Haiti’s Got a Piece of My Heart

I can’t read or see anything about Haiti, and especially about the earthquake that shook the poorest country in the Western hemisphere on January 12, 2010, without tearing up and feeling a heavy tug in my heart. But I’ve never even set foot there, I’ve never witnessed the earthquake’s destruction in person, and I certainly don’t speak a word of Creole.

To understand why Haiti pulls at my heartstrings so much, all I really have to say is that I almost lost my only sister Rachel to that earthquake. But that’s only a tiny part of the story. The real story is not so much about my sister narrowly escaping the earthquake’s destruction that took the life of her friend Molly Hightower, a hospital volunteer halfway through a year-long stay there, who she was visiting on her winter break. The real story is how my little sister became my hero, by taking a tragic and traumatic experience and the loss of a dear friend and turning it into a personal mission to do as much good as she can for Haitian people that touched her heart and literally rescued her from the rubble.

My sister, Rachel, in Haiti with an abandoned baby.

To say the least, Haiti was a mess before the earthquake reduced much of its capital city, Port-au-Prince, to rubble. Upheaval and political turmoil have long been a big part of Haiti’s struggle, and the majority of the population there lives in poverty. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and was not prepared at all for such a disaster. The earthquake crumbled what little infrastructure they had and threw the country into a state of chaos and desperation that they will be struggling to overcome for some time. Sadly, very little of the aid money poured out by the world shortly after the earthquake actually went to helping the Haitian people. The earthquake destroyed countless homes, shattered families, and reduced much of the city and surrounding area to rubble. I can’t even imagine the devastation my sister must have witnessed as she was taken from the 7-story building she was in that pancaked to the hospital and then to the US embassy in a pickup by a group of Haitian men who brought her to safety before even checking on their own families.

When Rachel first visited in 2010, she was in a Physical Therapy program at University of Puget Sound. The earthquake shook her foundation and made her question whether she could even go back to school. But she did, and in May 2012 she graduated with her doctorate degree, and has returned to Haiti every year since the earthquake to help at the hospital and orphanage where Molly worked, cuddling orphaned babies, bringing toys to the children (and sponsoring one herself), and training PTs in Haiti.

Not only has she returned to Haiti to help the organization her friend worked for to continue Molly’s legacy, she has also given speeches and interviews about her experience, raised awareness and funds to help the earthquake relief effort, and redirected her entire life to focus on helping Haiti. She also founded and chairs the NPH USA Northwest Associate Board to raise funds and awareness for the organization Molly worked for in Haiti. Additionally, Rachel founded a scholarship at her alma mater in Molly’s honor to provide a college education to a Haitian student who grew up at NPH. The student who was awarded the first scholarship to University of Portland, Jean Francois, grew up at the NPH orphanage and is now working on his degree. He has become a member of our family and spent the holidays with us last year, where he got to experience skiing for the first time.

Through her work on the NW Associate Board of NPH, she has organized fundraisers, including one in Molly’s honor called Music for Molly, shortly after the earthquake. NPH runs a number of homes and hospitals in poor countries throughout Central and South America, and Rachel’s board has planned and organized several events in the Northwest benefitting NPH. I’ve had the privilege of working with her to create flyers, logos, and event promotion materials for several of them, and though these are but small contributions to the cause, it is nice to be able to use my design skills for such a noble purpose. Last fall, Rachel put together a stroke manual in Creole to help families and caretakers care for stroke patients and aid their recovery. It was the first thing I have ever designed in Creole, so that was a challenge, but I hope that our simple booklet helps Haitian stroke patients and their families. On her most recent visit, which is just now wrapping up, she led a tour group of NPH supporters, including my parents, around the facilities at NPH. Now that my parents have been to Haiti, I guess next it’s my turn!

Music for Molly Poster

Haiti will never be the same, but with the dedication and hard work of people like Rachel and organizations like NPH, there is hope. Aid organizations may have long forgotten about Haiti and squandered the money meant for rebuilding, but the hearts and souls of the Haitian people are obviously strong and resilient. And though I haven’t been there yet, Haiti will always have a piece of my heart.

Ever since the earthquake I have tried to think of a way I could help Haiti. I have no medical training like my sister, and I’m not sure if I could even handle seeing the pain and desolation caused by the earthquake, poverty, and turmoil I’d see there. But if I have even a tiny fraction of the strength and compassion my sister has, I am sure I could help somehow. Recently I have begun dreaming up an idea, a way to use my passions and talents to help make life a little easier for the people of Haiti. It may not seem like much — I have no cure for cholera, nor do I know how to build houses or even speak the language — but sometime I would like to bring the joy of flow arts to Haiti. There isn’t much in this world that makes me happier than hooping, and play is a universal language — so someday I hope to raise enough money to build and take hoops, poi, staves, and other flow props to the orphans of Haiti and teach them how to spin. I am not a teacher, or even that great of a spinner, so teaching flow arts would be something I’d have to practice and learn. It would surely take some time to gather up the funding and supplies to build hundreds of props, round up donated props from the spinning community, and maybe even recruit some spinners to join me in this mission (I know James is on board at least!). But, inspired by organizations like Spark Circus and Performers Without Borders, who bring the joy and fun of flow arts to disadvantaged communities around the world, and of course with the inspiration and help of my amazing sister, I’m sure that we can make it happen. I look forward to seeing a sea of smiles and colorful spinning toys arising out of the rubble of Haiti, and I will surely keep you all posted as I start planning to make this journey happen.

In the meantime, I urge anyone touched by this story to visit Rachel’s blog and learn more about Haiti and her work there. If you are moved and able to help, you can donate here.

 

Favorite Photos and Memories from 2013

As I look back on a year full of growth, adventure, friendship, and love, I am grateful for every moment and every person that made my year so special. Below are some of my favorite photos and memories from the past year. I took way too many photos (especially since I got a DSLR early in the year) and it was hard to narrow it down to my favorites, but here’s 150 or so of the past year’s highlights (or at least the ones I captured on camera). 2013, thanks for the memories. And happy new year, everyone!

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Rethinking Money

This short film is a great introduction to a new way of thinking about money and the economic system. I have heard great things about Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein, and now I am even more inspired to read it. If this is your first introduction to this type of thinking, I also encourage you to check out Adbusters magazine and their “Buy Nothing Christmas” campaign. Also see The Zeitgeist Movement and watch Zeitgeist: The Movie for more.

Why has our economy become more important than our global citizenship, our humanity, our planet, our sustainability as a species on earth, our morality? What makes economics the top priority of our governments over all other social and political issues? What gifts can we give that don’t require money? How is the way we think about money limiting our lives, and keeping us from truly giving our gifts to the world? The Sacred Economics movement strives to answer these questions, and it’s about damn time we questioned our failing economic system and started thinking of other possibilities.

Envisioning a Beautiful 2014

As I’m sure you’re aware if you follow me on social media at all, I am REALLY REALLY excited for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in February & March. Shortly after landing in San Jose, we’ll be heading to the Pacific coast near beautiful Uvita, Costa Rica for Envision Festival, a music, movement & arts festival that will be my first international festival experience. (Technically I guess it’s still a west-coast music fest though, and I’ve been to plenty of those!)

Envision Festival 2014 Music Lineup

So far James and I have bought our festival tickets and booked our flights, and even recruited a few friends to share the adventure with! We will be exploring a few sites in Costa Rica after the festival before heading over the border to Nicaragua, where James’s dad is living, so we’ll have a nice home base in Managua.

As hard as it is for me, I am trying not to over-plan so that we can freely explore when we get there and go with the flow without a strict schedule. But I do have a short wish list for the trip: I’d like to zipline through beautiful rainforest or cloud forest canopy, enjoy a fancy tropical drink out of a coconut at a swim-up bar, spin fire on the beach at sunset, hike in the jungle to beautiful waterfalls and epic volcanoes, visit and volunteer at a wildlife refuge or permaculture farm or some such worthy place, and best of all SEE TIPPER LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN COSTA RICA!!! 😀

I can already tell that 2014 is going to be a wonderful year! Please comment with recommendations for things to do and see in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, people to stay with and places we could volunteer for a few days are especially welcome!

And if you’re up for an adventure to close out this winter, JOIN US! Get your Envision Tickets here, and use discount code STmeganp14 during checkout to receive $5 off! It is going to be a beautiful trip in an amazing place… And now you know what I’m working towards all winter. 🙂

 

Attitude of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday (as long as you ignore its homicidal historical roots) and a great reminder for us to be thankful for everything we have. It’s been nice seeing people share things they are grateful for online rather than complaints, but unfortunately it’s often the only time many people even think to count their blessings or focus on what they’re grateful for. The fact that it’s followed immediately by “Black Friday” which has become an increasingly dangerous and disgusting display of rampant consumerism gone wrong makes it seem all the more trivial – how ironic is it that people are trampling each other to get into mega-stores to buy more useless crap the day after giving thanks for everything they already have?

So keep counting your blessings at Thanksgiving, but having and expressing gratitude is most beneficial when it’s done every day and is part of your lifestyle. In fact, having what I like to call an “attitude of gratitude” and expressing gratitude regularly has been proven to increase happiness. Sweet!

A few years ago, I was going through a rough breakup and a lot of life changes, in debt and broke, and felt truly alone for the first time in my life. Luckily I have always been an optimist, and I have a wonderful support network of family and friends, but it was a pretty dark time in my life when I wasn’t making great decisions or feeling good about much at all. One thing I did to help bring myself out of this slump, which I first heard about from a good friend who worked at Cafe Gratitude for a summer in Berkeley, was to start asking myself regularly, “What are you grateful for?” and keeping a gratitude journal where I write down something I am grateful for each day (or at least as often as I remember). I discovered over time that SO much of how I felt and how happy I was depended on where my focus and my thoughts were. When I made time to think about what I was grateful for, and express that gratitude by writing it down or sharing it with others, I realized just how many things I had to be thankful for in life, and I began seeing the positive in every situation. It became apparent to me that we really do create our own realities – and we have the power to shift our focus and perspective, which can truly shift our entire lives. Looking back now, that dark time in my life wasn’t a negative at all – it was a necessary and painful ending of my old life and a chance for me to forge ahead and create the new life I desired all on my own terms.

I am a much happier person now than I ever have been simply because I choose to notice and focus on the positive things that I am grateful for in life, rather than worrying about all the bad things that have happened or could happen, and seeking out or dwelling on negativity. Your thoughts and words have power, as do your actions and your choices. Why give the negative things in life MORE power by thinking of them incessantly, complaining about them to friends, and in general spending your energy generating this negativity? Why not focus on the positive and what you do like, count your blessings and tell yourself that you’re ok and things will get better? Staying positive can be difficult in tough situations, but it certainly can’t do any harm.

I think it was Buddha who said “What we think, we become,” and he’s right. Our thoughts inform our speech, our actions, our beliefs, and our lives. We have the power to manifest anything we put our minds to. Focusing on positivity leads to more positivity, while focusing on negativity leads to more negativity. It really is that simple. Being constantly down and dwelling on what’s wrong, comparing yourself to others and complaining about what you don’t have is only going to lead you to more of the same – negativity. Smiling through your tears, thinking of everything you do have to be grateful for, and focusing on the silver linings and celebrating small victories in life will bring more positivity and more happiness. Having an attitude of gratitude leads to living a happier, more fulfilling life. Or at least it’s working pretty damn well for me!

So, what are you grateful for?

11.12.13

11.12.13… Mathematical! Today is our 6-month anniversary. Thank you for everything, James, I love you and I look forward to many more adventures together! <3

James and I riding the wheel in Seattle Me and James at Enchanted Forest 2013

Love IS All We Need

Love is All You Need

The Beatles really were on to something, love is all you need. But not necessarily romantic love, the cheesy perfect boy-meets-girl scenario we see in the movies, just the very basic benevolence and compassion and connection that is the core of who we are and why we’re here. Love comes in many forms and from many people in our lives, and when we expand our definition of love, we expand our capacity to receive and see the love in our lives.

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I can say that from my personal experience, the more love I give, the more it grows, the more I get, the more I see it, the more it blossoms… The more love I have within, the more I am capable of receiving. And when you really think about it, aren’t all the problems plaguing the world — war, greed, corruption, hatred, destruction — really just a lack of love and understanding? If we all truly loved ourselves, and truly loved each other as equals, and embodied that love so that our every action, word, and thought came from a place of love … war, inequality, famine, greed — all of it would be unable to exist. It really is that simple. Or it should be, at least.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I tell people that love is my religion, it is this sort of love that I am talking about: the love of having compassion for other beings, seeing that all life is connected and that we are all one. This love is the way of the pure heart: it gives effortlessly and continuously and expects nothing in return. This love is unselfish, nonjudgmental, and always kind. A lovely article I read recently called A Freeing Love describes it quite eloquently:

Love at its very purest state, is an energy, a vibration and a way of being. We come from love and it is love to which we will return. Our earliest impulse is to love and our last fleeting moments will be spent in a state of love. Love cannot be bought or sold. You cannot own love, you cannot acquire or lose it. We cannot look for love in the hope that it will complete us, because we are made of love – it is, at our very essence, who we already are.

Since we are all born knowing how to love, it must be that we simply forget over time as life drags us through the muck of the world. So returning to that state of love requires remembering. I think life is all about remembering how to be love, how to live love, and how to align our lives with love so that we can truly be happy and whole. Once we remember this, we will know that we can’t go out looking for love like it’s something that we’re missing, seeking another person’s love to complete us. Remembering and returning to the source means we are already complete, we are love, and there is nothing we lack. The hard part, of course, is this remembering who we are, this returning to source, this forgetting all of the troubles of the world and just BEING LOVE.

Maybe someday we’ll get there, we’ll remember why we’re here and the world, once full of nothing but love, will heal itself. Until then, all we can do is love ourselves, love others, spread love, be love, and change the world by looking within and changing ourselves first. I know it’s ridiculously optimistic, but I believe it. I believe in LOVE! As the most powerful force on the universe, love will prevail, once we learn how to let it.