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Illustration Friday

Illustration Friday

Things that make you go HMMMMMM

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.
It's what you know- for sure -that just ain't so.
~Mark Twain

~twain, tiggrrizzzzz'd~

whooo-whooo who-whooooo

DECIDER Dharma

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."
~goethe

What a world of Possibility opens when we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming-- Choose your life... make it up and then make it happen....

Stuff happens day to day... stuff that's ugly, messy gritty and downright irritating. Stuff that's not fair, stuff that hurts, hurts as much as salt or lemon in a papercut that you didn't know you had.... stuff that downright sux....

Stuff happens... and its not that it happens---that causes our suffering... its that we cling to and identify with that suffering... case in point...

[original preachy story inserted here for illustration's sake. for the bottom lines, skip 3 or so paragraphs]

while walkin to work, one bright beautiful morning i came upon a beautiful gorgeous happy go lucky dog... S/He was runnin and rippin and tearin... doin just what liberated k9s do. LIVE in the moment, breathing mindfully every smell s/he could--oh, and pissin on the world for all s/he was worth.

In the blink of an eye, my heart stopped as I watched this bhoddisatva step squarely into the path of a car--- doin about 40+ mph. When the car slowed to a stop, (the driver'd never seen my 4 legged friend,) K9 seemingly lifeless, slid off the front bumper and in front the car. The heartless human got out looked at HIZ bumper, looked at K9 then drove off... no concerns about my friend k9 . K9 laid still in the street, for what seemed like an eternity. A samaritan or two began regulating traffic trying to make sure that k9 didn't get run over further. K9 didn't move but was breathing steadily in the middle of the street. Presuming K9 was a gonner,we began to contemplate what the most merciful action was... should we try to get someone to put him/r out of his/her misery? NO one had a gun, [thankfully?!?] but there were vehicles all around--- did it make sense to runn 'er over good, 1 more time and just finish the job?

As we contemplated definitions of mercy, while waiting for police and humane society and others to respond, K9 slowly, disorientedly rolled up from laying flatly on his/her side to just lying upright, with some growing alertness. As samaritans, we'd decided K9 was done for... we'd written but K9 hadn't agreed. To our amazement, K9, who had none of our ego based notions or fears, decided that while pain and soreness may have knocked th wind out of him/her, death hadn't captured him/her yet. Eventually k9 stood up, shook it off and went merrily though a bit more slowly along his/her way.

Team samaritan stood shaking its collective head. We'd seen the mess knocked outta this fellow traveler-- in fact it(the mess) was still lying there in the street...

It seemed clear-- -- k9 had a life to live, -- as unfair and stuff-y as being creamed by a car had been s/he had no intention of moping or dwelling on how his/her suffering defined him/her... K9 decided not to volunteer for sufferin... or make it his/her own.

BOTTOM LINES: K9 had hydrants to water and grass to scratch, cats and dreams to chase. K9 decided to be his/her pureland self -- regardless of what this timebound world threw at him/her. We each are the decid-er in our lives. We always have at least one choice even if its only not to choose.
~ttfn

change the way you look at things

if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

The Voice of those unheard...

16 months after Toledo riot, focus moves from court to community


First, kudos to ROBIN ERB, who dared to give you a glimpse of the story behind the story!!!

Second, I humbly bow to all those (named and unnamed) who have given of themselves--their time, their money, their bodies and their sweat that made this "good news story" out of an otherwise horrifying historical fact.

Just a couple of ideas that are important to me and that I would like to share:

First, the focus DID NOT move to the community; the focus is and has been on community as long as our respective churches, agencies, organizations and settlement houses have existed. Built on foundations and ideals of social change and personal empowerment and... FAITH, our agencies work tirelessly to live the missions we espouse.

Salem Lutheran Church just celebrated its 165th year in North Toledo. Friendly Center and Caldwell have been in the neighborhoods since Jane Adams and the settlement house movement. These are Institutions who have COMMITTED to this community and remain here, day after day, year after year....mayor after Mayor, council after council, commissioner after commissioner-- committed to this community that is often dismissed by each of those using the revolving door.

Secondly, many in and around the neighborhood and in our black community reject the use of the word RIOT to describe the events of October 15, 2005.
For a long time I have agreed with my colleagues and friends. I understood the reasons articulated.... the negative assumptions and stereotypes about race and class. In those discussions those reasons made sense. But then one day, the Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr. reminded me that:

A RIOT is but the voice of those unheard.

THE VOICE of those UNHEARD.

In many ways, the word RIOT truly, though sadly, probably most accurately describes what happened that day. The revolving door of policy and politics has left this neighborhood unserved, under-served, disenfranchised and distressed from years of terminal neglect.

From Politico(n)s who have spoken aloud "Ya'll don't vote in this neighborhood, so I don't hafta represent ya", to those unspoken acts of benign (or strategic?) environmental racism that have left distressed the mansions of old, the highest concentration of subsidized and rental housing, a 62% unemployment rate and the sheer absence of accoutrements most take for granted like a banks and grocery stores; these neighborhoods house those MOST unheard within Toledo.

There is one other alternative that I believe accurately describes the events of October 15, 2005. The words are:
-- HATE CRIME--

For a week and a half before Sweetest Day, courtesy of every source of information...and media in this town, those who shall remain Nameless were allowed to verbally attack, taunt, assault and incite the GOOD people of TOLEDO. Every morning commute woke us up with hatred, each good nite newscast sang us to sleep with a hate-filled lullabye.

Absent in those days that led up to the crime were our heroic leaders, who should have been on the streets the first day that the NAMELESS announced there intentions. Those same HEROEs(?) rode in on steeds of rescue, (as if rescue was possible)-- long after chaos and mayhem had left the streets of T-Town beaten, batterd and splayed 'cross the world's large plasma screens- shadow casting images we've yet to outrun. Toledo's "finest" moment -- in full living color-- looped and rerun- & never retired. Our useless leaders and our media handed these hate-mongering bullies the key to the hen house....invited them in, then left them to their folly. And, once the set was carefully staged for disaster, our great(?)reckless leaders placed our hard working officers into a no win situation and said.... go and keep peace....

I have tremendous respect and admiration for the officers who exercised restraint on the lines that day... given the situation. I also recognize-- though some may not... that there was extreme restraint on the part of the people that day as well. How can I say such a thing??? Well, while there was extreme property damage and some substantial injuries, it seems that no lives were taken or lost.

Please understand that I do NOT dismiss the seriousness of the violence that took place that day-- from any side. I do not excuse nor advocate for the bad choices that were made that day. People are responsible for their actions, good or bad, but.... it is a tribute to -EVERYONE- (police and people) that (to my knowledge) no one died.

It is important though that we recognize the implicit double standard.

Our citizens Our neighbors--men and women, boys and girls-- were arrested, tried, adjudicated and sentenced.

What happened to the NAMELESS? Why weren't the NAMELESS or their carpet~bagging groupies tried for INCITING a riot? Why did we, the taxpayers of this community have to foot the bill for the damage and destruction and havoc wreaked upon us, while the NAMELESS received a handshake, a good ol' attaboy pat on the back and VIP escort outta town-- so they wouldn't get hurt.

Its a "Just Us" brand of justice that should NOT have happened, here!

Why were the NAMELESS not tried or convicted? Why were they not labeled a terrorist, a rioter an incitor, a threat to TOLEDO's Home(& heart) land Security?
Could it be some of those same assumptions about race and class? Could it be that the NAMELESS connect to deep pockets and bully pulpits wherever they go? Could it be the hue of their creamy light skin and their birthright into the dominant hegemony of white privilege?

This Restorative Justice project piloted after the RIOT became the passion and life blood of many. It only happened because of our determination and commitment to building relationships in the shape of a vibrant, healthy & safe community. It happened because it was the right thing to do... there wasn't much time for accounting, or fundraising, or proposal writing. It had no real funding, no real program or proposal written ahead of time. It was a moment, in which all involved sought collective healing for the wounds ripped open that day. Restorative Justice -- was and is the only JUSTICE for these families, for this, our community.

As adults, leaders and guides in this community, as the keepers of this village, we failed our youth, our selves and our community on that fateful day. May we now grow and learn to listen....may we recognize our well meaning but mis-guided decisions and beliefs and come together as a community to discuss this....
Yes, to discuss it, respectfully, responsibly, again, and again, and again.

It is our sentence... we must step up. We must fiercely and honestly discuss this, because we've still got lessons to learn. We must give names to the wounds, we must embrace them & comfort them and discuss them, fiercely, responsibly and authentically. Only in naming and facing these monsters of race and class stereotypes-- Only then will we move beyond the dark(er) side and perhaps, ensure that it will never happen again.

~namaste

Groundz 4 Change! Manifesto

Thank You !! all --for all that you are-and- all that you've shared with me!!!
Like it or not, somehow you have inspired this site and its future.
If you've found yourself here,

could it be just
because you are an amazing gift to this world?

I offer what follows for your enjoyment,
to perhaps entertain you ,
to amuse you or
... to entice you to step onto this circle journey with me---

I also share it with you
in the hopes that you will honor and cherish it
and I invite you in all sincerity
to help me to tend and keep it...

If you only know me a little, this manifesto may be a little scary,
but... only in the amount of possibilities & passion unleashed.

If you know me well, you know I'm crazy to begin with --
so . . .this shouldn't surprise you... much.

Its Me... UNPLUGGED-- maybe even a little unhinged.

What follows here is HIGH TEST stuff.... pure, utopic dream casting....

This is NOT for the SQUEAMISH---

If you're worried or whelmed already,
let me greet you,
send you some energy,
wish you well,
and let you find your way back to this later....

If you're brave and bold and daring,
then...

CHECK THIS OUT...

I've found a brand new rabbit hole for us to explore together....

Wanna be part of an amazing long haired freaky people type a gig?
where diversity and imagination and creativity are valued and
where you can do something you LOVE allllll day long.

wanna Speed to work cuz you cant wait to get there,
not cuz you couldn't make your sorry (burned out) butt get outtA bed?
wanna live the values you've believed all your life? ---
wanna believe in the life you live, today?

what if you could play all day...?
get paid to sit around and hang out
with really really coool people?
And see the world change because of it?

wanna name yr salary---
and get a fully paid sabbatical every 4 to six years?
get the best dosh garn health plan,
& the best drn retirement plan
with a just match to YOUR contribution???

Wanna be saturated in arts and culture and fun all day long?
Steeped--in a joy- filled, cup of pure potent creativitality?

Wanna be free to touch the people you need?--
to cry with those who need it,
to listen to those unheard,
to get yr hands dirty--
building the world we want to live in --
not the one 4 which we seem to be settlin?

For those of you who're wondering where my sanity has gone...
don't worry, it's still intact....
its up ahead--somewhere
just around that bend to the left...

I feel like I've caught POSSIBILITY by the tail
and .... I cant quite let 'er go...
Like I have been to or found a MountainTop....
and in spite of my resistance...
it only seems to grow and grOW and gROW and GROW--

To Make this possibility concrete-----
A LOT of things need to happen,
so I've made a list.
many hands make the load light;
there's a space for everyone....
so please check it twice....

board members, advisors, investors and venture(social) capitalist

rainmakers, grantmakers, troublemakers, peace makers,

grant writers, freedom writers, wake-riders, road runners,

Walker's and Talkers, cheerleaders and champions,

Blazers and gazers-- both trail and star

visionary or traditionalist, conspiracy theorist, believers-- or non,

free thinkers, and sollipsists, heck even you cock-eyed optimists,

meditators and pray-ers, monks and nuns,

llamas and mammas

and
tricksters and Shamans

wizards and muggles, dreamers and screamers, radicals-- free or bound

Highlanders, Midwest-ers, HaleyFreedom Schoolers
Coasters both left and right

skilled traders, day traders, fair traders, race traitors
crafts masters, Toastmasters
pod-casters, webmasters,
bloggers, gamers, IT geeks, and
programmers-- extreme or rare,

pickers or grinners scratchers and mc's
peace niks & beat niks,

Hey----any one know a dixie chix?

writers, and rappers and spoken word poets
painters, photographers and even someday, the Laureates

artistas, baristas
EVEN POSSIBILITISTAz

If you've learned just from experience how to:
Kiss today goodbye,
or..... measure the life of a woman or a man.

If you've been hooked or pimpd,
pushin, addicted or pimpin...
If you've got all yr parts or

if some are missin,
all will be welcomed

thru the open door

come to source!
come drink to your fill
from your wellspring of choice--

Eastern or Western
---ancient, modern or

NEW and improved
... did I miss anything in between?


Here

in lie
the
GROUNDz 4 CHANGE!(TM)

If you've got guts,
This is the gauntlet,
If you are a traveler,
This is the journey.
if you just find yourself
named in,
caught up in
or implicated by what you've read this far,

or

if what you've read'z gist runnin round yr head

respond via email...
or call me some time soon... (during the week of february 5)

I want to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee or dessert
(Does anyone but Lady T still do desserts??)-
at the very least,
just a minute or two of your precious time!
Time to ketchup,

time to connect again.
Time to:
Save a hooker &
Pay the Rent,

And.. remember...
You can get anything you want....
@
alice's restaurant???
no, silly
@

Groundz4Change
---

may passion & energy,
peace and justice,
courage and love
fill your day... today

and ...tomorrow

and
... always.

all my love and ...
all the best!!!
ms