Thoughts on Thanks

I always feel I have so much to give thanks for: family, friends, health. And I feel beyond lucky -- blessed -- every year on this day to cast my eyes around a table surrounded by people I care about. And people who, for the most part care about the same things that move me.

And, honestly? I’m thankful even for that table. And the things we bring to it. Good food, beautifully and lovingly prepared. And good humor. Companionship. Caring. And laughter. Laughter as important, I think, as just about anything else.

I’m thankful, too, for this year gone by. For the fact that I’m striving -- honestly striving -- to leave a less visible footprint than I’ve left in the past. I know more now, and I’m thankful for that as well.

And I’m thankful for Dancing Deer. Of course I’m thankful for that. To have found the place where footprints can be weighed and measured. And where systems can be put in place -- through thoughtful permaculture, through traditional things like composting, through serious consideration, honest thought -- where my footprint will be smaller still. And, with care, perhaps yours will too.

So every year I feel thankful. But this year? I’m more thankful still. Thank you for being part of that.

HopeDance 10 Year Celebration

It was a delight recently to host HopeDance magazine’s 10th anniversary party here at Dancing Deer. It was the first sizeable gathering that we’ve held here and -- aside from a little bit of interference from the weather -- everything went off without a hitch.

We love Bob and company from HopeDance, so it was super to play such an integral part in the festivities. Ten years is an amazing accomplishment and we wish them many more! It was also great to see Dancing Deer gussied up for her first shindig and coming through with such flying colors.

On paper we knew that a gathering should be no problem, but it was ultra good to discover that we were right and that we had ample room for all activities planned, even when the skies broke and the rain came and we were forced to retreat indoors. It wasn’t even a hardship to spend most of the evening inside, with groups gathered in the kitchen (don’t the best parties always have clumps of people in the kitchen?), while others danced in the great hall or chatted at various locations throughout the main house.

It’s gratifying to know we can easily accommodate a gathering. As things stand now, Dancing Deer will from time to time happily host your small non-profit group for daytime activities.

The Sharing of Knowledge

With the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s computer, the XO, shipping now to children in developing countries, a dream many years in the making has become reality.

I’ve been following this story closely for a couple of reasons: in the first place, a good chunk of my personal background is in high tech. I can’t help but be excited at the prospect of all these great minds getting together in order to -- ultimately -- help little minds to grow. There’s something beautiful in that.

The machine itself is beautiful, as well. In a rugged and practical way. The XO laptop is green in all ways, right down to the handcrank that lets kids power it up when they’re in low or no electricity situations. The computer is tough and durable, meant to operate in the worst possible conditions and, together, even exclusive of a connection to the Internet, XOs in proximity to each other together create their own network.

On a more personal level, it’s been exciting watching the emergence of success after a struggle; of taking what was an almost impossibly huge dream and preserving until the dream became reality. It encourages all of us working towards a sustainable and conscious life to keep our heads down and our hearts open.

On a totally practical level, until November 26th if you donate $399, “one XO laptop will be sent to empower a child in a developing nation and one will be sent to the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.” To sweeten things still further, $200 of your donation is tax-deductible. More information on the program -- and the XO laptop -- is here.

Instrument of Change

The November/December issue of HopeDance magazine is now available. It’s their usual wonderful eclectic editorial mix. Though there’s much to love about the issue, Hilary Grant’s article, “The Go Green Initiative: Teaching Recycling One Child at a Time” resonated with me especially. I think it must be because she’s talking here about a very grassroots approach to a huge problem. And it underlines the very real difference each one of us can make.

The article is about Jill Buck, “daughter of an Illinois coal miner, commissioned United States Naval officer and California State Assembly challenger,” whose Go Green Initiative program has a single goal: “to educate one child, one classroom, one school at a time about the necessity of recycling” and has become, in just five years, the fastest growing environmental education program in the United States.

What I love here is that it really brings home something those of us who are strong supporters for environmental change have believed for a long time. Something that in the day-to-day grind of our everyday lives it can be easy to forget: each and every one of us has the power to make a difference. That each of these acts -- these random and sometimes not so random acts -- can contribute, ultimately, to a perfect whole.

Location, Location, Location

Today I’ve been thinking about location in general and how lucky I feel that we found this one in particular.

When viewed from above -- say from Google Maps -- you can see how splendidly isolated we are here at Dancing Deer. The property combines to nearly 100 acres which in itself can provide a sort of splendid isolation. But, as you can see, the protection of these ancient oaks provides the feeling of being really, really far away from everything.

The reality, however, is that this simply isn’t so. We’re in the heart of the central coast wine country and situated just half an hour away from the coastal communities of Cambria, Cayucos and Morro Bay. Hearst Castle is an enthusiastic stone’s throw away. We are 15 minutes from the university town of San Luis Obispo and only three minutes outside the pleasant rural community of Templeton.

San Luis Obispo county is itself about midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That means we’re only two or three hours by car from most of California’s 35 million people. And yet... I look out the window, see an undulating hill and a line of rare and beautiful oaks so lovely it hurts my eyes. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch a glimpse of a kestrel or a red-tailed hawk winging its way into the trees. And the deer. Of course the deer. Dancing Deer is not far from anything. Dancing Deer is a lifetime away.