About a year ago, I and two of my most treasured friends, Annie and Alex, who also happen to be sisters, decided we wanted to start a non profit. I had a 15 piece photography exhibit lined up and I wanted to donate a percentage of the proceeds to the non profit Bead For Life, based here in boulder. I didn't end up donating a dime. I sold one photograph....ah the life of an artist. The name "A Door For Change" stemmed from this photograph above. We wanted our non profit to raise money for various other non profits. Short and simple. It symbolized, and still symbolizes, that one door opened isn't just one door but a path to many. The many paths of change and influence. We were SO eager to start something, to I don't know, maybe NOT work a desk job and work for something we actually believed in, that our one idea turned to many and we couldn't decide which direction we wanted to take.
We didn't start the non profit. It wasn't right and we weren't ready. Now here I am with a company, a FOR profit company, Little Yoga Warriors, that gives back to smaller organizations, non profits, individuals, etc that are doing incredible things in all walks of life, WHILE also educating children on rich and remote cultures within multiple continents. Speaking of which, I think it's time that I give a SMALL introduction to what is about to take place.
On May 13th I am taking a 3 day journey to Kathmandu Nepal. I will be leaving my neurotic mom weeping at the gates, either from happiness to finally lose all forms of communication with me, (she has been my backbone this past year with LYW) or from pure fear that I will die from polio or Japanese Encephalitis . I know, absurd, but you should have seen the list of shots I was "recommended" to get for this trip. I let the nurse double stab, one in each arm, to get it over with, I am such a baby when it comes to that stuff, and I'll have to take my chances with the rest and will let you all know how things pan out. Ok back to my update. I will be trekking 250 pairs of shoes and socks into TWO restricted regions in Nepal. Dolpo and Mustang, are considered to be the two last enclaves, of virtually unexplored Tibetan territory in the world.
As of now, with the incredible generosity of the guys over at Mountain Professionals www.mtnprofessionals.com all of the socks sit locked away in a storage unit at a small hotel in the Kathmandu valley. Please check out their blog and follow along as fellow friend, Ryan Waters and his expedition team, make their journey to summit Everest. SmartWool has donated the socks, Chaco and Soles 4 Souls, the Shoes. Patagonia supplied the bags. Isis, Totem Industries, SmartWool, Zeal Optics, and Cloudveil have outfitted us. World Nomads Insurance, will be my right arm. If I end up in a hospital or my camera gets snagged, I am ALL covered. AHHHHHHHH, huge sigh of relief, as I wipe the ALMOST sweat from above my eyebrow.
Like I have stated before, we give back to the communities in which we research. Dolpo and Mustang will be the focus of our next (second) book and while the people of Dolpo and Mustang will provide invaluable information about living peacefully with the land, I will return the favor the best I can, providing sturdy, comfortable and warm shoes and socks, and maybe a jig or two on the guitar that I will bring with me. Music IS the UNIVERSAL language and I hope to charm them with my musical skills as my verbal language, will, to say the least, be LACKING.
Why Shoes? This past year I have learned a lot about the human form, because of my own health issues, and I stumbled upon a very interesting topic. FEET are the FOUNDATION of the body. I mean, it seems pretty obvious, but why is it that we know nothing of their powers? To not absolutely bore you of this knowledge I will give it to you straight. If our feet are not supported our body is not supported and EVERYTHING else goes out of whack. The people in these regions virtually rely on their feet for all mode of travel. They happen to be the complete opposite of the average American, and we can all laugh at that statement knowing just how TRUE it is. They need shoes more then we do. And since I love walking around barefoot I will happily give them mine.
This is a SOLO mission. And by "solo" I mean not with a group. Christina, another cherished friend and my partner in crime, will take this journey with me. She and a handful of porters, guide and horses. Many have asked, "WHY are you doing this?" My reply. "Life doesn't make sense to me if I just sit here at my computer delegating tasks, illustrating books, selling books, giving lectures blah blah blah. Life makes sense to me when i am LIVING my life. " Someone once gave me this advice and to THIS day, it's still the best advice anyone has ever given me. It went something like this... and then of course i have tweaked it about and have added my own truth: You can't wait for people to do something you want to get done. You HAVE to do it yourself. Once you do it, clear the path, THEN they will follow. But only until you clear that path will they then walk it. It's up to you to do that "something" you want done.
I can't say it enough. YOU and only YOU can make it happen.
SO, here I am. I don't REALLY have a desk job, although you can often find me in my long johns, sipping tea, getting burned in the sun on the back deck, lost IN my computer. I DO own a company and with that requires a lot of desk like work. BUT I have another book to research for and although I could, why the hell would I research through other peoples research? There is an ENTIRE world to be discovered out there. My life's mission is to discover it, document it, and inspire others to preserve this magic, so that maybe one day, my grand kids can call me up and say, "hey guess where I am going?? MUSTANG!" and let's just hope it's still got the same grace and beauty as it has today, 30 years from now and that maybe my grand kids will have kept their childlike peaceful and loving being to continue the legacy.
I am tired. Enough blabber mouthing.
Be Inspired. Take Action. Go Exploring.
We didn't start the non profit. It wasn't right and we weren't ready. Now here I am with a company, a FOR profit company, Little Yoga Warriors, that gives back to smaller organizations, non profits, individuals, etc that are doing incredible things in all walks of life, WHILE also educating children on rich and remote cultures within multiple continents. Speaking of which, I think it's time that I give a SMALL introduction to what is about to take place.
On May 13th I am taking a 3 day journey to Kathmandu Nepal. I will be leaving my neurotic mom weeping at the gates, either from happiness to finally lose all forms of communication with me, (she has been my backbone this past year with LYW) or from pure fear that I will die from polio or Japanese Encephalitis . I know, absurd, but you should have seen the list of shots I was "recommended" to get for this trip. I let the nurse double stab, one in each arm, to get it over with, I am such a baby when it comes to that stuff, and I'll have to take my chances with the rest and will let you all know how things pan out. Ok back to my update. I will be trekking 250 pairs of shoes and socks into TWO restricted regions in Nepal. Dolpo and Mustang, are considered to be the two last enclaves, of virtually unexplored Tibetan territory in the world.
As of now, with the incredible generosity of the guys over at Mountain Professionals www.mtnprofessionals.com all of the socks sit locked away in a storage unit at a small hotel in the Kathmandu valley. Please check out their blog and follow along as fellow friend, Ryan Waters and his expedition team, make their journey to summit Everest. SmartWool has donated the socks, Chaco and Soles 4 Souls, the Shoes. Patagonia supplied the bags. Isis, Totem Industries, SmartWool, Zeal Optics, and Cloudveil have outfitted us. World Nomads Insurance, will be my right arm. If I end up in a hospital or my camera gets snagged, I am ALL covered. AHHHHHHHH, huge sigh of relief, as I wipe the ALMOST sweat from above my eyebrow.
Like I have stated before, we give back to the communities in which we research. Dolpo and Mustang will be the focus of our next (second) book and while the people of Dolpo and Mustang will provide invaluable information about living peacefully with the land, I will return the favor the best I can, providing sturdy, comfortable and warm shoes and socks, and maybe a jig or two on the guitar that I will bring with me. Music IS the UNIVERSAL language and I hope to charm them with my musical skills as my verbal language, will, to say the least, be LACKING.
Why Shoes? This past year I have learned a lot about the human form, because of my own health issues, and I stumbled upon a very interesting topic. FEET are the FOUNDATION of the body. I mean, it seems pretty obvious, but why is it that we know nothing of their powers? To not absolutely bore you of this knowledge I will give it to you straight. If our feet are not supported our body is not supported and EVERYTHING else goes out of whack. The people in these regions virtually rely on their feet for all mode of travel. They happen to be the complete opposite of the average American, and we can all laugh at that statement knowing just how TRUE it is. They need shoes more then we do. And since I love walking around barefoot I will happily give them mine.
This is a SOLO mission. And by "solo" I mean not with a group. Christina, another cherished friend and my partner in crime, will take this journey with me. She and a handful of porters, guide and horses. Many have asked, "WHY are you doing this?" My reply. "Life doesn't make sense to me if I just sit here at my computer delegating tasks, illustrating books, selling books, giving lectures blah blah blah. Life makes sense to me when i am LIVING my life. " Someone once gave me this advice and to THIS day, it's still the best advice anyone has ever given me. It went something like this... and then of course i have tweaked it about and have added my own truth: You can't wait for people to do something you want to get done. You HAVE to do it yourself. Once you do it, clear the path, THEN they will follow. But only until you clear that path will they then walk it. It's up to you to do that "something" you want done.
I can't say it enough. YOU and only YOU can make it happen.
SO, here I am. I don't REALLY have a desk job, although you can often find me in my long johns, sipping tea, getting burned in the sun on the back deck, lost IN my computer. I DO own a company and with that requires a lot of desk like work. BUT I have another book to research for and although I could, why the hell would I research through other peoples research? There is an ENTIRE world to be discovered out there. My life's mission is to discover it, document it, and inspire others to preserve this magic, so that maybe one day, my grand kids can call me up and say, "hey guess where I am going?? MUSTANG!" and let's just hope it's still got the same grace and beauty as it has today, 30 years from now and that maybe my grand kids will have kept their childlike peaceful and loving being to continue the legacy.
I am tired. Enough blabber mouthing.
Be Inspired. Take Action. Go Exploring.
