image by Ctd 2005

“Change has come to America,” says our new President Elect, and I have to agree. Since his big win last week, things have just felt different. The Sunny Way idea of taking responsibility to positively create the future we want no longer seems like something on the fringe—we’re all mainstream now and it feels good!

Now is what writer and scientist Jean Houston calls “Jump Time.” The old paradigm is stretched to the limit—as evidenced by our economic and ecological crisis—and the new is just beginning to take form. Many of us can feel this momentum, and we want to do something with it. In fact, we MUST do something with this impulse for change and evolution and the amazing feelings that come along with the sense of possibility before it all dissipates into memory.

Great experiences are important only in how we allow them to transform our lives. Having seen what is possible, a little bit of heaven on earth, it’s now up to us to act on that vision and bring more and more of it into reality. In service to the idea of working tangibly to create the future we want, we are starting a challenge based on activism. Stella and I are both working on projects to increase community and encourage growth in our little corners of the world, and we hope you will do the same.

Here’s Stella’s explanation of the mentoring project she is getting involved with in—KidsHope. In the next few days I’ll post about the Carrotmob event I’m working on here in Brooklyn.

Please let us know about actions and projects you are working on as well. Now that the ball is rolling in a big way, let’s keep it going!

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KidsHope is an organization that pairs adult mentors with at-risk kids for an hour a week. Each mentor is paired with one and only one kid. By focusing on one child the mentor is able to devote their focus to building a caring, consistent relationship with the child. During the hour the mentor helps the child with their homework, plays games and offers encouragement.

I have to admit that I have not done a lot of official volunteering in the last several years. I’ve always tried to make a positive difference in the world through my relationships with others, but the usual excuses involved with early motherhood have gotten in the way of official volunteering. I’ve been devoting my time to raising my children and providing them with a loving, safe and comfortable home.

While that is incredibly important, and will always be my first priority, I’ve decided that if I want to raise children who care about their community and the world they live in, the best thing I can do is set an example. I need to show them that volunteering and service to others is important to me by living it.

I feel very strongly that taking the time to show children that you care and that you believe in them is one of the most effective ways to change the world.  This world desperately needs adults who are not afraid to take on challenges. We need adults that believe that even a small act of kindness or a small step in the right direction can lead to a great good. We need adults who have the courage of their convictions and the chutzpa to act on them. We need adults to approach problems constructively, creatively and thoughtfully.

As far as I can see there are two ways to ensure that the world has more of these adults, make the choice to be one and commit to providing the next generations with the support they need to become one. I hope that by my decision to support KidsHope I am able to do both. I want to offer the child I am paired with a real sense of their value and a hope for their future. I want my own children to see that real good comes from reaching outside of yourself and your own concerns and valuing the lives of others. Finally, I am excited to see in what ways this experience changes me. I have never in my life given wholeheartedly without gaining more than I had given.