Random Acts of Internet Kindness:

I thought this was a very good talk and thought I'd pass it along. I do believe that people, in general, are good and want to do the right thing wherever possible. It makes our lives richer and gives us a little bit of purpose. I don't put up blog posts because I expect to reap a monetary benefit; I do it for the love of connecting with whomever is out there on the other side of their computer monitor.

We are all craving that connection in this 'age of information' because, perhaps, we have never been so disconnected from the natural world.  We spend most of our time playing with gadgets, or trying to get from one interior to another interior (home to work for example). So... hello out there to anyone reading this. I truly love you even though we have probably never met.

How smart are crows? Unbelievably so:

Carl Safina: The oil spill's unseen culprits, victims

This is a very good video, so I thought I would put it up. I don't eat fish, of course, but I can understand that people who have made fishing their livelihood are stranded, and having to figure out a different direction. As for the fish themselves, there is no other direction.

I like when Carl says that being conservative should mean telling huge corporations where to go, instead of trying to protect them so that profit can be made at all cost.

I don't know what to say. What do we do at this point? I'm getting so tired of trying to change the way people think. I get brief instances where I want to give up entirely, but then I pull myself together and remember why I am here (or at least why I think I'm here) - to spark just the slightest ember of hope in us all, that if we just make a small amount of effort we can create a better world.

It might sound Utopian, but it is not impossible. I refuse to believe that we can't help each other and stop fighting. So do something nice for yourself today, and then go do something nice for someone else. That's all it takes. Baby steps.

Letting go of struggle:

I was told about Adyashanti by my good friend Nat while we were sitting around a pond in the sun. I had been having a few stressful days where I was questioning everything in my life and wondering how to handle it, and talking things over with Nat was perfect. 

The weirdest thing happened on the way home. I got on the streetcar (trolley), and was meditating on how simple and amazing it was that the streetcar just stayed on it's tracks, going along effortlessly, without worrying or stressing about anything. I was actually looking at the tracks, when the streetcar smashed into a tractor and literally went off the tracks with a massive jolt and screech!! It was so shocking that I screamed and snapped right out the meditation, with my whole body shaking. There were only 3 people on the streetcar, including myself and we were all fine, but the whole right side of the vehicle was ripped apart.

Here's what I got from the accident: The driver got out and started blaming the tractor for parking his vehicle so far out, instead of blaming himself for not being present enough to realize that the tractor was much too far out for him to pass by. We always talk about our true selves (the soul) as the driver of the vehicle we call the body. It's so funny that I was focusing so much on the rails and the vehicle, thinking that it just goes along without effort, when the truth is that without a driver who is able to be in the present moment and aware of his/her surroundings, things will go off track (out of control, literally). And then the ego rears his ugly head and blames someone else for the mistake. What a strange day. A clear message, in my eyes. 

Struggle. I need to just 'go with the flow' more often, and not get caught up in the drama around me. I have been meditating so much in the past year since I broke my arm, and I can definitely say that it has helped tremendously. I just thought I would relay the lesson. 

If you like this video there are a whole lot more on youtube, and here is his website with down-loadable mp3s to listen to. Have a beautiful day!

(This is a frozen waterfall about an hour away from where we live. It's so lovely, both the sound and the sight! Strangely enough bright green moss grows effortlessly under the ice. I have no idea how.)

Graham Hill Ted Talk: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian:

"Why I'm a Weekday Vegetarian"? When I first saw this title I scoffed at it, but I should not so easily dismiss the idea, because it is a starting point that will ultimately change the world. It's a quick, to the point video that I really enjoyed. I hope you do too!

our favourite forest and waterfall:

It was ridiculously hot today, so James took me to our beautiful forest. I wish we could live there.

Vandana Shiva giving a lecture on Soil, Not Oil at OCAD in Toronto:

Soil, Not Oil. This was an amazing talk given by one of my most beloved heroes of our time. She is such an inspiration, and if you haven't heard of her you should get to know this lovely soul. I graduated from The Ontario College of Art and Design, and it was so incredible to see her in a place where I spent so much time. Enjoy. This is her website.

10 Signs Vegetarianism is Catching On: