

Land degradation — Land pollution • Desertification

Soil — Soil conservation • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination

Land use — Urban sprawl • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction

Nanotechnology — Nanotoxicology • Nanopollution

Nuclear issues — Nuclear fallout • Nuclear meltdown • Nuclear power • Nuclear weapons • Nuclear and radiation accidents • Nuclear safety • High-level radioactive waste management

Overpopulation — Burial • Water crisis • Overpopulation in companion animals • Tragedy of the commons • Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries • Sub-replacement fertility levels in developed countries

Ozone depletion — CFC • Biological effects of UV exposure

Pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution • Light pollution • Noise pollution • Visual pollution

Water pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Acid rain • Eutrophication • Marine pollution • Ocean dumping • Oil spills • Thermal pollution • Urban runoff • Water crisis • Marine debris • Microplastics • Ocean acidification • Ship pollution • Wastewater • Fish kill • Algal bloom • Mercury in fish • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Air pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Smog • Tropospheric ozone • Indoor air quality • Volatile organic compound • Atmospheric particulate matter• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Reservoirs — Environmental impacts of reservoirs

Resource depletion — Exploitation of natural resources • Overdrafting 

• Consumerism — Consumer capitalism • Planned obsolescence • Over-consumption
• Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • Cyanide fishing • Ghost nets • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Overfishing • Shark finning • Whaling
• Logging — Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging
• Mining — Acid mine drainage • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Mountaintop removal mining • Slurry impoundments

Toxins — Chlorofluorocarbons • DDT • Endocrine disruptors • Dioxin • Toxic heavy metals • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Herbicides • Pesticides • Toxic waste • PCB • Bioaccumulation • Biomagnification• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

Waste — Electronic waste • Litter • Waste disposal incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill • Leachate • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Incineration • Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Exporting of hazardous waste• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing"

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Full disclosure: The link to Aging as a Spiritual is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you purchase something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I'll most likely spend on more books!

Compassion and Play

Compassion: "from com- 'together'... + pati 'to suffer'"

Play: "pleien to leap for joy, dance, rejoice, be glad"

Rainbow with lightening strike by thinboyfatter

This summer, during the course of a week, one family member prepared for death, another was told she needed a mastectomy, and a friend had a stroke that required his re-learning how to speak.

It was what Lewis Richmond, author of Aging as a Spiritual Practice, calls my "Lightening Strike." The moment you wake up to your aging. Consequently, I've been asking myself all kinds of questions about the meaning of life.

What does this have to do with having fun, and doing good?  Life is short. We might as well enjoy ourselves, and play while we're here. Life is also full of suffering. It's a thread that runs through all of our lives. To have compassion, to suffer together, can be a comfort to others, and to ourselves.

As my 43rd birthday approaches, some questions I'm pondering for the next year are:

• How can I be more compassionate with myself, and others each day?
• How can I play each day? What makes me rejoice, dance, and leap for joy?
  

Have you experienced a Lightening Strike in your life? If you'd feel comfortable sharing about it, I'd be honored to hear your story.

Full disclosure: The link to Aging as a Spiritual is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you purchase something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I'll most likely spend on more books!

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Thai Chickpea Almond Curry from Let Them Eat Vegan!

During my blogging sabbatical, we started a new cookbook over at VegCookbook Club: Let Them Eat Vegan! by Dreena Burton. So far, most of the things I've made from it have been super yummy.

To tempt you to cook with us (we've still got 17 days left in August), I asked the folks at Da Capo Press if they had a recipe from the book I could share with you.  They sent over this recipe for Thai Chickpea Almond Curry.  Enjoy!


Thai Chickpea Almond Curry
Serves 4 to 5, depending on accompaniments

While this bakes, you will be enchanted with the aromatic mingling of nutty coconut sauce infused with lime, ginger, and curry. It is a deeply flavorful dish that is also almost effortless
in preparation. Everything comes together lickety-split and you have an exotic bean entrée to serve over rice.

Sauce:
1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt (plus another few pinches, if desired)
2½ to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 (14-ounce) can “lite” coconut milk
¼ cup almond butter
½ tablespoon tamari
1½ tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger
1½ to 2 teaspoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional; or use more if you like the heat!)

Chickpea mixture:
2 (14-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (3¾ to 4 cups)
2 cups zucchini that has been halved or quartered lengthwise (depending on thickness) and sliced about ¼ inch thick (see note)
¾ cup green onion (mostly white bottom portion, but some green as well)
2 dried or fresh kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil, basil, or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
A few lime wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

First prepare the sauce: In a blender, or using a deep large cup and an immersion blender, combine the garlic, ½ teaspoon of the salt, lime juice, coconut milk, almond butter, tamari, ginger, and curry paste. Puree well. Pour the sauce into a baking dish (8 by 12-inch, or similar size) and stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the chickpeas, zucchini, green onions, and lime leaves (if using), and stir well.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Then remove the foil, stir, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. (Note that the sauce should thicken but can become too thick, so keep an eye on it, and remove once it begins to thicken, so it is does not become pasty.)

Add a few pinches of salt to taste, if desired. Serve, topping the portions with fresh herbs, if desired, and with a lime wedge on the side.

Savvy Subs and Adds: Almond butter is my first choice in this recipe, but consider switching it up occasionally with natural peanut or cashew butter in place of the almond.
Feel free to substitute other veggies in part or in whole for the zucchini. I love zucchini, so it is a natural choice for me. Other veggies to consider are sliced red peppers (and these add a lovely color), chopped cauliflower, steamed potatoes, or snow peas.

From the book Let Them Eat Vegan! by Dreena Burton. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2012. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com. Recipe photo by Hannah Kaminsky.

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of Let Them Eat Vegan! Also, the link to Let Them Eat Vegan! is attached to my Amazon Associates Account. If you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably use to buy more books.

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10 Things I Learned About You

word cloud of how you have fun (:

A big thanks to everyone who completed the 10-question Have Fun • Do Good Reader Survey while I was on my blogging sabbatical. Below are 10 things I learned about you:

1. Where you live:

• U.S. Northeast 23.3%
• U.S. West 23.3%
•  U.S. Southwest 13.3%
• U.S. Southeast 10%
• U.S. Midwest 10%
• Europe 10%
• Australia 6.6%
• New Zealand 6.6%
• Canada 3.3%

2. How old you are:

• 35-44 30%
• 45-54 26.7%
• 26-34 23.3%
• 55-64 16.7%
• 65+ 3.3%

3. How long you've been reading:

• 3 months, or less 30%
• 1 year 26.7%
• 2 years 16.7%
• 6 months 13.3%
• 5 years 6.7%
• 7 years 6.7%

4. The issues you're the most passionate about are (you chose your top 3):

1. Arts and Culture 40%
2. Women 36.7%
3. Human Rights 30%
   
4. Volunteering 30%
5. Children and Youth 26.7%
6. Animals 23.3%
7. Environment 23.3%
8. Community Development 23.3%
9. Education and Literacy 23.3%
10. Economic Justice 23.3%
11. Sustainable Food 23.3%
12. Health and Healing 23.3%
13. Faith Based 20% 
14. Disability 20%

5. How you read Have Fun • Do Good:

• Email 33.3%
• I check out the home page once in awhile 33.3%
• RSS 33.3%
• Faceboook 6.7%
  

6. How you have fun:

 I used Tagcloud to create a word cloud of your most common answers:

7. How you do good:

8. What stops you from having fun and doing good:

 

9. If you were going to have tea with me, what you'd like to talk about: 

10. Any else you wanted to share:

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

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Have Fun Do Good Reader Survey: 10 Questions

During my blogging sabbatical ~ yes, I'm aware that I'm blogging right now :)  ~ I'm doing lots of thinking about where Have Fun * Do Good has been over the past seven years, and where I want it to go for the next seven.

You are the whole reason I write Have Fun * Do Good, so I've created a 10-question Have Fun * Do Good Reader Survey. Would you take a few minutes to answer the questions?

I'd love to learn a little more about you, and what is important to you. All of your responses will remain anonymous. Thanks so much!

Photo by me.

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Blogging Sabbatical Till August 9

In honor of Have Fun * Do Good's upcoming 7-year anniversary on August 19, I'm taking a little blogging sabbatical till August 9.  Seven years seems like a good time to take a break and reflect on where Have Fun * Do Good is going, and where it has been.

I may put up one post during that time with a Have Fun, Do Good Reader Survey that I'd love for you to take.

Image Credit: Cocoon by Randy Reed via Flickr 

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Swimming with a Sea Turtle (Video): Water Wednesday

On World Oceans Day (June 8), I pledged to highlight the oceans on Have Fun * Do Good for four weeks. For this fourth and final week, I'm sharing a video of a sea turtle swimming in Hawaii.

Watching this video, I can't help but think about one of the top emailed and viewed New York Times stories today, The 'Busy' Trap.  Maybe we all need to take a lesson from the sea turtle, and slow down. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed today, watch the turtle swim.  Nothing really happens.  Just a turtle gliding through the turquoise water. That's the beauty of it.

If you'd like to learn more about sea turtle conservation, check out these orgs (note: I'm not familiar with their work, just providing the links as a resource):

• Sea Turtle Conservancy
• Sea Turtle Restoration Project
• SEE Turtles

Also, read this Treehugger article by Jaymi Heimbuch, First Ever Map of Floating Plastic Aims to Save Baby Sea Turtles.

P. S. If you'd like me to continue with the Water Wednesdays series, lemme know.

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Recipe: Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip from Wild About Greens

 I can't wait to start cooking from July's VegCookbook, Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas. I hope you'll join us.

To get you excited about eatin' your greens, I asked Nava if I could share a recipe with you from the cookbook. She sent over her recipe for Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip. Yum yum.

Enjoy!


Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Kind of a marriage of guacamole and hummus, and infused with a good amount of leafy greens, this rich dip makes its own unique statement. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh pita, pita chips, raw veggies, or a combination.

3 to 4 ounces baby spinach or arugula, or a combination
1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the greens and place in a large skillet or saucepan. With just the water clinging to the leaves, cook until just wilted down. Remove from the heat.

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor, and process until smooth. Add 1/4 water, as needed, to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve at once as suggested in the headnote. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Photo by Susan Voisin.


Full disclosure: The link to Wild About Greens is attached to my Amazon Associates account. If you buy something after clicking on the link, I get a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably use to buy more books!

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Nonprofits and Pinterest: Nonprofit Blog Carnival Round-up

Last month, I put out a call for posts about fun ways nonprofits are using Pinterest for the Nonprofit Blog Carnival.  Below are links to some examples, plus additional info and inspiration. Enjoy!

• Susan Chavez shared 4 ways she's using Pinterest with The Association of Junior Leagues International.
~ Pinterest: One Nonprofit's Story, Susan's Site

• Marc van Gurp highlighted the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Israel's "Pinsulin" campaign.
~ Pinsulin: repin for those who pin 12 times a day, osocio

• Christine Sculati created four Pinterest Boards to raise awareness about the California State Parks crisis.
~ Can Pinterest Help Nonprofits Promote Their Causes, Christine Sculati's Blog

• In her roundup of Pinterest resources, Lori Halley linked to a piece about how to organize an event with Pinterest.
~ Pinterest - What's It Good For?, Wild Apricot Blog

• Allison Fine interviewed Ian Haisley, Opportunity International's Director of Online Strategy, about how they used Pinterest to fundraise.
~  Using Pinterest to Raise Money: One Charity's Experiment, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

More examples, info, and inspiration

• 9 Pinterest Best Practices for Nonprofits, Nonprofit Tech 2.0
• 10 Strategies for Nonprofits on Pinterest, Mashable
• 12 Ways to Use Pinterest for Your Nonprofit, John Haydon
• Pinterest: A Tool to Curate Relevant Visual Content for Your Audience, Beth Kanter
• Pinterest for Nonprofits: 7 Orgs to Watch, Huffington Post
• Storify: Nonprofits on Pinterest, Beth Kanter
• Why I love Pinterest and Nonprofits Should Too, Social Velocity 

What do you like about using Pinterest?

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The July Nonprofit Blog Carnival will be hosted by the Fundraising Detective and has an Olympics theme!

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Comic and Video: Ocean Acidifiction

 

Before I started working with Upwell a couple months ago, I'd never heard of ocean acidification. You've probably never heard of it either considering that a study found that the Kardashians Get 40 Times More News Coverage Than Ocean Acidification.

Here's the skinny: burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and into the oceans.  Having all of that extra CO2 in the oceans is changing the chemistry of the water. It is becoming more acidic.  Not good.

Rosemary Mosco, a field naturalist and science communicator who loves using cartoons to express environmental issues, was nice enough to let me share her comic about ocean acidification (above) with you.  I appreciate that she explains such a disturbing  concept in a whimsical way. You can see the original illustration, and her other nature comics at birdandmoon.com. The bird are gross one really cracks me up.

 If you want to learn more about ocean acidification, watch this mini-documentary by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, and check out the links below the video.

•  What is Ocean Acidification? on NRDC
• Ocean Acidification This Way Comes: A Wake Up Call for California on The Blog Aquatic. 
• Global Warming's Evil Twin Threatens West Coast Fishing Grounds on The Christian Science Monitor
• Acidifying Ocean Threatens California Coast on WIRED

If you'd like to get more involved in overall climate change issues, check out Philanthropedia's list of top climate change nonprofits. Note: The list was made in 2009, and they are in the process of updating it.  One org I think is missing from the list is 350.org.

Had you heard of ocean acidification before reading this post?

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Fair Trade Fashionista Discount at One Mango Tree

Isn't this One Mango Tree dress cute? Long time readers might remember One Mango Tree from my Big Vision Podcast interview with its founder, Halle Butvin, in the fall of 2011.

One Mango Tree is a clothing company that uses a fair trade model to provide income-generating opportunities for women in impoverished and conflict areas around the globe. At the moment, their work is focused in Uganda.  

Halle asked me if I'd like to share a special discount with you this month, and I said sure! Here's the scoop:

• Between June 23-June 30, 2012, Have Fun * Do Good readers will receive a 15% discount on everything in the One Mango Tree online store (including sale items!)


• To receive the discount, enter the discount code HAVEFUNDOGOOD at the very end of the check out process. There will be a prompt that says, "Have a discount code?" and a box to enter the code into.

• Each person who uses the coupon between June 23-June 30, 2012 will be entered into a drawing to win a Signature Hobo bag.

Have fun shopping!

P.S. I don't receive any compensation from One Mango Tree sales. I'm just giving them a shout out to help 'em out (:

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