Highlighting a Recent Favorite Blog

My blogging has lessened recently. Blame it on being busy, blame it on being weary, or blame it on Facebook. I don't know. But my friend Dan writes a blog -- Fatherhood in 3 Easy Lessons -- that I think is really delightful. Check it out.

Holiday Peace Market

We held our first ever holiday peace market yesterday at my Friends' meeting house. Doing this has long been a dream of mine, and thankfully, Ffriend Lester joined me in the organizing so that it actually happened! It was a resounding success, and many of the participants left talking about "When we do this next year ..." We had pottery, awesome posters by Lester, prints, watercolors, felted mittens made by me, baked goods, hand sewn items, body care products, cards, calendars and fair trade coffee and tea. Many of us were earmarking our proceeds for charity. I intend to split mine between a family at my school and a Quaker-run NGO in Vietnam called Steady Footsteps. Two other vendors, Glenn and Kathy, gave me a portion of their proceeds and altogether we raised a tidy sum to donate. It was a lot of work to get ready, but well worth it in the end.

An advertisement: Looking for a 2008 calendar? This Returned Peace Corps Volunteers calendar is my favorite one, and it happens to be made by friends of mine right here in Madison.

Friends in Faraway Places

When I returned home from vacation and picked up the most recent copy of our local weekly newspaper, The Isthmus, I was surprised and delighted to find that the leading story -- A Letter From Lesotho -- was written by my friend Madeline. (It's a welcome change from the usual sensational drivel they feature.) Almost a year ago she quit her job, gave up a lovely rental house on the lakeshore, put her possessions into storage, and went into the Peace Corps. Since then I have followed her adventures in Lesotho, Africa via email letters she sends to her friends. I especially like this quote in the article:

Greeting everyone slows my day. People often talk about slower lifestyles in poor countries, but they seldom explain the richness this gives a day. I have effectively traded a 90-mile-an-hour lifestyle for one at 40 kilometers-per-hour (about 25 m.p.h.). But, going slower, you see much more.

Slowing down is something that I give a lot of thought to. During the summer I consciously slow down, walking or biking to my destinations, taking the time to hang laundry out to dry, to talk with my neighbors. It's such a welcome change.

I appreciate many of the things that I have: the computer, the car, the dishwasher, the clothes washer, decent roads ... but I do not appreciate how, if I am not mindful, they control me.

I am currently reading the book Ancient Futures: Learning From Ladakh by Helena Norberg-Hodge, where she describes how Western-style development is putting the squeeze on people all around the world (including us), essentially creating a human monoculture that only benefits the multinational corporations. She paints a pretty depressing picture, but also offers a blueprint for what she calls "counter-development" that is humane, sustainable and earth-centered.

Continuing on this train of thought ... yesterday at the vet's office I got into a conversation about our government with the receptionist. She referred to the "Pandora's Box" that BushCo has opened up, and reminded me of what was left in the box after everything else had flown out -- hope.

So when I start to despair I have to go back to hope; to focus on all of the people who are working on good things all around the world.

Peace.

Who would you pay $3000 to hear?

Warning: This is a puff piece. I post it in honor of my dear friend Potato Prints, who recently left Long Island for the Land of the Wind Chill Factor.

So, would you pay $3000 a pop to hear the Artist Formerly Known As the Artist Formerly Known As Prince? The Dave Matthews Band? James Taylor? Billy Joel? Me neither, but these people would. Which proves that some people have w-a-y too much money.

I got a kick out of this last part though:

But for Kyle Anderson, no matter where the event is held, only one performance really seems worthy of such a price tag:

"I think it would take the resurrected corpses of the dead Beatles," said Anderson laughing. "You'd probably get people to pay that much to see the zombie John Lennon."

To which my perceptive daughter said, "You can watch the Zombeatles and get that!" So I present to you, hometown sweethearts The Zombeatles in their rock video "Hard Day's Night of the Living Dead."