At least three mornings a week, Samantha (my spouse) and I go to the Colombo Swimming Club, a quiet private place for some exercise and a swim. I enjoy this morning routine and use the back garden to stretch, jog and use the bars. However, over the last two years this routine has been disturbed by a battle that I have with a bunch of crows, which, I presume, are not happy about me entering their space.

It all began when one bird attacked me while I exercised. I then hit back with stones and shooed them away and thought it was sorted. Not so. The next morning was a shocker. As I entered the garden I felt a bad vibe in the air and sure enough there must have been over a hundred crows - they were waiting for me. They got into a noisy formation and dived at me. I have been in some major scrapes in my life with fellow humans, but this scared the hell out of me. The gang leader looked mean, would sharpen its beak on the wire it was on and swoop down on me with others following. I saved myself from a major assault by running for cover under a roof. I reluctantly skipped my exercise routine and jumped in the pool in dismay, but the gang agitated the entire time I was there. It took me a few days to get back to the club again so I thought the dust would have settled, but not at all. This time there were not so many, but they kept diving down at me in intervals, so I had to get aggressive. That morning I got my exercise shouting, running at them and throwing rocks to take control of my space.   Read more...

Maeve (rhymes with rave), the magnificent Magdalen, is back! She is ever so welcome.

The third novel of The Maeve Chronicles, Bright Dark Madonna, tells the story of the third chapter in the life of the Celtic Magdalen. It takes us through the formation and establishment of the early church, and it tells the heart-breaking (to me) story of how Mary Mags, as she is known in my house, got written out of herstory.   Read more...

In the Spring of 2007, I was invited to a local hotel in Iraq where some Iranian musician-friends were relaxing after a big concert they had just given. I was asked to bring my guitar and a nice meet-and-greet erupted into a Western-gospel-folk-meets-Iranian-folk-orchestra explosion in the lobby of the hotel. While belting out Eastern versions of Western standards, I took note of the Iranian tar player's shoes - a white pair of hand-knit works of art that screamed "Persian rock star." The band took me to buy my own pair of these famous shoes the very next day. And thus began my fascination with the klash.   Read more...

World peace begins with our children. Emotionally healthy children grow into emotionally healthy adults. Emotionally healthy children learn inner peace. Children that grow up feeling inner peace become peaceful adults. To begin the process, we need to make sure that all children grow up with positive messages streaming through their psyches. This doesn’t mean praising children and giving them affirmations that don’t come across as being authentic. Children can feel whether or not a person is being authentic with them. For this reason, the verbal messages and the non-verbal messages are equally important. We can "tell" our children how wonderful they are, but if we are not in the moment with them, listening to them and really being attentive to their needs, they receive an entirely different message.   Read more...

As part of the process of producing the reading of PeaceWomen, we needed a program that had the pictures of the Laureates. We also needed to give credit to the actors who were donating their time to honor World Theatre Day and these women. Because the pictures took up so much space, we had to truncate their bios, so I asked each one to describe their relationship to Tufts, and then to finish this sentence:

To me, peace is . . .

Twelve actors plus one director plus me, the playwright, equaled 14 completely different answers! How could it not?   Read more...

It’s Run For One Planet Tour Day #325, and we find ourselves in San Luis Obispo, California.

The road has been long and filled with every imaginable scenario and challenge since we put our first steps forward on May 4th, 2008 back in Vancouver. We knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey. Putting oneself out there beyond the normal zone of comfort always brings about the greatest tests—and the greatest rewards for sticking to it.   Read more...

Blessed Ode Family, I received this email from Avaaz today, and signed the petition. Won’t you join me to help free Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from her many years of house arrest?

Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, has spent 13 years detained by the Burmese military junta. She and thousands of fellow monks and students have been imprisoned for bravely challenging their brutal regime with calls for democracy. This week a glimmer of hope has risen for their release, and it's time for us to stand with them.

There are many people I know who just shudder at the thought of being alone. For them, it is akin to being lonely, abandoned, unloved and even rejected by the world at large. Being basically a loner, I am often given funny labels for my intrinsic need to be alone most of the time. Hermit, reclusive, ‘solitary reaper’, self indulgent, weirdo... as you can see, it doesn’t get any better.

Believe me, it is not exactly pretty to explain that ‘alone is not lonely’ but a rather blessed state, and I love my solitude as much as the company of few good people in my life. Some people freak out when I tell them that I frequently go for a movie alone, eat at a restaurant alone and often set out on a vacation alone, without needing or wanting anyone’s company. And I do not consider myself unlovable or rejected by the world when I am enjoying a solitary lunch at my favourite café.   Read more...

Everybody likes to get something for free, right? I would like to give you something for free. This is for everybody, not just those with "school-age" children. I want to give you the freedom to unschool yourself and/or your kids for one day. It might feel overwhelming to some people to imagine taking the leap into unschooling, but for just one day it might seem doable.

Here is what I am thinking. For just one day, maybe on a Saturday or Sunday, let yourself follow your heart. How many times have you wanted to do something but stopped yourself because you "had to" go here or there, or do this or that. How many times have you talked yourself out of doing something because the little voice in your head told you to stop thinking that way, it is childish, or that you "shouldn't" want to do something like that? I wonder how often you are aware of doing this to yourself? So, you get a free pass to listen to those whims and follow those dreams. See where it leads you. A passion from long ago might be reignited.   Read more...

Jin Aizawa is a very jolly man. He has short trimmed hair and a bright smile. His energy pops. He never walks, rather he dashes, always with a purpose to please. Jin is the third-generation owner of a noodle shop. His grandparents began this family enterprise in 1927. At that time it consisted of a box on the side of the main shopping street. They would whip up noodle dishes to passers-by who wanted a quick pick-me-up on their day in town. His grandfather died before his grandmother, but she loved her customers and her shop, so she kept the place open on her own. She was successful, so in 1957, she was able to buy the building behind her small stall. That enabled her to expand her business considerably.

The shop’s name is “Sen”, which was his grandmother’s name. I asked about the Chinese character for “Sen”, but Jin told me that in those days women’s names did not use Chinese characters. They used either the hiragana or katakana phonetic scripts. So, even to this day, the restaurant’s name, “Sen,” is in hiragana.   Read more...

My name is Matt and I am currently running across Canada and around the perimeter of America with my partner in crime, Steph, to inspire action for a healthier planet. We are called Run For One Planet.   Read more...

No, the title isn’t a typo. PeaceWomen is the name of a theatre piece I wrote about the female Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Since 1901, twelve women have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Just twelve. Their writings and their lives fascinate me.

Because I, too, Nobel Laureate or not, am a peacewoman, I spent many years reading the words of these women, and because of my theatre background, it made sense to me to create a solo performance piece as an opportunity for a dedicated performer. So far I haven’t found that actor, but I will.   Read more...

Fifty People, One Question: Washington D.C. from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

This is our second Fifty People, One Question video. We don't do this in every city we go to. We do this in the cities I believe have the most diverse group of people and the cities that have a large impact on their state and on this country.   Read more...

After lots of media attention, radio interviews, spreading fliers and inviting looooots of people, the 19th Sencity event takes place!

The day is 40 degrees Celsius with no wind, but our crew keeps working to have everything set up. After liters of water, sun block and many many jokes being told, we open only 5 minutes after the scheduled time, 8 pm, which is a world record for us!

Immediately the crowd comes in—900 people will show up. Half are deaf, half hearing; half white, half black; half rich, half township.   Read more...

We unschool our kids. Many people might not know what this means. I didn't know what it meant either. I knew that when my kids were toddlers, I could not stand the thought of sending them to school. I did not want to be away from them, nor did I feel it was an idea that they would be happy about. We had so much fun being together, that my husband and I asked ourselves, “Why should we send them if we don't have to?” We wanted them to keep their sense of curiosity, and to always feel that learning is fun.   Read more...

“Dona Lucy wants to read your coca leaves,” Sergio informs me. Inside the building at Chakarunas, shaman Dona Lucy sits in a chair with a bag of coca leaves. She is short, cheerful, red-faced and terrifically friendly. I ask her questions. Previously I paid little attention to the coca leaf readings, but then dona Lucy nailed a piece of improbable and very specific information, and I have listened more carefully since. Will a medicine hunter TV show happen this year? What about the maca business? What else does she see? She studies leaves lying in her lap. “Yes, the TV show will happen soon,” she tells me. Dona Lucy brandishes a handful of green coca leaves. “See this? You will have lots of money.” She laughs and squints at the leaves and tosses them again onto the lap of her skirt. She looks at Sergio and me. “And you two will walk many miles together.”    Read more...

My title is the name of a video interview of Deepak Chopra with New Realities host Alan Steinfeld done on January 8, 2009. It’s long, and the first twenty minutes are the best. Give it to yourself as a lunch hour.   Read more...

Now that the first round of HIV awareness workshops is over, we go full speed ahead towards the event.

Full speed ahead, that means as far as the weather will allow us. They are expecting 40° Celsius, and hardly any wind. Therefore, we all woke up at 6 am - which is a weird idea for a northern European production team, knowing that we will go on till 8 am the next day. But knowing that you will take a swim in the Antarctic cold ocean in the afternoon while you might have 2000 visitors at 9 pm, gives an extra thrill as well.

So here I am again: next trip, next continent.

This time in South Africa. Another Sencity event, another music event for deaf people - and hearing people. Together with an aromajockey, videojockey, vibrating floors, light artists, signdancers and several other artists, we are going to create an amazing experience in the center of Capetown. One year of preparation is about to come to a climax. A team of three project leaders has been working for 6 months together with the local community and deaf society to turn this event to a big success.   Read more...

I heard Father Pierce before I met him. He has a loud ooogaaah horn that bays out his presence as he coasts down country lanes or town streets. He also has a deep, uninhibited belly laugh that shudders happily out of him. That laugh always brings a startled response to all in earshot. He himself cuts a commanding presence with his abundant beard and imaginative attire, replete with wide suspenders. Why hide in the shadows when there is a message to proclaim? And part of that message comes through the man himself, through actions as much as words.

Nathaniel Pierce is an Episcopal priest in a rural area of Maryland, USA. However, he did not start out wanting to be in the clergy. “When I was in high school,” he explained, “it was post Sputnik and the push was towards science. It was seen as the be-all-end-all.”

I was pleased to hear from Ode commenter Tim Collardey. He’s written a new ebook about peace called If Flowers Can Grow in Alaska... Creating a More Peaceful World One Person at a Time. His website is www.walkthepeace.com.

His free ebook asks the seminal question of the spiritual life: do I practice what I preach? Do my spiritual values shine through my behaviors? Am I living the spiritual life I say I want to be living? Collardey’s personal challenge centered on the issues of peace and non-violence.