Recently a friend shared a story of a conversation she had with a co-worker. My friend was excitedly relating about a couple new functions she has and her gratitude and enjoyment of them to her co-worker, who replied, “Oh, you’re just still in the honeymoon phase,” to which my friend lovingly said, “Well, maybe you need a new honeymoon!”
I think that idea is inspiring. Sometimes we all need a new honeymoon—that timespan when everything seems brighter and happier, and our hearts and minds are filled with contagious excitement and optimistic hope, reflecting that 1980s song: “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades!”[1]
Otherwise, as life unfolds and obstacles appear, challenges and imperfections surface, routine takes foothold, and the seriousness of situations and the world’s problems set in, and, somewhere along the way, many of us lose our original enthusiasm, for whatever—our job, our partner, our home, maybe even life itself—and we can become apathetic, just “getting by,” and often not too happy about it all.
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
~ Helen Keller
To worsen matters, every time we view the news—in today’s “modern” world (which can still often be truly quite barbaric)—the tremendous and myriad crises our planet and her peoples currently face increase fear in many souls around the planet, instead of instilling faith. I find maintaining an attitude of gratitude is key. And the Bible wisely advises us in Proverbs to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”[2]
Building Blocks: Hope, Faith, and Action
I have been observing that in response to all the world’s strife that we see and hear, many people worldwide, in all walks of life, are realizing the significance of our problems and proactively doing something about it, thus changing their own lifestyles, sometimes dramatically, as a means of contributing to the common good of all.
This was particularly highlighted during my work as a host at Food For Ascension Café in Tucson, Arizona, where I had the privilege of meeting many people from all over the U.S. and sometimes the world. With the University of Arizona just up the street and in the midst of a very community-oriented cosmopolitan city of more than half a million, our diverse Café clientele included some of the most inspiring people I have ever met. Truly.
Beginning with the more than one dozen local farms and gardens we worked with to provide the all-natrual vegetarian and vegan meals, right down to the local beekeeper and hydroponic towers folks, I met more and more people who are out there “doing it” — contributing in whatever ways they can—big and small—to make a real difference on our planet, to become sustainable, healthy, renewed, and safe.
Inspirational Souls and Their Work
At Food For Ascension Café I met some awesome individuals doing inspirational work, including:
- a gentleman who was a three-time All-American athlete and a national collegiate wrestling champion coupled with earning a Doctorate in Educational Administration, who operated an inner-city gym to help youth at risk, teaching discipline and pride that comes from learning how to train and advance in boxing, martial arts, and wrestling and helping kids stay out of trouble
- a university Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering helping to protect lives from international terrorist bombings by scientifically reinforcing structures against blast loads in United Nations and other buildings
- a beekeeper with a small-scale honey project created to foster community around the activity of beekeeping in the Sonoran Desert, teaching that beekeeping is activism by helping create good in our environment and community with a commitment to keep bees using natural, treatment-free methods, and being a model for others to learn to do the same in a cityscape
- a Thai woman, living in America, who worked with villagers in Thailand and the Philippines to support women there in bringing fair trade clothing and crafts to sell in the states, affording the women their education and other opportunities
- individuals working to create safe parks for homeless in cities and open up solution-based discussions between homeless advocates, church pastors, social service workers, business owners, and government officials
- a Montessori School of mixed-age classrooms, providing conscious childcare and an alternative choice in education through a caring network of friends and extended family and a supportive workplace, where everyone can make a difference via an activity “discovery” model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than just by direct instruction
- a bright bio-scientist who worked in nutritional genomics (or nutrigenomics), creating healing products from “God’s pharmacy” (nature), using natural and/or wild-crafted whole-food herbs and extractions and a holistic approach, including factoring our vibrational thoughts and energies in the approach to creating these healing products
- a man working with a refugee network, including providing fresh fruit via a harvesting program from yards in the city with typically too much fruit for homeowners and thus otherwise would be left to rot
- an Ayurvedic chef whose company hireed out personal Ayurvedic chefs for a variety of occasions, and delivered fresh local organic juices daily to people’s work places
- a Native American husband and wife who traveled to powwows, conferences, and other events to educate and provide herbs for medicinal and ceremonial use through crafted natural herbal body products from gathered native plants, using traditional knowledge of plants passed down from ancestors
- an internationally-known TV star, as well as a professor, who for decades has worked to help broaden the public’s understanding of science and developing innovative programs that enable scientists to communicate more effectively with the public
- a group of third-graders who grew natural food at their experiential-learning, “green” elementary school and then selling it to restaurants, as the children experience hands-on real-life education
- an activist mother who worked to support families and individuals to understand and live a GMO-free and healthy lifestyle, including overcoming related financial and practical misconceptions
- a nonprofit with a mission to collect and preserve endangered traditional and native seeds
The above is but a sampling of special souls doing good works in all areas of life. Of course there are many more all over the country and world who deserve support and encouragement, in whatever ways we can each lend our time, talents, and resources.
Deconstructing Change
Sometimes inspiring changes start with something as seemingly “simple” as people changing what and how they eat. Sometimes it is changing where they work and/or what work they do, the focus of what they put their life’s efforts towards. At other times, it is even more drastic, including geographic moves, participating in addiction or other counseling and therapies, redefining personal relationships and/or leaving some, and ultimately much more. Changing is usually not easy, but often it is quite rewarding and, at times, absolutely vital.
Clearly, with our world and her peoples in the conditions they are, we definitely need some significant real and positive changes. I think the bottom line is that extraordinary people often start out as just “regular everyday folks”—people just like you and me—who then exemplify how “ordinary” people who do something “extra” and ultimately become truly “extra-ordinary”—thus they end up significantly impacting and helping change other people’s lives for the better in some manner.
I believe the common denominator in all these positive changes is that in some way—know it or not—the efforts are spiritual in nature in some aspect, because the quest for higher values, for greater and kinder endeavors, for things and ways that better the world, are all part of the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Creator—no matter if you call him Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Jesus, Elohim, The Great Spirit, Vishnu, Yahweh, or no name at all. Like a bumper sticker I once saw states: “Even if you don’t believe in God, God believes in you.” I have found that when we have faith in something bigger than ourselves and a mission directed towards the benefit of others, good things conspire in the universe on behalf of our ultimate success. And as it says in Matthew “. . . with God all things are possible.”[3]
What We Each Can Do
Since childhood, I have always felt a subtle yet deepening call towards a destiny of some initially undefinable pull. Turns out, I believe it is helping create a new paradigm, a living example, with others, of a higher ways of doing life—in some manner a better way of thinking, feeling, and doing—for the whole world.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
~ Lao-tzu
Through the connections with so many special and purposed souls I have made during recent years, I feel encouraged, inspired, and definitely renewed in an optimism I have not had for some time. I see the hand of God at work in so many ways. I am discovering the incredible importance of uniting with like minds of positive impact worldwide, networking in any ways we can, to literally create a “global community communications alliance”—which is the name of the nonprofit organization under which Food For Ascension Café and many other humanitarian and educational outreaches have flourished.
We can each actually become extraordinary, doing something extra-ordinary, by just starting small—in our own hometown or city or neighborhood, even simply on our own block or home—and just do our best. We can brainstorm and get together forming “think tanks” and pitch in and help out and just plain show up. Most of all we can care. In this manner, we can be the change we wish to see and thus inspire others. And together we can truly create a new honeymoon for the whole wide world. The children of the future are counting on us!
[1] From the song “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” by Timbuk3, off their album Greetings from Timbuk3.
[2] Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
[3] Matthew 19:26 (KJV)