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.