â┚¬Å”Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them.â┚¬Â -Albert Einstein
Have you ever given thought to prayer? Like a bunch of thought, I mean. I'm asking because I've given much thought to it. For me, it isn't about whether prayer works or not â┚¬â€œ I know it does. Instead my thoughts are about semantics, I guess you would say. For most, the word is charged with religious baggage, so they try not to use the word or deny any power in the practice.
Words alone have no meaning. A word is a jumble of different shape lines that we give meaning to â┚¬â€œ are you with me? This fact is one of the secrets to the craft of acting for me: the word is a boat, the water it floats on is the emotion and life the actor puts under it. Well, before I completely lose you, let me put it another wayâ┚¬Â¦
Indulge me by keeping your mind cracked open a bit as I state my brief case. Wishing someone happy birthday is a prayer. Visualizing how you will close a sale is a prayer. Saying you're sending your love to some is a prayer. â┚¬Å”I'll keep you in my thoughtâ┚¬Â is a prayer. A get well card is a prayer. I hope you see where I'm going with this.
Prayer probably gets a bad rap from the practice of people believing it's magic. A prayer without work is unlikely to do much. You can pray you'll play trumpet with a jazz band in New Orleans until you're blue in face, but you're going to have to learn to play the trumpet â┚¬â€œ and practice a hell of a lot â┚¬â€œ for it to actually happen.
Discretion will not allow me to reveal why prayers are on my mind right now. I have a friend who is in my thoughts, and for me the energy I'm sending his way is my prayer. Today's Monday Ripples are dedicated to him.
Shall I belabor the point and mention that each Ripple is, in its own way, a prayer? No, I don't think you need me to do that.
Moberlous
Cash Mobs, the Anti-Groupon, Are Coming to a Store Near You
It's funny how things happen sometimes. Today I received a Facebook invite from the owner of local ice cream/gelati business about an event called Cash Mob Ivanhoe Village. I instantly loved this grassroots method for getting cash into the local economy without taxing the marketing budget of a local business. Then I checked my e-mail inbox and found this article from Good; I just knew it had to be a Ripple. I've recently started a job working for Ivanhoe Village â┚¬â€œ more on that as the blogs go by, I'm sure â┚¬â€œ after being on its board for almost a year, so I was particular excited to see Orlandoans in my own backyard embrace this trend.
Pooches: A Python's Worst Nightmare
Man's best friend thwarts environmental enemies in the Florida Everglades
I know you've read about the issue we're having in the Everglades with Burmese Pythons eating everything. These snakes were purchased as pets, then released into the wild when their owners no long wanted them. This irresponsible act is wreaking havoc on this unique ecosystem and causing untold damage. I you're a fan of dogs, as I am, it probably won't surprise you to find out that part of the solution is our four legged friends. In fact, this article was the first real glimmer of hope I ran across in this reptilian conundrum.
Pin Your Hopes
Pinterest for Nonprofits: Promoting Your Cause on the Fast-Growing Social Network
The other day a social media expert gave me the run down on Pinterest complete with graphic results of how helpful it had been for a non-profit he is helping. That evening, I created my own account and several hours later I was still scouring the site to find things to pin on my imaginary bulletin board. Of the social media outlets, I've found Twitter to be the most helpful and engaging. The â┚¬Å”conversationsâ┚¬Â strike me as more intellectual and informing than say Facebook. It's also interesting that celebrities seem to feel safe to frolic about. While I'll use Pinterest for entertainment and as a tool, the jury is still out on its effectiveness for me.
