on becoming

this quote came to my attention as i was reading an article about social change and global warming:

'we must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. we are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. for some strange reason i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be. and you can never be what you ought to be until i am what i ought to be.'

-martin luther king, jr.

i completely understand the ideas of relatedness and interconnectedness that exists between all living things... and i find this quote to be profound for it reaches further than the personal journey we are on to attain the highest level of consciousness we can... from our practice of working upon ourselves, and then reaching out with ever more to give, the great challenges of our time can be met...

but to be honest, 'i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be.' made me stop... what do you think? on the most deeply personal level, aren't we supposed to be able to gain great insights through our own diligence? do we need others to attain our own enlightenment? does it help to be surrounded by those that are like minded? of course... but is it necessary? i don't know, i am still thinking about it - and i still have a lot of work to do... i suppose that is why dr. king wrote, 'for some strange reason'... as applied to the species, this statement rings loud and true... we need to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem... we can achieve more together if we are on the same page, working toward a common goal...

these earrings are about becoming what you ought to be... the lotus flower is one of the eight auspicious symbols in buddhism... the roots of the lotus are set down in the mud, the stem growing and rising up through the murky water until it reaches the surface, where the flower turns its face to the sun... the white flower is a symbol of enlightenment, of the purity of body, mind and speech... these earrings are made in 3 layers... the bottom is a paddled copper drop representing the roots... the center is a spiral headpin with moonstone representing growth and the flashes of insight gleaned with emotional understanding... and the dome shaped disc is stamped with the lotus flower itself... hammered and antiqued... i made all but 2 of the pieces - the split ring and the spiral headpin which was made by rocki at rockis supplies... in truth, i didn't realize how i was building these, how the 3 parts were symbolic, it only came later when i was finished...

imagine whole water gardens of lotus where each blossom represents an enlightened human
& what could be accomplished if those were to be...

upcycling paradise

'the gross heathenism of civilization
has generally destroyed nature,
and poetry, and all that is spiritual.'
- john muir

this is tom szaky the founder of terracycle... for quite a while i have been wanting to blog about him and his business, just to spread the word... i found out about terracycle a few years ago on a pouch of honestkids juice (you know, the honest tea people?)... as i have a very hard time throwing things out, i was intrigued by their offer to accept juice pouches... land fills are a nightmare to me - NOT... even... kidding!

so, szaky uses waste as a resource... i am going to let you read about him (if you so choose), his company, the article on eco-capitalism, the materials they are accepting & the products they are making... it is very thorough and way too much for me to condense... but i know you will be happy if you do... i recently found some of their home cleaners at target in with the method products... they work well, are packaged in reused plastic bottles & leave a zero carbon footprint!

we have picked up pencils, pencil cases, etc... and they are now promoting a school fundraiser selling backpacks and the like...

szaky's wife is a concert pianist who wore a gown made of 6,000 pouches at carnegie hall!

i am just so impressed by this entrepreneur... i always think it is so incredible when someone is able to think outside of the box and find success...

being environmentally conscious doesn't have to be hard... i collected the juice pouches from two 4th grade classes this year... that is usually how drinks come in for the elementary school kids, right? we donated a couple of hundred pouches, it was nice to be able to keep them out of the trash...

'alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.'
- helen keller

tread lightly

ocean mist no. 5 by mika at pinocean

porcelain sand dollar by erin at EveryHeartCrafts

living by the beach in new jersey, the summer officially begins with memorial day... and things will now change dramatically until labor day... personally i love the beach off season, but i understand why summer draws crowds...

as kids, we were familiar with the summer saying 'benny go home' ... benny being an acronym for the stops on the bay head to new york train - bayonne, elizabeth, newark, new york... it was nothing personal, we were just local kids who noticed the influx of people each year... it had to do with being upset with the irreverent treatment of the beach by some visitors (and locals who are just as guilty and should know better)... vacationers are crucial to our local economy - the beach towns have always counted upon summer business for their survival...

here is the issue i have - and i know that i am not alone in this - please just tread lightly... do not treat our beaches as if they were disposable, as if they don't exist when you aren't here... as if the sea birds and ocean life are not affected by your litter... this applies to our whole planet naturally, but i feel a bit protective of the places nearest to me...

call me a scrooge, but my skin crawls when i hear the small boats & jet skis flying through our bay... i know people love these, and i am sure that they are fun... but we have a bird sanctuary here - egrets, osprey, swans, herons, all kinds of ducks and even eagles who also have their little ones about ... the noise and intrusion scare them... we even have an area where horseshoe crabs - dating back to the prehistoric era - come to mate... where is the concern for these true residents of the bay?

'treat the earth well. we do not inherit it from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' - part of a native american proverb...

so come, enjoy the beaches - there is nothing like the sound of the water pounding on the sand... learning about where to set up when you arrive in the morning if it is low tide- seems like a good idea to sit near the water, right? but then the tide comes in! watching people jump the waves, listening to the sound of laughter and sea gulls screaming... feeling the sun on your skin... finding out that when the water is still cold, there may be crabs in the shallower water... enjoying the wonders of the ecosystem... becoming mesmerized by tiny tide pools on the jetties... holding a sea star... using a seining net, placing your catch in a bucket of cold water & then releasing the life after you look at it... finding hermit crabs on the tide line at low tide... wonder after wonder after wonder...

and then as the sun goes down - walking the boardwalk, playing miniature golf, getting ice cream... & maybe going to the glass blowing studio...

erin's charm and mika's beads make me smile, they both draw inspiration from nature... the work shown reminds me of walking along the beach after a storm, searching for treasures of sea glass, sand dollars and drift wood... they have recreated these things so perfectly - and i thank them for it! mika is currently (and patiently) enduring my requests for custom orders... i already have my charm & when mika's beads arrive, i will anticipate the beads whispering to me...

i can't wait - for the anticipated final design or for the summer fun to begin!