We at LWA have been in “moving mode” for a month or so now.
oh there’s a lot that we want to write about on our “moving from the suburbs to the city experience”:
change-growth-home-challenge-creativity-people-diversity-needs-letting go-working hard…….
but for today I just wanted to share some of our “thrifty fun” ideas.
Whether rich or poor, we are committed to using monies wisely, trying to recycle, repurpose, DIY, work hard with our own hands and live on less. This takes us a wonderful world of creative and collaborative people, which is super inspiring. For me it feels “healthy” and somehow “right”. I even discover more creativity inside of my own self when in this space.
In the past month we have:
-taken our old poker table..and made it into Spencer’s desk, using only a saw, screwdriver, strong arms and our secret tool: industrial velcro !
-took an old piece of barnwood that we found and made it into a table with: sandpaper, wipe on polyurethane, click here to read more...
Almost every comedian that you or I have ever seen on TV or heard in a comedy club lists Bill Hicks as one of the most influential comedians ever. Bill sadly died of cancer in 1994, but is still widely known as a special funnyman and human being in general. Bill Hick’s signature bit was called, “It’s Just a Ride” where he talks about life and seeing people and the world with either fear or love. It’s a poignant, almost non-comedic end to his 1993 HBO Special “Revelations.”
If anyone out there still hasn’t at least skimmed Seth Godin’s landmark book “Tribes” please run out and do so immediately. Seth Godin has become one of the leading people in the world at seeing how the present is shaping the future—and in his book Tribes, he talks about how small, medium or even gigantic Tribes, are shaping the future. Apple fanboys are a tribe, tv.WineLibrary.com is a tribe, TED is a tribe, the Church is a tribe, shoot even Al Qaeda is a tribe. Tribes happen because “people” (read leaders) see something that can be better, something that is incomplete or something that your passionate about and those leaders (plus a small cadre of friends and like-minded cohorts) laud, sweat, work for, beg, borrow, and or steal to make that change or progress happen.
One prerequisite for being a leader of a tribe seems to be being a heretic on at least one level or another. Now I know that the overwhelming majority of people that just read the word heretic, their minds just ran to their favorite Church leader they like to bash or someone who’s theology they click here to read more...
Lucky for me i make my decisions based on my dreamer parts and get there using my engineer parts. First why, then how. Otherwise we lock dreams in reality and only read about them as stories.
When we adults opt out of important moments in the lives of kids, we rob them, their kids, and ourselves; we are fools to think anything is unseen.
So, the fun began with Jessie in our home.
My oldest son shared his solo bedroom. He no longer sat in the front seat of the car, Jessie did. He had someone older to watch older kid movies with. Sometimes they shared friends and play sports at a more mature level. He moved his role in the family as first born, to some extent. I dont think it was so easy for him. He listened to a LOT more talking than his brothers did. He listened to talking about bad hair days and feeling fat days. He helped her with math. She tells him he is smart, she is very expressive. He learns how to empathize and relate with well chosen words.
I observe kids “loving without agenda” better than adults. These kids did not chose their click here to read more...
My friend Brad, who works here in the LWA offices, told me a saying that goes “1/3 of all things our parents believed when they were growing up…we will eventually find very silly”
Put this in that category.
Today marked the passing of the judge, Sylvia Pressler, who forced Little League to allow girls the opportunity to play baseball with boys. Apparently in 1973, little girls were not seen fit to play baseball, with or without little boys.
I’m reminded that this seemingly common sense thing—that we assume has always been—had to be fought hard for…and it (like all changes) was seen as both radical and deeply subversive at the time. I love the quote from the Little League on the court’s ruling (yes…Little league fought this tooth and nail…even appealing the ruling)
The ruling was decried by Little League as “conceived in vindictive and prejudicial fashion of the worst kind”
Amazing.
The story really puts change in perfect perspective. Change is never easy—even for something click here to read more...
