Category: Mojo Monday

Mojo Monday ~ Happy 1st Birthday AND Happy Mother’s Day

Michelle Fairchild

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Mojo Monday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Mojo Monday was born in May 2010, so we are celebrating her 1st Birthday today.  She has taught me a number of things during her first year of life.  (Children tend to do that!)  

She taught me that when you have a dream or goal that you need to set aside the time to do the work to reach those dreams and goals.  For example if you want to be a writer you have to write.  Thinking about being a writer or talking about being a writer some day will not move you very far towards your goal.  You have to actually write.

She taught me more about getting my joy from the creating and the journey, not from the responses I get (or don’t get) to what I created or wrote.   There are important lessons to be learned about the importance of internal approval rather than external approval.

She provided wonderful opportunities to meet, interact and get to know better more of the brilliant and creative Cosmic Cowgirls on the Rodeo, where I also post my Mojo Monday discussions.

She showed me that commitment and applied discipline to a regular practice feels good and can build one’s confidence to say “YES” to other opportunities.

Here’s to you Mojo Monday!
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Mojo Monday also has another VERY EXCITING announcement to make.  Starting this month there will a new writer joining me.  I am thrilled that Cosmic Cowgirl Steph Cowling who currently lives in Brooklyn, New York will be bringing her brilliance, wit and wisdom to the weekly campfires.  She and I will be greeting you on alternating weeks.  Steph has been a Sparking leader and also hosts the Wild Women Story Gathering site with fabulous Jenafer Joy.  They are currently leading the group through the book Women Who Run With the Wolves.  If you are interested in joining the reading group check it out here.  She will certainly be bringing us a great deal of thoughtful and inspirational posts in the coming months.

In a book called Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection by Gregg Krech I came across a phenomenal section on Mother’s Day.  Seeing as how Mother’s Day is on this upcoming Sunday, May 8th I wanted to share with you his wisdom and touching suggestion to write your mom a heartfelt letter of gratitude.  

Before the author gets to his own touching letter he does start at a different end of the spectrum regarding the parental relationship:  “Mother, you never bothered to tell me you loved me. You never loved me for myself.  You just wanted me to fulfill your own unfulfilled dreams.  You weren’t there for me when I needed you.  You only paid attention to me when I got good grades in school.” 

The author continues “These comments are characteristic of those of us who have searched the depths of our souls to get in touch with our anger at our mothers, encouraged by an army of talk-show hosts, authors, recovery programs, and therapists, all helping us take an honest look at our childhoods and then take aim at our moms.  Of course, we’ll take time out on Mother’s Day to send a card, make a phone call, or offer a small gift to the woman, who among other things, brought us into the world.  But this small detail, and many others, are lost or forgotten amidst an array of people and programs who see mom as just another casualty on the road to self-realization and self-esteem.  Of course, mothers aren’t perfect.  They make mistakes.  They make foolish choices.  They act selfishly and lose their temper.  Some of them abandon and abuse their children.  But before we abandon them, it might be wise to review the record. 

My first serious attempt to do that came in 1989 when I spent two weeks at a a Naikan center near Kuwana, Japan, reflecting on my entire life. For more than a day I did nothing but reflect on my relationship with my mother, year by year.  What had she given me during my childhood?  Memories came slowly at first, and were somewhat vague.  But from time to time a vivid image would surface of her making me a bologna and cheese sandwich for my lunch box, or washing my muddy Little League baseball uniform, or sitting down and playing the piano with me.  Some of my reflections on my mom involved calculations: How many times did she change my dirty diapers? How many meals did she cook for me?  How many loads of laundry did she wash?…Much of what is required of mothers is not exciting: laundry, dishes, diapers, sitting on a playground bench and watching your son climb up and own monkey bars.  It is precisely because of the undramatic nature of these services that they are overlooked, forgotten, or taken for granted.  They don’t get discussed in therapy.  They aren’t a common subject of self-help books.  They don’t appear as a central theme in the TV sitcom.  But when we reflect on our lives and our relationships to our moms, it’s essential to remember these acts of service for one very important reason: they happened.

By the time I completed my two-week stay at the Naikan center my relationship with my mom was forever changed.  It’s not that I became a model son or built her a home on the Riviera.  It’s just that my memory was a bit more complete and my image of her was different.  I could rarely talk with her on the phone without remembering some of the excavated memories from Japan.  And those memories included my own mistreatment of her as a child and adolescent.  They included my own ingratitude toward her for what she had done for me.”

“…there was one woman who got me started as a seedling and made sure I was firmly rooted until I could transplant myself.  She deserves to be remembered for all the tedious, unexciting things she did for me.  As my way of honoring your service, Mom, I plan to fold some laundry today.”

What might you do today to honor your mom?

Are you feeling inspired to write her a heartfelt letter for Mother’s Day?  Please share it if you feel inclined to do so.

You could also write her a poem or paint her something. If you create something come back and share a photo.

Here is a scrapbook page that includes a letter to my mom and a sassy photo of the two of us back in the summer of 1996.  It also includes words that I feel describe her.  This particular photo was taken on a day that we had gone to a fair and had our faces painted.  We later went out dancing that night, with our face paint still on I might add. 

Mojo Monday ~ Poetry for Mother Earth

Michelle Fairchild
Image Digitally Created by Michelle Fairchild in 2008
It seemed fitting to bring together poetry and thoughts about our Mother Earth seeing as how April is National Poetry Month and the 41st Anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated on April 22nd.  

Our planet absolutely astounds me.  There are so many descriptive words that come to mind while contemplating our shared globe: wondrous, remarkable, amazing, incredible…and yet none of them can really do it justice.  How do you describe something so sacred and miraculous?  

What I know is that we do the best we can using our sacred earthly tools such as words, both prose and poetry, paintings, songs, dances, culinary arts, rituals and activism.  

In honor of our big blue planet here is a compilation of prose, poetry and song to honor her.

My Dearest Mother Earth, 

Your beauty is astounding
so much so that it brings tears
to the eyes of those who really see you
the greens and blues, the red, browns and yellows
the rainbows that you sometimes wear like magical jewels
and underneath your stunning appearance
you are humble 

You are a provider
a giver of life
if it were not for you
and the water that covers
two thirds of your surface
there would be no life
and yet you are humble 

There are those
in certain circles
who are concerned
about worshipping you
as a deity
and yet it seems
that since our very
lives and survival
depends on you
that there needs to be
greater Reverence in how we view you 

There needs to be more
love and respect
in our actions and thoughts
towards you
and while we can celebrate
that forty-one years ago
inspired individuals celebrated
the first Earth Day on
April 22, 1970
we must also honor that
every day is Earth Day.


~ By Michelle Fairchild
In the Midst of Pain

By Gregg Krech 

Once, not long ago, it was a hearty tree
providing shade, food, and oxygen—
a world of its own. 

For a hundred years,
perhaps more,
it flourished with breath and life. 

Then it was cut, sawed, ground, and pressed
until it found itself resting softly
between two friends. 

Peacefully and patiently
it waited for the moment
it would burst forth into the world
and exercise the meaning of its life. 

And now that moment has come.
It gracefully caresses my cheek,
wiping the tears from my eyes
and taking on my pain as its own 

All those years
as seed, tree, wood
and tissue
in preparation for the fleeting moment
it would console my sadness. 

As it gives its life to comfort me
I almost failed to see the kindness in its deed. 

Wrapped up in self-centered pain, tear-blinded,
I nearly missed its selfless service.
Who will give witness to such compassion if not me? 

 Shriveled and soaked, it died while serving a fool
who discarded thousands of its brothers and sisters
without a thanks –not one tear shed in gratitude. 

Teach me to see through the teardrop, that in the midst of pain
I may understand the true source
of the softness against my face. 

Teach me to cry with my eyes wide open.

“With My Own Two Hands”

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I’m going to make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I’m going to make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I’m going to help the human race
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you’ve got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

~ by Jack Johnson featuring Ben Harper

Share your thoughts about Mother Earth.  
If you feel inspired write her a letter, a poem, a song and share it with us here.

Earth Song by Michael Jackson

Mojo Monday ~ Express Yourself

Michelle Fairchild
Jack Kornfield, Buddhist author and teacher once wrote “I’ve been told the story of a six-year-old girl who asked her mother where she was going one afternoon.  The mother replies that she was headed for the university to teach her students how to draw and paint. ‘You mean they’ve forgotten?’ her daughter asked, amazed.  Many of us have forgotten how to give voice to our creativity.  And yet it is sad that play —- our ability to let go, dance, sing, create — is one of the most wondrous expressions of our aliveness.”
Excerpts from the book by Nina Wise called A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither.

“Everyone is creative.  Creativity is our very nature.  But for many of us, the creative impulse has gone into hiding, ‘I can’t draw, I can’t sing, I can’t dance,’ we confess to each other, and we plant ourselves in front of the television for the evening.  But the creative impulse that is at the core of all being remains robust within us.”

“Creativity is about having the courage to invent our lives – to concoct lovemaking games, cook up a new recipe, paint a kitchen cabinet, build sculptures on the beach and sing in the shower. Creativity is about our capacity to experience the core of our being and the full range of our humanness.  The question of how to become more creative is not about learning anything or even doing anything, but about allowing whatever arises to gain expression.  To do this, we must bypass the voice inside of us that says stop.  The censoring mind is clever and has an entire litany of reasons we must refrain from expressing ourselves: you are a bad dancer so sit back and watch while the skillful ones dance.  And you certainly can’t paint so don’t even try because you will embarrass yourself. You sing off-key and you can’t hold a rhythm – you will disturb everyone within earshot if you open your mouth.  And if you happen to disregard this sage advice, you will make a total fool of yourself and no one will ever love you or give you a job.  We obey this voice as if being guided by inner wisdom, but when we tune in, we hear a quieter voice calling out to us to express ourselves freely.  This is the voice that can liberate us.  If we listen and respond, our lives become rich with the pleasure creative freedom provides.”

“It is our nature to be free and it is our nature to express that freedom, spontaneously and without hesitation, through song, and dance, and painting, and poetry and prayer.  In the same way that the universe gives birth to uncountable shapes, forms, colors and beings in a grand panoply of flowing, changing manifestation, we too, are of the nature to give birth to myriad forms of expression.”

What are your thoughts regarding the excerpts from Nina Wise’s book?

Has someone you know ever stated “I am not creative.”?  Did you respond?

This week if you hear that voice that says “stop” when you think about painting, dancing, writing or inventing a new recipe put your fingers in your ears and go “la la la la la” until you can’t hear it anymore and then proceed with wild abandon to create without judgement, to create just for the sake of creating. Liberate yourself! Set aside time to just play and let go.  See what happens when you give yourself permission to just create without a specific purpose in mind.  What do you gravitate to first  – paints, crayons, scissors and glue?

As Greg Anderson so brilliantly put it

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. 

Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

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Nina Wise is known for her provocative and original performance works. Her pieces have garnered seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle Awards, and she has received, among other prestigious honors, three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. Her written pieces have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Nina lives in San Rafael, California.
http://www.ninawise.com/

Jack Kornfield is one of the leading Buddhist teachers in America. A practitioner for over 40 years, he is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness and vipassana meditation to the West. His approach emphasizes compassion, lovingkindness and the profound path of mindful presence, all offered in simple, accessible ways in his books, CD’s, classes and retreats.
http://www.jackkornfield.com/

Mojo Monday ~ Poetry

Michelle Fairchild
po·et·ry   [poh-i-tree] 
–noun

1.  the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
2.  literary work in metrical form; verse.
3.  prose with poetic qualities.
4.  poetice qualities however manifested: the poetry of simple acts and things.
5.  poetic spirit or feeling: The pianist played the prelude with poetry.
6.  something suggestive of or likened to poetry: the pure poetry of a beautiful view on a clear day.

The Academy of American Poets, which was founded in 1934,  led the initiative to designate April as National Poetry Month. Their goal was to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. The first National Poetry Month was held in April of 1996.  The Acadeny of American Poets has enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations to help.

 




































































































































































































































































Magnetic Fridge Poetry

























































































The goals of National Poetry Month are to:
  • Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
  • Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
  • Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
  • Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
  • Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
  • Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
  • Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry
They also created a list called 30 Ways to Celebrate.
Here are some of examples from the list:

Poetry as an art form
Additional Resources:

National Poetry Month


What are your thoughts about poetry?
Were you exposed to poetry as a child?  
Do you have a favorite poem?  

Do you write poetry?  Would you share one with us?
Poet Katie Makkai performing Pretty

Mojo Monday ~ Water

Michelle Fairchild
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Albert Szent-Gyorgyi a Hungarian physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology – Medicine in 1937 and is credited with discovering vitamin C described water in this way, “Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”  

The adult human body is composed of approximately 55 to 60% water–the brain is composed of 70% water, as is skin, blood is 82% water, and the lungs are nearly 90% water.  You can survive about a month without food, but only 5-7 days without water.   And consider this amazing fact, it is possible to drink water today that was here in the dinosaur age.

When I began to learn more about water I also began to realize that water was a source of life.  But for most of my life I never really gave much thought to water.  Being born in the United States in California in a suburban community in 1969 clean water was available whenever I wanted.  As I’ve grown older and learned more about the world I’ve discovered that for some people even having access to clean drinking water is hard to come by.  When I make my gratitude lists, water is always on them, as well as indoor plumbing.  During the summer when I am taking water aerobics classes at the local city swimming pool I always give thanks when I am in the water because I am aware that there are people on the planet who are struggling to get enough water for their most basic needs.  

Now while one could get morose about these inequalities, that doesn’t really help improve matters. Here is what can help make a difference.  First is to bring awareness to World Water Day which is on March 22nd  to your family, friends and community. For more information about World Water Day be sure to visit this web site:  http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/index.html
Progress was also made, when in the summer of 2010, the United Nations voted to make access to clean water a recognized human right. This was welcome news to those fighting the disturbing reality that more people die each year from contaminated water than all forms of violence and war combined.
The UN vote is just the beginning.  Now our countries and communities need to make good on the commitment to provide access to clean water to the nearly 1 billion people worldwide who currently rely on bacteria-infested water that causes everything from diarrhea to dysentery.
If you are interested in taking action check out these organizations and see what you can do to help:

Water for People programs improve drinking water in developing countries: http://www.waterforpeople.org/
Water Advocates promotes water availability, sanitation and hygiene: http://www.wateradvocates.org/
Population Servies International is involved in efforts against waterborne diseases: http://www.psi.org/
Global Water Challenge is a coalition working for access to clean water: http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/
I’ll leave you with several questions and a wonderful excerpt about water from the book Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls.

What is the very first word that comes to mind when you think of water?

What are your thoughts and feelings about water?

Do you feel a special connection with water?

Have you ever found water to be inspiring, frightening, healing?

“Sometimes over supper, when Jim got home after a storm, the kids would describe their escapades in the water and mud, and Jim would recount his vast store of water lore and water history.  Once the world was nothing but water, he explained, and you wouldn’t think to look at us, but human beings were mostly water.  The miraculous thing about water, he said, was that it never came to an end.  All the water on the earth had been here since the beginning of time, it has just moved around from rovers and lakes and oceans to clouds and rain and puddles and then sunk through the soil to underground streams, to springs and wells, where it got drunk by people and animals and went back to rivers and lakes and ocean.

The water you kids were playing in, he said, had probably been to Africa and the North Pole.  Genghis Khan or Saint Peter or even Jesus himself might have drunk it.  Cleopatra might have bathed in it.  Crazy Horse might have watered his pony with it.  Sometimes water was liquid.  Sometimes it was rock hard—ice.  Sometimes it was soft—snow.  Sometimes it was visible, but weightless—clouds.  And sometimes it was completely invisible—vapor—floating up into the sky like the souls of dead people.  There was nothing like water in the world, Jim said.  It made the desert bloom but also turned rich bottomland into swamp.  Without it we’d die, but it could also kill us, and that was why we loved it, even craved it, but also feared it.  Never take water for granted, Jim said.  Always cherish it.  Always beware of it.”

Mojo Monday ~ Let Your "Freak" Out by Alara K. Castell

Michelle Fairchild


Welcome Cosmic Cowgirl Alara K. Castell
Guest Writer for Mojo Monday

Let Your “Freak” Out

As I grow as a woman and as an entrepreneur the more I learn about myself. Just in the past couple of weeks I realized I’ve been resisting to some of my past mentors guidance because I didn’t feel it was in line with me, but who was “I?” What makes me unique? That is one of most common questions that you get asked when you are creating tools to market your business.
Of course I ponder and I think what makes me unique? I can think of some things but there is no way that I would admit that because I might have people running the other way.

But more and more I am accepting of my “uniqueness.” I promise I will share a bit at the end, but stay with me, while I share how I got to the point of letting my “freak” out.
It first started when I attended Brandy Mychals 6 Character Code Workshop. I learned more about myself and about me growing up then I did elsewhere. It all makes sense to why I am the way I am today. I was always a creative, talkative, silly child (characteristics of a cheerleader), but growing up with old fashioned parents (characteristics of a scholar) those fun characteristics faded as I got older because I thought they were not right because they were not recognized.

I was never told as a child that I was beautiful from my parents and I never got the acknowledgment, but that isn’t the fault of my parents as that is the way they were. I didn’t match my parent’s character code. Now understanding this I can let go of that pain and embrace those fun things about me again. I don’t have to be that proper person that I thought I had to be. That’s just not me!

After experiencing Brandy’s gifts, I listened in on a call hosted by Suzanne Falter-Barns and Jeffrey Van Dyk. They titled it “It’s Really OK to Be Different! Let Your Freak Flag Fly in the Marketplace.”

The key nuggets I got from listening to their call is that the “very thing that we tend to hide from the world is the very thing that is our greatest mojo.”

They asked 2 key questions… “What piece of you needs to be expressed? What piece of you needs to step into the light in order to be a whole person?”

I pondered on that answer and things came to me and I’ll share more at the end, but now my next inspiration.

Lady Gaga was my next encounter. Not in person, but that would have been amazing. I watched her interview on 60-minutes with Anderson Cooper. I have gained more respect for her and her individuality by watching this interview.

First her message is beautiful. Her message is that “You have the freedom to pull that superstar out of yourself that you were born to be. We are all born superstars.”

Second at the end of each of her concerts she says, “Tonight I want you to let go of all your insecurities, I want you to reject anyone or anything that made you feel like you don’t belong…FREE YOURSELF.”

Powerful words for a 25-year old! The way that she presents herself in this world is letting her “freak” out.

So you’re probably wondering right now what is my “freak.” I often hide that I like to dance sensually, that I’m silly and act like a dork because it’s not how I was raised. At home in the privacy of my own home… my silly self comes out most definitely, but the public doesn’t often see that person. I have been on stage before and led a sensual dance break. That was so much fun! It’s funny because I always got approached to how powerful I was when I let this “person” out…this “freak.”

Because of all the inspirations that I have encountered recently I’m ready to let my “freak” out. I’m not going to hide and run the other way. I’m going to share it with the world… my “freak.” I have to say it takes a lot of energy to be someone you are not and to hold back that inner “freak.” It feels FREE to be that superstar and to share my “uniqueness” with world and I feel empowered to be true to who I am.

So I ask you…“What piece of you needs to be expressed?

What piece of you needs to step into the light in order to be a whole person?”

Would love for you to share.

Special thank you to Brandy Mychals, Suzanne Falter-Barns, Jeffrey Van Dyk and Lady Gaga.


To read and see more about what I experienced with them see below.


• Learn more about Brandy Mychals and her 6 Character Code system by clicking here.


• Listen to the recording from Suzanne Falter-Barns and Jeffrey Van Dyk by clicking here.


• Watch Lady Gaga on 60-minutes by clicking here.

Mojo Monday ~ International Women’s Day March 8th

Michelle Fairchild

The first International Women’s Day events were run in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland in 1911 and attended by over one million people. 100 years on, International Women’s Day (IWD) has become a global mainstream phenomena celebrated across many countries and is an official holiday in approximately 25 countries including Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zambia.

March 8th sees extensive global women’s activity. Performer and social activist, Annie Lennox, will lead a mass march across London’s Millennium Bridge for charity. In Washington D.C. over a thousand people will descend on Capitol Hill demanding a better world for millions of marginalized women and girls around the globe. A major international business women’s conference will be hosted in Sydney, Australia. Schools and governments around the world are participating in the day. Trade Unions and charities are campaigning. Global corporations are hosting conferences and distributing extensive resource packs. The United Nations Secretary-General delivers a formal message. The United States even designates the whole month of March as Women’s History Month as officially proclaimed by President Obama on February 28, 2011.


International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. However, activity has not always been on the increase. Australian entrepreneur and women’s campaigner Glenda Stone, who founded the http://www.internationalwomensday.com website, a global hub of events and information, said:


“A decade ago International Women’s Day was disappearing. Activity in Europe, where International Women’s Day actually began, was very low. Providing a global online platform helped sustain and accelerate momentum for this important day. Holding only a handful of events ten years ago, the United Kingdom has now become the global leader for International Women’s Day activity, followed sharply by Canada, United States and Australia. 2011 will see thousands of events globally for the first time.”


More recently, social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube have also helped fuel International Women’s Day activity. Generally the day has moved away from its socialist Suffragette beginnings to become more mainstream in celebrating women’s achievements. Annually thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities, networking events, local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.


Special Notes About International Women’s Day
• International Women’s Day (March 8th) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

• In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.


• The first IWD was observed on March 19, 1911 in Germany following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. The idea of having an international women’s day was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over working conditions.

• 2011 sees the International Women’s Day centenary fall on the same say as Shrove (pancake) Tuesday.

• For a detailed list of International Women’s Day events globally click here. 

• Follow the International Women’s Day Twitter feed by clicking here.
How will you celebrate International Women’s Day?

Women for Women International ~ Join Me On the Bridge ~ International Women’s Day Video

Mojo Monday ~ Superhero Therapy

Michelle Fairchild
























What if taking silly and wild photographs was the cure for lifting your spirits? What if creativity, a sense of humor and some good ol’ make believe could not only change your life, but also bring laughter and hope to the lives of others?

This is exactly what happened for 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika who had been feeling sad and bored. Her grandson, a French photographer named Sacha Goldberger, suggested that they shoot a series of outrageous photos in unusual costumes, poses and locations to cheer her up. She relunctantly agreed, but once they started, she has thoroughly enjoyed herself and proven to be quite the model.

“Frederika was born in Budapest 20 years before World War II. During the war, at the peril of her own life, she courageously saved the lives of ten people. When asked how, Goldberger told us “she hid the Jewish people she knew, moving them around to different places every day.” As a survivor of Nazism and Communism, she then immigrated away from Hungary to France, forced by the Communist regime to leave her homeland illegally or face death.”




Sacha Goldberger’s series entitled “Mamika” (or grandma in Hungarian), has proven to be incredibly popular and has even resulted in a book of photographs that you can view on his web site: http://www.sachabada.com/

Mamika even has her own MySpace page, has been “friended” by thousands and receives messages like: “You’re the grandmother that I have dreamed of, would you adopt me?” and ” You made my day, I hope to be like you at your age.” Initially, she did not understand why all these people wrote to congratulate her. Then, little by little, she realized that her story conveyed a message of hope and joy.

Goldberger has since shared that his grandmother has never shown any signs of depression since they began their Mamika journey.

Take a look below at these fun and sassy photos and as you do begin to imagine your own supershero costume.

Describe what it looks like and how you feel when you wear it.

What powers do you have when you are wearing your supershero outfit?

Paint it, draw it, create it, sew it, photograph it, post it!

Sacha Goldberger and his Mamika

Mamika showing off her sassy side!

Mojo Monday ~ LOVE

Michelle Fairchild
Today is Valentine’s Day. A day that is supposed to be all about love and romance, but what exactly is love?

Wikipedia begins by describing love this way: “Love is the emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. In some religious contexts, love is not just a virtue, but the basis for all being, as in the Roman Catholic phrase, “God is love”. Love may also be described as actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion. Or as actions towards others based on affection. “
“The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure (“I loved that meal”) to intense interpersonal attraction (“I love my partner”). “Love” can also refer specifically to the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love, to the sexual love of eros (cf. Greek words for love), to the emotional closeness of familial love, or to the platonic love that defines friendship, to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.”

Wikipedia’s explanation of love explores various areas of study. For example one can look at love from a psychological perspective. “Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last and most common form of love is sexual attraction and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components.”

“Noted psychologist Eric Fromm also maintained in his book “The art of loving” that love is not merely a feeling but is also actions, and that in fact, the “feeling” of love is superficial in comparison to ones commitment to love via a series of loving actions over time. In this sense, Fromm held that love is ultimately not a feeling at all, but rather is a commitment to, and adherence to, loving actions towards another, ones self, or many others, over a sustained duration. Fromm also described Love as a conscious choice that in it’s early stages might originate as an involuntary feeling, but which then later no longer depends on those feelings, but rather depends only on conscious commitment.”

There are also researchers who have studied love from a chemical and biological perspective. “Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst. Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others; romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating; and attachment involves tolerating the spouse (or indeed the child) long enough to rear a child into infancy.”

“Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which act in a manner similar to amphetamines, stimulating the brain’s pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.”

“Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships have.”

What about religious or spiritual views of love? According to the Dalai Lama the definition of love in Buddhism is “wanting others to be happy. This love is unconditional and it requires a lot of courage and acceptance (including self-acceptance). The “near enemy” of love, or a quality which appears similar, but is more an opposite is: conditional love (selfish love… ). The opposite is wanting others to be unhappy: anger, hatred. A result which one needs to avoid is: attachment. This definition means that ‘love’ in Buddhism refers to something quite different from the ordinary term of love which is usually about attachment, more or less successful relationships and sex; all of which are rarely without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and the unselfish interest in others’ welfare.”

Probably one of the most well know biblical descriptions of love is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.



What are your thoughts on love?


The video below is an inspiring rendition of One Love by Bob Marley and is performed by musicians and singers around the world as part of a program called Playing for Change. Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race.



Mojo Monday ~ Cinderella Ate My Daughter

Michelle Fairchild

“As with all of us, what I want for my daughter seems so simple: for her to grow up healthy, happy, and confident, with a clear sense of her own potential and the opportunity to fulfill it. Yet she lives in a world that tells her whether she is three or thirty-three, that the surest way to get there is to look, well, like Cinderella.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, lets go back and begin where all good stories start.


Once upon a time.”

The excerpt above is from a book called Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein.

My husband shared with me recently that last year when a female teacher asked the girls in the sixth grade class to share something they valued most about themselves, nearly three quarters mentioned something about their appearance and remarks such as “I think I’m hot” were not uncommon. These are the thoughts of 11- 12 year old girls who at this young age are valuing their appearance above all else. I might also mention that he teaches at a small charter school that is very tame and more conservative in the social scheme of things.

Peggy Orenstein also shares in her book Cinderella Ate My Daughter that according to the American Psychological Association (APA), our culture’s emphasis on “beauty and play-sexiness can increase girls’ vulnerability to the pitfalls that most concern parents: depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, risky sexual behavior.”


“In one study of eighth grade girls, for instance, self objectification – judging your body by how you think it looks to others – accounted for half the differential in girls’ reports of depression and more than two-thirds of the variance in their self-esteem. Another linked the focus on appearance among girls that age to heightened shame and anxiety about their bodies. Even brief exposure to the typical idealized images of women that we all see every day has been shown to lower girls’ opinion of themselves, both physically and academically.”

It is easy to say that we don’t like and don’t want women and girls to be objectified. It is much more difficult to take the steps to try and change what has become an insidious part of our every day life here in the good ol’ USA and in many other parts of the world as well. For example it may be highly unrealistic to think we can effect change in the advertising industry, which is an over $200 billion a year industry that uses sex and objectifying women on a regular basis to sell things. Yet we can take charge of our own views and actions and refuse to objectify ourselves and the women and girls with whom we come in contact.


Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is an author, speaker, and filmmaker who is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising.


In the late 1960s, she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and several public health issues, including violence against women, eating disorders and addiction, and launched a movement to promote media literacy as a way to prevent these problems. A radical and original idea at the time, this approach is now mainstream and an integral part of most prevention programs. In 2009 she also released a book that she cowrote with Diane E. Levin, Ph D called So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids.

In a world where every day we are told we need to look a certain way and the media presses that we should not be satisfied with ourselves and we need this outfit, this make-up, this diet, this perfume, these shoes…and on and on…to be happy and beautiful and accepted and wanted and loved….here is our challenge “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi


If we want the objectification of women and girls to end we women need to stop objectifying ourselves and we need to stop allowing others to objectify us.


Do you ever find yourself judging the appearance of another woman?

Do you ever judge the appearances of actresses, models and singers? Or perhaps compare yourself to them?

Pick up a “women’s magazine” and flip through it. What do you see in the advertisements? What kind of thoughts do looking at the advertisements
conjure? Do they have any effect on how you feel about yourself?

How else do you think we can effect change in women and girls in regards to us not basing our self worth on our appearance?


Here is a short introduction to Jean Kilbourne speaking of her film Killing Us Softly about advertising.