Happy Holidays!

flickr favorites: holidays are here

Happy Holidays. I hope you are staying warm! Here are a few beautiful photographs to bring you holiday cheer. They are all works by either my contacts or Female Photographers of Etsy members on Flickr. To view them larger, click here.

I love friends. I love good thoughts.

My most favorite friend in the whole wide world, Katie, sent me the most thoughtful and beautiful message the other day. I just had to share it with you because I think she has incredible vision. Here's what katie said:

"Today, I suddenly became aware of the following, which no doubt will resonate deeply with you: EVERYONE in the U.S. today is feeling an emptiness. We see our parents working away their entire lives only to be allowed to come back to life once they retire. Then we're taught to get good grades, go to college, and get a job so we can do the same. Our parents don't like it; we don't like it; nobody likes it! A life like that is no life at all, and deep down, everyone senses that. But people are scared because "that's just how life is." How can it possibly change?

Well there was a time when "that's just how life is" meant that blacks and whites were segregated in every way imaginable. How could something rooted in HUNDREDS of years of history possibly change? And yet Martin Luther King Jr. dared to dream. Moreover, he dared to dream publically and peacefully. He brought to light what sat hidden behind fear in millions of hearts. He couldn't accept a future that reflected the world in front of him, and I believe that you and I (and no doubt countless others) are the same way. We can accept the quality of life as it exists in this moment, but we cannot accept it as our future.

Therefore, I have a dream that love and joy take precedence over work and money. People no longer seek salvation in things but recognize that their true worth lies in who they are. There is no such thing as rush hour or a nine-hour work day. Companies no longer feel the need to compete for power and dominance; they recognize that their livelihood does not depend on it. There is no longer an onslaught of advertisements. People take pride in sharing what they have and enjoying each other. Material expansion is exchanged for beauty and a slower, simpler, more earth-friendly way of life. Food, homes, and health care are readily available to all because people are happy to share and help. People recognize that it's truly the little things in life that matter. School, education, and information take a backseat to compassion, peace, and humanity. Children are encouraged to pursue only what resonates with them. People’s “physical attractiveness” as we know it is completely irrelevant. Money is plentiful in the absence of greed, vanity, workforce servitude, and mindless extravagance masquerading as “technology” and “convenience.” Retiring existing thought patterns opens the gates for joy and abundance to flow to all.

It starts with the little things, since all life really is is little things: taking our time and choosing peace and kindness over fear.

This is the only future I can stand to look at. Do you feel the same way?"