Precious the Gift: A Short Film by Rene Sing Brooks

As in nature, a diverse system or community, where each member has the opportunity to contribute to its overall success, is one that is potentially more robust, vibrant and resilient.

Last year, I interviewed John Maney (Connections: An Interview With John Maney, Jr...) about the writing and poetry workshops he conducts. During those sessions, he creates a safe space for those who have often lacked the ability or opportunity to give voice to their experiences. In so doing. . .helping them to capture and share their diverse, but often marginalized, perspectives.

This desire and ability to include rather than exclude is indeed a precious gift artists share with us every day.

Therefore, I am very pleased and excited to present here, this brief film, an artistic collaboration between Queens micro-filmmaker Rene Sing and Bronx poet/writer John Maney, giving us an additional peek into John's creative process.

Enjoy!

Connections: An Interview With Kalena Slaton - Girl Scout Cadette

Terrarium: a Mother/Daughter Project

That everyone can contribute something useful or valuable to the well-being of his or her family or community, no matter their age, background or specific talents, is a fundamental theme here at  With Intent.

For this Connections interview, I reached out to Kalena Slaton, the daughter of a good friend of mine. I wanted to learn more about her involvement with the Girl Scouts and her recent “bridging” ceremony. The Girl Scouts, founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, is an organization affording young ladies in grades K-12, opportunities to make new friends, build confidence and character, learn new skills and help make the world a better place through community service and other activities.

Read on to find out more about Kalena’s “bridging” ceremony, what involvement in the Girl Scouts has meant to her, and how all of that relates to living with intent:

So Kalena, how long have you been a Girl Scout?
Kalena Slaton: I have been a Girl Scout for approximately seven years.

Wow, that's a long time!  How did you come to be involved with them?
Slaton: I was five years old in kindergarten at Colson Elementary School, and they had a table with information about Girl Scouts. I was interested and wanted to join so I asked my mother to sign me up and I joined the “Daisies”. Daisies are the first level of Girl Scouts. My Mom was a Girl Scout.

Ahh…so your Mom was a Girl Scout too! Did that play a part in your wanting to be one or did you only find that out later on?
Slaton: Yeah, I think I might have known, but yet don’t remember if I did. I’m not sure if it influenced me, but I think my mom’s knowledge about past Girl Scouts helps me today.

I know that you recently "bridged". What does that mean and what did you have to do to achieve that?
Slaton: "Bridging" is the term used in the moving up from one level to the next in Girl Scouts, for example, Daises to Brownies to Juniors to Cadettes.

In the bridging ceremony, me and my scouting sisters cross over a small bridge as a symbol of moving on from Junior scouts to Cadettes. Each girl must show up to Girl Scout meetings and participate in all group activities including community services in order to bridge and earn badges.

So you kind of come to rely and support each other as well as your community through your participation in the activities. . .
Slaton: Yes, we work together to help ourselves and the community (especially the community). Helping it, we get badges to earn cool awards.

Tell me a little more about the kinds of skills you have learned through your involvement with the Girl Scouts.
Slaton: I learned about setting up community projects and events through planning a party we had for Juliette Gordon Lows' birthday. She founded the Girl Scouts. I’ve also learned about event planning— our troop planned a Breast Cancer Awareness event— fundraising and public speaking, and  participated in planning a sleepover during my “Finding Common Ground” badge teaching.

That sounds interesting. What is the “Finding Common Ground” badge? And what are some other badges you have earned?
Slaton: It is basically about how to make decisions so everyone can be happy with the decision you made. Before I taught my badge, we learned the Trees badge, which is about trees and more of what they do for us.

Those two badges sound fantastic! The ability to help people feel comfortable with decisions when working in a group is a really good skill to have.  It helps us to be resilient. I also like trees! I don't think people really appreciate all the great work they do for us.

So, would you recommend other kids participate in the Girl Scouts or an organization like them? If so, why?
Slaton: Yes! I would recommend others to join Girl Scouts or other organizations like it, because:

• it helps you to learn more about your community and make new friends
• it teaches respect for yourself and others
• it teaches teamwork, leadership and making lots of fun crafts

Getting to know others in your community, the teamwork and leadership involved in working together, and most importantly, respect for yourself and others as well as the environment is exactly what living with intent is all about. You’ve also shown that it’s never too early for kids to learn these skills so they can start giving back to their community!

Kalena, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us here at With Intent about your participation with the Girl Scouts!

~~~~

Kalena Slaton is twelve years old and lives with her parents in Brandon, Florida.  She is in the sixth grade and attends  Orange Grove Middle Magnet School for the Arts in Tampa, Florida.

Connections: An Interview With John Maney, Jr. - Poet & Creative Writing Workshop Leader

In nature, bio-diverse systems tend to be more productive, robust and resilient. Each element contributes to the system’s overall success, as do the web of relationships that exist between those elements.  This phenomenon is mirrored in human networks or communities, which are also strengthened when they are diverse, and where members feel respected and valued for their contributions.

In this inaugural Connections conversation, I sat down with Bronx poet, John Maney, Jr. John conducts creative writing and poetry workshops with those who often lack opportunities to develop their creative voice and to share and contribute their perspectives and experiences with others.  Read on to learn how creative writing has helped John’s students connect with themselves as well as their wider communities, enriching their lives as well as his own. 

You conduct writing workshops. What kind of writing do you teach and why?
John Maney, Jr.: I teach creative writing, because I love it, and want to nurture this in others.

What types of communities do you work with?
Maney: Well, I work with all kinds of communities. I’ve worked with the formally incarcerated. I’ve also done work with recovering heroin addicts. And of course, I’ve conducted workshops for the general public.

How did you come to work with these communities?
Maney: I’d been studying writing, attending workshops, and sending things in for publication, while at the same time volunteering to work with the less privileged. It was in one my favorite writing workshops put on by Cave Canem that I met Angeli Rasbury. She worked as a Creative Writing Workshop Leader for an organization called the New York Writers Coalition. This organization had a social justice bent, and offered workshops for people who normally wouldn’t have access to them. Angeli suggested I apply. I did, and was accepted. Some of my previous work was with the formally incarcerated. I requested the Coalition help me start a workshop with this community. My first workshop was at the Fortune Society, an organization dedicated to giving formally incarcerated people a chance to turn their lives around. I wanted to be part of this by helping validate their stories, and thereby them as human beings.

Wow! It sounds like taking a creative writing might not be at the top of the list for members of some of the groups you’ve worked with! How have they responded to taking your workshop?
Maney: Of course the effect of my workshops varies depending on each individual. It’s true many participants never thought of themselves as writers, until workshop prompts awakened something in them that required a written response. Crafting that response in a non-judgmental, nurturing workshop environment, helped many participants realize they had important things to say. This in turn made them realize, maybe for the first time in a long time, that they were important. And so, writing took on a new significance for them. I still stay in contact with several previous participants, and often find they continue to write. It appears once people discover they have a voice, it’s very hard to shut them up. If my workshops have done nothing else, I’m pleased to know they’ve done this for at least some in the ignored, under-served communities I’ve often worked in.

Why do you feel it is important for members of the communities you’ve worked with to learn to write creatively?
Maney: It’s my belief that everyone has a story to tell, and in having people listen they’re validated as human beings. The communities I’ve often worked with whether ex-cons, or recovering junkies as society likes to refer to them, are comprised of people whose stories are often minimized if heard at all. I feel the work I do helps people tap into their stories, and tell them in a more effective way.

We’ve talked about why you’ve chosen to work with certain communities, but do you feel you get something in return from teaching creative writing in those communities?
Maney: This is a good question. To tell the truth sometimes I think I get more out of my workshops than other participants. I of course write along with them. The play of thought and emotion that comes from writing with others can be very inspiring. Designing the workshop also gets my creative flames burning, as I think about who may be attending, then design prompts to capture their imaginations. So in addition to writing, I must listen to the words and hearts of those who to write with me, and respond creatively. This causes me to be creative on several levels. It’s truly an enriching experience.

How do you feel this creative exchange might enhance or alter how we all experience the world?
Maney: Hearing other people’s stories, (their pain and struggles, their dreams) helps us see better how we’re all connected. Once we see that then the next step is learning to care. Once we care, then maybe we’ll start to change things for the better.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us here at With Intent!  Do you have any workshops or projects coming up that you’d like to share with our readers?
Maney: Yes. I'll be conducting a new Saturday creative writing workshop series entitled "Finding Your Poetic Voice" starting February 22nd, through April 5th, 2014.  We’ll be meeting from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm at the Kingsbridge Library in the Bronx, NY (291 West 231st Street).
 

~~~~

John Maney, Jr is a poet and creative writing workshop leader.
He has been published in several anthologies and magazines. You 
can connect with him at jmaneyjr@gmail.com or his 
website maneywords.

Farms, Gardens & Epidemics! – Part 3: What They Have in Common as Tools for Building Resilience

In this three-part series, we’ve been examining the permaculture principle, Integrate Rather Than Separate (aka “stacking functions”), and have used the farm and garden as examples to illustrate the principle at work, which basically comes down to the ability to leverage elements within a system so that it is able to perform more effectively with less effort.

In this week’s final installment, we come at last to epidemics, something usually viewed in a negative light.  Why are epidemics relevant to what we’ve been talking about so far?  Because sometimes knowing what to do or even how to do it, is not enough to move people to action.  Yet, ultimately action is precisely what’s needed to begin addressing many of our current challenges.  Epidemics, or more specifically characteristics they possess, provide a road map for doing just that.

Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

In the Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell describes the manner in which ideas, behaviors or trends seem to explode onto the scene like an epidemic and spread like wildfire.  As with the farm and the garden, we will again see how we might achieve bigger results than might at first have seemed possible given the resources available— that is, the degree to which we might not only spread a message, but how we can also influence behavior around it as well.

Three Simple Rules

The underlying theory for “tipping” is not really new. It's actually grounded in research originally conducted by Everett Rogers and others in the areas of adoption and innovation within social networks, starting in the 1960s. However, for popular use, Gladwell condenses this research down to three simple rules:

1. The Law of the Few – similar to an eco-system, certain members of a social network possess particular qualities that enhance its performance, in this case the ability to spread information rapidly, which helps to start or ignite an epidemic.  They fall into three categories—Connectors, Mavens and Salesman— and are extremely effective, not only in passing information on, but getting others to act on it. Whomever else you send, speak to or try to persuade of your message, you’ll want to be sure you identify and include such individuals in your communication and outreach, especially if your resources for doing so are limited.
2. The Stickiness Factor – before people can even act on information, they first have to notice it, amidst all the other stuff they are inundated with on a daily basis, therefore your message needs to be compelling or memorable in some way.  Ways to increase a message’s “stickiness” include making it personally relevant, practical or convenient to your audience.  It should also be simple and easy to understand and something you are able to repeatedly expose to your target audience.
3. The Power of Context – finally, you may need to create the right systemic conditions in advance of disseminating your message in order to increase its chance of spreading. As we saw in the farm and garden, the more robust or bio-diverse the context, the more likely it is that desired outcomes (healthy plants, good yields, etc.) have the opportunity to flourish, while undesired or disruptive outcomes (e.g. pests, disease or weeds), do not. The context within which your message is delivered and received is similarly important.

For our purposes, all of this becomes particularly relevant when we consider that society’s current activities have had and continue to have significant, often adverse impacts on the environment necessary to our survival. Therefore, it is increasingly critical that as a society, in addition to new technology, that we also rapidly adopt new attitudes, ideas, behaviors and ways to live if we are to mitigate or avoid difficulties in the future. “Tipping” the ideas we’ve discussed during this three-part series would be a great start.

And that's what farms, gardens and epidemics have in common and how they help build resilience!

Changing Your Intent

 

Creating Your Own Epidemic: What You Can Do Now!

In the spirit of “tipping”, if you*

• have a favorite “do nothing” local or regional farm, OR are a member of or are considering joining a CSA
• garden (your own or elsewhere in your community)
• currently shop or would like to start shopping at your local green market

help spread the word or “tip” these ideas and activities by

1. getting a friend or neighbor to join you. There’s strength (and resilience) in numbers!
2. joining/starting a discussion on the With Intent Facebook page

So long for now!

*In NYC, visit Just Food or GrowNYC for more information about these options.

Farms, Gardens & Epidemics! – Part 2: What They Have in Common as Tools for Building Resilience

In this three-part series we’re exploring how farms, gardens and epidemics illustrate the permaculture principle, Integrate Rather Than Separate (or “stacking functions”), and through this principle, how they might contribute to building personal and community resilience. Last week we looked at Masanobu Fukuoka’s “do-nothing” approach to farming, as described in his book “One Straw Revolution” and saw how he was able to leverage elements of his farm’s eco-system to accomplish more with less. However, as I also pointed out, farming is not necessarily practical for most people to take up. So, this week we’ll be looking at the garden and how we might achieve similar goals.

The Home Garden: More Than Just Another “Pretty Face”

In residential settings people may often view gardens as simply ornamental or decorative landscaping (your neighbor with the green thumb’s vegetable or herbal garden not withstanding!). However, the home (or community) garden can have quite a few more tricks up its sleeve than you may have realized. In Gaia’s Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture, Toby Hemenway describes other potential benefits they provide and how to go about implementing them. Here are just a few:

• outdoor physical activity or exercise
• in addition to utilizing rain water, the ability to otherwise hold it onsite and then later, slowly release it back into the environment, thereby helping to reduce the load on local sewer systems
• utilization of trees and bushes, which in addition to their potential for providing edible fruits, berries or nuts, through strategic placement, can help manage heating and cooling loads, by providing shade in the summer while letting sun through in the winter.  They can also serve as wind or firebreaks or a form of natural fencing to deter intruders” (both animal and human!)
• habitat for birds, insects and other animals, who in turn help to control or eliminate undesired pests, potentially replacing or mitigating the need for expensive and possibly harmful fertilizers and chemicals often used for this purpose
• material for the compost pile, a dividend arising out of a garden’s “waste”, which can then be continuously returned (or reinvested) to build and improve the garden’ soil health and structure, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for commercial fertilizers. . .

. . .beginning to see a pattern here?

These benefits are very similar to those described by Fukuoka using his “do-nothing” approach!

The specifics of how to design a garden in this way is beyond the scope of this post, so again, I encourage you to check out Gaia’s Garden for yourself (or any other of the numerous gardening resources available). However, what I hope you’ll take away from this week’s installment is that in so many ways, the garden is more than “just a pretty face”. A garden designed to “stack functions” can simultaneously perform multiple tasks in the process of achieving the overall goal of growing things to eat or pretty things to look at.  Even as it utilizes resources, it can also regenerate and improve them. Eventually, it might even become more self-managing, thereby reducing some of the work and expense of maintaining it.

So, looked at another way, beyond a garden’s harvest, which can certainly be sold for profit, there is additional “money” literally growing on the trees and other plants within it, and as such it should be viewed as a tremendous asset.

Changing Your Intent

 

 What You Can Do Now!

Still on the fence about starting your own garden? Or, maybe you live in the city or an apartment building and don’t think you have access to enough space to do it. Well, think again!

1. Consider becoming a member of a local community garden, before taking the plunge yourself (in NYC, visit Just Food or GrowNYC for more information about these options)
2. Or, another option for the urban or apartment dweller is a window box or container garden.  You would be surprised how much you can actually grow in small spaces.  Start with something simple like herbs or spices to jazz up your meals, before attempting a more ambitious project. Your local botanical garden or similar organization is a good place to start learning more (in NYC: New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanical Garden or Queens Botanical Garden)
3. Already gardening or supporting one in your community?  Drop me a comment here, or start a discussion on my With Intent Facebook page.

Next week, in the final installment of this series, I’ll explain what epidemics have to do with all of this, before tying everything up.

See you then!

Farms, Gardens & Epidemics! - Part 1: What They Have in Common as Tools for Building Resilience

(Revised, 8/25/13)

Yikes! You’re probably wondering what the connection can be? “Farms and gardens? Sure! That makes sense. . .but epidemics? Surely nothing good can come from that!” Not to worry! They each actually do share something in common, and it’s one of my favorite permaculture principles, “Integrate Rather Than Separate” (also known as “stacking functions”). What does that mean? That in effective, resilient systems

1. all elements (large and small) each have a part to play (or primary function) that contributes to overall, effective performance
2. each element should also be able to perform other functions, in addition to their primary ones
3. at least some of the elements should be able to provide “back up” for “mission critical” functions in the event of the inevitable disruptions or failures that occur.

I believe this principle is beautifully illustrated in three of my favorite books on the topic:

• One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka 
• Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway
• Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Building resilience is a key component of living with intent and will be extremely important to successfully weathering the types of events we’ve already begun to experience due to modern human activity.

A detailed discussion of the techniques and strategies described in each of these books is well beyond the scope of this series, but you should still come away with a basic understanding of how they work. I encourage you to check out each of these titles yourself for more details on how you might incorporate the ideas they contain, to build both personal and community resilience.

We'll start off first by looking at Masanobu Fukuoka's "One Straw Revolution".

The Farm as Eco-system

The ability to produce and distribute food is critical to a society’s health and well-being and farms play a primary role in that effort. Masanobu Fokuoka was from a small village on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan, but before he took up farming, he had a career as an agricultural scientist, in the 1930s. He first worked at the Yokohama Customs Bureau in the Plant Inspection Division, and later as the Head Researcher of Disease and Insect Control at the Kochi Prefecture Testing Station, before finally returning to his home village in the early 1940s.

Fukuoka coined the term “do-nothing farming” to describe his theories and techniques developed through trial and error over the next 30 years, on his father’s farm lands. He discusses them in detail in his book “One Straw Revolution". Now let us be clear! Fukuoka did not mean for this phrase to be taken literally. Farming is hard work! But, in his opinion, it should not be unnecessarily so. As in permaculture, he believed we should work with nature rather than against it. In fact, his approach was very similar to those used by permaculture practitioners, although, he is said to have not actually met anyone in or had knowledge of this movement during this period of experimentation.

Fukuoka noted that traditional Japanese rice farming was water intensive, but that his method allowed for a significant reduction in deliberate irrigation or "flooding". He also noted that at best, traditional Japanese methods maintained soil health while chemically treated crops over time ultimately depleted or destroyed it. However, through the strategic use of elements within his farm’s eco-system, described in more detail below, he achieved difficult and seemingly competing goals comparable or better to either traditional Japanese methods or those using chemical treatments: 1) healthy, productive soil, 2) good yields, with 3) a simultaneous reduction in expense and overall effort. Such an accomplishment is tremendous! Think about it:

In the process of meeting a key human need—growing food— the need for a critical resource— water— was reduced and another critical resource— soil— was improved, rather than diminished or depleted after use!

Fukuoka’s Approach

Fukuoka’s "do-nothing" approach avoided

• active soil cultivation
• plowing or tilling
• use of expensive petrochemical based fertilizers and insecticides
• prepared compost
• heavy machinery

each of which can contribute to increased costs, destruction of soil health and structure, or adverse effects on the environment as well as human health. Fukuoka instead opted for manual laborers, using only traditional Japanese hand tools, straw and cover crops (e.g. white clover) which serve to enrich and preserve soil health and structure. But, there was something else that he did. He also utilized the crops themselves (rice and winter grains such as barley and rye; vegetation used in this way, is also known as “green manure”) to assist in this process. By following a specific seeding and harvesting schedule, each crop functioned to prepare for and nurture the next one by controlling the proliferation of weeds, increasing disease resistance, and protecting against insects, birds and other plant predators.

Farming & Sustainability: New Perspectives

With that said that, I realize that most of us are probably not in a position to run out and start farming! But what we can learn from examining Fukuoka’s “do-nothing” approach is that by giving some thought to how a farm, as well as the work involved, is organized (that is “stacking functions” within the system), it is truly possible to move beyond a concept of mere sustainability, and instead towards outcomes that are regenerative.

Next week, we’ll look at gardening, which is probably a much more realistic option for many people, especially those living in apartments or urban settings, and see how we might achieve similar goals.

Changing Your Intent

 

 The Farm: What You Can Do Now!

1. Feeling inspired? Go out and start a farm! (just kidding. . . well, maybe only a little!)
2. Consider joining a CSA or checking out your local green market (in NYC, visit Just Food or GrowNYC for more information about these options)
3. Have a favorite “do nothing” local or regional farm?  Drop me a comment here, or start a discussion on my With Intent Facebook page. 

Three Building Blocks of Intent: Health, Knowledge & Skills

Figure 1

In last month’s five-part “Living With Intent” series we examined three underlying philosophies for creating an eco-intentional lifestyle: permaculture, cradle-to-cradle and feng shui. This week we’ll turn our attention to several basic building blocks you can use to expand on that foundation to begin creating your own unique approach to living with intent. Obviously, there are an infinite number of blocks from which to choose and as many ways to combine them. However, I’ve chosen six, as illustrated in Figure 1, that I believe will be particularly useful for this purpose.  Three are described below (health & fitness, knowledge and skills) and then, next week we'll look at the other three (spirituality, philanthropy and arts & culture).

1. Health & Fitness

You have only to read a newspaper or turn on the television to be inundated with the latest news of the obesity and diabetes epidemics, as well as the associated cardio-vascular conditions plaguing today’s society.  However, we can each take steps to avoid or reverse that trend for ourselves by increasing our dietary intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and reducing processed foods and red meat, which all tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt. Does this mean we need to eliminate all traces of these items from our diet?  Of course not!
However, a more healthy balance among them is probably needed.

Several alternatives to the supermarket, for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, include farmers’ markets, participation in a community garden or CSA membership (community supported agriculture).  As community based solutions, they're a little more environmentally friendly and have the added benefit of helping to strengthen local/regional economic systems.  Here in NYC, Just Food and GrowNYC are just two of the many organizations providing information about these and other aspects of the local food movement.

Getting more exercise is also critical to improving our health.  Did you know that gardening, besides being a valuable skill and just plain fun, can also be a great form of exercise? Yup! All that bending, digging and hauling soil around gives you a real workout! This is another great advantage to participating in a community garden, if you can.

Alternative methods of getting around town, such as cycling or walking, can spice up a drab exercise routine, while reducing your carbon footprint.  With the growing popularity of bike sharing programs across the country, cycling is becoming an increasingly viable option for many more people.

As for walking, you can pretty much get started whenever you want.  It doesn't really require any fancy, expensive equipment, or special expertise.  All you need is comfortable clothing and a good pair of sneakers, and it can be suitable for people of all ages and various fitness levels.

So put on your walking shoes or hop on your bike and check out your local green market! Or. . .do something else.  As long as it gets you out of the house and moving!

2. Knowledge

They say knowledge is power.  Whether it’s increasing awareness of what’s going on in your community, learning who to turn to for help if you need it, or gaining a better understanding of the public policy, laws and other regulations impacting your neighborhood, having this type of information will help you connect and figure out how to get more involved.

3. Skills

Knowing how to do things goes hand-in-hand with knowing what's going on. It also supports personal and community resilience.  I'm sure you’re probably saying to yourself “I’m already on overload. My brain can’t take in one more thing!”  And, unfortunately, in today’s information intense society, there always seems to be something new to learn or figure out.  So where to begin?  The list below is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point:

Figure 2

These skills would be great to have under any circumstances, but are particularly useful in the wake of a catastrophic events or situations where critical infrastructure or power/energy sources have been disrupted or have failed altogether, over extended periods, as in Hurricane Sandy.  They will allow you to begin meeting in part, some of the basic necessities of daily living a little more quickly. The good news is that you don’t have to learn all of these things yourself!  You can build a network of other people who have the skills you lack.

Therein lies the strengthand beauty of community— helping and supporting one another, AND the essence of what it means to be resilient— the existence of mutually beneficial inter-dependencies among community members.

How can you go about getting the necessary training to boost your knowledge and skills?  Well, there are many options available.  For highly technical skills (e.g. medical or the trades) a rigorous, formal, degree or vocational program might be necessary.  If you are building on existing skills, a certificate program or workshop may fit the bill.  For skills like sewing, gardening, or basic composting, informal classes (or series of classes) will probably be fine.  Many local organizations and governmental entities often sponsor free or low-cost events providing such instruction.  Join their mailing lists to keep abreast of their activities.  You can also visit your local library and research topics of interest.  Finally, quiet as it’s kept, your local weekly newspaper is an invaluable, tool for getting the 411 on these and many other things going on in your community, and I’ll be discussing it in depth in a future post.

These first three building blocks have been of a practical nature.  The next three speak more to several psychological aspects of creating a life of intent.

Stay tuned and see you then!