Everyday Ordinary

I threw together this graphic because I loved this quote from Woolf, a woman who saw the extraordinary in the most banal of objects and circumstances.

I stumbled upon these photos of what someone did with chain link fences and I wondered what that person had to do to get permission to alter the fences, how much work went into them, was that person hansomely paid? Or did he or she do it for peanuts just to beautify something plain? Regardless, how much time went into these? I don't know the origin or the story behind these but I sort of prefer it that way. It's enough to see that someone took something prohibitive and harsh and wove it into inviting, delicate lace.

Money Can't Buy Everything

As we're looking into implementing incentives at work for excellent performance objectives I began to wonder if they would actually help me do my job better. I mean, I already have a great job and more money than I need so why should I be paid even more for doing my job extra well? I wondered, would I actually be able to ramp up my performance with the promise of a few extra hundreds on the line? What I learned from this video is that I'm looking at the whole thing wrong; I must measure my motivation by more than dollars and cents. This, I suspected but wasn't able to pinpoint the true three motivators until I saw this brilliant little short film. Hope you enjoy!

Song Steps

Amazing, I wish I could think of something like this to inspire and motivate people to do change one behavior for the better...just give me time.

The Uniform Project

Ten days and counting left for The Uniform Project! I am utterly inspired by the NYC woman who decided to wear one dress for one year (she had seven copies made), accessorize with only upcycled and donated accessories and blog it out.

Why would she do this?

To raise money for Akanksha, a charity that puts underprivilaged Indian kids in school. Here's the back story:

The Uniform Project Trailer from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

And the rest is history! Sheena wears some hideous things and some glorious things. I love that she is brave enough to even let viewers vote whether her look is "batty," "brave," "hot," "cute," "try harder," or create your own tag. Some of my Favorite days include:
May 18 and 7; June 20; July 25; August 6 (!); September 3, 5, and 26; October 30 (one of my favorites on my birthday!) & 31; November 27; Janurary 29; February 5; and April 19.


And some duds in my book:
August 12, 28, & 29; September 15; October 2; November 18; December 4; January 30; February 15; and March 13...but you can't say she's not "brave"!

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

I'll be donating this week—I've enjoyed her efforts and creativity so much that I can't help myself; if you're inspired or feel so moved, donate too!!

Uhmazing Upcycling

Etsy has been covering the The Daily Green's Heart of Green Awards and showcased some of these lovelies on their Web site. I'm basically going to abbreviate the blogpost Etsy did so the following writing isn't all mine; I wouldn't cut and paste if they hadn't said it better than I could.

Plastic BottlesThe U.S. discards 13 million tons of plastic annually — more than 12% of our overall waste — and barely 7% of the plastic we discard is recycled. The biggest proportion of that plastic waste comes in the form of plastic bottles (beverages as well as personal care products, cleansers and the like) and packaging. How about a plastic bottle greenhouse? Or a colorful outdoor wall? That's what this sewage treatment plant in Scotland tried, to great effect:










Clothing
Together with leather and rubber, textiles makes up 8% of the U.S. waste. Hand-me-downs, second-hand shops and swaps can take a lot of those old clothes off your hands, possibly even at a profit — unless, of course, you want to use the fabric for something better, like a door draft snake made from old jeans, or this stylish clutch, made from old neckties by Christine Wick:











Glass
Accounting for 5% of U.S. waste, glass is infinitely recyclable. Just add heat! We still only manage to recycle 23% of it, though. I'm guessing that low rate isn't because everyone is using old glass bottles to make new cups, new roofs, or new serving plates.

LOVE the rootbeer and wine bottles with the sanded lips so you don't cut your pouter!












And how cute would these be if your hubby were in a baseball league by night and a businessman by day?

De$ign

One Great Thing Friday

You simply must visit FreeRice.com!

Free Rice is a cure for:
a) boredom
b) ignorance in a variety of subjects
c) hunger
d) all the above

Visit and find out. Whatever you do, don't miss the fact that there are a variety of sujects you can answer questions about. My favorites are Spanish, Famous Paintings, Identify Countries on a Map, French, and Italian. There's math too, but I would never...
Free Rice donates a certain number of grains of rice for every correct answer you get—watch the rice collect in the bowl while you learn!

Thanks for introducing me to this site last year, Gina!

Something in Commune

After living alone for almost two years now (is it possible it's been that long?), I think I'd be amiable to the idea of living the kind of life style the folks in the video below have created. I absolutely love people, but it's not always easy to get along with those individuals who aren't my particular cup of tea. But I'm learning to look for the good things in them rather than the bad (thanks, Lindsey—you make me a better woman).

My pastor did a sermon not long ago saying that community wasn't real community unless it had people who were off beat, annoying, or even volitile; these people bring things out in others that wouldn't otherwise be seen/known.
He told the story of The Inklings, a literary discussion society in the 1940s that included famous Christian thinkers three of whom included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. When Charles died, Jack (C.S. Lewis' nickname) mourned his friend sincerely but confessed to be privately pleased to finally have Tollers (J.R.R. Tolkien's nickname) all to himself and not have to share him. However, after a few visits with his friend, Jack discovered that rather than having more of Tollers, he had, he was surprised to learn, less of him. For only Charles could tell a Charles joke and make Tollers laugh a certain way, Jack couldn't wring out certain convictions from Tollers the way Charles could, nor could Jack inspire the same sort of discussions Charles may have conjured up provoking a one-of-a-kind response from Tollers. Life wasn't the same without "the extra."

So I've been trying to appreciate the "extras" in my life and not despise their strange habits, loose tongues, careless comments, and idiosyncracies...besides, who knows? More than likely I'm someone's extra, and if I am, I must say that I am admirably tolerated.

I liked this video exemplifying communal living taken to an extreme but beautifully, I think. For a place this gorgeous, I think I could pretty much put up with anyone though!

Kiva Diva

What do you mean you don't know what Kiva is? Okay, I admit. I didn't either. Not until Blake, tech-o extraordinaire from work and bringer of all things philanthropic, brought the Web site's existence to my attention.

Kiva = loans that change lives

Instead of simply donating money to a cause, you invest a certain dollar amount (can be $5 or $500) in an entrepreneur somewhere in the world as a loan. The entrepreneur makes good on the loan, paying it back so you can then reinvest in a different entrepreneur to help him/her until they can pay it back, and so on.
Get it?

For further clarification, here's their shpiel: Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.
Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

I'm off to empower the people; happy lending, tell a friend!!

I Have Found Handmade Nirvana

Etsy is the best thing since store-bought cookie dough.

My goal is to someday sell, but for now I'm just a fan and potential buyer.
There are lots of ways to shop. My favorite way is "by color":



You should check this linked page out just to see how amazing a Web page can be if nothing else.

You can always shop by editor's picks, those artists local to your community, by showcased items, "pounce" (shopping items that have just sold), or, of course, by category. There's also a "time machine" for those of us who love all things vintage.

(left: pinprick art on paper) For me, the most valuable thing etsy.com offers is pure inspiration. It shows me concepts and beauty I hadn't and, arguably, couldn't have conceived of by myself. Etsy sells anything you can think of that's handmade, but consider them the next time you need an original baby gift (hats, blankies, outfits, toys), wall art, a new purse, handmade soaps, furniture, jewelry (especially this), or even an outfit you can be sure no one else will be wearing.
Finally, if you're overwhelmed by the variety or number of sellers, visit yellowgoatdesign.blogspot.com; she's got a great eye and finds the best stuff.

Live large, drink deep, and seek inspiration!

Give More Presence

There's this fantastic event my church is holding this Sunday, they're putting on a church concert and "Christmas Shoppe" featuring items available for purchase to benefit different organizations and causes. I am so excited!! Of course the items are just gravy, the true fun is to know that one's money goes to a good cause. Obviously, most of you reading this won't have an opportunity to attend, but the good news is that everyone can give differently this year in his or her own way.

To motivate others to attend, Flood Church ran this film you'll see right away if you follow the link below. Please do so, I challenge you to be unmoved (besides, the graphic design ROCKS). Enjoy and consider ways we might challenge ourselves to give more of ourselves and less stuff; something I'm guilty of every year.

And yes, I did steal my post title from the video, I admit it.

I Bet You $1 You'll Read This

That's what the guy's cardboard sign read, held in grimy hands, resting on red, inflamed legs of an emaciated man sitting in a wheelchair outside the Petco Park where I was about to go to my first Padres baseball game. I read it. I didn't give him a dollar. I went inside and had a great time, between great company, home runs, and a win for the home team it was the quintessential summer San Diego experience.

On our way out of the stadium, I saw the man again, people milling around him. He was staring off, his eyes were downcast and a pale blue made more dramatic by his dirty, olive-skinned face. His eyes were sort of beautiful. I asked my group to wait a minute as I dug around in my purse. I produced a granola bar and presented it to the man asking, “Are you hungry?” I realize this was sort of an absurd question, but it was enough to jolt him out of his thoughts. He graciously accepted it. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze and said, “Take care of yourself”. More than anything, he seemed surprised by my touch.

San Diego is home to so many more (at least visible) suffering from poverty than I was used to seeing in Lincoln, and this Monday, my bemusement with the number of homeless I see on a day-to-day basis outgrew my complacency. I participated in an outreach called FloodLove, organized by my church during which a group of us meet at a supermarket in the heart of downtown, buy up some groceries, and hit the streets to seek out the homeless. They’re not hard to find. We ask them what they need, water, food, talk to them and learn their stories, make physical contact, and, if it feels like the right time, witness. We gave away eight bibles this week, we only give them if the person asks for one, they know we’re from the church so they’ll typically ask if they want one.

It was an incredible experience, but as we walked away from people calling after us “God bless you” and “Thank you so much, much appreciated”, I saw incompletion in the small piles of food on soiled blankets or being eaten with dirty fingers. What good will our snacks and kind words do by tomorrow once hunger and discouragement return?

Luckily, I know this amazing woman, Lindsey Partridge, who just so happens to work at the San Diego Rescue Mission to aid the homeless. Their mission, as she explained to me last night, is not only to provide meals and shelter, but to also transition the homeless into functioning citizens with purpose. She added that several former clients of theirs now work in the office. It fills me with hope to think of one of the men or women I met on the street going from a shopping cart and blanket to a place to live, a change of clothes, and food in cupboards. How often I take these things for granted.

So the plan is to collect some pamphlets on and educate myself about this organization so I can offer a next step should someone be interested, and trust me, many of them are.

As I conclude this lengthy post, know that this is not a page in the Charitable Life of Meg Schudel. If it were my choice, I would be sitting on my butt watching a movie rented from the library sipping a glass of wine in my cozy apartment (which may or may not be my plan for this evening). In fact, Monday evening, one hour before I was supposed to meet up with FloodLove, I didn’t feel well at all. It’s been so very long since God’s actually said anything to me, that I’ve forgotten what his voice sounds like. I still talk to Him, but I’ve ceased to even expect a response. But I asked God, “Okay, I feel like crap. But I think going is the right thing to do. So what do you want?” immediately, I heard “Feed my sheep”. It sounded like my voice in my head, but it had not come from me. I know because it was so automatic, so without process or consent.

So whatever else comes from this new purpose God has for me, I have to tell ya, I’m just glad He’s talking to me again.