After an interaction with a begging child, garment maker and importer, 28 year old Kuku Arora meditated on how it was tolerated that his child would grow up in privilege and so many others were forced into a lifetime of begging.  He and his wife decided to do something about it.

Yes, it was hard.

Yes, many times he decided to quit.

And he’s been able to help 150 children. He provides meals, clothing and a place for the children to bathe. This is their entry to the world. Most of the children are now in school. Many of them have grown up, moved on, and dream of helping others.

All because of a meal, clothing, a place to bathe and a man who cared.

What can you do?

Kuku Arora has a website where you can learn more about him and his project – Sunshineproject-delhi.org 

Fascinating conversation about the making of 3-D movies & making the Hobbit with Peter Jackman:

Go ahead. Give it a watch. I know you want to!

Race in America:

“At the time, my son was eleven months old – on the cusp of trying out his first words. On an outing with him in his stroller through downtown, I saw a large crowd. I was told a KKK rally was being held at the Capitol building. Suddenly the two of us were swept into an anti-KKK demonstration moving swiftly up Main Street. Briefly I thought this must be a flashback – perhaps I had inadvertently time-travelled to an earlier ugly era.

But no, the Klansmen had assembled in their iconic white gowns and steepled hoods before the State House, staging their event in full view of the state’s seat of legislative power. Policemen advised me to keep at a distance. Upon seeing the KKK’s gowns, my son, perched high in his stroller, thought it an appropriate moment to attempt speech. His words were not the usual “cat,” “dog,”  or “Mommy,” but a marchers’ chant.

“K-K-K, Go a-way!” he shouted.

It was a six-syllable rhyme as easy as a Dr. Seuss verse. He recited it for many days to come.”

This is a beautifully written essay about the rarely discussed actual experience of race in America. The author’s fondness for the book  Black Like Me shade this piece in unmistakable human sepia. — White like me by Pricilla Hart (I can’t find a link for her)

Stop waiting for Congress:

“And yet we keep waiting for Congress to come up with solutions to our problems. Right now, we’re waiting for them to do something to spur job growth. We’re waiting for a Super Committee to find at least $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. Many are waiting for the political Messiah to appear in the form of a Republican candidate.

We might as well be waiting for Godot.

To be fair, not everyone is merely waiting. Some are occupying public squares and parks. Or having tea parties. A large number of us are still voting. We’re trying to participate, but the problem is we’re doing all the same things we’ve always done and expecting different results.” — Stop waiting for Washington by Jim Sollish.

Ok, to be fair? I like this piece because of this line: “We might as well be waiting for Godot.” And I like that line because I sat through an almost unbearably bad performance of Waiting for Godot to support a family-less client when I was a psychotherapist. And, I think he has some interesting ideas. I don’t love his solutions, but I agree with the assessment of the problem. 

Bad Lip Reading : An interview

These videos are some of the funniest things on the web. And no one knows who makes them.  Click here to read an interview with the creator.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check this one out:

“When I buy stickers for folks in prison, I bring milk and not backyard meth. It’s a prison party.”

I posted this photo to Facebook. It’s a photo of a fresco in the Basilica of Saint Francis in Giotto, Italy. The fresco was painted by Giotto in the 13th Century and depicts the life and death of Saint Francis.

Do you see a face? Art historian Chiara Frugone sees a devil with black horns.

The face, or devil as it were,  cannot be seen from the ground. Yet for all these years, it’s lingered here on the ceiling looking down at everyone.

The article fascinates me for a number of reasons. First, as you may know, I have a fondness for the wacky world of Capuchin Franciscan Friars.  Maybe it’s a past life thing, maybe it’s just a quirk in my personality, but I have, more than once, looked through tourist photos taken of this very fresco and the ones next to it. You see, this church is one that many Friars visit to commune with Saint Francis.

So I’ve gazed on this fresco and not seen the devil. This fact is not all that surprising since I looked at this photo for more than five minutes and didn’t see a devil.

I’m not all that certain I see one now.

Anyway, as Facebook things go, an old Adventure-16 friend, Brett Bigelow, reminded me of the Grilled Jesus. I’m not referring to the one depicted on Glee, but rather this one:

Do you see Jesus?

Do you see a devil?

I see a grilled cheese sandwich.

I know the human brain, much like the honeybee brain, is designed to pick up facial impressions. In fact, our minds will turn almost any random pattern into a face.

Which leads me to wonder, are there more cheese Jesuses? Devils in clouds?

It turns out that I have merely scratched the surface of the Devil/Satan/Jesus foot/cloud/smoke sightings.

Here’s Satan in the fire and smoke of the World Trade Towers of 9/11:
        

To me, the first one looks like something out of the extended directors cut of the Lord of the Rings, the second one looks like God in some Italian fresco and the last one looks like Mr. Magoo. (He’s probably hunting rabbits.)

Devils? Really??

But it’s not just the Devil. Turns out Jesus took some time off the grilled cheese appearance circuit to appear in Google Earth. (Click the photo to go to an article about other places Jesus has appeared.)

Why would the devil and/or Jesus spend their time hanging out in smoke, grilled cheese sandwiches or fields in Hungary?

If it’s not them, then who? And why do want so badly for a devil or Satan or Jesus or Mary to appear to us?

I’m fresh out of answers. What do you think?

Found by Bridget Pilloud and posted to her Facebook page.
Bridget is an incredible intuit who runs this amazing special during the holidays. Called an ‘intuitive cupcake‘,
she can break down your hairiest problem and find help you fix it. They are $45. If she has any left, you don’t want to miss this.

Pollinators

The hidden world of polinators

I’ve posted this video before. It was sent to me by a friend this week. It still makes me weep with the beauty of the world we live in. This is a video of the pollinators. There’s an amazing shot of beloved bees and even a bat with a baby clinging to her body while she feeds. If you want to skip ahead, the gorgeous video starts at 3:15; bees at 4:15; that baby bat at 5:54. But you’ll want to watch the whole thing.

Thoughts:

“There are no shortcuts. NONE. With all of this craziness in the stock and financial markets, there will be scams popping up left and right. The less money you have, the more likely someone will come at you with some scheme. The schemes will guarantee returns, use multi-level marketing, or be something crazy that is now “backed by the US Government.” Please ignore them. Always remember this: if a deal is a great deal, they aren’t going to share it with you.

I don’t broadcast my great deals. I keep them all to myself. Also, if the person selling the deal was so smart, they would be rich beyond rich rather than trolling the streets looking to turn you into a sucker. There are no shortcuts.” Mark Cuban in “How to Get Rich”

This is true about everything – writing, marketing, getting rich, gardening, everything you can think of. If someone tells you there’s a short cut, you should ask yourself what they are selling.

My all new peacock award:

Male peacocks flash their feathers for the sole purpose of to getting the attention of a female.

This week’s peacock award goes to Kim Kardashian for not knowing that divorcing someone after 72 days (no matter what the reason) is not “lov(ing) with all of my heart and soul.” It’s just not.

“The relentless brainwashing of our fading industrial economy has created an expensive misunderstanding. Creative people or those with something to say believe that they have to wait to be chosen.

“Authors, for example, wait to be chosen by an agent, and then by a publisher. Then they agitate to be chose by a media outlet so they can reach readers who will ultimately read their books. Get chosen by Oprah and everything takes care of itself….

“‘Pick me, pick me’ acknowledges the power of the system and passes responsibility to soemone else to initiate. Even better,  ’pick me, picke me’ moves the blame from you to them.

“If you don’t get picked, its their fault, not  yours.

“If you do get picked, well, they said you were good, right? Not your fault anymore.

Reject the tyranny of picked. Pick yourself.” – Poke the Box, Seth Godin (p 24)

You manage to get your trash in the bin most of the time. Imagine what you could do if you picked yourself most of the time! The world is waiting!

Just a thought.

Happy Friday.

For now, I need to stop playing Unconscious Mutterings.

Right now, I’m trying to keep up with Denver Cereal, writing the Queen of Cool and trying to work on the next Alex the Fey book.  In recent days, I’ve had a chance to take a step back a bit. I’ve discovered that I’m really overwhelmed.

I’m not sleeping well. I’m struggling to meet my life responsibilities.  Something has to give.

I have to make some painful cuts to my life. I’m exercising differently. Writing every day from 6-12 noon. I’ve had to cancel all but the most crucial social engagements. I’m cutting back on social media time and organizing my blogging differently. And now I must end playing Unconscious Mutterings.

I cannot tell you how much it pains me to stop doing Unconscious Mutterings. I truly love them, but I simply no longer have the time to read your replies, let alone respond. That’s just not fair.

The book should be done at the end of July or August and my schedule should free up. I’ll check in with you and with me to see if, together, we want to continue playing. In the meantime, I hope you’re well. I appreciate your kindness and understanding.

Have a fabulous summer!

Wow! Summer! Really!? It’s amazing how brilliant summer is when it finally arrives. The last week has been filled with warm days, cool nights and glorious mornings. Our rose bushes are bursting with color and blossoms. Wow! No wonder I spend five months out of the year longing for summer. Our garden is planted (mostly). Our bees are doing well (mostly). We have stone paths to build, sod to lay, new garden beds to plant and… and… and… And… the summer is young!

I’m thrilled that I get to express my summer delight in the form of Unconscious  Mutterings! I can’t think of a better way to clean out the old unconscious and get started on a new day. Will you join me? You play by simply copying these word prompts (created by the lovely Elizabeth at LunaNina) into the comment box. Then answer with abandon. There’s no right or wrong answer. Let your unconscious unwind. If you have time, take a look at what other people said. We are remarkably similar and joyously different.

Here are your word prompts:

1. Diligence ::
2. Volume ::
3. Hospital ::
4. Binge ::
5. Loyalty ::
6. Pediatrics ::
7. Authorize ::
8. Cage ::
9. Studious ::
10. Transfer ::

My answers:

1. Diligence :: in all things
2. Volume :: speaks
3. Hospital :: smell – yuck
4. Binge :: on NCIS DVDs
5. Loyalty :: highly underrated
6. Pediatrics :: baby doc martins
7. Authorize ::  agree to
8. Cage ::d animal
9. Studious :: too
10. Transfer :: of responsibility

Happy Father’s day to all of you who are father’s or father those children around you! Thanks for playing!

Last night, we learned the Lindy hop at dance group. Triple step – walk walk – triple step. That’s it. That’s the magic that unlocked dancing to all the great big band, jazz and other wonderful songs. I personally am on a Harry Connick, Jr. kick, so it was perfect for me. The nicest thing about the Lindy Hop? It’s really fun. What are you learning?

The best thing about learning something brand new is returning to the familiar uncertainty of Unconscious Mutterings. Shall we play??

How do you play? Easy! Just copy these word prompts (created by the lovely LunaNina)  into the comment section. Answer the word prompts with whatever comes into your head. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, silly or serious. Let whatever’s lingering in the recesses of your mind go free! If you have a chance when you’re done, check out what everyone else has to say. It’s amazing how similar and different we are!

Let’s play! Here are your word prompts:

1. Adventure ::
2. Truth ::
3. Expose ::
4. Applause ::
5. Hostility ::
6. Sauce ::
7. Constipation ::
8. Explore ::
9. Senator ::
10. Children ::

My answers:

1. Adventure :: life
2. Truth :: that
3. Expose :: d to something new
4. Applause :: clapping
5. Hostility :: the world right now
6. Sauce :: y
7. Constipation :: mental
8. Explore :: something new
9. Senator :: ‘s belong to corporations
10. Children :: summer laughter

Have a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for playing!

Today is a big day for me. Today I’m going to my first ever spin class. Okay, it doesn’t sound like a big deal. But not so long ago, I was sure I couldn’t do cardio exercise.  That was before I ran a half marathon and now easily run three miles a few times a week. I also thought I’d never be able to do a chin up and I’m making great progress there.  When the spin studio near my house had a spectacular deal (5 classes for $25), I thought it was time to conquer another ‘can’t’. I went in to talk to them already, so now I just have to get myself to class. Wish me luck!

Of course, I’m delighted to have the consistent, and delicious, challenge of Unconscious Mutterings – and you! I love it when we all play together! How do we play?? Easy! Just copy these prompts (created by LunaNina) into the comment section. Fill them in with whatever comes to mind. Don’t hesitate. Just let it flow! If you have time, come back to see what other people have to say. You’ll be amazed to see how similar, and different, we are.

Here are your prompts:

1. Circles ::
2. Born ::
3. Teddy ::
4. Comfortable ::
5. Chaste ::
6. Burned ::
7. Blouse ::
8. Threats ::
9. Cuddly ::
10. Condemned ::

My responses:

1. Circles :: my stories are written in circles so issues in the beginning ‘come full circle’; I don’t know if anyone’s ever noticed (lol)
2. Born :: Welcome!
3. Teddy :: Pooh bear
4. Comfortable ::  in my own skin
5. Chaste :: Chased
6. Burned :: forest
7. Blouse :: French
8. Threats :: terror
9. Cuddly :: Rose the Princess dog
10. Condemned :: to live

Thanks for playing! Happy Sunday!

Memorial Day. Wow. I want to say something about the year going fast, but after wishing for summer, I’m kind of happy it’s finally here! Now if the weather would follow… I’m hopeful!

I’m so glad there’s Unconscious Mutterings to carry us through the seasons of life. Are you going to play? I do hope so!

Never played? Join us! It’s easy. Just copy these word prompts (created by LunaNina) into the comment section and answer with whatever comes to mind.There’s no right or wrong answers. Just whatever you think! If you have time later on, come back and check to see what other people have written. You’ll be amazed at how similar, and unique we are!

Here are your word prompts:

1. Decoder ::
2. Cake ::
3. Sense ::
4. Geek ::
5. Cousin ::
6. Goggles ::
7. Social media ::
8. Butterfly ::
9. Search ::
10. Manicure ::

Here are my answers:

1. Decoder :: Rosetta Stone
2. Cake :: walk
3. Sense :: of being
4. Geek :: speak
5. Cousin :: It
6. Goggles :: Doggles
7. Social media :: overload
8. Butterfly :: kick
9. Search :: ing for peace
10. Manicure :: nail grinder

Thanks for playing! I hope you enjoy your weekend! Happy Sunday!