Wednesday, December 12, 2012

December.

December has brought big changes. Hard to believe that it's 12/12/12, and Christmas is only a little under 2 weeks away.

I've come across lots of awesome stories/links/videos recently. Here goes:

1.) This came out a little while ago, but was reintroduced to me recently, and gets my heart every time. Powerful video, song, and message!


2.) Good job, Seattle:
Inspiring Moments from Seattle's First Day of Marriage Equality
AND...
It gets better...

3.) This great artist from America's Got Talent and The Glee Project created a music video with her girlfriend (also from The Glee Project!), as a way to share their relationship with the world. A heartfelt testimony to their relationship, with a lovely message about love knowing no bounds:


And that's that for now. See you all soon!

Cheers,
Anna


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Recent inspirations...

In the whirlwind of starting work, I lost track of you, blog! I am back, pulled here by the winds of so many delightful postings on Facebook. I found myself thinking, "Wow, I'd really love to collect all of these musings and put them somewhere..." and then remembered, "Oh yeah! That's what I have a blog for!!" Ha. So here I am. The weather is frostier, the leaves are changing, The World Series is happening, and an election approaches. And with all of these changes come more inspirational moments...

First, a man writes a powerful letter to Ann Coulter, in response to her use of the R-Word. 

[John Franklin Stephens, author of letter]



And finally, a preacher, whose speech sounds anti-gay, but turns out to demonstrate the strong link between anti-gay and pro-segregation rhetoric. So cool:


...and so many other powerful stories, images, and videos continue to show up on my Facebook newsfeed. I will continue to share!

For now, happy Thursday evening to you all,
Anna 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Fall approaches...

As I ran through the sheets of rain today, I felt grateful for the warm 80 degree air, thinking, "Wow, this still definitely feels like summer..." thinking about the times in months to come, when rain will fall, but it won't feel quite so refreshing. Though the weather hasn't shifted much, something else has. This time of year always has a buzz to it, like we're all worker bees getting our jobs and goals ready for the upcoming months. I think back to years past, as I loaded up my backpack with new school supplies, hopeful and nervous for the year ahead. This morning, I did just that. I thought about what books I'd like on the shelves of my therapist office in the elementary school where I'll be working this year, and what outfit I'd like to wear for my first day of school. As I approach another school year, I'd like to leave all of you with a powerful quote that I witnessed while visiting social work schools, before I began my journey towards social work, two and a half years ago. It was plastered on the wall by the building, and I jotted it down, wanting to implant in my memory. It reflects the work I care about, and the work I am about to do...and I think it speaks to the larger message of what I hope our country will commit itself to, though I'm sure the next couple months will be very telling. I also have had this quote on my facebook profile since I saw it written those 2.5 years ago, and I feel ready to replace it with something new, knowing that I will carry this with me as foundation for years to come.

And with that, I share it with you:

"When I see brokenness, poverty and crime in inner cities, I also see the enormous potential and readiness for transformation and rebirth. We are creating an art form that comes from the heart and reflects the pain and sorrow of people's lives. It also expresses joy, beauty, and love. This process lays the foundation of building a genuine community in which people are reconnected with their families, sustained by meaningful work, nurtured by the care of each other and will together raise and educate their children. Then we witness social change in action." -Lily Yeh


To all you worker bees out there, I wish you well on your journeys. And I will be in touch as I move forward with mine.

Adieu!
Anna




Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Hello there blog-o-sphere!

It's been a full month, and here we are, on August 1st.

The commentators' voices fill the apartment, as I watch the swimming excitement of the Olympics. In honor of the Olympics, I have some fun clips/tidbits to share with y'all:

1] First, Gabby Douglas. Incredible, beautiful, Gabby, who now is one of the "Fab Five" to have won the gold for the USA women's gymnastics team:












Cheers to all the Olympians out there working hard and making their countries proud! 

<3
AK

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

An in(ter)dependence kind of day!

 While I think that independence is important and glorious, I also really like the idea of interdependence. Today I look forward to carousing with friends from all parts of my life at a feast later on this afternoon, as we eat grilled delicacies and chat on a West Philly porch, reconnecting, and celebrating our lives together. This day, to me, then, is more about being connected to others--interdependence-- and less about independence.

In celebration of interdependence, I invite you to look at this clip from 5/23/12, which reflects not only glorious creativity and spirit, but also great interdependence-- interdependence of the people who worked hard to put this project together, but more than that, the interdependence of this wonderful community of people, with so much love to share, all in celebration of one couple:



With happy wishes for a lovely day of interdependence, I wish you well on your fourth of July!

Cheers,
Anna

Monday, July 2, 2012

Aspirations.

A few summers back, my friends and I would listen to music and dance around in our college apartment. Recently, one of my friends posted this video to my Facebook wall, and it brought me back to those lovely days:

And not only was I able to remember our fabulous, memorable dance parties, as we reenacted this video...but I was able to be reminded that this woman (and her friend) are who I aspire to be when I get older. Their energy is infectious, their dance moves creative, and their presences are truly inspirational! Also, it should be noted that this song is sung by Ben Kweller. The star of the video is his grandmother, who was 83 at the time. Knowing this, I fell even more in love with this video.

Thank you, Jimmy, for bringing these ladies back into my life. (And this song, which I adore.) 

Cheers,
Anna

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Evening inspiration.


A fabulous young woman who lives in Arizona, who I grew up with in Bergen County, NJ, is about to begin an important journey around the United States. 

She is a talented photographer, capturing the feminist movement through her photos. After taking pictures of feminists and posting them online, her success has grown, and she has felt inspired to take this project to a national level. She plans to travel, taking pictures of feminists around the country, and creating a book from her travels. Talk about inspiration! Her words are inspiring, as she discusses her project. Her project is inspiring in its unique and empowering approach to feminism. And her journey as a photographer is inspiring, as she delves into this work, jumping into this large-scale adventure! Read more about her project here.


And with that, I bid you good night. 
Sleep well, and I will (hopefully) be in touch soon.

Cheers to an inspiring week,
Anna

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Inspirational Saturday

The weather is sticky and hot, and I sit baking away in my un-airconditioned apartment in Philadelphia. Today, I am posting two stories (submitted by Sally T., San Francisco, CA):







And with that, I send refreshing air your way, wherever you are. 

Cheers to a happy Saturday,
Anna 


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Buzzfeed does it again.

In a world that continues to struggle with homophobia and anti-gay sentiment, when people still post horrifically closed minded and offensive views on a happy Oreo ad, celebrating pride:



When a teen lesbian couple was found attacked in Texas, one of them killed, and the other in serious condition in a nearby hospital: 




Buzzfeed still manages to instill hope: 



The world still has a lot of growing to do, but this selection of photos fills my heart with so much warmth and happiness. 

Thank you. 

Cheers,
Anna 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Capturing Philadelphia.

Inspiring for the beautiful articulation of what it's like to be young and living in West Philly. Inspiring also in the beauty it captures of Philadelphia as a city, its imperfections contributing to its authentic character. Also inspiring because it is written by a fabulous writer, who also happens to be a dear friend of mine from Haverford. This piece will likely be one of countless future ones. Please read: http://therumpus.net/2012/06/the-last-city-i-loved-philadephia/







Cheers,
Anna

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Inspirational Tuesday...


http://www.scribd.com/doc/92082253/Vogue-Up-Front-with-Jessica-Posner-of-Shining-Hope-for-Communities#fullscreen

A story about a young woman who dreamt to create a school for girls in Kenya, that could provide not only a promise of education, but access to improved healthcare, clean water, and a way to "fundamentally change the way people would value girls and women" (p. 4).

Submitted by Lauren, NYC, who has worked at Chapin School in Manhattan, the school mentioned in the article that partners with this project. Very cool!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day, everyone :)

In honor of this day: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/438/fathers-day-2011




And, a much-delayed inspirational campaign provided by Lauren, NYC: http://vimeo.com/41060431



And, finally a fifth grader with a powerful message: 

Cheers till next time :)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

A story about stopping and noticing.


A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed... there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

[submitted by Lauren Davis, New York]

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Follow Your Heart, it is Smarter Than You Think: The heart is also the first organ that is being formed in the womb. The rest comes later.

by Rebecca Cherry

Recently, Neurophysicists have been astonished to discover that the Heart is more an organ of intelligence, than (merely) the bodies' main pumping station. More than half of the Heart is actually composed of neurons of the very same nature as those that make up the cerebral system. Joseph Chilton-Pearce, author of The Biology of Transcendence, calls it "the major biological apparatus within us and the seat of our greatest intelligence."

The Heart is also the source of the body's strongest electromagnetic field. Each heart cell is unique in that it not only pulsates in synchrony with all the other heart cells, but also produces an electromagnetic signal that radiates out beyond the cell. An EEG that measures brain waves shows that the electromagnetic signals from the heart are so much stronger than brain waves, that a reading of the heart's frequency spectrum can be taken from three feet away from the body...without placing electrodes on it!

The Heart's electromagnetic frequency arcs out from the Heart and back in the form of a torus field. The axis of this Heart torus extends from the pelvic floor to the top of the skull, and the whole field is holographic, meaning that information about it can be read from each and every point in the torus.

The Hearts' torus electromagnetic field is not the only source that emits this type of electromagnetic field. Every atom emits the same torus field. The Earth is also at the center of a torus, so is the solar system and even our galaxy...and all are holographic. Scientists believe there is a good possibility that there is only one universal torus encompassing an infinite number of interacting, holographic tori within its spectrum. Because electromagnetic torus fields are holographic, it is more than likely that the sum total of our Universe is present within the frequency spectrum of a single torus.

This means that each one of us is connected to the entire Universe and as such, can access all the information within it at any given moment. When we get quiet and access what we hold in our Hearts, we are literally connecting to the limitless supply and Wisdom of the Universe, thereby enabling what we perceive as "miracles" to enter into our lives.

When we disconnect and shut down the Heart's innate wisdom of Love-based thinking, the ego-based intellect takes over and operates independently of the Heart, and we revert to a survival mentality based on fear, greed, power, and control. In this way, we come to believe that we are separate, our perception of life shifts into one of limitation and scarcity, and one in which we must fight in order to survive. This amazing organ, that we often time ignore, neglect and build walls around, is where we can find our strength, our faith, our courage and our compassion, enabling our higher emotional intelligence that can, if we allow it, guide us through our lives.

We must now switch the gears out of the fear-based mental state that we have been taught to believe in, and move into Heart Centered living. For this transformation to take place, one must learn to meditate, "go into your Heart" and access the inner wisdom of the Universe. It is the only way, it is THE WAY. As each one of us begins this quiet revolution of living from the Heart, we will begin to see it reflected in our lives and in our World. This is how each one of us will create change in the world, create Peace, create Harmony and Balance, and in this way, will we all create the New World Paradigm of Heaven on Earth.

[submitted by Holly Whiteside]

Famous, by Naomi Shihab Nye

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

[submitted by Lauren Davis]

Improv Everywhere Film (Teaser)

Inspiration at its finest. Bringing joy to peoples' lives everywhere.

Re-vamping/Restructuring

Hey folks.

After a bit of a hiatus, I realized that I'm actually really interested in what inspires all of you. The collective YOU. The "whoever happens to happen across this page and feels inspired in one way or another" you. Instead of me just posting stuff I think is cool, then, I want to invite you to email: whatareyourinspirations@gmail.com, and submit a poem/song/picture/video/anything that you find inspiring. However you interpret that. And please share this with others.

Then this can truly become a web of inspiration.

Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation! I look forward to seeing what unfolds...

-Anna