This is a current favorite by Rumi-
"This being human is a guest house.
Every moment a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows
who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture.
Still, treat each guest honourably.
They may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame,
the malice...
meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond."
Loving each heart,
Lauren
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Water! Wowter!
Rolling with the river, around each stone and obstacle
The droplets gain momentum as more join in the journey
Through varied landscapes they pick up pieces
Of purity, pesticide, passion, and power
Moving through stories, carrying the past to the future
Feeding all the roots; growing evolution
A little poem I thought up with water on the brain :)
Flow On!
The droplets gain momentum as more join in the journey
Through varied landscapes they pick up pieces
Of purity, pesticide, passion, and power
Moving through stories, carrying the past to the future
Feeding all the roots; growing evolution
A little poem I thought up with water on the brain :)
Flow On!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Clean Bin Project
I just watched a documentary made by a Vancouver based couple, called the Clean Bin Project. They challenged each other not to buy any stuff for one year and not to produce any waste for the year. They replaced their 1 garbage can with 15 recycling bins for different items, expanded their compost, grew a huge garden and had fun discovering new recipes for deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, crackers, cleaning supplies and all kinds of things we normally 'just buy'.
Producing no garbage meant choosing food items that were not wrapped in garbage/ non-recyclables. It meant buying cheese from the deli, cut off the block and put in the container they brought to the store.
It meant not buying chips and it meant giving up a few items they liked.
BUT
it meant gaining a sense of responsibility and connection to the worth of the items that sustain our lives. It meant discovering news ways to exist and it meant honing new skills to subsist.
After 365 days she had about 4.15lbs of garbage and he had 3.8lbs. not bad.
I've challenged some co workers to the challenge, starting July 1st, Canada Day.
Living a life of over-consumption and garbage production is Outdated. It's time to evolve to the next way of living. Creatively and responsibly.
Have fun!
Producing no garbage meant choosing food items that were not wrapped in garbage/ non-recyclables. It meant buying cheese from the deli, cut off the block and put in the container they brought to the store.
It meant not buying chips and it meant giving up a few items they liked.
BUT
it meant gaining a sense of responsibility and connection to the worth of the items that sustain our lives. It meant discovering news ways to exist and it meant honing new skills to subsist.
After 365 days she had about 4.15lbs of garbage and he had 3.8lbs. not bad.
I've challenged some co workers to the challenge, starting July 1st, Canada Day.
Living a life of over-consumption and garbage production is Outdated. It's time to evolve to the next way of living. Creatively and responsibly.
Have fun!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Water words
During a weekend of water words and flowing people, we were asked to write a question. i wrote this. it might only make sense to me!
burning need.
passion is fire
fuelled by water.
pulsating heart
is sunshine for my belly seed of change.
listen.
trust.
mycelium style growth for change
Water is passion!
burning need.
passion is fire
fuelled by water.
pulsating heart
is sunshine for my belly seed of change.
listen.
trust.
mycelium style growth for change
Water is passion!
Monday, November 23, 2009
This is food for thought
Friend Ben spins poetic beats. Check out his latest blog entry and have a think.
http://foodgrows.blogspot.com/2009/11/it-was-violent-night-in-toronto.html
keep flowin'
Lauren
http://foodgrows.blogspot.com/2009/11/it-was-violent-night-in-toronto.html
keep flowin'
Lauren
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
...and I'm feelin' good
It's been a long time but I"m feeling alive and excited and ready to live to the fullest!
i had the best evening last night. My dear cousin had a major role in his highschool play Dracula and I, now living in Calgary for a winter, got to see it! The play was gory and fabulous and being in a highschool was hilarious again. i loved every minute. being around a different age group, feeling the energy from hormones!, seeing excitment for success after months of hard work and passion for friendship. Being with family: grandma, uncle, cousin and her son. awesome.
From there i went to meet friend Leila who i haven't seen in years and we had So Much to Say! We talked til the cafe closed, then moved onto a bench for the next hour til our feet were so numb we hobbled to the car and kept on spinning dreams and passions and world views and ideas for change and for birthday parties and for keeping it real and never forgetting that the earth is not our stage it is our roots and life force and like a family member who is sick has to be given the best of care. Remembering where the heart is, how water brings the heart to life.
i'm so pumped and alive and feeling it and connected to truth again. There are such incredible people everywhere! i want to do street plays and paint the intersections with beautiful pictures on my birthday to remind people that a garden could be there if it wasn't concrete! there are so many creative ways to get the word out, the word to THINK and to REACT and to get out of the numb routine
YES!
pumped! loving opportunity again. and loving friends so much.
Friends sent me a cheque for Rajan's meds in India (a brother who just got through dengue fever) and included a note that said, "thank you for caring about people in India and letting us be part of it too!" and it made me smile a really big smile
it feels so good to care. To not be empty and living numbly. To not accept that everything is as it should be because they said so. to look for truth and seek out passions and listen with honesty.
big feelings of change and excitment after an inspirational few days.
yay!
lauren
i had the best evening last night. My dear cousin had a major role in his highschool play Dracula and I, now living in Calgary for a winter, got to see it! The play was gory and fabulous and being in a highschool was hilarious again. i loved every minute. being around a different age group, feeling the energy from hormones!, seeing excitment for success after months of hard work and passion for friendship. Being with family: grandma, uncle, cousin and her son. awesome.
From there i went to meet friend Leila who i haven't seen in years and we had So Much to Say! We talked til the cafe closed, then moved onto a bench for the next hour til our feet were so numb we hobbled to the car and kept on spinning dreams and passions and world views and ideas for change and for birthday parties and for keeping it real and never forgetting that the earth is not our stage it is our roots and life force and like a family member who is sick has to be given the best of care. Remembering where the heart is, how water brings the heart to life.
i'm so pumped and alive and feeling it and connected to truth again. There are such incredible people everywhere! i want to do street plays and paint the intersections with beautiful pictures on my birthday to remind people that a garden could be there if it wasn't concrete! there are so many creative ways to get the word out, the word to THINK and to REACT and to get out of the numb routine
YES!
pumped! loving opportunity again. and loving friends so much.
Friends sent me a cheque for Rajan's meds in India (a brother who just got through dengue fever) and included a note that said, "thank you for caring about people in India and letting us be part of it too!" and it made me smile a really big smile
it feels so good to care. To not be empty and living numbly. To not accept that everything is as it should be because they said so. to look for truth and seek out passions and listen with honesty.
big feelings of change and excitment after an inspirational few days.
yay!
lauren
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
25 year old child
What thoughts would you have if a 9year old boy was leading you through the narrow lanes of his neighbourhood and instinctively pulling you to the side whenever a car passed?
Who usually looks out for who? Is what I was thinking.
9 year old Prasenjeet now lives with Jamghat but had been on his own for several years, living on the streets and taking care of himself. With no one to look out for him, he grew up really fast. When he walks beside me, a 25 year old foreigner, we both know who the experienced is at this life.
I’m the child in their world, speaking sentences like a 2 year old, making social mistakes like a 5 year old, learning endless amounts from my young teachers. Were I to live on the streets alone, even now at 25, I’d be terrified and completely lost.
These boys know where to find free food, where to get cheap or free clothes, who to go to for help (NOT the police!), how to survive in the invisible systems of street life. Essentially, how to fight for their life.
I’m amazed daily by their spirit and honest positivity after surviving through it all, alone. I’m sure glad my little 9 year old friend is such a dedicated teacher, looking out for me while I grow up in this daunting city.
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