being human…
June 28, 2011
Me: Have you ever been scared to do or try something?
Him: What you scared of?! (his left eyebrow up, almost reaching the top of his mohawk)
Me: I don’t know…being human? What if I can’t do it?
Him: Miss P, you been human for 30 somethin’ years…what you got to be afraid of? you that old right?
…and just like that, with a smirk and the curl of his lips…the 13 year old broke it all down. It felt as though I had been soul schooled. Humanity allows us to be afraid and brave, it’s triumph and failure, maybe there is nothing really to lose or reject in ourselves…so many shades and layers, each with its own purpose…
…and we never stop being human…with our 34 and 13 years respectively.
when you finally lose track…
June 26, 2011
when you finally lose track of the days, you know it’s summer because…
you lean in a little closer…
you start making pies with things you actually grew, food never tasted so good…
you can’t believe you finally beat that level…
you wonder why you didn’t cut the wild flowers sooner, they are pure delight…
you remember you bought those paints forever ago, and do watercolors with neighborhood kids…
you decide every meal should be breakfast.
how do you know it’s summer over there?
guerrilla goodness: kindness popsicles
June 24, 2011
It’s been sweltering, that Virginia kind of southern heat. All I can think about when things are so sticky is
1. I think Virginia might even be hotter than Miami.
2. Somewhere right now Ashley Judd is makin’ a movie with her glistening self with magnolias in the background. I wish I glistened, but we pretty much sweat around here.
We were hankerin’ for some popsicles so off we went to buy a ridiculous amount for both ourselves and Monroe Park. Monroe Park is sort of a haven for homeless folks in our town but is also right next to a university and smack dab in the city. Lots of people that might be interested in some fruity frozen sweetness.
We didn’t have any guerrilla goodness cards with us so Josiah made that awesome sign to stick on the box and MacGyver-ed it with a band-aid at the top. See it? It’s amazing what you can find in the glove box in a pinch, if only there had been some wipes in there it would have been awesome!
I do not really think about what we are doing when we go on kindness adventures, I don’t think about the impact or the purpose…we just sort of go and be in the moment, we meet people, collect stories, play…but this day it was almost as if I was just observing, watching over and it all hit me at once.
My little girls had no fear once we got going, nothing holding them back to connect with folks, offer what we had, become friends. I realized they had absolutely no idea that most of the people they were talking to probably had mental health issues, or struggle with addiction or even that they were homeless…it was just about popsicles, like you would pop a squat with a friend at preschool or tell your dad’s co-worker all about your new stuffed animal. This kind of touched me, seeing their innocence that comes with their age but also realizing, they have done this so many times, met so many people, they don’t really know any different…this is life, a hot summer afternoon.
I felt sort of proud, in that mother look-at-my-babies kind of way… hoping that when they get old, they will be able to make friends anywhere, feel at home in the world and in their heart… see, appreciate and know the beauty of love all around.
An adventure for you:
It’s hot almost everywhere!! Take a box of popsicles to the playground or park and pass them out.
Have fun and tell us how it went in the comments if you decide to play!
Notes:
*Disclaimer*- go at your own risk- go to a place you are familiar with and feel safe! Not everyone feels safe or comfortable mixing with strangers or a public place, it’s okay! You can take a box to the office, or your play date/group, or even the neighborhood!
(I also noticed how much I did NOT want to take pictures of this one, it felt weird…you don’t always have to document, sometimes it’s better to just be.)
sitting in kindness…
June 23, 2011
We sat together after everyone had left…sitting in the aftermath of kindness. It is the kind that isn’t always so easy, it is heavy and sometimes sad.
He cried a little. I know that cry, when you all of the sudden feel the pain of another, you don’t even know quite what to do with it because you know it is bigger than anything you’ve ever known or walked or held. And you can’t quite imagine living with it, and yet people do, with gnashing and fight and grace and beauty and strength and vulnerability and shame and pride and pieces all over, lots of pieces. …and we find our way.
“I don’t think we are supposed to fix it, I don’t think we can. I guess we just have to be in it with the people we love, stand by them, offer our love and feel theirs.” I said.
He nodded, somehow comforted by these words…and I think of all the years it took me to figure that out.
…and I wonder if other people are having these kinds of conversations with their 11 year olds. I wonder if I have brought my kid into this life that I feel lost in myself so many times, a life that constantly requires me to find new parts, heal old parts, choose courage again, even when I would rather not. …and yet I don’t really know any other way to be. He is stuck with me, in all of this broken kind life.
and it isn’t about rescue or being a good person, or passing some big value on…it’s just one human to another, one struggle among many being shared, one call that you are drawn to over and over again like a moth to a flame, one moment of seeing each other, one trust to let it pour or trickle out, and almost every time, there is no preparation, no chance to guard your heart or put the shutters up for the storm…it happens over making macaroni out of a box, or carrying laundry up the stairs, or one look when someone walks through the door.
…and we will sit, listen, talk and sometimes cry when that someone leaves…and then someone else will sit, listen, talk and cry when we leave…and later we will look up to the sky and see the moon shine, in all her glory…in the dark.
the secret garden goes to war…
June 22, 2011
So the Secret Garden has found her way to war, a Garden War that is. I think this is totally hilarious as we have never grown ANYTHING in our entire lives. So maybe that makes us the loveable underdogs? So if you are a fruit lover, a champion for the underdog, or just generally have a black thumb and are amazed green things grow like us, vote for the Salgado Secret Garden here.
Oh… how the Secret Garden has been pure kindness from the universe to me!
Here are some outtakes from the harvest this week:
in case you have ever wondered…
June 19, 2011
we love you papa…
secret garden magic…
June 14, 2011
She told me yesterday that her job when she gets big will be “to love kids”…I’m pretty sure she is well on her way…
guerrilla goodness: in honor of…
June 10, 2011
It was Jorge’s birthday at the end of May, I felt like we needed to honor his awesomeness in the world…with a kindness mission. So here he is:
He may be the most chill guy you have ever met, he’s kind, easy on the eyes, a deeply caring papa and friend AND he always wears sunglasses and always has gum- a minty fresh, Obama sort of cool dude.
I thought it would be fun to share this small thing about him with the world in the name of random kindness.
So I got a Costco box o’ gum and asked the neighborhood boys if they wanted to help.
At first they looked at me like I may be just a little bit crazy, we talked about perceptions of kindness, some of our skepticism, brainstormed on what would give our project credibility, take down some walls in our community…how kindness changes things. I was so blown away to watch minds open and change, how quickly everyone invested in the idea, what good ideas we came up with and how fun it was.
In the end, they decided to take the gum and leave the packs in public places (bus stops, benches, parks,school) but I think they ended up Ding Dong Ditching in the neighborhood.
So here is your kindness challenge for the week:
1. Pick one person you love, think about what reminds you of them.
2. Leave one (or several) of their special thing, thought or idea in a public place for someone else to find. (could be a box of oreos, or a saying written on a card, or even just a picture)
We wrote on our gum:
Please take this pack of gum in honor of Jorge Salgado as an act of kindness! (because Jorge is rad in every way!)
You can also leave the http://www.guerrillagoodness.com address to let people know the intention behind the goodness and introduce the idea of kindness as a way of life!
3. Your loved person will be thought of by a total stranger and the kindness magic moves on.
Let us know if you decide to honor someone to share ideas and tell us about the people you love! You can also upload your pictures to the GG Flickr Pool!
circle up the kindness…
June 5, 2011
My kids have been on my nerves lately, even their back rubs and gentle questions of “you okay mom?” are driving me crazy. I know when it gets this bad, I am not only way overdue for a break but also usually need to stop everything, like everything and play, create, do something to connect.
I saw this lovely art project from an old Wondertime article (oh, how I miss that magazine!) and thought it might be just the prescription for us. It’s a mix between tie dye goodness and crazy science, except a lot less work and mess.
All you need are some old white tee shirts, sharpie markers, rubbing alcohol, eye droppers (or an old infant tylenol dropper), rubber bands and drink glasses. We put the shirt over the glass and wrapped the rubber band until it was taut.
The kids then drew their designs. The original directions suggested putting a water bottle cap in the center and drawing around it with dots and lines to give a flower effect, we eventually just made/drew whatever we wanted.
With the rubber band still on, drop about 20-50 drops of alcohol all around your design. The color molecules “move” and mix in the right solvent resulting in really cool art. The kids experimented with the alcohol technique to give different looks. It was super easy, very gratifying and great for a wide range of age levels. When you are all done, throw into the dryer for 20-30 minutes to set. Wash and dry as normal.
Whenever we are really deep into something, with no agenda, I am reminded how delightful it all is…how excited they were, how kind they are to each other, genuinely happy/encouraging of the others art, how relaxed I am in holding the space for them to create, how in every picture they have those big mops of brown hair never brushed…how our desire to pull back and away is actually an invitation to go in and deeper…how the core of it all is where it’s at.
We are definitely doing this one again, please remind me in the height of summer when I am grouchy again of this dreamy day!
where we began…
June 3, 2011
It was so sweet to be with them again…a different time, a different room, but the players all the same. Erin and Jay so graciously allowed me to capture the birth of their first son, it was my first birth too. Here we are two years later, Erin once again made it look easy, and I was so very honored to watch this little guy, a brother, be born. Thank you, thank you E & J…you and your dear boys are just lovely in every way…I will be forever grateful for where we began.
today…
June 2, 2011
kindness is…
not trying so hard.
believing there is always a way in, and a way out.
worshipping green and other colorful things.
not returning e-mails.
right in the moment before me, this very moment.
leftovers.
throwing the master plan out the window.
receiving some healing.
breathing in soulful music.
staring right into the light.
kissing insomnia goodbye.
knowing, feeling my one true love.
laying burdens down…
What is kindness for you today?
Kindnessgirl 