To honor women everywhere and to reclaim hetero-patriarchy day, Eve Ensler created this wonderful organization. If you haven’t seen the Vagina Monologues, it is so worth checking out. It is so moving, funny, tragic, and inspirational. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Anyway, this is just a brief post to wish all of my very few readers happy V Day, however you choose to acknowledge it. Or not acknowledge it. Much love and happiness to you.
Gillian and I made history. Lord knows we’ve been through a lot before that day and after it, and I don’t think that we would have made it this far if we hadn’t been able to get married. I have always understood that no marriage can survive without the support of a loving community. I am grateful every day for this anniversary, and for the celebration that we had with our family and friends the following August. We keep reaching back to the memories of these celebrations of our love, understanding that it is not a day in the past, but a celebration that lives in our hearts presently. Love is a blessing, and I hope that soon everyone will have the right to celebrate love, have it witnessed by their community and honored by the world.
Happy anniversary to everyone who shares this day with us.
Recently I stumbled across a blog that talked about work/life integration as a concept to strive for, as opposed to work/life balance. The word balance suggests things that are in opposition to each other. Staying balanced is like walking a tight rope, which can be stressful. I don’t want to stretch the metaphor too much, however, integration as a concept feels more sustainable and satisfying, not a struggle.
I am not out to change the world here, though I do hope to contribute in my small way to a cultural shift towards this noble ideal. I don’t think there’s any escaping the 9-5 for me any time soon. I am a manager where I work, so hopefully I can model leadership my belief in flexibility for employees to be able to address personal obligations during traditional work hours. I’d also like to institute nap time. One thing at a time.
Not that I don’t want to have clear boundaries around personal space and time. I occasionally bring work home, yes, but when I am working, I don’t like to invite the distractions of personal life there, and vice versa. I certainly don’t want my work to interfere with the sacredness of my home.
Nonetheless, I don’t want the personal and professional to live in opposition to one another. I’d like to find the best way to keep them in harmony. Work gives one a feeling of purpose. I want to know that what I do from day to day contributes in some small way toward making the world better. I also want the way that I live to make a difference, too. Where I shop, what I eat, how I observe spiritual practice, how I communicate with friends, family, and colleagues about things that are important to me.
I’ve been social networking for a while on various sites, in earnest for about the last year (it’s Larry Halff’s influence; he invented my favorite social bookmarking tool, Ma.gnolia which got me started). In my quest to find more opportunities for work/life integration, I am finding online social networking tools to be have the most potential and effectiveness so far. These days, I like to explore just about every social networking site out there just to see what they have to offer. You’ll find my favorites and the ones I use the most in the side bar. From LinkedIn to Change to Ravelry, I am trying them all (only if I find them compelling).
Of course they are most useful if other’s use them, too. Can you imagine using FaceBook for anything other than communicating with friends? This is the site that I am using the most for simply networking these days. Mostly it’s silly stuff; virtually blowing kisses and serenading each other, comparing knowledge of movie trivia, and my favorite these days is playing Scrabulous, though I hear rumor that it will soon be unavailable due to copyright infringement. Mostly I’m using FB because I have many friends who do, and it is fun to stay in touch with them. But I’m also finding that many people that I work with are using FB, and it is also a useful tool to communicate with colleagues.
There are other sites like LibraryThing and Ravelry which actually serve a purpose besides connecting with people. With LibraryThing, you can inventory your book collection in a very sophisticated way. It has the added benefit of connecting you with virtual strangers who are reading the same book you are, or getting ideas from other people who have similar interests and tastes to help you decide what you should read next. Ravelry is for knitters. Here you can share your projects, get inspiration for new projects, and learn new skills.
Ma.gnolia remains my favorite, and in my opinion, has the greatest crossover in terms of its usefulness professionally and personally. Though it hasn’t yet caught on in the workplace, I have faith that it will soon. I’ve created a group there for fundraising and philanthropy links and a group for development research (which I’ve made private because, for some reason, spammers were interested in it. If you want to join, just send me a request via Ma.gnolia.).
Online social networking is certainly not the be all, end all answer. Indeed, it has also proven to be quite a distraction. I can’t tell you the number of days I have spent whiling away the time simply bookmarking cool websites, trolling the web to locate old friends (which I have done with quite a lot of success), simply getting sucked into the vortex.
However, as an information professional in the non-profit world, I feel I have found a calling of sorts. I feel a responsibility, as well as a keen interest, to feel out the potential of these online tools to promote philanthropy and good works, to build community and share ideas, to find and maybe even help create the most efficient tools to gather and manage information. Maybe many of these tools most of the time don’t directly apply to the work that I do from day to day. But there are many points of connection. Out of a passion for growing professionally and personally, I am determined to explore social networking to the fullest.
This is Dad, Gillian, me, and Mary (from left to right) in the living room of our Chicago apartment. They came to visit us between Christmas and New Years in 2007, and had a great time. We did an architecture tour by bus on a frigid day (it was super fun), had some really great food, and enjoyed a much over-due visit. I’m so glad to be in closer proximity.
This year, my family all agreed to give gifts to charity instead of to each other. We still drew names as we do each year, but we made gifts to non-profits in honor of each other. It was really great to not feel the usual pressure of the holiday shopping craze, to know that I won’t be the recipient of stuff I don’t need, and to give to something that will make a difference. To me this is truly celebrating the meaning of Christmas.
Everyone shared the inspiration for the charities they chose.
Aimee chose The Make-a-Wish Foundation with the following story:
The Make-a-Wish Foundation helps seriously ill children achieve dreams that would otherwise be impossible for them. Dream vacations, dream experiences, meeting the person they admire most, getting the toy/game their family never could afford, usually due to bills regarding the illness.
When I worked at the University of Minnesota in the ’80’s, I saw first-hand what wonder this organization can bring to an otherwise hopeless situation. Michael was 8 years old, and had had a relapse of his leukemia in spite of a bone marrow transplant. The Make-a-wish foundation sent Michael and his entire family (two siblings and his parents) for a week-long visit to Disney World and Epcott Center, ALL expenses paid. Everything. They had a blast, and the family was given exceptional memories of Michael doing what he’d wanted to do for a very long time. Michael died 2 months after they returned home. I will always carry this foundation in my heart.
Elizabeth supported a film about Lyme Disease:
In addition to giving to a local food shelf, we decided to send our annual holiday donation to the film, “Under Our Skin,” a spectacularly accurate and well done documentary about chronic, late-stage neuro-borreliosis (Lyme Disease). Particularly, it shows with great sensitivity how common the disease is, the depth of suffering it causes, how few people understand or know how to support their loved ones who are infected, and how difficult it is to get treatment. The film is in need of funds so that it can be finished.
Amy Tan said, “I now know the greatest harm borrelia has caused. It is ignorance.” At this point in time, sadly, the best way to fight the disease is to fight the ignorance. This film will do that.
I know how much he likes books and reading because he is a librarian and all. Sarah [her daughter] helped me find a charity in Africa that builds and promotes reading in small towns in Africa. It is called African library project. Now his joy of books and reading is being shared with those in Africa also
This was really a cool way to celebrate Christmas. And it’s true, there are so many great charities out there it was really hard to decide which one to give to.
Being new to this (Although we give to local charities every year) I found a great site which finally led me to the one I ultimately chose. http://www.charitynavigator.org/It’s supposedly the largest charity evaluator on the internet and was very helpful in locating the charity about which I felt the strongest. They have charts which display how they spend their money, their reputations, etc. It’s awesome.
I finally chose The Global Fund for Women. Here is what their web site says: “The Global Fund for Women is an international network of women and men committed to a world of equality and social justice. We advocate for and defend women’s human rights by making grants to support women’s groups around the world.” Check it out – it’s not only an amazing organization but their web site is a model of design and communication.
When David and I moved into our apartment, there was a cat living in the parking garage. A cat had come in there to have her kittens, and some of the children in the building were petting one of the kittens when it was too soon. The mother cat rejected her kitten, so she lived in our parking garage. I called her Sweetie Pie. She was a lovely, though mostly feral, cat. But she desperately wanted to be a lap cat (as they all secretly do).
Despite my landlords warnings, I fed and watered her continually. The care and feeding of this cat became my one-woman-against-the-man mission.
I first became involved with Best Friends when I was looking for a humane place to relocate her. Feral cats are notoriously hard to relocate, and Sweetie Pie deserved better than to be put to sleep because some well meaning children gave her a pet when it was too soon. Best Friends Animal society believes the same. They are an organization dedicated to the humane treatment of all animals.
Best Friends Animal Society has airlifted animals out of New Orleans during Katrina, they are taking care of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs, they rescue dogs from puppy mills and cat collectors, they help internationally with animal rescue operations, they are active politically to ensure humane treatment of animals, and do all sorts of wonderful things for our furry (or feathery, or scaly) friends on the planet who are in trouble or in need.
I love these people. Truly. You can also watch their new show on the National Geographic Channel – Dogtown. The donation made in Margaret’s name will help care for animals at one of their various sanctuaries.
And, honestly, the notion of someone saying ‘Hey Sparky, you’ve just had your balls snipped thanks to the generosity of Margaret’ kinda made me giggle.
Invisible Children Inc. is an organization that began as a journey. Three young men and a video camera went to Africa in search of a story. They ended up in Uganda, where they met children, who are both the weapon and the victim of this story. These children are caught in the middle of a war being waged by the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Many of these children run away from home at night to seek sanctuary in the hospitals, miles from their homes. What are they running from? The LRA kidnaps kids and transforms them (physically and mentally) into child-soldiers. The Ugandan government has attempted to protect its civilians by relocating thousands to camps. But these camps are over-crowded, impoverished, and disease ridden.
The three young men created a documentary called “Invisible Children: Rough Cut,” which has been viewed by millions. The overall response to this documentary has been concern and compassion. They began this organization so that the people who are moved by the plight of these children can make a difference. The money that they raise go to fund highly researched development projects that address the need for education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps and financial stability within the Ugandan community. This partnership between Invisible Children Inc. and the Ugandan community focuses on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their own future an the future of their country. You can visit their website AND store (Totally cool! Check out the bracelet campaign!) at this website.
The charity that Mary Elise and I chose is known as Jeedovaya, Center of Hope. I scanned in the article that describes how the sisters of St. Joseph of Baden Pennsylvania have developed shelters for boys in railway stations in India which have become centers where they are safe, their lives are stabilized and they become trained for jobs. They essentially are rescued.
These shelters have worked well for boys, ages 4 to 14. Now the sisters are about to establish a center for young girls which is am even more difficult task. This is what we contributed to.
Gillian chose a subscription to Slow FoodUSA for Dad. This organization supports food justice in many different ways. Through its educational programs, Slow Food promotes the consumption of fresh foods, embraces food traditions, supports local economies and environmental sustainability, and promotes human health and nutrition. This is a deliberate movement away from the culture of consumption that is destroying our health, our cultural traditions, and our planet. Being a member of Slow Food connects you to people in your community who are helping to build the slow food movement.
Paradoxologies 