Stone in the Pond

Dream of the Possibilities

2007-03-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

So I read in my little local paper about a nearby school named Wesleyan where every one of the 410 students in the high school were invited to an assembly where they were handed a crisp $100 bill and told to "do something beautiful for God." No strings attached. No requirement to ever account for how the money is spent. I called Dean of Students Marc Khedouri and he told me that the intent of the project is to teach children about sacrificial giving and to encourage critical thinking skills.

Within days of the assembly, students had given their money to various organizations individually, and one boy even started a non-profit foundation called Diamonds in the Rough to raise money for baseball fields for schools without funds to build or repair their own. Numerous students were starting to pool their money to do something bigger together. One girl called CARE and found out if she could donate $50,000, then CARE would match it and there was a foundation that would then match that $100,000. This girl's $100 could then become $200,000 towards CARE's worldwide humanitarian aid programs. This girl pulled together 9 of her friends and they have committed to raising $5,000 each. According to Mr. Khedouri, this girl has already met her goal.

In a letter Mr. Khedouri sent home to parents, he asked the obvious question--what if students waste their money, or simply buy something for themselves? Mr. Khedouri said that could happen, because many people do waste their gifts, but the lesson learned would be more valuable. The seed would be planted.

And that is what got me thinking. What are my gifts? What can I do? And that's when I knew. It is time for me to go, to do something beautiful. And so, now, on exactly the one-year anniversary of when I started this blog, I am bidding farewell to Stone in the Pond. And I am asking you, as a final goodbye, to do something beautiful. Be a Stone in the Pond.

Olivia Newton-John

2007-02-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

She's suddenly everywhere. (Did you just break into singing the song, Suddenly, from the ethereal roller-skating movie, Xanadu?) There she is on You're the One that I Want, the nationwide open casting call for the leads of the upcoming Broadway re-premiere of Grease. She's guest-starring on American Idol. She's peering at me from her CD cover next to the counter at Walgreens. And she has taken up residence in the recesses of my mind, humming If Not for You and I Honestly Love You as if it were still the early 70s and as if I were still popping that 8-track into its player while I sit with big, fat headphones on the red shag carpet.

Yes, Olivia Newton-John has had a 35-year music career (and I've been a fan for most of it, having gotten the Grease double-album for my 15th birthday, and having actually celebrated my 18th birthday at the Let's Get Physical concert at the Forest Hills tennis stadium. I don't get a chance to tell that detail too often.)

But, here's the thing. This woman, a breast cancer survivor, was a spokesperson for ten years for the Children's Health Environmental Coalition, started a hospital center for breast cancer care in Australia, and sells a line of breast care products in order to help early breast cancer detection, along with many other volunteer and entreprenurial endeavors. And in a world of high-maintenance, big-ego stardom, she seems genuinely nice.

Her current CD, Grace and Gratitude, includes chants from Tibet and Japan, words and prayers from Judaism and Islam, a Latin benediction from the Catholic mass, and a poem attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Most tellingly, the entire first three minutes of the CD and lengthy interludes between each song are purely instrumental. How many singers would allow that?

"Life is a gift of grace," Newton-John writes in the liner notes to her CD. I believe Olivia Newton-John is a Stone in the Pond because she always, absolutely always, seems to conduct herself with the utmost grace.

To find out more about Olivia Newton-John, go to www.olivianewton-john.com.

Lalji Desai

2007-02-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

I read a quote last week by a man named Lalji Desai from Mera, India, who said:

"My wife and I, we both believe that we shouldn't waste our time during vacation by visiting places where we won't learn anything or where we cannot give something back to the community."

I have since learned that Mr. Desai in the executive director of a volunteer organization called MARAG that is dedicated to the education, organization and empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly the Maldharis. The Maldharis are animal-rearing nomads who have been displaced from their lands by the encroachment of development and are now pretty much treated as nonentities. Although the Maldhari situation is complex and the MARAG objectives comprehensive, and I know far too little about each, I find Mr. Desai's words simple and thought-provoking.

Mr. Desai is a Stone in the Pond because he is a reminder that we can use our vacation time--our Second Life, so to speak--to touch lives.

Sure, eco-travel is booming as an industry and many people I know spend their vacations going on mission trips to Africa or building houses for the poor, and of course, those are all great things to do. However, I've been thinking about Mr. Desai's words all week and I believe his two simple suggestions--learning and giving back--can be added to any trip anywhere. There's always something to learn, even if it is simply about the person next to us, and there's always a way to give back, even if it is by lightening a fellow traveler's load or spreading joy and kindness. In fact, perhaps these two aspects can become traveling companions in our everyday lives as well.

To find out more about MARAG, go to www.maragindia.org.

Organic Bouquet

2007-02-02T02:38:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air, but that doesn't mean pesticides need to be as well, thanks to Organic Bouquet, the market leader in organic flowers. Organic flowers are a sign of a trend fueled by those interested in both environmental and health issues. Our nation’s surge in organic flower production over the past couple years is a result of the realization of damage that pesticides do to the land and to flower farm workers, plus, let's face it, the gorgeous offerings from Organic Bouquet and the effective marketing effort it has done to reach mainstream consumers ready to make a difference with their dollars.

What's more, Organic Bouquet offers 28 different bouquets that donate 5% of the sale price to non-profit organizations dedicated to social justice, wildlife conservation, animal rights and environmental protection. There's something for everyone, and these charity bouquets let you truly "spread the love." To date, Organic Bouquet has donated more than $200,000 to charities that consumers choose themselves.

I requested an interview with Gerald Prolman, Organic Bouquet Founder and CEO. Yesterday. At 11 AM. Directed to put questions in an email so Mr. Prolman could answer them after hours, I sent them off to the netherland of corporateness. Sometime during the night, I received four pages worth of answers from Mr. Prolman, his passion for what he does evident in almost every response. Have you gotten a response like that from a CEO lately?

Rather than attempt to paraphrase Mr. Prolman, I'd like to share with you some of his answers:

Was there a defining moment when you decided to start Organic Bouquet?

It probably started with a thought a long while back when I was courting my wife. I was going to a particular florist in San Francisco each day to make a spectacular bouquet. I wanted to get her attention and let her know just how much I loved her. The flowers helped me to conquer her heart.

I enjoyed picking out the flowers for those early bouquets way back then and remember thinking to myself "what a nice job it is to be working with flowers" that thought surely went out to the universe and came right back to me 17 years later like a boomerang. I still bring home flowers all the time and she loves them everytime.

The seeds to start this business were planted a long while ago. I had always wondered why horticulture had been overlooked by the natural products trade. Most people don't realize that a significant amount of chemicals are used to grow flowers and that organic is a viable alternative.

I wanted to create a model where we could afford to pay the correct price to the grower for producing their crops in a responsible manner and offer a direct from farm experience to consumers at a reasonable value. I saw the internet as a great way to bridge the supply and market.

I have a fundamental belief that all farm products should be grown by sustainable methods. As there are laws against littering, the same should apply to how we treat the land that we live on.

People gravitated to organic products initially for personal health concerns over pesticide residues in their foods but there is more to organic than healthy foods. Organic is an environmental farming method that applies to all areas of agriculture weather it is tomatoes, cotton or flowers.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding part of your success?

To finally see orders pouring in after six long years in development.

I was deeply moved about a year ago when I attended a Breast Cancer Fund event in San Francisco. We had donated the flowers (Tulips from biodynamic bulbs) and I stopped by to check on the arrangements.

I found myself in the midst of more than a 100 brave woman who had survived cancer. Although everyone is surely interested in finding a cure, many of the speeches that night were focused on the root causes of cancer and I learned that this organization provided education and information to help woman eradicate a host of carcinogenic products from their everyday surroundings i.e. chemical cleaning products, non-organic- foods, conventional cosmetics….

The appreciation for our organic flowers was deeply expressed to me by many of the woman and this was quite a touching acknowledgment and a most rewarding moment for me personally.

Another fun event was when Organic Bouquet was named "official florist" for the United Nations World Environment Day, a historic event that took place in San Francisco June 1-5, 2005. In addition to the many organic floral arrangements we provided for all the events during the week, we sponsored and produced the official theme song for World Environment Day, written by gospel legend Edwin Hawkins (4x Grammy winner, "oh happy day"). We flew in a number of gold and platinum Gospel artists from around the country to record the song. It was a most happy day.

In addition, Organic Bouquet produced the closing ceremony on "Flower Power Day" Sixty seven mayors from major cities around the world had signed the historic San Francisco Urban Environmental accords, then they then walked a "green carpet" in front of city hall. Waiting for them was a 300 voice mass choir conducted by Edwin Hawkins, with celebrity gospel artists singing in front including Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, The Three Bridges-from Nashville, Nona Brown and San Francisco's own-French Jazz superstar-- Raquel Bitton (my wife) It was a spectacular event, the mayors, dignitaries and guests were enthusiastically clapping and singing along with great joy. I then presented the song entitled UNITED NATIONS, TOGETHER WE CAN, to Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP and to the Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom.

In conjunction with the United Nations World Environment Day events that took place in San Francisco on June 1-5, Organic Bouquet organized and sponsored a Symposium entitled: Eco-Flower Power; Sustainability Trends for the Floral Industry, June 3, 2005. This was a private event for journalists, international dignitaries, environmental and floral industry experts.

Brennan Van Dyke, Director of UNEP North America opened the symposium and the panel included Katherine DiMatteo Executive Director at that time of the Organic Trade Association for North America, Jorge Chiriboga, Vice Minister of Agriculture for Ecuador (also, the worlds first organic rose grower) and a host of international flower industry leaders.

At this symposium held at the Ferry bldg. in San Francisco, Verilfora, the new sustainable floral standard was announced. I am proud to say that Veriflora, the standard Organic Bouquet initiated, is now in the process of becoming a national standard for the fresh cut flower trade.

What matters to you most about Organic Bouquet, and how do you keep your "eye on the prize" as the company continues to grow?

I want to quickly see organic supplies increase and the market support its growth. This will benefit farm workers, the farm owners, retailers and consumers. It is my hope that as soon as possible sustainable practices become the standard; that the floral industry completely eliminates the use of harsh chemicals, the well being of farm workers is first and foremost and that the growers who take these steps will be rewarded by a market that supports them.

Mission accomplished is the day when there is no tolerance for any agricultural product that is not responsibly grown and when you walk into any retail store or florist that you will see a sustainably grown certification on each bouquet.

Have you considered partnering with small local farmers so that people can keep money in their communities and support their local organic farmers?

Yes. That was a key objective since the beginning but has been much harder to accomplish than I originally anticipated. That said, things are finally changing and we are working with increasing numbers of local farms.

Although we strive to support small and local farmers as a priority, our primary mission is to protect the planet and improve farm worker safety by eliminating large quantities of toxic pesticides from agricultural usage. A necessary step in this process has been to encourage major flower growers to initiate certified sustainable production. Since 60-70% of U.S. flowers come from Columbia and Ecuador, we are working with growers from these countries to develop sustainable production sources.

Moreover, we look to smaller growers for higher end specialty products that require extra care in production and work with larger growers for more common type varieties that are conducive to production on a larger scale.

Following is a description of my journey in the process to develop supply sources of earth friendly flowers.

Six years ago- with the goal to establish a national market for organic flowers, I started a quest to find or develop sources for organically grown flowers.

Initially, I hoped to find all the supply I needed locally in California but after spending more than a half of a year trying to persuade growers to start new greenhouses, especially around the time of the energy crisis in California, I was unable to develop the volume that was needed to be able to service a national market.

Part of the problem was when I did finally get a grower interested to consider to look at what was involved to go organic, access to information and sustainable materials to grow flowers organically were not easily found.

The fact is that there are significant challenges commercial growers face like pests and fungus that can easily wipe out entire crops, so a grower cannot blindly start an organic system with out the proper tools and information to address the many real crop threats that growers face.

As the majority of flowers sold in America were coming from Colombia and Ecuador, the next phase of my search for growers went there. I felt that their were more benefits to start organic production wherever flowers are grown than to not do it all.

Through research I learned that there were several ongoing flower certification programs that to varying degrees addressed social and environmental concerns including the Flower Label Program, the Rainforest Alliance, Max Havellar and Florverde.

I visited a number of highly skilled agronomists and progressive farming operations in Ecuador and Colombia who had introduced comprehensive social programs for their employees and were working towards continuous chemical reduction.

I felt that growers who had these programs in place were a good starting point for Organic Bouquet to encourage them to go fully organic, but realized that matters relating to the flower trade were much more complex than just focusing solely on organic production, given social concerns and what it might take in reality for a grower to go fully organic.

I realized that, a new standard for the North American market needed to be developed, a standard that could make a clear and simple claim of "sustainability" verifying good management practices concerning the environment as well as social conditions.

So, having known about Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) an accomplished certification program developer, I approached them to see if they would take on the task of developing this standard for the fresh cut flower trade.

I then helped to organize a group of industry leaders including growers, wholesalers, retailers, and industry experts, to serve in an advisory capacity providing guidance in the creation of the Veriflora standards. Four years later there is now a comprehensive standard that accomplishes our objectives.

The Veriflora standard provides a bridge to help growers to transition their farms to fully organic systems over time as well as address social and ecological issues that are related to floral production.

It was my intent to bring industry leaders together to agree on the need to bring forth a credible, unified standard deemed "sustainable" for the environment, and safe and fair, for the people who grow the flowers. This happened and Veriflora is now gaining momentum on a global scale.

This has created a large pipeline of suppliers in the process of bringing their farms to fully organic systems.

A special thank you to Gerald Prolman for your quantifiable results in changing the world for the better.

To find out more about Organic Bouquet, go to www.organicbouquet.com.

Warren St. John and the Luma Mufleh/Fugees Story

2007-01-26T01:39:00.000-08:00

When I was about 12, big changes happened in my town (Mineola, NY). There had been an influx of Portuguese immigrants over the previous few years and suddenly, there on the Little League fields, way out in left field, were a bunch of Portuguese teenagers kicking a soccer ball. This was in the 70s and most of us had never seen one before. This happened night after night that whole season, usually after the baseball games were over. The next season, the Portugese community asked to use the field for soccer games. I tell ya', it was like a Disney movie the way the town rose in an uproar. The way two cultures clashed and collided. The way we, the original residents, knew that times were a'changin' and nothing was going to stop it.

So it was with particular interest that I read the engrossing story about Coach Luma Mufleh and her soccer team of refugees on the cover (and several interior pages--it was a long article!) of The New York Times this past Sunday, especially since Coach Mufleh's team is in Clarkston, GA, less than 30 minutes from where I live currently. Turns out there was a Hollywood bidding war for rights to the story and to her life. Universal won, and as part of its deal, it is financing a spanking-new soccer field for the team of resettled refugees.

Warren St. John, the writer of this article, deserves kudos for the outstanding job he did capturing the drama of a woman who believed in these displaced children so much that she even started a house cleaning business to employ their parents, the beauty that still shines in children who have seen more ugliness than many of us can begin to imagine, and the understandable panic of a sleepy town upended by change.

St. John, who usually writes for the Style section of the paper, wrote his heart out. He transcended his job and told the story that needed to be told. And that makes him a Stone in the Pond.

To read St. John's work, go to www.nyt.com

Stamford, CT Traffic Signal Boxes

2007-01-20T02:37:00.000-08:00

58 inches tall, 44 inches wide, and 27 inches deep. That's what they are, these ugly traffic signal boxes on the side of the road in cities all over the country. Magnets for grafitti and generally just grey metal eyesores, these utilitarian boxes sort of fade from our awareness after awhile. They blend in with other ugly things of an industrialized world. And we get numb.

Enter Stamford, Connecticut. As a result of a city beautification program, 50 of the 190 signal boxes in Stamford are now whimsical displays of public art. When you are waiting for a light to change in Stamford, you may gaze at a three-dimensional painting of a park or a shark, a crayon box or Chinese takeout box, a half-painted white picket fence or a filled-up blackboard scribbled on by a little girl. The artists made very little money doing this. One artist left her art as a final legacy before dying of breast cancer at the age of 33.

And now, in Stamford, grafitti is down. Traffic has slowed. And a bit of beauty is back in the lives of the people who live and pass there.

Stamford's traffic signal box example reminds me to be more conscious as I go about my day. Not to be numb to the ugliness that pervades our society. And to think, how can I make it just a little bit more beautiful?

To see examples of Liz Squillace's Stamford boxes, go to www.paradoxink.com.

Robert Nuranen and the Overdue Library Book

2007-01-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

I just watched the documentary, 49 Up. The director has been filming a group of British children every seven years since they were seven. The titles of each addition to the series indicate their current age--7 Up, 14 Up, 21 Up, and so on. The premise of the series is the Jesuit saying that goes something like "show me a boy of seven and I will show you the man."

And then I read this news story about Robert Nuranen, who returned a library book 47 years overdue, along with late fees totalling $171.32. The book was Prince of Egypt.

I called Mr. Nuranen and found out that Nuranen, the youngest of 14 children, was a newspaper delivery boy and read the paper every day when he walked from house to house. That's how he learned everything about current events, and how he developed a desire to see the world. And then he did it. Mr. Nuranen rang in the new millenium at the Great Pyramids in Egypt and he has been to more than 55 countries. He is currently a social studies and language arts teacher in Los Angeles. The boy is now the man.

Who were you at seven? What did you love to do? What glimpse of the future man or woman you were to become would someone have seen?

Photo credit: The Daily Mining Gazette

Norman Vaughan, Explorer

2007-01-04T04:06:00.000-08:00

So it was New Year's Day. I had some mixed emotions--a new year, a lot of exciting but hard creative challenges ahead, the usual New Year's Day sort of stuff. I decided to go for a swim at my neighborhood community center to clear my head and see if the path became more clear to me as a result. And there I was, alone in the hot tub when a woman named Faye joined me. We got to talking, as people do.

"The best hot tub I've been in was a year ago in Telluride, Colorado," she said. "Outdoors. Surrounded by snow while snow still fell. Christmas lights in the distance. The glow of the moon . . ."

"Why were you there?" I asked.

And then, boom. The story.

Faye was there to celebrate the 100th birthday of her friend, Norman Vaughan. Vaughan was the last surviving member of Admiral Byrd's expedition to Antartica in 1928, during which they became the first Americans to set foot in the interior of Antarctica and discover lands never before seen by humans.

Vaughan had left Harvard to join Byrd--a move that changed his life. Vaughan lived his whole life as an adventurer, bringing medical supplies by dogsled to isolated villages, leading rescue expeditions to save lost fighter squadrons, evacuating wounded soldiers by dogsled from the Battle of the Bulge, running his team of dogs in the Iditerod race in Alaska many times, being the first person to climb the mountain Byrd named after him, at the age of 88, and writing two books about his experiences, With Byrd at the Bottom of the World and My Life of Adventure.

Vaughan's motto? "Dream big and dare to fail."

Norman Vaughan died four days after his 100th birthday. Yet, he lives on. In conversations between strangers. In his books. In this message to you. And so, this year, 2007, how will you dream big? How will you dare to fail? How will you keep the spirit of Norman Vaughan--and of yourself--alive?

To find out more about Norman Vaughan, see www.normanvaughan.com.

Thanks, Faye!

Elisabeth Omilami and Hosea Feed the Hungry

2006-12-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

So I watch It's Wonderful Life and see how George Bailey takes over his father's business after his death. Trapped. But in the end, rich in his heart and soul because of it. And then I read about a woman named Elisabeth Williams-Omilami, who, with her husband Afemo Omilami, took over the Atlanta-based non-profit organization Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless upon the death of her father, civil rights legend Hosea Williams, six years ago. And since then, Elisabeth and Afemo have expanded the program to include not just a grand Thanksgiving dinner for thousands but also a stadium-sized dinner on Christmas Day, Martin Luther King Day and Easter.

Tonight's Christmas dinner is at Turner Field. But tomorrow, and every tomorrow after that, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless will continually provide food, shelter, clothing, job training, rent assistance and human resource referrals to poor and homeless individuals. Unlike George Bailey, however, Ms. Omilami has kept her personal ambition thriving all these years. As an actor, she appeared in the critically-acclaimed movie Glory Road and in many other stage and screen roles and will soon appear in The List, a movie with Denzel Washington.

Update 1/13/07: I talked with Ms. Omilami because a few questions were nagging at me. Was there a moment when she knew this is what she needed to be doing? Did she have doubts? What legacy did her parents leave her? How has she found her own way?

"Did I know I could do it?" she laughed. "I didn't even know enough to doubt I could do it! My father, who was vibrant and volatile, and my mother, so opposite, so quiet and patient, speak to me and tell me that there is power in the poor and that people deserve to be helped. I don't need to do everything--there are so many people that help with this organization. I just need to get them the things they need in order to do the work. My father never had anything in his hands when he said he was going to do something, and I find I'm that way, too."

And here is the Stone in the Pond part:

"I start dreaming long before stuff happens," Ms. Omilami shared. "For instance, right now I dream of having an apartment building for poor and homeless people as part of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. As I can get people to believe along with me, although they may not see the substance of it just yet, then things will start to appear, and it will happen as it is meant to happen. And I believe we will have an apartment building.

Finally, I asked the question I was truly wanting to know, that we all want to know about ourselves in some way, shape or form.

"Is this where you are meant to be?" I barely muttered, thinking of George Bailey, wondering if he ever truly fulfilled his purpose in life.

Ms. Omilami's response was quick and sure.

"No," she answered. "I haven't gotten there yet. It feels good to say that. But I know this part of the journey is meant to be. And so I trust."

Ms. Omilami told me that when she first took over the organization, she tried to listen to what the people were telling her they needed and then to develop the programs to meet those needs. That's how it has grown and continues to evolve. And, as a result, that's how she keeps growing and evolving.

I want to give a special thanks to Ms. Omilami. I am deeply moved by the honesty I felt in our conversation and her willingness to truly let go and let God.

To find out more about Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, go to www.hoseafeedthehungry.com.

PlayPumps

2006-11-19T03:57:00.000-08:00

So, here's the situation. You have people dying every day in Africa because they don't have access to clean water. You have women who can't lift themselves out of poverty and girls who can't go to school because water collection is so difficult and takes so much time. You have a public health crisis and limited ways to communicate life-saving messages.

"What if . . . ?"

And that's the Stone in the Pond part. When someone sees a problem and says, "What if . . . ?"

That someone this time is a man named Trevor Field, who saw an invention of a merry-go-round that could pump water. He joined with his colleagues, licensed the invention and developed PlayPumps International. PlayPumps, usually installed near primary schools, use the playing power of children to pump clean, free water, with easy tap access, to African communities. In addition to providing water and playground equipment, the water storage tank carries essential public health messages. The program is sustained through advertising revenue, and is supported by a long laundry list of public and private donors. To date, more than 700 PlayPump water systems have been installed in rural South and southern Africa, truly changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of families.

And so my question today is 'What if . . . ?" Allow yourself to ask it. Ponder it. And let your natural thought progression lead you to the inevitable follow-up question, "Why not?"

To find out more about PlayPumps International, go to www.playpumps.org.

World of Good

2006-11-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

Just in time for holiday shopping, I discovered a company called World of Good, which sells ethically-sourced gifts, housewares and accessories. The thrill I feel reminds me of when I first discovered The Body Shop on lower Broadway in NYC back when The Body Shop stood for something, back when I was young and impressionable.

Okay, so I'm still impressionable, and World of Good impresses me. Started by two graduates from the UC Berkeley Business School, World of Good creates a bridge between consumers and small, artisan organizations around the world, most of which are comprised of women. World of Good provides the artisans with 0% interest loans for 50% of the order to fund production and the balance when the product is delivered. It provides long-term commitments and technical assistance, and ensures fair wages. Plus, World of Good donates 10% of its profits to give grants to organizations that support projects and the artists' communities.

But, most importantly, World of Good gives consumers a chance to choose something made by hand and have a hand in changing the world. And I must add, the products I saw were gorgeous and affordable!

World of Good has sold more than 100,000 handcrafts made by 133 artisan groups in 31 countries. It has created employment for disabled artisans in Cambodia and for HIV-positive women in Swaziland, promoted anti-child-labor activism in India, provided Tsunami relief in Sri Lanka and supported educational programs in Guatamala and Nepal.

This holiday season, remember that your dollar talks, and that you hold the ability to change the world in your hands every time you meet a cash register.

Check out World of Good at www.worldofgood.com.

Earthrace and Bodyflik

2006-10-07T02:48:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've posted two people or companies together, but I'm doing it for a reason.

Earthrace is the brainchild of Pete Bethune, a New Zealander who recently became an environmentalist and wants to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat--and to do it using only renewable fuels.

Bodyflik was founded by a special needs teacher in England named Wendy Brodie. It is a small molded plastic device that flicks water from your body after a shower so that you don't soak the towel with which you dry yourself. It is being marketed as an environmentally-responsible addition to hotels so that guests don't need to get their towels laundered as often. (It is also a boon for families with teenagers, by the way!)

Bethune sold his other business, sold his part in a forest plantation and mortgaged his home three times in order to raise funds for Earthrace. He is currently on a fundraising tour around the United States. Brodie invested her life savings in the manufacturing and marketing of Bodyflik.

So, here's the reason Earthrace and Bodyflik are Stones in the Pond. Their founders risked everything because they believed in their causes, and themselves. What is it that you believe in so much that you would sell everything, risk everything and give everything to make a reality?

Be inspired by Earthrace and Bodyflik, and follow their journeys at www.earthrace.net and www.bodyflick.co.uk.

Eric B., the Blind Designer

2006-09-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

Eric Brun-Sanglard is a visual man. He grew up in the South of France, surrounded by the beauty of Mediterranean design. He moved to the United States and went to school to become a filmmaker, studied photography, became a magazine advertising designer and then . . . went blind.

Eric wondered, "Why me? What have I done?" as anyone would under the circumstances, and a friend told him something that marked him as a man. She told him, "Things don't happen to us just because of what we've done. They happen to us sometimes because of what we will then be able to share with others."

Without a job and with money dwindling, Eric knew he had to sell the new house he was building. Out of necessity, he and his partner found a way to complete construction and do interior design work that would encourage a quick sale. It sold immediately, for more than the asking price, and Eric realized he was onto something. Maybe, just maybe, his blindness enabled him to bring something more to the job, instead of something less. And so, an interior design business was born--and catapulted Eric to success.

Now. Eric B. is the star of the A & E program Designing Blind, where he taps into the energy flow of surroundings and delivers tactile transformations of dull and cold homes. Talking with him recently, I realized how little I knew about my home, beyond the way it looks. What does the floor sound like when I walk? How do the textures throughout my home feel? Where are the energy blockages?

I asked Eric what, exactly, does he believe vision to be, now, from his unique point of view. Having always been a man who followed his passions, and whose passions were always vision-related, he answered, "Vision is not what you see. It's an awareness in your soul."

Eric is a Stone in the Pond because yes, yes, he's obviously an inspiration about setting our own limits in life and going for it no matter what, but I think he is causing a specific ripple because he shows us how to tune in. Not just to the interior of our home, but to the interior of our life.

Speaking of tuning in, tune in to Designing Blind on A & E on Sundays a t 3PM ET (see www.designingblind.com for more show details). And get ready to tune in to your own inner vision.

To find out more about Eric B., go to www.theblinddesigner.com.

Thanks, Eric, for the wonderful conversation. You have expanded my vision in ways I have yet to realize.

Grigory Perelman, Math Genius

2006-08-31T02:33:00.000-07:00

So this Russian guy, Grigory Perelman, apparently proved one of the most open and difficult math problems from the last one hundred years by solving the Poincare conjecture. A big deal in the world of mathematics, and perhaps in life in general, if I can ever figure out exactly what it means.

But here's the thing. Perelman declined to accept the Fields Award, which is the highest medal in mathematics, which was offered to him in honor of his discovery. He explained, "I do not think anything I can say will be of the slightest public interest. I know that self-promotion happens a lot and if people want to do that, good luck to them, but I do not regard it as a positive thing."

Perelman believes that the discovery is more important than the discoverer, and that anything worth reading about the discovery is published in his calculations. He feels no need to be honored for it. And how does this make Perleman a Stone in the Pond? Humility. Clarity. Simplicity. May the world have more of it.

Karen Lasky, Diving Instructor

2006-08-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

To say Karen is a diving instructor is a bit of a misnomer. Karen is a Stone in the Pond be-cause she is a soaring instructor.
Karen helps children's spirits take flight. She connects to their very essence and assists them in finding their unique strengths and using that energy to achieve what they thought they couldn't mere moments before. I have known Karen for two years, and I am continually amazed by the positive, sometimes life-changing, effect her presence has on people, including myself.

When Karen asked my younger daughter how diving made her feel, she replied, "It feels like I'm flying." Karen answered, "That's why we dive" and I was reminded of words Leonardo Da Vinci wrote:

When once you have tasted flight,
you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been,
and there you will always want to be.

Darrell Nelson, The Lawn Guy

2006-07-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

Darrell Nelson, from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, doesn't like to mow his own lawn. Yet, he noticed how much he sweats when he does it and realized lawnmowing each day may be a good way to finally shed that extra 50 pounds with which he's been struggling.

So what did Darrell do? He placed an ad on Craigslist, advertising that he would mow lawns for free. According to Darrell, he said he had a hard time keeping a commitment to himself, but he knew that if he made a commitment to others, he would keep it.

Darrell has now committed to mow five other lawns. I watched the video on a local newscast about Darrell. These are not small lawns he's mowing. At least one of them is a full acre.

What I like about this story is that Darrell thought outside the box to find a solution to his problem, and that he kept it simple. I suspect Darrell will get far more out of this than weight loss, and that these five other households will gain more than nice, neat lawns.

I'll keep an eye on this one and update you if I hear anything. See the video about Darrell at http://cbs2.com/health/health_story_188092906.html

Saul Raisin, Cyclist

2006-07-10T03:31:00.000-07:00

There was a very moving cover story in the Atlanta Jewish Times last week about an internationally-ranked cyclist named Saul Raisin who suffered a serious brain injury as a result of complications after falling in a race in France this past April. Saul was airlifted to the Shepherd Center, here in Atlanta. The Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital devoted to the medical care and rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular problems. It has been helping people through some of the most difficult and life-changing experiences they can imagine for more than three decades.

So that was April. If Saul even survived, he was expected to have no movement on his left side. Saul did come out of his coma, and he participated in extensive rehabilitation, including learning how to eat again. On June 30, Saul left Shepherd and went home to the North Georgia mountains, where he will continue treatment. He walks. He swims. He rides a stationary bicycle. What's more, he says he will participate in the Tour de France next year.

On his website, Saul writes that he feels like he has been reborn, that he has been given a second chance at life. "You can overcome obstacles . . . you can achieve anything you set your mind to in life. Life is a beautiful thing." Saul sounds as if he is simply at the bottom of another seemingly insurmountable hill that experience tells him is, indeed, achievable. A stone in the pond, for sure. Good luck, Saul. However the Tour de France of life unfolds for you.

To find out more about Saul Raisin, go to www.saulraisin.com. Also, take a look at what the folks at the Shepherd Center do at www.shepherd.org.

Elephant Dung Paper (sorry!)

2006-06-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry to give you the rear end of an elephant as a photo, but I gotta' tell ya', this is ingeneous. This company called Exotic Paper in the United Kingdom is taking elephant dung from the Woburn Center for Conservation and Education in Sri Lanka, flying the fibrous matter that remains after cleaning it to Scotland and making paper out of it. What's more, it's made at a mill, called Frogmore Mill, that uses a traditional waterwheel from 1803 which was the world's first successful continuous papermaking machine.

How do I know all this? Well, today was the bi-annual day-at-the bookstore that I spend with my older daughter--8 solid hours. By hour 7, I have usually moved beyond books and American magazines to the British periodicals, and that's where I found this little tidbit. So, do I order the elephant dung paper, like I ordered the "just cup" of coffee about which I wrote in an earlier post? They say on the site that it doesn't smell . . .

And what makes Ellie Poo Elephant Dung paper a Stone in the Pond? Sheer ingenuity.
To find out more, go to www.elliepoopaper.co.uk, or you can call Joanne Kaar in Caithness, Scotland at 01847 851 449 to arrange a papermaking demonstration for your class or group. Good luck!

Cirque du Monde

2006-06-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

You know Cirque du Soleil, that awe-inspiring group of Montreal street performers that went on to create a worldwide phenomenon? Well, did you know that since 1995, this global organization, with offices and big tops on four continents, has donated one percentage of its significant profits to a social action initiative called Cirque du Monde?

Cirque du Monde, a partnership between Cirque du Soleil and numerous other organizations, combines circus arts with social action and is currently in 34 communities around the world. It gives at-risk youth a unique opportunity to gain confidence and new skills, to express themselves, and to forge links with the communities from which they are alienated. In short, circus skills can--and have--changed lives. And that's nothing to clown around about.

Guy Laliberte, the Founding President of Cirque du Soleil, says, "At Cirque du Soleil, we believe that the greatest resource young people possess is their ability to invent, innovate and create. Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge. We couldn't agree more."

To find out more about Cirque du Monde, go to www.cirquedusoleil.com

Philippe Meert and Cerealtop

2006-06-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

So this guy from Belgium travels to L.A. and pours himself a bowl of cereal that spills everywhere as it comes out of the torn packaging. He gets the idea to design a top for cereal boxes that will make pouring easier. His creation, Cerealtop, reminds me of the pour spouts on juice and milk containers that we now take so for granted, that make wrestling with cardboard containers a thing of the past. Simple solutions. But ones that make a difference on a daily basis.

Yes, the Cerealtop is a great idea. But what I like about it most is that it makes me think about what other simple solutions we, as a society, can create that will make a difference. Even just a little difference. Little things add up. What little ideas do you have? Can you put any of them into action--even just one? Even just in your home? It will make you think of possibilities every time you see it. And that, my friend, is a stone in the pond.

To order a Cerealtop, go to the Belgian e-commerce site Amerone.be.

Dancing Deer and the Sweet Home Project

2006-06-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! Dancing Deer, based in Boston, gives 35% of the retail price of its Sweet Home product line directly to help homeless families find jobs and move into homes of their own, as part of the One Family coalition of non-profit organizations.

As it says on the Dancing Deer website: "Ending family homelessness isn't rocket science. It's kitchen table work--sharing what we have, planning together for a better future, and providing the support that will see us all through hard times."

Another thing I like about Dancing Deer? The folks in charge say their successes are due to luck, a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work, and a commitment to having fun while being true to their principles. And they have had failures as well – and survived them with a sense of humor.

Food for thought. Order some Dancing Deer products and help homeless families at www.dancingdeer.com.

Myra Vaizer

2006-05-30T03:22:00.000-07:00

I helped bury my friend, Myra Vaizer, a few days ago. She died of lung cancer and leaves behind a husband and two young daughters. As her husband, Mark, said so eloquently in his final post on the blog he kept during her 9-month illness, "Myra died the same way she lived--with grace and courage." Myra's experience turned our town into a village and deepened every single relationship of each person whose life she touched. The ripple effect of Myra's life is going to be enormous.

Myra's 9-year-old daughter and I are working on one-handed cartwheels. I told her that we still have to count four beats, like in a regular cartwheel, but instead of hand, hand, foot, foot, it now goes, hand, space, foot, foot. The space is the hand we're using as support on our hip. The space is our strength, our momentum, our courage. In that moment, it occurred to me. The space is Myra.

Thank you, Myra, for your quiet strength. You have changed us, and you have made the world a better place. We will find you in the quiet spaces, and you will live on through all of us.

To read Mark's love story about his wife, Myra, go to www.myrasupdate.blogspot.com.

Crazy Dave, Unicyclist

2006-05-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

There I am, riding a mountain bike up and down grueling hills in the countryside of Palmetto, Georgia, as a participant in an organic bikefest (I kid you not), directly behind a guy with a shirt that says Crazy Dave's Hair Studio. And Crazy Dave is on a unicycle. Being a unicyclist myself, although not today, I fixate on Crazy Dave and how he is mastering these hills, the large, speeding trucks, and the bicyclists whizzing around him.

I see Crazy Dave at the end of the race and can't resist talking to him. I find out that he rides his unicycle up Kennesaw Mountain. Backwards. Just for the challenge. When I reveal that I, too, ride a unicycle, although very cautiously on a high school track, he leans forward in a moment of bonding, telling me the secret reserved for those of us in the unofficial "Unicycle Club." I'll tell you what he says.

"Ya' gotta' leave the track," Crazy Dave tells me. "You will be surprised by what you can do."

Up until then, I was simply trying to follow the advice of my daughter, who rode her bike along with me on the race and always left me on the downhills. "Let go of your breaks and let it rip, Mom!" she'd shout back at me. Much to learn. I have much to learn.

Crazy Dave is an inspiration just by being out there, challenging our preconceptions of what's possible and continually pushing himself to achieve more, just for his own satisfaction. And that makes him a Stone in the Pond.

To find out more about Crazy Dave, go to Crazy Dave's Hair Studio, 2615 George Busbee Parkway in Kennesaw, Georgia. Or stop by Kennesaw Mountain. He's the one with the unicycle. Going backwards. And smiling.

Marge Kulfan

2006-05-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

This year, Marge Kulfan celebrates 20 years as a breast cancer survivor. I walked with her in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure yesterday. Marge had never walked a 5K before and I had concerns that she might not make it. But not only did she make it with flying colors, she served as an inspiration to people all around her. Marge's "In Celebration of Me--20 Years!" sign on her back attracted many people who came up to her and said "congratulations," or even more touchingly, "you give me hope."

There are many things that make Marge a Stone in the Pond, but the reason I think she caused a ripple yesterday is because of all the women who said to her, "I needed you to be here today." Who knows whose lives she changed yesterday, what small flickers of will-to-live she fanned into flames? I know she's changed my life. She's my mom.
To find out more about the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, go to www.Komen.org. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Christopher Ochoa and The Innocence Project

2006-05-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

Christopher Ochoa, a 22-year-old fast food worker, was found guilty of a crime he didn't commit and spent 12 years in prison. After he came close to taking his life, he wrote a desperate letter to a non-profit legal clinic called The Innocence Project, staffed by students and supervised by attorneys and clinic staff, at the The University of Wisconsin law school. The Innocence Project handles cases where postconviction DNA testing of evidence can yield conclusive proof of innocence. Mr. Ochoa's innocence was proven and he was freed.

Did Mr. Ochoa fade into that dark night? Did he let bitterness and regret eat away at his soul? I don't know this man at all, but I like what I heard next about him. Mr. Ochoa, who had earned a couple degrees through correspondence courses while in prison, decided to join the system that convicted him with the hope of changing it for the better. Yesterday, Mr. Ochoa stood when his name was called at The University of Wisconsin. To receive his law degree.

To date, 176 people have been exonerated with help from The Innocence Project. Go to www.innocenceproject.org to find out more. Thank you to Michael Forster Rothbart at the University of Wisconsin--Madison for the photo.

Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers

2006-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a Stone in the Pond about whom you'll be hearing a lot--especially after the movie about her story starring Hilary Swank comes out early next year.

Erin Gruwell was a new teacher assigned sure-to-drop-out students in Long Beach, California, right after the Rodney King trial. These kids came from some tough circumstances, with little to no hope of anything better. Through mostly not knowing that it couldn't be done, Ms. G, as they called her, and her students used the power of the pen to change their lives. Like Anne Frank, another trapped teenager, and Zlata Filipovic, a teenager from Sarajevo who wrote a diary as well, these students wrote down their stories in a diary that was recently published as The Freedom Writers Diary.

The Freedom Writers found universal similarities in the timeless literature they now enthusiastically embraced. They even, somehow, miraculously, managed to find a way to fly 87-year-old Miep Gies, the secretary who helped hide Anne Frank, to California and honored her as their hero. They raised money to tour Auschwitz and Anne Frank's house. And here's the kicker--every one of them, 150 strong, went to college.

Erin Gruwell runs the Erin Gruwell Education Project, an organization that promotes tolerance in the classroom, specifically for economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth nationwide. As "Ms. G." said when I saw her speak recently, "We right wrongs." Or is it write?
Visit www.gruwellproject.org. Get the book. Look for the movie. Be naive. Great things can happen when you don't know they can't.

Len Saunders and Project ACES

2006-05-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing about this Stone in the Pond blog. It's like when you are in the market to buy a white car and you start seeing white cars everywhere. I'm finding "stones" everywhere I look, in everything I read. My husband has even started leaving me newspaper clippings with the note, "Could be a stone!" This is, obviously, a good thing. The world should be filled with "stones."

Well, here's one I've missed the past 19 years. That's how long Len Saunders, a physical education teacher for over 20 years in New Jersey, has been running Project ACES. ACES stands for All Children Exercising Simultaneously, and Project ACES centers around an event held each May at a designated date and time when children all over the globe exercise simultaneously as a symbolic gesture of fitness and unity. Millions of children participate. Len Saunders and Project ACES has been praised by Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton, and by senators, celebrities and worldwide news organizations.

The thing I like the best about Len Saunders? He's affectionately known as "The Guy" who created Project ACES. And that reminds me that we're all The Guy. We're all capable of greatness. We're all Stones in the Pond.

To find out more about Len Saunders and Project ACES, go to www.lensaunders.com.

A "Just" Cup of Coffee

2006-04-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

This, I like. JJ Keki, an Abayadaya Jew in Uganda, traveled by foot to all his neighbors, knocked on their doors and asked them to be part of the Mirembe Kowamera coffee-growing cooperative. Okay, that's nice, but here's the Stone in the Pond part:

The 400 farmers who have joined are a mix of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and they had to put aside their differences in order to work together. All three faiths are represented on the executive board, and together they are changing their community, and thereby causing a ripple that can change the world. As it says on their site, they are not selling just a cup of coffee, but a "just" cup of coffee.

I've come across a couple other stories like this--products that depended on ingredients from two warring countries, for example. I'll look for more "stones" like JJ Keki and the Mirembe Kowamera Cooperative because I think they are uniquely inspiring as creative, bold and effective bridge-building initiatives that make a tangible difference in the world.

To find out more about the Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative, go to www.mirembakawomera.com

Prince Charles and Duchy Originals

2006-04-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Prince Charles, no less! Who knew what this man has been up to? The current issue of National Geographic caught me up on things. Apparently, Prince Charles is a major proponent of sustainability and has converted the farm on the land he holds in trust as the Duke of Cornwall to completely organic farming methodologies. What's more, he has built a sustainable village named Poundbury that currently has 650 houses, with another 1600 to come, that is designed with the pedestrian and community in mind. And finally, about ten years ago he launched Duchy Originals, which sells sustainably produced organic products sourced from his farm and other sustainable producers. It is now one of the UK's leading organic food brands.

All profits generated from the sale of Duchy Originals products are donated to the 16 charities (14 of which the Prince founded) supported by The Prince's Charities Foundation. To date, well over a million dollars have been donated.

To find out more about Duchy Originals, go to www.duchyoriginals.com.

Cedric Smith, Artist

2006-04-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you know I'm a marketing writer. Ads catch my eye--occupational hazard. So it was no surprise when I was walking through a nearby community center and I stopped in my tracks to observe paintings that replicated old-fashioned ads. Turns out Cedric Smith, the artist, noticed ads, too, while growing up. Except Mr. Smith, an African American, noticed those ads hardly ever showed a black face. It bothered him his whole life.

Now, this highly talented, self-taught mixed media artist paints ads reminiscent of the ones he saw growing up, but he includes the black faces for which he always searched. I went back to visit his exhibit at least three times, bringing my children with me as well. Mr. Smith is now represented by 10 galleries, is included in three Georgia museums and public collections, and has had six of his images released as posters.

What I like best about Cedric Smith as an artist, however, is that he turned a painful memory into positive imagery that touches hearts, no matter what color the skin.

To find out more about Cedric Smith and to see some of his artwork, go to www.aviscafineart.com. A special thank you to Byrma for your help!

"The Human Print"

2006-04-01T03:53:00.000-08:00

I love hand-made paper and was thrilled to fall upon small, recycled notebooks from Italian artisans, sold by a company named Vickerey out of Boulder, Colorado. These notebooks are reminiscent of those little composition books on which I took final exams in high school. But better. Far better. First of all, they are not graded. And second, they're in a wide array of colors and are wrapped with raffia. My trigonometry test didn't come that way.

The best thing about these booklets? Besides that they are recycled, they are "waiting for your mark," according to the product description on the website. The booklets say "l'impronta humana" on them, which means "the human print." Anything that encourages self-expression is a Stone in the Pond, in my book!

To find out more about the Quaderno Small Recycled Notebooks, go to www.vickerey.com.

Farmer D

2006-03-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

It was an innocent day. He was standing next to baskets of innocent peppers, albeit purple, and tomatoes, albeit heirloom, and cucumbers, albeit round and yellow. We had an innocent conversation. And my life changed. Poof. Like that.

Since that innocent day when I first met Farmer D, I have participated for three summers in CSAs he ran (CSA stands for Community Summported Agriculture and it's when folks pay a farmer directly, up front, for a share of that year's crops, which they then pick up in a pre-packaged box every week from a designated central location). I've written 22 articles for his farm's publication, I've helped him with some branding for his non-profit, and I'm even in the third year of my own organic kitchen garden (and yes, that's his sorrel out there).

Farmer D is an organic and biodynamic farmer, consultant and environmental educator. He is the founder and director of Gan Chaim (Garden of Life), a national non=profit organization that develops educational garden programs at schools, summer camps, senior homes and retreat centers. He was selected as the Biodynamic Rookie of the Year in 1998 and received a Joshua Venture Fellowship for social entrepreneurs in 2003-2005.

Farmer D is presently the owner of Serenbe Farms, the farm director at Hampton Island Preservation and serves as the vice president of Georgia Organics. He is also featured in the cover story of this month's issue of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles as one of the top twenty brightest talents in Atlanta under 40 years of age.

The best part of Farmer D? He had a curiosity that became a passion, that he then developed into his life's work. He dreams of developing conservation communities and sustainable villages across the country. One seed at a time.

To find out more about Farmer D, go to www.farmerd.com

Kim Corbin, the Skipper

2006-03-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is one of my favorite photos in the world. It was sent to me more than five years ago, by a woman named Kim Corbin, about whom I read in People magazine. I wrote to her, she wrote back, and somehow over time we have become friends. There's hardly a thing in my writing life I haven't somehow shared with Kim.

Kim created and runs the website, iskip.com and has been influential in the Skipping Movement. Don't know about the Skipping Movement? Tap in and read about it. Media coverage of Kim and iskip.com is a mile long--from Shape magazine to Sports Illustrated for Women, from NBC to the BBC, from the Wall Street Journal to Newsweek. Kim even skipped on The Donny & Marie Show!

Kim claims that skipping helps you feel like a kid again. Her blog contains numerous first-person accounts from people who have skipped their way out of self-consciousness and into new life directions.

Check out Kim's website and blog for more great photos. Then, maybe you'll even put a little skip in your step today. Why not?

Earth Shoes

2006-03-23T02:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, full disclosure--I write brochures for companies. So I'm a bit predisposed to picking up marketing materials when I'm out and about, and to studying catalogs for snappy copy and riveting design. Let's face it--they're all starting to look and sound alike.

Not this one. The Spring 2006 catalog from Earth--yes, the makers of Earth Shoes--is a work of art. I received the catalog a week ago and have been carrying it around with me like a prized possession. It is an odd shape, printed on a beautiful, textured, recycled paper, with truly stunning photographs of models integrated into surreal nature scenes. What's more, it features a surprisingly wide variety of gorgeous, posture-pleasing styles. I immediately ordered a pair of sandals. They arrived in earthy packaging--no surprise--and they fit perfectly.

I used to wear Earth shoes back in high school, but the company stopped producing for many years. They've returned now in a big way, with their patented back-saving negative heel technology.

And best of all, they donate a portion of every sale to Earth Share, the nation's leading network of non-profit environmental organizations.

To find out more about this exciting company, go to www.earth.us

Linda Schaefer and Mother Teresa

2006-03-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting at karate and I start some idle chit-chat with a woman I've seen for years but to whom I've probably never really spoken before. Turns out she's the last photojournalist who had access to Mother Teresa before she died. She brings me her beautiful, hard-cover book, Come and See, and I spend a weekend reading it from cover to cover. The only reason it even takes me that long is because I get stuck on so many of Linda's gorgeous, dignified, provocative photos.

Linda now works full-time as a motivational/inspirational speaker to groups all over the country, where she encourages people to find their true callings.

Wow. Think about all the people by whom you sit in your everyday travels and ask yourself if you've ever really spoken to them. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out what fascinating stories--and people--are right next to you.

To find out more about Linda: www.motherteresaofcalcutta.com