Not making a living...just living.

"The economy is shit. Go to grad school and get a masters." 

This is the advice that my teacher gave to my Social Problems in America class. The majority of kids don't need to get a masters since they're going into fields such as advertising, acting, painting etc. When I told her I was a cultural studies major her only response was..."start looking for grad schools."

This whole notion of going to grad school to get a job to get paid a good salary is becoming less and less appealing to me. 

I am currently reading The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. (also listening to a lot of Brett Dennen) This man, Eustace Conway, hiked the Appalachian Trail, kayaked Alaska, road across the country on horseback,and lived in a teepee throughout his college years. He hunts his food, makes his clothes, and the only possessions he owns are books his mother gave him. 

One day while visiting a friends new apartment he looked around and without hesitation said, "Man, you guys have a lot of material possessions. Just imagine if you took all the money you've spent on theses things and traveled around the world with it, instead, or bought books and read them. Think about how much you'd know about life." As I was reading this I looked around my room at everything that I have...the only question that entered my mind was WHY THE HELL DO I NEED ALL THIS SHIT!? The answer to that question...I don't need it. I don't need any of it. 

"Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle are good ideas, but those 3 concepts should only be the last resort. What you really need to focus on are two other words that also begin with R-Reconsider and Refuse. Before you even acquire the disposable good, ask yourself why you need this consumer product. And then turn it down. Refuse it. You can."

This is so simple...how have I never thought this way before? I don't need "stuff" to be happy or to survive...so why do I have it? 

Steps I am taking to simplify my life...

1. Before I buy something, whether it be food or material objects, I will ask myself why I need it and I will also consider kids in other countries...would they have the means to having these things? If they can't have all these products why should I?

2. I am only going to buy clothing that is made in America..this is my silent protest against sweat shops in other countries. (I understand this will be very difficult and not always possible, but I am going to do my best)

3. start getting rid of all the extra shit that I have. I'm going to give it to people who actually need it. 

4. Start saving my money for travel.

5. I will travel whenever I have the opportunity.

6. Enjoy every minute of everyday...I'm done being stressed. Life is far to short to be stressed and uptight all the time.  

7. Live simply..mentally, emotionally, physically.

8. Take time to reflect and enjoy the earth around me, enjoy people, and begin to open myself up to others. 

9. Be a better listener. I have been far to consumed with what I have to get done that I have not been there for many important people in my life. 

10. empathy. 

This is just the beginning and I already feel at peace, at ease, and content about my new life style. 

Dosey Doing, Banjos, and Yee Ha's

I am currently in pain! Aching...throbbing...pounding...PAIN! My ankle is experiencing an incredible shooting pain and the achilles is feeling much more tender than usual. My legs feel tight and it feels as though I am walking on a million small needles every time my feet make contact with the ground. 

I am in recovery from a 4 hour hippie workout...If you wish to experience this pain you must first find the nearest Yonder Mountain String Band concert. After you have done this and you enter into the venue you MUST feel the banjo deep in your soul and release it's energy through your feet. (this is the most important step..NEVER skip this step) To do this effectively you must jump and kick your heels up like there's no tomorrow. If you feel weary at any moment in this workout you find a partner and do how the hillbillies do....dosey do. Have your partner swing you around as if you're a ball and chain..this will give your feet a few brief moments to relax. The only way to tell if the workout is actually working is if you find yourself belting out a good ole YEE HA! When it feels as though your feet are on fire, your mouth is as dry as sand paper, and you cannot go on any longer....you must! You keep dancing and clapping. Look to a friend or even a stranger for that reassuring smile. This will keep you going. 

When you've reached the point of complete exhaustion and it looks as though you have just finished swimming in the midst of a hurricane you have completed the hippie workout! 

 Peace and Love my friends

A new favorite

This is happening on Earth...not Neptune.

Let's all find the little boy in us...

"He had a filthy towel tied under his jaw as if he suffered from toothache and even by their new world standards he smelled terrible. He had no shoes at all and his feet were wrapped in rags and cardboard tied with green twine and any number of layers of vile clothing showed through the tears and holes in it. Of a sudden he seemed to wilt even further. He leaned on his cane and lowered himself into the road where he sat among the ashes with one hand over his head. He looked like a pile of rags fallen off a cart. They came forward and stood looking down at him.

The boy squatted and put a hand on his shoulder. He's scared Papa. The man is scared.

I don't think you should touch him.

Maybe we could give him something to eat.

The boy took the tin and handed it to the old man. Take it, he whispered. Here.

The old man raised his eyes and looked at the boy. The boy gestured at him with the tin. He looked like someone trying to feed a vulture broken in the road. It's okay, he said.

You should thank the boy you know, the man said. I wouldn't have given you anything.

Maybe I should and maybe I shouldn't.

Why wouldn't you?

I wouldn't have given him mine.

You don't care if it hurts his feelings?

Will it hurt his feelings?

No. That's not why he did it.

Why did he do it?

He looked over at the boy and he looked at the old man. You wouldn't understand, he said. I'm not sure I do.

Maybe he believes in God.

I'm not sure what he believes in.

When he looked back the old old man had set out with his cane, tapping his way, dwindling slowly on the road behind them like some storybook peddler from an antique time, dark and bent and spider thin and soon to vanish forever. The boy never looked back at all."

-The Road

You must NEVER sit in THAT seat on the bus!

"I have a tendency to see the best in people." 

As we took the #62 bus up Dearborn I was informed by my roommate that there is a seat on the bus that women should never sit in. If you are a frequent bus passenger you will know what seat I am talking about. It's the bench seat that faces the front closest to the back door. Women should not sit in this seat because men can grab something from their purse and run out of the bus, steal their necklace, or something else of value. So for our protection it is better to stand rather than to sit in that seat. 

When did the world become so untrustworthy? I am a very trusting person and I always chose to see the best in people but it is getting increasingly harder. I get really upset when I think of all the precautions that women have to take just to get home safely. I find it especially discouraging when I get a phone call from my brother (someone who has always been more of a friend than an older brother) telling me that he is sending me the top quality mace that's out there. I keep my phone and keys in my pocket with my purse zipped up tight just in case I have to whack someone in the face with it when I walk home at night. 

Women get checked out, whistled at, and hit on everyday and it's anything but flattering. We shouldn't walk home alone, or go running at night. We shouldn't set our drinks down, or get too drunk because of what other people might do. We can't trust taxi drivers or even cops for that matter. The list goes on and on with simple precautions that have become such a routine...we don't even notice that we do them anymore. The more I  think of all these safety measures the more frustrated and disappointed I get with the world.

It just doesn't seem fair that we have to try to be this safe every time we walk out our door.  

Miracles fall from the sky

A gift to those he left behind. 2 months 37 miles. 

My Bucket List

I finished watching the movie The Bucket List about 25 min ago...I'm still crying. I've decided to begin a list of my own. 

1. Change someone's life 

2. Start my own non-profit organization

3. Live in Italy

4. Join the Peace Corps

5. Go on a road trip by myself

6. To be in complete silence.."a little pocket of silence-a silence so rare that I didn't want to exhale, for fear of scaring it off."

7. live in a tree

8. Have my family together for Christmas...or any holiday for that matter

9.To live a simple life

10. To help women who don't have a voice in their country and can't get help for themselves

11. create positive social change

12. to continue and carry out my list

.....to be continued