THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN A DAY: If you do one single thing in a day, give thanks. Give thanks for the world around you - for your life, for the living beings who share your space, for the love and joy that exists, and for the mysterious sequence of events spanning thousands of years that has brought you to this singular moment. CREATING CHANGE: Change does not come about without 'creative tension' and discomfort. Therefore anyone who sets about to create change should accept their role as catalyst and antagonist. Understanding your role as trouble maker and people's reactions to you will give you courage to instigate change. FREEDOM: You cannot give someone freedom. It must be rescued by each person from their own bondage of fear and oppression. ACTIVISM: Effective activism is the healthy balance between action and reflection. Maintaining this delicate balance can be hard, but success allows wise and caring decisions to be made even in the most trying times. NEGATIVE ATTACKS: Negative attacks come from three groups of people: those who don't have the courage to do what you're doing themselves; those well meaning people who do not understand what you're doing; and the opposition who is trying to derail your actions. Ignore the first group. Educate the second group when you have time. And keep an eye on the third group so you can protect yourself if they get nasty. POSSIBILITY: My 'second' dad was Captain Hunter Donaldson, a modern day pirate, treasure hunter, and fishing guide to the stars in the Florida Keys. One day I asked him how he had created his storybook life in the islands. His answer remains a central part of my philosophy, "Some people will ask what if it doesn't work? But I respond, ahhh, what if it does!" PLAY: Find some way to play every day. Celebrate life. Feel the sun on your face and the wind through your hair. Dance and sing. Whatever. Do something, anything, to remind you that you are ALIVE! KNOWING YOUR SELF: The most empowering action you can take is to know your self. Know where you come from. What you stand for and believe in. Know where you are going. Once you know your self, no one can take it away, no matter how negative or dismissive they become. STATE OF THE EARTH: We have created a mess of this planet. For a long time I looked to the source of today's problems. Why did we treat the Earth, and others so poorly? But then with a growing connection to my Indigenous European ancestors, I began to understand just how closely everything is connected, and the fragile balance that keeps all living things healthy. The return of the Old Ways and understandings in my life as well as continued work with traditional Indigenous people made it clear that until we return to a place-based, spiritual connection with all life, we will make the same mistakes over and over again. But never fear, the Earth has a way of cleansing herself. If we are smart, we will prepare for a bumpy ride ahead.

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