Bravery... change

I was talking to my students yesterday about the importance of doing the things that make us nervous, how it builds strength and character to overcome fears to do something worthwhile.  As I was walking in the evening I saw a blind woman crossing the street in NYC and I thought of the bravery it takes to walk the world without sight, to walk the city without sight.  Today I'm thinking about how much bravery, how much courage it takes to change.  I have long thought of myself as adventurous but there are many, many ways that I hang onto the known, to the old.  I can't even bring myself to give up my old cell phone!  I tend to place value on the old because I don't like waste or consuming just to consume or innovation that seats us further from our center... but I realize that I also hold and value the old because it's a known entity.  There's such comfort in what is known.  But little adventure or learning.

I used to think of stepping into the unknown as jumping off a cliff.   I like this metaphor because it has in it both a decided initially willful act and an effortless entry into adventure... jumping to free fall through air...

days 2 and 3

2. African apps take on mobile gaming industry

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/02/tech/mobile/games-mobile-phones-africa/index.html

3. Africa is a Country Blog:
http://africasacountry.com

African Contemporary Art Gallery, Lisbon:
http://www.africancontemporary.com/index.htm

Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York:
http://www.contempafricanart.com/current-show.html

Threads of Time, Nnenna Okore, Nigeria

Day I: Africa on the Web

So as I continue to dig for information about the Western con/perception of Africa in our quickly shifting contemporary digital media context, I decided to launch a bit of an experiment for my daily writings to keep my investigations live:  for the next 28 days I will be documenting snapshots of views on Africa from the Web.  Today, from that omnipresent search engine, Google.

Day I:

Google in Africa (12 May 2012): http://www.economist.com/node/21554566

Africa's Economy: Bulging in the Middle (20 Oct 2012): http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21564856-boom-sub-saharan-africa-attracting-business-talent-rich-world

Official Google Africa Blog: http://google-africa.blogspot.com

Google in Your Language, Africa Community Translation: https://sites.google.com/site/gwscommunitytranslation/

Google Doodles for Africa: http://www.oafrica.com/uncategorized/gallery-google-doodles-for-africa/

Africa Day. May 25, 2011.

There is a way through every block

There is a way through every block... heard and read today.  Remembering how I try to think my way out of/into solutions and then reminded of this hard thinker's true companion: intuition.  My acupuncturist used to say to me weekly: "I can tell you've been thinking a lot this week."  She really meant "too much."

What I'm reading:
http://mergingrivers.com/blog/?p=334

http://gabbyb.tv/vlogging/a-meditation-to-bust-through-your-blocks?inf_contact_key=4387b9675a0dabb9a405bb38d5abf1fffdf73737de7e72989b01b7166a7fc2a9

http://yogiinthesun.blogspot.com/2012/07/practice-practice-practice.html

Living understanding

Once in a blue moon, I realize that I'm living the understanding of adages I've heard my whole life... some that came to mind today...

Change is the only constant

The grass is always greener on the other side

Who don't hear gonna feel

If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing

Don't be afraid of your own shadow

Love is my religion

It's about the journey, not the destination

The present moment is all we have
this heard so many times
resonant now and still hard to grasp
as my thoughts fly away to fantasy
to fetter(s)
to  that which I don't want
to manifest
so I pull them back
slow down
concentrate again
reset.

I am here now (breathe in)
I let go (breathe out, smile).

Consistency

From Dictionary.com

con·sist·en·cy

   [kuhn-sis-tuhn-see] 

noun, plural con·sist·en·cies.

1.

a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.: The liquid has the consistency of cream.

2.

steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form,etc.: There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.

3.

agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing: consistency of colors throughout the house.

4.

the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.

A la Jeannie and after Vyvyane

I woke this morning thinking about consistency.  I was thinking about #2 on the list as it relates to discipline and motivation.  I then quickly thought of #1 and the relation to texture and texture's relation to my enjoyment of consuming something (follow me?).  I realize that my desire for consistency in my actions towards my goals is so that I can achieve a certain firmness and coherence (#4)... a certain heartiness, a weighted density to my actions which for me is so much more enjoyable.  Which brings me to #3.  There are so many moving parts in my life and so many competing priorities and I think about my need to organize the parts. Today I'd rather think of it as achieving harmony among the parts... something that I can orchestrate with my consistency but the organization of which will only be done partly by me because I believe in the infinite organizing power of that which is greater than me too.  Today my intention is to clarify all of my desires (I have to want them badly!) and to re-discover love to spawn motivation, discipline, and energy in all that I do.