So here is the start of my “party inspiration” for a small get together in August for fun and a late birthday celebration for Ken. 

• Fast food fun – burger baked goods
• Big dessert table
• Wiimbledon

Let the games begin!

However, today is a day for fathers and mine is the cream of the crop.  So here it is, in no particular order, three great things I have learned from my father (it is a challenge to boil all his love and wisdom down to just three pieces, but I’ll try!):

1. Go big, or go home.  It’s a mantra Ken and I tease about now, since we start out having a small idea that very quickly escalates into a giant project — see Halloween Ghoul.  One of the best things about my dad is that whenever I have an idea — he is always open and excited.  Very rarely (if ever) has he said — that’s impossible, or maybe I shouldn’t try to do so much, or that dream is too big.  Quite the contrary, so many of his ideas about running a successful business (60 years and counting) and as a community leader resonate from a true authentic place of enthusiasm and passion.  He’s not afraid of a challenge, and his support makes me feel bold.
2. Mind Over Matter.  I never really got this part of my dad’s philosophy as a kid.  Something bad would happen at school or at work and my dad would always ask, what is good about this?  Sometimes I want to scream, “Dad don’t you get it — this is a mess!  Everything is terrible!” But with loving perseverence he kept saying — what can we learn here? How can we change our own mindset?  Jump forward, about 15 years and I’m studying Buddhism and Eastern Religion.  One of the primary pillars of eastern thought is — the only thing you can change is your own mind.  Second, whatever you expect to happen in a situation, will! So always work to be open, gracious, and optimisitic — and good things will come.  My dad works to find the best in any situation.  It’s a gift he has, and has shared with my sister and I.
3. It should be fun.  At first, this may sound silly — some might even say wasteful.  What good is fun?  Well, besides just the obvious answer, that life is a journey and it might as well be fun!!! Over and over in management books and productivity blogs one primary lesson (see A Whole New Mind or Meeting on the Right Side of the Brain) is that joy makes you work harder, remained focused, and achieve more than any threat or fear could do.  My father studied recreation in college and his need to laugh and play is one of the best things about him.  Don’t believe me? You can’t help but be joyful in his presence sometimes, and his playful disposition makes everyone around him feel brave and happy — what better leadership is there than that?

On this day of celebrating dads, I could go on and on, about all the gifts he’s taught me.  This is a good start! Happy Father’s Day to my Dad! I’ve learned so much from you.  I love you!

Give Vienna a Listen!

• Follow Jason on Twitter
• Check out the map of Appalachian Trail

Then I received this year’s favorite b-day card:

• a husband
• a size 8 jean
• maybe a baby
• a job in the leadership of an organization
• professionally being sought out as “an expert” of something — who knows what
• a funky modern loft or house
• and the list goes on and on

The thing that surprises me most about my life is how different it is from the life I envisioned and how much better it is now that I have arrived in this moment.

• no husband, but a partner I’m madly in love with.  My relationship with him is even better than I dreamed it could be.
• no size 8, but a size 12, and a healthy outlook on my body — and I’m still hitting the gym and letting myself eat pizza, a brilliant balance if I do say so myself.
• no baby, but two animals who I can nurture and spoil — and the best part, I can just ignore their early morning meow and whining and sleep in.
• Yeah, expert is all relative. If you become an expert, there is less to learn, so I’ll celebrate myself as a student and beginner forever.
• The modern loft and house I still want.  See my current inspiration from Caroline Eclectic
• But now my list goes on and on with hope and possibilities

So here are a few birthday wishes for myself.

• That my prayers manifest themselves as laughter, creativity, and dancing
• That I envision and act on a life so unique and so authentic to whom I am — it seems almost ridiculous that I didn’t get here earlier because it is so obvious that it’s my calling.
• That my spiritual life blooms into a daily practice — whatever that means
• That my work continues to be filled with innovation, service, and arms outstretched toward a better world. You gotta give em hope!
• That I am able to communicate and act in a way that lets all those who I love most, feel loved and supported always
• That I am able to learn the lesson without carrying the circumstance of difficult challenges
• That my life turns out to be even better than I can even dream for myself
• And my wishes go on and on. . .

Bring it on 32!

Dominique Gabella was one of those teachers for me, and she might not know it.  During my time as a volunteer director for Seeds of Compassion, I was always a little frazzled.  We were building a movement from scratch — we never had enough money and never enough time.   A project that started as a small three day conference took up momentum and transformed into concerts, stadium events, and five days of activities.  We were asking people to donate their talents as volunteers and trying to use everyone’s amazing skills to capacity.  Needless to say, I was stressed, and often falling into a less than compassionate mindset.

Enter Dominique.

Dominique joined the Seeds of Compassion volunteer team early on.  An accomplished dancer and the expertise of a woman who had run her own company for years wrapped in beautiful long hair and a European disposition.  I came across hundreds of amazing volunteers during my work, but Dominique was uniquely helpful to me.   She would walk right across a buzzing room, look me in the eye, and ask with quiet simplicity — “how can i help you?” At moments it gave me such relief I could cry.  She came in several days a week, and did whatever needed to be done without pretense.  The woman probably should have been doing my job since she was a businesswoman who had run a company for years with mostly volunteers — her skills were so far above the work she would do for me.  She organized my volunteer forms, answered emails I couldn’t get to, researched random tasks I had promised to others but had not yet begun.  Honestly, it was grunt work.

But she would smile, take the project from my hands, and glide across the room to return later with a perfect task completed.  Never a complaint.  Never a critique.  Never a drop of ego.  She went on to run one of our biggest campaign — What Does Compassion Look Like.  Working with students and teachers and hundreds of art pieces.  She would arrive early in the morning to set up the artwork, return late in the night to take it all down.  She held each piece like treasure — delicate and golden.

Recounting her help to the project, is not what made her so special.  First, it is no secret that I love to dance.  In fact, in my next life — I’ll devote myself to it.   So, to just have a professional dancer around was wonderful.  The dance lives throughout a dancer’s entire body –  just watch Dominique pick up a pencil or glide across a room.  She is graceful and strong, and to me, that is a deadly combination.  Sometimes, late in the afternoon, when just a few of us were left, she would tell amazing stories of Switzerland or a past show she had done, or her current project she was working on, and just hearing her talk makes you feel like more of an artist.

Second, she was the embodiment of compassion.  She was not always treated with care.  We were all racing with high expectation and she was given several difficult challenges and high maintenance clients — but she always calm, focused, and joyful.  I don’t know how she did it.  I guess that is why I liked having her around.  You couldn’t help but slow down — her personality emanated the energy — “you are going to be fine”  “we are doing the best we can”  “you know this can actually be fun”.  I wanted so desperately to have that kind of presence in my leadership and management (I think the use of the word “desperately” proves I have not yet mastered the skill). I attribute her style to her European upbringing or a life in the theater, but also to her individual soul.

I haven’t seen her much since our project ended, but got an email this morning with a link to an article about her from KUOW about “Old Masters”.   How lucky we are to have teachers and friends who dance into our lives when they are so needed — making us better just by their presence.

Listen to Dominique’s story and look at some of the amazing photos in the slideshow.

Dominique Gabella, Dancer

Friday, April 10, 2009

Dominique Gabella can’t imagine her world without dance. She said that is “like silk; it’s an ingredient of my life.” Gabella has been a professional dancer for more than 40 years. Unfortunately, the older she gets, the less her body is able to cooperate with her creative spirit. Today we continue our weekly series “Old Masters.” It’s about how art shapes artists, and how age influences their art. KUOW’s Marcie Sillman introduces us to a woman who says age won’t keep her from the artform she loves.

• Slideshow of Photos
• Interview  – Real Audio and MP3
• Next Stage Dance Theater
  

Cheers to the dancer in all of us.

We have tons of photos, little movies, bootleg concert footage, band t-shirts, new crazy musical interests and much, much more.  Right now though, we are just happy to be home with cats safe and just enough creamer for two cups of coffee this morning.