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My Manifesto

7/21/2018

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A friend requested that I repost my manifesto.  

If you've followed me for awhile, you've seen it before. I read my manifesto often and revisit to review and update it at least once a year.  A new year, , birthdays and the beginning of autumn are ideal times. My manifesto is my guideline for living a value based life. It is like by-laws - one word can change everything, so even if changes are subtle, they can have a huge impact. I love by-laws, by the way! Undoubtedly that's why I've been asked to serve on so many boards over the years - no one else wants that task!

My reason for sharing this is to encourage you to write your own. Copying mine may be tempting, but the result will be weak and diluted. We all need to give thought to what works for us - not for someone else. This is simply a spring board to get you started.
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One huge change for me this year has been finding my voice and stepping forward to own what I value. I'm recommitting to speaking up for young people. I've spent my life as an advocate for children, first as president of the Tri-County Alliance for Youth, president of our America's Promise for six years and winning Colin Powell's 100 Best twice - it ran in 3 year cycles. Our Gandhi King Peace Coalition trained non-violence for over a decade using the Gandhi - King steps to non-violence in after school programs, summer camps and conferences.  I served on the United Way to oversee the committee that determined where funds would go for youth programming. We taught Dr. Peter Benson's 40 Assets for Youth through out the community, focusing on what we wanted - youth success. Most programs had revolved around deficits - drug and alcohol, bullying, teen pregnancy - and as with all things, what we focus our attention on increased. Our shift to assets took us quantum leaps in improving the lives of our young people.

"Thoughts become things." Mike Dooley

That is true in every aspect of our lives. I encourage you to consider what you want in your life, give it action and energy and make wonderful things happen! Understanding who we are and what we value comes first - internal work. And that must be followed by action. 

And now for my manifesto. 

1.     Use my energy level as a barometer to gauge the value of my relationships. Nurture those who increase my energy, avoid those who drain it. 

2.     Enhance the quality of life by using creativity to enjoy projects and tasks and to have more fun! Actively and regularly schedule fun and adventure! 

3.     Take the time to stay in tune with my spiritual self - continue to journal (3 pages daily since 2003), meditate, time in nature, yoga, sketching, painting, gardening, gratitude lists, illustrated journaling, etc. 

4.     Respect my health as a precious gift.  Use exercise and nutrition to be healthy - not to look good. Have a health-driven, not-ego driven, life style.  

5.    Continue to spend time in, and learn lessons from, nature. 

6.  Embrace and actively commit to my education and learning - knowledge, skills and attitude. Create a cycle of learning and teaching, giving courses to help others.

7.   Dharma - use my talents and passions in all aspects of my life's work, through paid and volunteer positions.

8.  Keep clutter to a minimum.  Give away one item for every new one that comes into the house. Our external environment reflects our internal reality. Beauty and simplicity create peace and serenity. 

9.  Incorporate systems to simplify everyday tasks. Use terminology that will shift my attitude - house blessing instead of house work, consider the blessings to others for their services when paying bills, give to groups I believe in. Incorporate segment intending to improve focus and separate projects and tasks.  

10.   If it isn't good for my soul, I won't buy it, eat it, watch it, read it, spend time with it, wear it  . . . 
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Now it's your turn. What are your values, expectations, guidelines, systems? Have fun with creating your own manifesto! It's worth the time. And keep it posted so you can review it often. i used to have mine on the refrigerator and reviewed it daily. Think I'll get back to that. 

Manifestos are a work in progress so you can always revisit, improve and update for what is best in your current situation. Have fun!
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Note: ​I began my manifesto by listing my values - relationships, creativity, spirituality, health, natures, learning and education,  Creating a list of what you value will provide a skeleton for you to begin to build your manifesto. 
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Faith

7/20/2018

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"if you have faith, even if it's only as tiny as a mustard seed,  you can move a mountain." Our Bible school teacher passed around a necklace with a mustard seek embedded in plastic, while she explained the power of faith. Or tried. We didn't challenge her. Those weren't the days when a child would yell out "Are you crazy. You mean you think you can just sit there and believe and the whole mountain will move?" 

We lived in a town surrounded by mountains and I had never heard anyone express concern about their placement. The story made an impression, but it didn't make a lot of sense from my eight year old perspective. 

I was still thinking about it when I got home and did what I always did when something didn't make sense. I asked my father. He was brilliant. He taught calculus at an engineering school, read Chaucer and Shakespeare for personal enjoyment,  and did crossword puzzles in ink. He started college at 15, had 3 majors and 2 minors, and completed one of his master's degrees in French. He was one of the few adults who never talked down to me because I was a child. He made me feel he respected my opinion as much as one of his student's or  another adult's.

He had an extensive vocabulary yet communicated clearly. He wasn't interested in impressing others. He was interested in learning and education.. "if you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it."  

My father could have been very judgmental about education and degrees, but he was concerned with learning for the joy of it. He literally lit up when given the opportunity to help others,process information. He had been a Methodist Sunday school teacher for nearly two decades, so he was well prepared for this conversation.

He explained that the mustard seed represented a spiritual point of view and the mountain represented a problem or challenge. "The mustard seed story illustrates if we have faith, we can solve our problems. It is also about taking the responsibility to believe in ourselves enough to confront our concerns."

"But," he continued, "we don't necessarily have to solve a problem. Sometimes we can move a mountain by changing our perspective. If we have faith, and stop reacting and trying to fix things, we might find that what we perceived as a mountain is a blessing in disguise. We often make things harder than they have to be by trying to control everything."

My dad used an example that made the lesson clear. I had recently been concerned that a friend was mad at me because she had been avoiding me for a couple of days. She had been planning a surprise party for me. I had been angry and hurt and began avoiding her. Later, I felt terrible. 

Faith comes from inside .We don't need to prove to anyone we have it if we do. It extends beyond the faith we have in ourselves. It is about giving others, and life's circumstances,, the benefit of the doubt, and not making judgements or assumptions. 

​I wrote this years ago, when my brother and I joined the Pine Street Presbyterian church in Harrisburg, PA.  Recently, there are events causing me to question our county's direction. Revisiting this helped shift my perspective and give me peace of mind. I hope it will do the same for you. 

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Holocaust Victim Attributes Gifts from Nature to Her Survival

7/7/2018

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Recently a friend and I were discussing the direction this country is taking and I was reminded of this exhibit I visited at the American Visionary Arts Museum in January, 2013, 
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Lessons from Nature is a topic that has fascinated me for a lifetime. Even so, I was totally unprepared for the insights of Esther Krinitz, a holocaust surviver, artist and story teller, whose work was featured at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. 

When I first walked into the museum I was captivated by the whimsy and humor. My guard was down. Had I heard this story at a holocaust museum or concentration camp in Germany I'd have been braced for horror. But I was at my most receptive - my heart was open and unsuspecting. 

I glanced at the tapestries before noticing an accompanying video, and sat down in child like wonder, expecting only delight. The video began. "This was not what I came to see," I silently protested, but stayed, mesmerized and paralyzed, enthralled, captivated, stunned.

Esther weaves her mesmerizing story with a needle and thread, creating tapestries to depict her memories of the holocaust. Time and again she referenced the gifts of nature in her journey. She and her sister were hidden and sheltered from the Nazis by nature. A kind gentleman provided them with a garden plot to grow food for their survival. One tapestry depicts a Nazi soldier being attacked by bees when he began interrogating her.   A cherry tree, laden with fruit, depicts 'money growing on trees' in America. 

I'm still processing my lessons from Esther. My perceptions and understanding have been heightened and altered. She relived the nightmares and miracles, creating an unforgettable story of horror, survival, and gratitude, one stitch at a time. 

We were asked not to take photographs inside the museum, but you can read more about her journey here -  Art and Remembrance.

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Fresh Blueberry Pie

7/5/2018

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​Mycala and I are considering collaborating on a "Mom 'n Me" cookbook. I made the crust - she made the blueberry pie filling. It looks like jewels so I had to add it to my 'Today's Treasure'.  I'll report back after I try it!
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UPDATE: The pie was pure bliss - absolutely scrumptious! This may be my new favorite pie! Thank you Mycala!
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Labels

7/2/2018

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When I find myself becoming defensive about a 'weed', and if you've followed my blog, you know I do from time to time, it occurs to me that it's probably time to seek help! Hahahaha! This time the plant I'm defending is poke. My friend Carrie has no empathy for the stand I'm taking because it's taking over her garden and yard, but as always, she's patient with my idiosyncrasies. 

My expectation certainly isn't that people nurture and cultivate it. Actually, the plant has done well on its own for centuries without any coddling from gardeners. It's just that anytime the wrath directed at a plant eliminates the appreciation for its benefits - and it does have benefits - my first instinct is to guide them to look from another perspective. 
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If we look beyond the label 'weed', we'll find a plant rich with history, health benefits and more.

Poke has been used in Chinese medicine, Appalachian folk medicine, attributed to healing cancer, arthritis, and Lyme disease. A folk cure for arthritis is to swallow one berry a day, fresh or dried, I am NOT recommending this, but have a friend who swears by it. The poison is said to be contained in the seeds so if you don't chew them and release the poison, they pass right through. 

Corrina Wood, founder and director of Southeast Wise Women, gives a wealth of additional information on using poke for medicinal purposes for any who are interested.

​The berries were used to make ink for the draft of the Declaration of Independence, I've made the ink to use for journaling as well as painting, (recipe below) and the color is exquisite!  It has also been used as a dye. Few colors rival the beauty of poke.

In my all of my courses, whether Enhancing Your Life with Herbs, Illustrated Journaling, Mosaics and Kaleidoscopes, A More Creative You and others, I encourage people to consider a creative approach. An interesting challenge for poke is to write a poem or a song about it. You can write your own, or if you prefer, you can listen to Tony Joe White's version! 

Tony wrote Polk Salad Annie, and Elvis made it famous. Ok, not as famous as Love Me Tender or Jailhouse Rock, but there are some who know and love it. I'm one of them. It's on this site - see Mabon, Poke and Elvis,  or just do a google search. I have no idea why it isn't one of his best known. Actually, Elvis doesn't even know it very well - he had to use a cheat sheet when he sang  it. Who but the King could get away with that? 

In the song, polk (poke) salad is gathered - oh, here. I'll include the lyrics below. ​
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Poke
Phytolacca family
Folk names - Polk, Poke Root, Polk Root, Coakum, Cocan, Crowberry, Pigeon Berry, Virginia Poke, Inkberry, Garget. I have never heard it called "Poke Weed"

Polk Salad Annie
Tony Joe White
If some of ya'll never been down south too much
I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this 
So that you'll understand what I'm talkin' about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods
And in the fields looks somethin' like a turnip green
And everybody calls it polk salad, polk salad
Used to know a girl lived down there 
And she'd go out in the evenings and pick her a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
'Cause thats about all they had to eat, but they did all right
Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl, that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame
Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
(A mean vicious woman)
Everyday ?for supper time, she'd go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad, and carry it home in a tow sack
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody says it was a shame
Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
(A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman
Lord have Mercy, pick a mess of it)
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Illustrated Journal Page - Poke

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The berries above are colored with poke ink - beautiful variations from pinks to purples. 
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    "My mission is 
    to help others see and cherish the beauty, 
    romance and treasures within and around them 
    that are often dismissed or completely overlooked."
    



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    Mikell is a writer, artist and professional treasure hunter, finding the greatest treasures in the wonderful people who enter her life!

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