it's our party

Friday night I attended a discussion about Transition Town Asheville, our local movement toward co-creating a sustainable Asheville beyond peak oil. A timely gathering with the torture of and in the Gulf continuing, the meeting was actually a talk given by a gentleman and self-proclaimed creator of sustainability Michael Brownlee of Transition Boulder. Passionate and grounding, moving and frustrating, I became more passionate about living in Asheville; more grounded in simplifying my life; moved to act; and frustrated with myself and my society for being where we are, forgetting our Momma and living vicariously through the Big names in Hollywood and Wall Street.

Transition Asheville is taking off in Asheville. The idea of moving toward local resilience fascinates me. Who would we be as a collective if we learned to look into each other's eyes and be honest and fair?

(This is what happened when I was away from home on Sunday.)

Our friend Albert Einstein once noticed that "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius --- and a lot of courage --- to move in the opposite direction." .........been drawn to the simple, the empty, the spacious, the natural. Putting things in garage sales; getting rid, dropping things off at Goodwill empowers, that's my experience. Why do we all have so much stuff? We're surrounded by stuff all the time!

Are you familiar with June Berries? They are sweet berries that resemble blueberries. There are two varieties familiar to me Princess Diana and Prince William. Seriously. On my walks with S, over the years in this neighborhood I call home/community, June Berries are around. Mike and his wife grow them; the Organic Mechanic planted them out front their newish building, and I just met the man who lives in the house with the perfect sized back yard with two bushes bursting with them.

I eyed these bushes a few days ago and I soon found myself Knocking on his door and Asking him if he knew of his very berries. He was well aware of them, having just come from picking some himself and agreeing to let me in his yard to pick some myself. He even handed me a catalog of fruit-bearing plants. Sweetness doubled and tripled!

I'm finding out how to be more honest with myself and in turn with you. Finding ways to look into myself and at the same time look into the eyes of the people around me and admit, there you are, and here I am and what can I do for you?

"Nothing succeeds like success" in this. I'm doing it when I remember to do it and reaping the rewards. There you are. Here I am. And What fun might having less control be? Not just fun, but subtle and illuminating and enrichingly sweet. I think of clouds and outta control puppies and trees blown by the wind. It's our party, this life, and it's always time to cheer for Heisenberg!