Good Monkeys

Providing Shelter Where It Is Needed

What would you do if a hurricane blows away your house? Or if a tsunami washed away everything you own? How would you find shelter from the storms and a place to cook basic meals?

Those are the questions asked by a group of Rotarians in Cornwall in the UK.

The answer they came up with was "Shelter Box."

These ingenious men and women created a tough as nails plastic bin filled with all the basic supplies a family of 10 would need to keep them alive.

Each Shelter Box consists of a large, waterproof tent with a center area for sleeping and wings so that men and women can sleep separately. There are ten sleeping bags as well as ground covers and thermal blankets for sleeping. For cooking, there are pots, pans, utensils, dishes and a multi-fuel stove included in the box. In addition, there are water containers and water purification kits. On top of that, the designers have thought to include a tool kit containing a hammer, saw, shovel and other necessary items.

It is simply amazing how much they can pack into one little space.

To date, they have shipped over 50,000 Shelter Boxes to over 40 countries around the world, providing a new home for over 500,000 people.

The idea has proved so popular that the fine folks in Cornwall have extended the program to Rotary clubs throughout the US, Canada, Australia and Germany and they have even gotten schoolchildren involved.

Through their "A Million In Africa" program, they are teaching children across the UK about giving while they learn about the problems of refugees and homelessness in Africa. Hundreds of schools around the country have signed up to become Shelter Box donors.

If you'd like to learn more about the Shelter Box program, please visit their website or one of their sister sites in the US, Australia, or Canada. You don't have to be a Rotarian to get involved as a volunteer or donor.

It Is Never Too Late For Thanksgiving

A few days before Thanksgiving, my dear friend, Doug, sent me a article that touched me so much, I'd like to share it with you. This article was written by a gentleman named Alan Cohen. I've never met Alan and honestly, until I read this, I'd never even heard of him.

Since then, I've checked out his work and am confident in what he does to include a link to his company in the "Featured Links" section. After reading this, I think you'll know why.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING
by Alan Cohen

The story is told about a woman Zen Master named Sono who taught one very
simple method of enlightenment. She advised everyone who came
to her to adopt an affirmation to be said many times a day, under all
conditions. The affirmation was, "Thank you for everything. I have no
complaint whatsoever."

Many people from all arenas of life came to Sono for healing. Some were in
physical pain; others were emotionally distraught; others had financial
troubles; some were seeking soul liberation. No matter what their distress
or what question they asked her, her response was the same: "Thank you for
everything. I have no complaint whatsoever."

Some people went away disappointed; others grew angry; others tried to argue
with her. Yet some people took her suggestion to heart and began to practice
it. Tradition tells that everyone who practiced Sono's mantra found peace
and healing.

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever. My friend Lisa, an
attractive woman in her late 30's, came to one of my seminars after I had
not seen her for a number of years.

She informed the group that a year earlier she had been diagnosed with a
brain disorder that required immediate surgery. The surgery was
done, a steel plate was inserted in her head, and her doctor keeps her under
close observation. Lisa reported that now she lives from day to day.

Privately I told Lisa that I was sorry she had gone through this whole
ordeal. "Oh, don't be sorry," she told me emphatically. "I'm not sorry at
all. This was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It really
got me to appreciate my life and relationships.

I married a wonderful guy and we are thinking about having children. I
wouldn't trade the experience if I could."

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you simply dropped your
complaints? It's a radical proposal, since most of us have been trained to
question, analyze, and criticize everything we see. But then we end up
questioning, analyzing, and criticizing ourselves.

Then we miss out on joy, the only true measure of success.

The ecstatic mystic poet Hafiz proclaimed, "All a sane man can ever think
about is giving love."

One evening I received a phone call from my friend Cliff, a Jewish guy from
Brooklyn who discovered A Course in Miracles and became a world-class love
exuder. Cliff just went around finding good and beauty in everyone he met.
On the phone, Cliff told me, "I just called to tell you how much I love and
appreciate you."

"Well, thank you Cliff," I answered, delighted. "I really appreciate
that . . . What prompted you to call me at this moment?"

"My knee was hurting me, and I knew that the only way I could feel better
would be to give more love. So I began to think of the people in my life who
I care about, and you came to mind."

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, many of us will be getting
together with our families. Perhaps family issues may come to the fore and
we might be tempted to fall into a pattern of rehashing old resentments and
arguments.

Wouldn't it be fabulous if, as we sat with our relatives, we held in mind,
"Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever." Imagine what
this Thanksgiving would be like if we decided that no matter how much Mom
complained about Dad; how much Dad bugged us about getting a real job; or
how unspiritual our ex is, we chose to be an unstoppable appreciation
machine and found the good in our loved ones.

Indeed this would be a triumphant Thanksgiving to remember!

Yes, I know, there is a voice inside you objecting, "But if I did not
complain, people would walk all over me and selfish opportunists
would genetically manipulate my food and terrorists would keep crashing
airplanes into buildings and . . . and. . . Got it. Now if
you went to Sono, her response would be, "Thank you for everything.
I have no complaint whatsoever." I am simply suggesting that we practice the
mantra for an entire Thanksgiving day. And then maybe
one day a week. Then we might start to feel so good and our lives will
become so effective that we want to turn every day into Thanksgiving.

In my book Handle with Prayer I state that the highest form of prayer is
gratitude. Instead of asking God for stuff, start thanking God for stuff,
and you will find that God has already given you everything you could want
or need, including the adventure of discovering more riches every day. Life
is a big treasure hunt.

Eventually we grow weary of seeking treasures outside ourselves, and we
begin to look within. There we discover that the gold we sought, we already
are. The beauty we overlooked because we were focusing on what was missing,
still lives and awaits us like an anxious lover.

As T.S. Eliot nobly noted, The end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started and know the place for the first time.

Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever. Have a great
Thanksgiving.

I know it's well past the actual holiday this year, but in your heart is it ever too late for Thanksgiving?

A Wake Up Call From The Universe

This happened to me last May but Lynn's story yesterday reminded me of it: It was originally posted on my  business blog:

I just got the most amazing wake up call from the Universe.

As I was driving to work today in my beautiful BMW convertible with the top down, I was in a yucky mood. I was mentally bemoaning the fact that there were so many things in life that I wanted that just hadn't shown up yet.

Where were the millions of dollars I'd been manifesting? Why weren't the relationships I wanted to change changing? Why was I so tired? Why did I have so many appointments today that I couldn't work on the projects I was interested in?

On and on my mind listed out the the things I wasn't happy about. A little voice in the back of my head was reminding me to have an attitude of gratitude but the complaining voice was telling it to shut up.

About a block from my office I looked ahead to our front door to see if anyone else was at work yet. I noticed a large dark mass on our front porch. Thinking it was a package, I pulled into the parking lot.

Suddenly, the package moved.

It turned out to be a 20-ish woman huddled on the stoop. She had on a parka and hat despite the fact that it was almost 70 degrees out. As soon as she saw me pull up, she sighed, grabbed her few grubby gym bags and began walking towards the street.

I sat in my car for a moment, stunned. There but for the grace of God went I. Grabbing my wallet (which ironically was in my lap because I'd just gone to the bank to deposit a check to cover my tax bills), I chased after her.

She walked more quickly, thinking, I suppose, that I was going to yell at her for being on my porch. As I caught up to her I said, "Let me buy you breakfast." She turned, saw the money in my hand and stopped. My unknowing inspiration accepted the cash, then turned and continued her way resignedly down the street.

I walked back to my car, retrieved my briefcase from my trunk and headed for the front door. When I got to the first step I looked down and burst into tears. Lying on the step was a penny. I bent to pick up the coin, tears running down my cheeks. As my fingers touched it, I could feel the warmth from the woman's body still in the metal.

I had been thinking of poverty and the Universe put the embodiment of it on my doorstep. And left behind a permanent reminder.

How perfect. A penny. The smallest amount of money in our currency system. A coin that will last for years. A reminder that no matter what, I always have some money because I will never let that penny out out of my possession. What an amazing sign from the Universe to remind me of all that I have, all that I have become and all that is important to me in the world.

I got a rare glimpse in the mirror to see clearly reflected just how blessed and whole my life is.

Thirty minutes later I'm still crying out of gratitude. Take a minute today to make even a short list of the wonderful things you have in your life. I guarantee it will change the way you approach the rest of the day.

One Event For Neighbors Of All Colors and Background

About four years ago I was house-shopping in Richmond, VA. I'd been in my two-bedroom brick rancher for seven years and it was time for a change.

After seeing a house located in Richmond's Carillon neighborhood, I fell in love and quickly snapped up the two-story Colonial. Little did I know I'd bought not just a house, but a whole neighborhood.

The first day in the house I was out front in my Pod, wrestling with a large sofa so that I could get to smaller items in the back of the storage unit. At 5'2" I don't look very strong, and the couch outweighed me by a few pounds.

As I was sweating and cursing, the first angel of mercy came to my rescue. Miss Sally, my energetic 60+ year old neighbor (she'll tsk-tsk me if I tell you her real age), came dashing across the street with a, "Girl, let me help you with that sofa," at which point she proceeded to hoist up an end and heading for the house.

That was my first taste of of what a "neighbor"hood is really like.

Since then I have discovered that the neighbors have organized what is practically their own little city. We don't have an official neighborhood watch system, but I know every time I leave for vacation, all of my neighbors keep an eye on my house.

They've even gone so far as to organize "safe yards" for dogs that get out. I know that if my beloved Gracie (my Ibizan hound) gets loose while I'm at work, I can go to one of two designated yards in the 'hood where she will be waiting for me. When neighbors look out for my dog, I'm impressed.

Perhaps the most amazing thing that happens in the Carillon is Arts In The Park.

Started in 1971 by Pat Lovelace and her family, it has become a huge city event. The Carillon is a very racially diverse neighborhood in a city that has suffered from racial tension for centuries. It is also very economically diverse, with houses at one end of my street selling for $120,000 and at the other end for over $1,000,000.

Seeing the diversity and wanting to do something to get people talking to each other, Pat decided that it was time to do a neighborhood project "to draw the community closer together in one event for neighbors of all colors and backgrounds."

Arts in the Park started with 131 artists who spread out their wares in Byrd Park. It was just supposed to be a community event, staffed by volunteers from the neighborhood, who would get to know each other by working together. Money raised from the event would be used for neighborhood beautification projects.

Now, 36 years later, Arts in the Park is still a neighborhood event.

In early March, everyone gets a call from Pat or her daughter, Paige, and is asked where they will be volunteering this year. It's a community honor to serve at the event and it's a wonderful time for us to get to make new friendships and renew old ones.

After the festivities, everyone gathers at the Fisher's house for a neighborhood cookout. Kids race around as adults sip cold beverages and tell stories about this year's event.

One of the unexpected things that came out of organizing the group and putting on what has become a huge event (Over 100,000 visitors in two days) is the money that is raised. The Carillon Civic Association uses the money to clean up Byrd Park as well to host concerts and plays at the Carillon and to fund neighborhood beautification projects in other parts of the city.

I tell you this story simply to let you know that every community, no matter how diverse or disconnected, can be brought together. Maybe this week you can find a way to reach out to a neighbor. Rake a yard, put their newspaper on the porch, clean the snow from their windshield, or just stop and say a warm hello.

Who knows, you might end up starting something big.

As dear old Mr. Rogers said, "Won't you be my neighbor?"

And don't forget to tell us about things happening in your neighborhood that are bringing people together.

New Lives for Old Horses

Did you ever wonder what happens to old racehorses when their days at the track are done?

For some, they are put out to stud or used as brood mares. I've worked on a stud farm and it's not a bad life for the horses. For others, particularly the geldings (castrated males) or mares (females) who aren't candidates for breeding, a less desirable fate awaits.

Many of the retired horses aren't suitable for becoming pleasure horses as they are injured and can't be ridden. For those horses, life's prospects are grim. Slaughterhouses are the most likely destination for them.

Enter Greener Pastures, a group founded by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation n 1983.

The group sends retired horses to prisons throughout the country where they are paired up with inmates. The inmates learn to care for the horses, take daily classes in horse support and can become certified groomsman. Many go on to work on stables after they leave prison.

More importantly, though, the inmates bond with the animals and learn a deeper sense of compassion for others. Says one inmate in Richmond, VA, Harry Blaine, who gets teased by other inmates, "They harass me about it because I never thought I'd get attached to an animal," Blaine said. "But I have. Horses just have so much love to give."

Another inmate, Tamio Holmes said, "I didn't think he'd give me a chance, but we have really bonded. He follows me around now. And I talk to him about everything. I wish he could talk back, but I swear he can understand what I'm saying."

Greener Pastures has found homes for over 1000 horses since they began. Our local prison in Richmond has taken 14 in the past year. If you have contacts at a prison in your area, perhaps you can let them know about this program.

A special thanks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch for running this story. You can read the entire article and see pictures on their site.

In researching this topic, I found several other programs around North America that seek to place horses in caring homes. I've included links to them in the sidebar. If you know of others, please list them in the comments section so we can learn about them. Don't forget to include contact information.

This post is of particular interest to me as I grew up on horseback, riding every day for my first 21 years. I've always know horse people are good people and this just confirms my belief.

Thanks again for making the world a slightly better place than it was yesterday.

Helping Public School Children Across America

For those of you who don't know, there is a big problem in public school funding in America. Many teachers simply don't have the resources (that's money mostly) to educate their students in the best possible ways.

Sometimes that means art teachers don't have art supplies for their kids. Other times you'll find students who want to take music lessons but can't afford instruments. In other cases, school textbooks or computer equipment may be so outdated as to be unusable.

The problems are particularly prevalent in school districts with a lot of poverty and, therefore, low tax bases.

Enter DonorsChoose.

This wonderful organization aims to bridge the funding gap and connect donors to teachers and their special projects. To date, they have found donations totally over $15,000,000 for American school children.

There are literally thousands of projects ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars that you can contribute to. The process DonorsChoose uses is quite simple and elegant.

A teacher submits a proposal detailing the items needed, who will benefit from them and how much money they need. DonorsChoose lists them on their website with all the details and then seeks out peopel to fund all or part of the projects.

DonorsChoose collects the money, buys the items and sends them to the school. In return, the teacher uses a DonorsChoose camera to take pictures of the children using the donated items and sends them, with a report to all donors contributing $100 or more to the project.

What a win-win situation!

In addition, the organization has created a program to allow students to decide where bulk grant money is allocated. They actually teach kids to be grant readers and allow them to decide where large donations will be spent.

If you'd like to find out more about DonorsChoose, check out their About Us page. It's a wonderful overview of the program.

If you're a blogger, consider creating a challenge for your readers and getting them involved in donating.

If you're just an average person who wants to make a difference, let your friends know about DonorsChoose. They have a great blog.

As my grandmother used to say, there is no such thing as too much education. Reach out a hand and help a child be educated if you can.

The Coffee Angel

I recently got back from a trip to Toronto, where I read a wonderful story in the Globe and Mail.

It seems there is a very generous woman, who wishes to be remain anonymous, and she has started a trend called "paying it backwards."

Every morning for the past three years, she visits a Toronto-area Tim Horton's (she varies her location) and buys a cup of coffee (a large double-double with milk, if you're interested). While she's paying for it, she also pays for the order of the person behind her in line.

No matter what they order.

Even if they are buying breakfast for the whole office, she pays their bill.

The local Tim Horton's employees have dubbed her "the coffee angel."

What got this unlikely hero started was a desire to turn her own life around. She had recently been through a nasty divorce and was raising her two young sons on her own. One day day at work was particularly bad so she went out for a cup of coffee.

She was sitting at the drive-thru window paying for her own coffee, when she saw the total for the person behind her come up on the screen.

She said is was like a big, red neon sign in front of her said, "You're supposed to buy that person's coffee."

Since then, all of her friends across Canada have begun doing the same thing in their towns. Her retired mother even went so far as to get a job at her local Whitby, Ontario, Tim Horton's where she insists on working the drive-thru. Every hour she pays for an order for one lucky driver and tells them an anonymous angel did it.

The trend has spread beyond friends and family and often sparks gifts as far back as five cars from the "coffee angel" as recipients spread their good fortune to others.

Says the woman who started the  "pay it backwards" trend, I just wanted "To see how good it feels to do something nice for someone else."

It seems there are lots of others across Canada who want that feeling as well. Maybe we can now spread this feeling little bit farther, like around the world.

Are you ready to be a coffee angel too?

The Giving Heart

Since I started this blog on Thanksgiving, I thought it only appropriate that my first post be about the holiday.

Yesterday my friend, Ellen, and I went down to the Richmond (Virginia) Convention Center to serve Thanksgiving dinner to folks invited by The Giving Heart.

There are lots of organizations that prepare and serve holiday meals for needy individuals and families, but what makes The Giving Heart so special is that anyone, absolutely anyone is invited.

Students who don't have family in town to share dinner with, professionals such as police, doctors and EMT's who can't leave their shift to get home to eat and even people who want to meet new friends or just want to share in a sense of community are all invited to join the meal.

All told, The Giving Heart served 3,000 guests yesterday. The feast included 308 turkeys, 160 gallons of mashed potatoes, 200 gallons of green beans, 200 gallons of stuffing and 80 gallons of made-from--scratch gravy. To top it off, there were 150 apple pies and 150 pumkin pies for guests to enjoy. Local school children decorated and donated over 1000 placemats and centerpieces to make the tables festive.

One of the things that made the meal so enjoyable was that only a small percentage of the over 300 volunteers were used for servers. The remainder were stationed at the dining tables to be "conversationalists." Their job was simply to make everyone feel welcome and to get dialogues started at the tables.

As I walked through the giant ballroom, I was struck by the diversity of the crowd. At one table I saw a young caucasian woman, an older African-American gentleman, two Indian women and a smattering of small children, all happily chatting away over a shared meal.

Some of the day's attendees had obviously spent time on the street and had their shopping bags of possessions tucked under their chairs while others clearly had come from easier circumstances. Regardless of their backgrounds, all seemed to be enjoying each other's company and making new friends.

After dinner, guests were invited to do some shopping. In a room off the main dining hall, The Giving Heart had arranged donated coats, blankets, radios, shoes, children's clothing, socks, gloves, toys, books and even bags of food for the taking.

The Giving Heart is an all-volunteer organization and could use any resources you'd like to contribute. This year's meal cost $8000 after the donations made by local businesses and next year's event is projected to cost more.

If you can, I'm sure The Giving Heart would welcome any small donation you can contribute, including spreading the word about the good work they are doing.

I hope each of you had a happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). If you're in Richmond, VA next year, come on down to the Convention Center and join the festivities. I'll be there!

If you know of similar organizations in your own community, please feel free to tell us about them by commenting on this post. You never know who might read your post and be the helper an organization needs at just the right time.

What the heck is Good Monkeys?

Murder, mayhem, housing marketing slumps, economic downturns, theft, accidents, bankruptcies, corporate malfeasance, rising credit card debts, slanderous politicking, rape, Hollywood idiocy and excess, natural disasters, war, famine; the list goes on and on.

That's what you'll find in most news delivered to the American public. I've read other countries' newspapers and other news portals and, while I can't claim it is true everywhere, it seems to be a fairly general rule that only the stories about human downfall make the headlines.

If that bothers you, you might be in the right place.

I'm creating my own tiny space in the world to write about and distribute only the good stuff that happens in the world. Everyday in communities around the world, individuals and small groups are slowly changing the world for the better.

And we ought to know about it.

Good Monkeys is a simply a place to find out about the good things people are doing to help each other and the planet we share.

I'll do my darndest to find a regular supply of good information to fill your brain, but I could use your help. If you run across someone in your community who is doing something, no matter how small, to be a good neighbor, a good citizen or to help someone else, let me know. I'll find a way to get it out to the rest of the world in my own small way.

Perhaps we can get enough good stories, contacts and information out there to make some serious change in the world. By connecting those who have a lot with those who don't, we can make some progress as a species.

That's my belief, anyway. I hope you'll join me in the adventure in any way you can.

If you like the blog, please subscribe to the RSS feed on the right side. You'll get a notice each time a new article is posted AND if we get enough subscribers, we can get some funding to spread the news farther and wider!

 

As Margaret Mead so eloquently stated, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens  can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Welcome to Good Monkeys. Because we're all connected.