A New Day

A new day, a new year, do we celebrate each day like it is January 1st? As most of us do I have taken the last few days reflecting on 2010 and have taken a break from life. I feel like this time of year the universe gives us permission to stop.

In the New Year I hope we become more intentional, more focused on the paths we choose in order to fulfill ourselves therefore it will lead to helping others. I hope each of you realize your talents and gifts and allow love, compassion and empathy to become the center of your lives.

This photo is from my sanctuary in Palm Springs in the early am. It is a new day and soon to be a new year. I am blessed and grateful for all I have been given. What are you grateful for and what positive things do you have in your life? Let us all share positive thoughts and ideas with each other and make 2011 a happy new year!

Happy Holidays!

From the snowing Midwest, visiting family...happy holidays!

PEACE

I see this word a lot this time of year. When I really started to think about it I was intrigued with how the Peace Sign came to life. I was fascinated as to what we found. It was nothing close to what I thought.

I remember growing up in the mid 60s and was in Catholic school. The Peace Sign was everywhere because we were in the thick of the Vietnam War. My brother made some peace signs out of construction paper and took them to school. One of the kids wanted to buy them off of us. SO the next day I started taking orders - a nickel for the small ones and a quarter for the large ones. We were in business – until Sister Virginia busted up our racket on the playground.

From that point I always assumed the Peace Sign came out of the 60’s but what did I know – it was designed and connected to another war.

As a designer, the symbol is beautifully simple and speaks for so many things.

Peace and goodwill to men...and women!

A History Lesson

In 1958, London textile designer, Gerald Holtom, wanted to create a symbol for marchers to carry banners and signs at a “Ban the Bomb” march planned by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC). Holtom created the symbol by combining flag semaphore signals, an alphabet signaling system where flags are waved in a particular pattern to symbolize different letters. The system was used in the maritime world in the 1800’s to convey information at a distance.

Holtom used the signals for the letters “N” for nuclear and “D” for disarmament and put them in a circle. Such graphic elegance! By the late 1960’s, the Peace Sign had become an international symbol.

More Positive Change!

The hardest thing to hear at this time of year, that we have now heard for the last three years is, – how bad things are based on the Holiday Spending statistics. I am really tired of hearing how bad things are instead of how great things are changing. If financial results do have a psychological effect on us this year then we should all be excited about how things are improving. It’s sad to say that the statistics on how we spend our money should make us happy but if that is what is going to finally get us all in a good mood to get this economy moving again – then great. When you think about it, the spending we do this year is usually for gifts for others. It can’t be that bad can it?

Positive Note:
More gifts = more giving!

O' Christmas Tree

I grew up on a farm and most of my years as a kid we went up over our hill with my dad to search for the perfect Christmas tree. We did not have a tree farm, we just had woods all around us. We would walk from tree to tree until my brothers and I reached a conclusion on the best tree in the field. It’s such a great memory for me. At the time we had never heard of an artificial tree. When they came out I could not wrap my head around it. To this day I still do not own an artificial tree. Call me a traditionalist but I love the smell that a real tree brings into the house as well as the feel of the real pine needles and the feel of nature as it has a presence in the home.

I had no idea the positive effects a real tree brings these days. Back in the day, to me – it was just a tradition with my father and my brothers that made the Holiday special. Hats, boots and a trip over the snow covered hill - it took work yet was still the centerpiece when we came down those stairs Christmas morning when Santa delivered gifts. The smell, the feel and the needles on my gifts are what made the holiday so real.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about real trees. Don’t underestimate the power of bringing a piece of nature we have celebrated over the years into your home. I am sure most kids will remember that trip to the tree farm or lot and adopting the tree for their personal celebration. There becomes a personal ownership of this celebrated symbol.

We need to understand there are multiple benefits for a “real” Christmas tree. It is not just about a tree! 

Can you make time?

Over the years I have volunteered for different organizations. Recently I must admit I have found it harder to find the time as the world seems to be spinning faster and faster. I salute those who make the time to do something that no one asks them to do. While I financially give to different organizations, there is nothing more rewarding than the interaction with others who are less fortunate and could really use our help.

Sounds to me that I need to rearrange some priorities in the new year…hmmm.

Being Awake!

After I finished my breakfast over the weekend I was going to my car. I walked past an electrical box not noticing the message at first. Then within my third step I stopped and backed up to read the message. I was told by an anonymous writer to do something positive. It’s only when we slow down and are really awake in our surroundings that you see the messages like these.

My message that day was to share this photo of a positive message from an unknown source. Slow down, look around and see what positive messages you are overlooking today.

A quote from my Dad – “When going through life like a blizzard - you could be dead at 50 with a worn out gizzard”

The Salvation Army - It’s all about finding a way to give.

There is now another way to give to The Salvation Army. Through United Airlines Charity Miles Program, Mileage Plus members can donate accrued miles enabling The Salvation Army to move personnel quickly in time of disaster, provide travel for those in need of emergency medical care outside of their area and reduce administrative costs by providing travel for staff.

In partnership since 1999, these invaluable contributions provided travel for The Salvation Army replacement personnel to Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks. Through these donations, a needy family was reunited with a repentant father dying of cancer.

Through these donations, an eleven year old girl diagnosed with RSDS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome), which left her with intense pain and unable to walk, received the specialized treatment she needed.

There are many ways to change a life. Give! www.salvationarmyusa.org

There is hope for positive urban change

Living in the center of Los Angeles I have experienced crime in the City of Angels. I have driven by crime scenes and seen bodies covered in white sheets. I have seen incidents where there are 30 police cars on the scene with traffic being diverted around the situation. I have even been walking to my car from work and suddenly swarmed by police yelling at me and a couple of other people to go back across the street and get down behind a car.

For some reason I have never really been scared. I’ve always thought that if you are street smart you will be fine. Coming from a small town in Ohio you would think I would be very afraid.

I have now had my office for almost 11 years. When I first moved my office to downtown Los Angeles there were so many people that said – “why would you do that?” I’ve always felt LA was the most undeveloped city in the world. When you think about it, it’s one of the youngest cities in the overall history of the world.

I now look out my office window and see Pershing Square that is full of Christmas lights, an ice skating rink, a farmers market in spring and summer, a huge art walk once a month and I could go on and on with the changes I have experienced. I have always said downtown LA was my own private Idaho – now it’s catching on.

I can feel the change! And when change is positive crime will drop.