Pink Thunder

A Free Hug for You

The Story of Free Hugs

It's one of the biggest lil social movements you've never heard of. This video actually really gets interesting about 2/3rds of the way in. Love is scary, no doubt. And sometimes it makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable. Sometimes for no reason, love wants to hug you in a mini-mall in Australia. Or Korea. Or Peru. And you might think it best to ask love to move along. Scram. Get lost. Find another mini-mall or seaside. But if you can walk past your fear, your confusion, your grumbling, your laziness and your discomfort about love to meet love head on, what's on the other side is...well, mostly just...love.

My New Hero: Teresa Hsu Chih

;

I saw an article about this cool person somewhere online. I hope I look like this (and will have done something even 1/4 as useful) as this young lady in Singapore, only 110 years old. And she's right -- we can't always control what happens to us. But we can control how we respond within to them. Try (when you can) to be joyful and to be grateful, especially for the kindness of others. And the beauty all around us.

From the Wikipedia:

As of 2007, Hsu is 110 years old but she did not once put a halt to her goal of serving others and is still actively involved in charity work to the present day. An advocate of healthy living, Hsu often gives public talks at schools, welfare homes, and hospitals in Singapore and overseas about health and service to the needy.^[8] When asked on her secret of her good health and longevity, Hsu attributes her good health to spartan lifestyle, vegetarian diet, and to her positive attitude towards life:

“

I prefer to laugh than to weep. Those people who cry to me, I always tell them it is better to laugh than to use tissue paper, as laughing is free but tissue paper still cost five cent. 'Ha ha ha' cost no cents."[10]

”

She starts her day at 4 am with calisthenics, meditation and an hour of yoga exercises. At night, she does yoga again, then reads until midnight. She picked up yoga at age 69, when she bought a book titled Forever Young, Forever Healthy. She also teaches yoga to the young and old at temples, associations, hospitals and schools. She eats sparely; her breakfast is a glass of water or milk. Lunch is often milk and salad, unless "people bring me food", and it is milk or yogurt for dinner.^[12] At home, she has a 2,000-volume private library she calls Prema, which in Sanskrit means "divine love". Today, her days are kept busy with trips to help needy senior citizens, reading and yoga practice at her sparsely-furnished single-storey house attached to the Society For The Aged Sick.[7

Merging

This am, one of the tabs on my Yogi Tea bag said:

It is our destiny to merge with infinity.

Or somesuch. Sounds about right. If so, then, how prepared are you now, my friend, to meet this eventuality? What's your relationship with infinity like these days?

Of Trunks and Leaves

When flying, takeoffs make me a little nervous, so I usually have a silly, glossy magazine handy with lots of pretty pictures to distract me until we reach cruising altitude. You'd think having a brother as a pilot would help and it does during turbulence, which he describes as little more than bumps on a road.

However, takeoffs and landings are the most vulnerable points of an air journey and landings briefly became a white knuckle challenge for me after he told me once that each one was essentially a "controlled crash."

These days, I'm a bit more relaxed about my ultimate fate. Death comes to us all, sooner or later. The nervous energy at takeoff is all about the excitement of another adventure ahead of me I think.

I can't take as much silly as I used to, though. These days, I often grab National Geographic or Oprah (which is slightly less silly than say, Glamour or People). Or sometimes out of cultural pride, I'll grab Essence or Ebony, especially if I'm overseas.

This time, I chose Vogue, which had an interesting-looking issue all about looking great at any age: 19 to 91. And they were serious about that with profiles of a 40-something and fabulous blond female physicist at Harvard, a plant owner in her 50s that still gets hit on by 20-somethings on through the 60s, 70s and 80s. (That's a photo above of Winona Ryder, 35, from her interview.) It's sort of cool and inspirational. True beauty really is ageless and the more mature women often dazzle you with their complexity and personality in a way the younger ones, even their own younger selves in photos, simply can't. It's like the difference between a delicious and refreshing glass of bubbly cola and a fine wine served on a special occasion. It's as if the light inside begins to shine through and shape your appearance to the world. Or fades you like a wilting flower with self-indulgence, bitterness, compromise and disappointment.

People often think I'm crazy when I say I look forward to my 50s. It's always seemed to me, if you're playing the game right, like a fantastic age for both men and women. The 40s look like hard work, but the 50s -- if you've worked hard, kept your nose clean and kept in shape, you can really look back with amazement at your accomplishments and look forward to a few more adventures ahead...

The 70s btw also look cool since even if you're healthy, it's all a bit more of a gamble really at that point, the game's almost at an end, so there's a playfulness there sometimes. Why not go for it -- I've seen it in their eyes. The 60s look sort of emotional though. The 80s -- pensive and bittersweet - the November of life. The 90s - well, sometimes the playfulness returns -- there's a sparkle in the eye -- since who among us really expects to live so long, eh?

Anyway, the universal law was shared in this month's Vogue by a young Chinese actress, Tang Wei. She quotes an old Chinese saying:

"Each year, we grow more branches and show more leaves, but our trunk remains unchanged. Who we are fundamentally is always there."

This is true, especially if you are working on developing your personal strengths and conquering your personal weaknesses. Still, a tree's age is measured by slender rings of concentric circles. You grow, even if imperceptibly to the naked eye, every year. Your core -- the tree that was, so long ago, is still there deep, deep in the center of who you are even as the leaves change...

Take care then how your branches grow and what leaves you show. Is your trunk thriving and expanding with strength to withstand the storms and sun? Or has who you are ceased to change with the rings slimmer and slimmer each year? A few more quotes on age, beauty and responsibility:

Every man over forty is responsible for his face

-- Abraham Lincoln

"Alas, after a certain age, every man is responsible for his own face."

-  Albert Camus

In each human heart are a tiger, a pig, an ass and a nightingale. Diversity of character is due to their unequal activity. 

- Ambrose Bierce

Humanity is the constant struggle to reconcile the animal and the ethereal.

- Cheryl Contee

It is the character you develop in your youth and middle years that will play a part in how you present to the world further on. May you find the tiger and nightingale within and good luck subduing your swinish, mule-some proclivities.

I know you wish me the same, dear friend.

You, The Other Person and Truth

So this morning I was having some Dong Quai Tonic tea. Dong Quai is the lesser known counterpart to Ginseng, which anyone who knows the difference will tell you is a man's root. Dong Quai is the root for women's vitality and health. The over-commercialization without explanation of ginseng is a little troubling.

Anyway, I like the version that Yogi Tea sells. Yogi Tea comes with little mini teachings on each paper tea pull tab. (You can order free sample sets here. I also highly recommend their Bedtime tea for a blissful night's sleep.)

So the first tab said:

Recognize that the other person is you.

I had another cup of tea and the second said:

Recognize that you are the truth.

Which is when I decided I'd had enough tea. On the walk to work, I wondered whether  transitive logic applied. Should I, for example,:

Recognize that the other person is the truth.

People don't always tell the truth. Yet I think most of us can recognize when someone is telling us the Truth with a capital T. For example, a couple of years ago my brother said to me: "Of course babies like you. That's because you look like a giant Muppet!"

I had to laugh and the truth stung a little. After all, this was uttered by no enemy of the Muppets. My brother is a person who can wax eloquently on the doomed romance between Hawkgirl and the Green Lantern on Justice League and explore whatever it is that's going on between Batman and Wonder Woman (what is it -- attraction, friendship, lust, love? seriously?).

I recognized the truth and have come to embrace my Muppetness. My Muppetude.  And that's a good thing. I am who I am. Sort of short, round, soft, cute-ish in a Pillsbury Doughgirl kind of way. (Tee hee hee!)

It's a challenge to see the reflection of yourself in others. To see the same good, the same bad, the same ugly and the same miraculous in them -- and in oneself. I can't say I'm an expert myself. But when I've actually managed to do this once in awhile, there's always been a reward both for myself and (I hope) for the other person in the long run.

Being Good

Overhead as I headed back to work on the metro last Tuesday from my Austrian adventure in beginning to conquer some old vestigial fears like failure, falling and heights via snowboarding:

Woman: You've got to be good in order to bring good to you, to bring the good into your life.
2nd Woman: And to be able to see it.
Woman: Yes, you have to be good to recognize the good when it comes and then be able to receive it. To receive God's blessing when it comes to you.
2nd Woman: Yes, indeed, Lord. Yes, indeed.

I've been fortunate enough to receive quite a lot of good into my life (especially good people) for which I am daily grateful and yet I have also failed at critical moments to be good in recognizing the good seeking to enter my life. Some struggle more with this than others, I suppose. I think it is something that can plague any one of us. It has to do with trust.

Trust, believe, be good -- and you will receive.

The Questions of Life

My ma was doing some cleaning and found a poem published in the BellRinger -- a publication at my elementary school. It's almost hard to believe that I could have thought this way in the fifth grade, but the truth as someone told me is that at their core, people do not really change. I believe there is a piece of us that is there before birth and goes with us whereever we go at death. So here's one of my pieces. The voice of PinkThunder -- age 11.

Life's Questions

Life has many questions --
Those both old and new.
But how many people answer life's questions?
Ah -- there are but a few.

Big grown girl PT here -- so I was looking for some answers then already. Can't say I have that many yet but I am still asking questions all the same. I will let you know when I get any good answers. If you've got an answer or two, feel free to lay it on me, sugar.

Give in Order to Receive

My family keeps asking what I want for Christmas and I haven't really been able to come up with much that isn't quite boring and practical in nature. I think that's a good thing though -- overall I am pretty happy with what I have and my dreams of things like a re-glazed bathtub and a granite countertop are slightly bigger than what Xmas can provide. It's good to have an aspiration. That's not to say I don't want a new printer/scanner. Or a mac powerbook. Or a video camera. Or maybe even a Wii. Or a new scabbard for the Lion. I just don't feel a strong sense of urgency and perhaps that's a welcome sign of maturity. The greatest gift I've received this year is being able to spend relaxed time with friends and loved ones. No one got really sick. No one died. Instead, a lot of babies were born - one of the best forms of health and happiness.

Xmas for me is really all about giving. I like to imagine a family member's face when they open my present - don't you?  I also have come to look forward to a tradition that a local church here called the Friends Meeting of Washington (Florida Ave and Decatur Place, sort of Dupont Circle-ish).

Every year, they have a big production and over 2 days, they make 2000 gifts for homeless men, women and children -- 3 categories of gifts. In case you didn't know, the average age of a homeless person in America is 9. The homeless tend increasingly to be working families.

It's called the Shoebox Project, though the boxes are actually more like small cakeboxes. They get filled with necessities like combs, nail clippers, socks, soap (some candy too) and wrapped in the comics from the newspaper. The top half of an old Xmas card goes on top.

It's really fun and really social. You don't have to be a member of the church. No one cares. It's really easy. Just walk on in. You can do a little shoeboxing or a lot (I usually give it about an hour or so) and imagine how someone who really needs it will feel to open the present you helped in some small way to give them. If you live in DC and have time -- go by and help out. Sat 10-2pm and Sun 10-whenever. There's free good pizza from Armands and Pizzeria Paradiso.  It's what the giving spirit of Xmas is supposed to be all about. See you there!

Family -- The Worst Case Scenario

The Kim Family story really grabbed the nation and me. When you hear of stories like this, often people feel as if a goose has walked over their grave. People wonder, what would happen to our family or to me if that ever happened.

Adversity happens. Family catastophes usually happen quietly, sometimes slowly and are not televised. It is a challenge to maintain your own integrity let alone that of an entire family when under incredible stress. Sometimes life throws you a curveball you didn't see coming.

One day, everything is great. You've got a dream job playing with the latest gadgets, you've got a great home and a beautiful family. The next day, you are cold, alone, hungry, tired, lost, desperate in a darkening woods being followed by a large, curious and not necessarily friendly bear. Or two. Oh and BTW, the fate of 3 other people besides yourself rests on your shoulders.

You've found yourself in a situation in which 100% of your money, 100% of your reputation and 90-95% of your education are completely useless. The fact that the Kims survived for nine days alone in the wilderness in winter is pretty amazing but so are most people when they want to be. Having seen family members approach the worst case scenario and survive with their family intact -- a challenging feat, I can perhaps shed a little insight into how the Kims managed to survive that long. Even if James Kim wasn't able to make it all the way, I think he'd be proud that the rest of his family made it.

To survive the family worst case scenario, you need at a minimum:

* Leadership
* A Positive Attitude
* Faith
* Intelligence
* Courage
* Compassion
* Tenacious, Even Grim Determination
* A Limitless Appetite of Self-Sacrifice for the team
* A Sense of Humor, especially when things really get bleak
* A Spirit of Cooperation and Teamwork

I think we all sense that the real miracle is that they didn't find one Kim spouse thrown off a rocky ravine by another Kim spouse and the baby half-eaten. You know what I am talking about. We've all been on that long, long Thanksgiving family drive. Instead, James and Kati Kim pulled themselves and their family together and together saved their little girls under almost unimaginably hostile conditions. May you and I find such strength within when we too are tested.

What the Bleep Do I Know?

So my friend Ben has been making me watch this movie. I remember when it was in theaters but for some reason hadn't had a chance to see it then. Now there is a DVD called What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole Quantum edition. There are all these randomizing settings that mean the movie can be different each time you watch it over and over. It's never been done before for a DVD. That's the quantum part.

And once you see it, you'll want to watch it over and over. For one thing, it's a lot of info all at once. Don't think you can do your taxes or sew a button or fold laundry watching this movie. It will likely require your complete attention. Plan to focus .

It's Universal Laws the Movie. With science. And Marlee Matlin. I had been watching random bits of the movie with Ben but finally I sat down and watched the full theatrical version. Is it too strong to say that it is the kind of movie that changes the way you see the world. And yourself? I am not sure it's too strong to say that this movie if watched by enough people could change the world we live in. That its creation and successful acceptance is a step forward for personkind.

What the bleep is What the Bleep about? Well, I guess it's really about how science and spirituality were one in the ancient world. Then during the Middle Ages and later the Enlightenment, science and spirituality parted ways. Now, quantum physics and many crazy experiments have opened the eyes of mostly doctors and scientists to some truths that force us to re-examine questions normally handled (maladroitly mostly imho right now -- paging Pope Benedict) by religion such as the nature of reality, consciousness, connectivity, creation, equality, ideation, spirit, time and space.