Good morning on this gorgeous Monday morning! Time for writing and coffee, after feeding my menagerie…

For those of you who aren’t familiar with One More Thing, I”ll recap what this is about! It is the kind of ‘One more thing” that you get excited about!

not the ‘oh, no, one more thing to do…’

*********

While teaching in Pennsylvania earlier this month, one of the things that came up in our many discussions about dance and about life, is the state of the world, a common topic of conversation in my life these days. With frustration at how many people still do not pay attention to recycling, reusing, and taking care of the earth, I try to do my part on a daily basis. We all do a little to help, and every little bit does help, but it is not enough.

I thought, One more thing.

We can all do one more thing. Whether it be helping our neighbor recycle, or not using weed killer on our lawn, or…..

So the Collective Soul and other workshop dancers and I decided to start here, on this blog, every Monday to write in with what one more thing we can do or have done that week to help educate the public or what we have done in their own world. And I invite you to participate!

Example:  Rima suggests never buying a plastic bottle of water again. Get your refillable bottle and use it, or go thirsty that moment. I think that is a brilliant way to start!

Let’s hear it, every Monday…What one more thing can you do?

Bring it on, and remember, it all counts.

******************

You know, this is empowering, and positive, and remarkable! And now you can add yours for today, by clicking the comments at the end of this post and writing your idea! Let us know what you can do this week…

Me… I’m making my own almond and soy milks so that I do not have to buy those small heavy cartons of them in the grocery…I drink a lot of these milks, in  smoothies and cereals and coffees! I hate to buy those cartons and add to the recycling piles… so I invested in a Soybella, a soy and nut milk maker, and am loving it! totally worth the small investment…

Tribest Soybella

Check it out and tell me what you think.

and what is YOUR one more thing?

And you can read the past few weeks worth of your comments by scrolling down and clicking on the word Comments. You’ve been making wonderful suggestions and commitments. Thank you  for sharing with us!

Step up and be remarkable!

More on the farmgirl side of the tracks!

My strawberries are glorious, a bit later up here than in town, but so big and ripe and red and yummy!

I sold my first pints to some dancers, thanks gals for supporting mama paulette’s crazy notion of trying to be an organic farmer! yea…. and my kale is taking over the garden, beautiful red russian kale. just stir fry it up with some garlic, and oh yea….

the Farmgirrrl Divas had two fun gatherings! We all wore aprons, and wait until you see the “man” apron that Darby’s daughter made! we discussed farmgirrrl logos, and upcoming gathering ideas, we were successful at making our 30 minute mozzarella! Yea. Thanks to all who stirred and dunked and read the recipe, (how many farmgirrrls does it take…?)

We sipped wine, ate tons of food, visited my animals, and swirled my poi fans in the setting sun.

at the last gathering, a smaller one, us four farmgirrrls nibbled on veggie rolls,hummus, chilled asparagus, sipped on Kim’s homemade blackberry vodka, while I made strawberry rhubarb crumble, Karen made two wheat-free pies—chocolate cream with strawberries, and cheesecake with strawberries—and Kim made chocolate fondue for dipping fruit! It was a berry theme obviously, and quite tasty!

My new goaties, Gimli, and Sully, and chicks, eight of them, are doing great, the big chooks are running around in the garden, the coop—Coop DeVilla— is done and fabulous, and my man Jeff is starting work on the new pole barn with a loft for my writing and fiber art making…We’ve got some new farmgirrrl interest. We’ll see what’s next!

I love being on the road, and teaching  our dance sisters around the globe. I feel like I’m pulling a thread that is bringing so many of us closer to each other as well as to ourselves, through our dance. I usually take Collective Soul and Teacher Training on the road, so I’m excited to be having it at home again this July, in Portland, and in my little town of Clatskanie! I get to share my farm and my home dancers with these women from other places, so we all get to experience each other, and they get to take classes here with my dancers. We have dancers coming from the UK, Florida, Canada, and several from right here in Portland.

After taking my courses this June in Philadelphia, one of my certified CS1 and TT1 dancers  wrote me with exciting and inspiring news:

“Since leaving the workshop I have been overwhelmed with new purpose and drive to succeed. I have quit my job and decided to teach, dance, vend, and do henna as my primary income. It has been a long time coming to this realization. I have known this is what I wanted to do for a while but hadn’t had the confidence until now. I have had many inspirations and hope I can be an inspiration to others to follow their dreams and make their passion their reality.”

That just makes my work so meaningful and fills me with even great aspirations as well.

I look forward to sharing my home dance space with those coming, and then I take it on the road again this fall, to Milwaukee, England, and Italy, then to Australia in February, and I hope Bali next summer! I hope you can join me on the quest for deeper roots and meaning in our tribal bellydance. I want you all to dance with me and each other!

I love to be inspired by others. to see, read, experience something that they contribute to our crazy life and world. I am continuously inspired and inpressed by Chris Guillebeau and his blog, his travels, and his take on how to live your life anyway that you want, with non-conformity and unconventionality and passion. To be authentic. I have always stuck by these ideas, knowing that I can make my life what I want and need it to be. At the same time, trying to serve a purpose and bring happiness and joy to those around me. 

My dance world has fulfilled this. I love my dance, and I love to teach, to share this profoundness with others, and to help them make their lives full of meaning, passion, friendship, art, and love.

Chris’s two big questions:

1. What do you want out of life?

2. What can you offer that noone else can?

Fellow bloggers, please link to the manifesto here at this page:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/a-brief-guide-to-world-domination

A Few Things You’ll Learn in the Report

• The Two Most Important Questions in the Universe
• Why Ruling and Changing the World are Interrelated
• The Clear Alternative to Being Unremarkably Average
• True Stories from Zen Habits, Kiva, Randy Pausch, and more
• The Most Important Work We Can Do
• Life Lessons from My Singapore Airlines flight to Tokyo

and another entree into the blog tonight!
finally getting the photos together after being on the road.

And Susan Ricciardi did such a lovely job with my new tattoo…

and she is so fantastic, I told her I would keep her busy if she comes out to visit, with all my friends wanting new tattoos!
At the bllyjam that Rima hosted while I was there, Susan sang a native American song to me, (she being part Indian), and Maeve and I were beside ourselves with tears, it was so touching and extraordinary! As is Susan….

It’s Monday, and that’s the day, we proclaim what our one more thing will be…
having such lovely weather, and happy solstice, by the way, my one more thing will be hang drying my clothes outside on my clothes rack, instead of powering up the dryer…how lovely to have the sweet scent of the true outside on my clothes… and avoid all that unnecessary power and energy waste…

and you, what are you doing this week to help?
let’s read all about it!

What will I do this week for my one more thing? The response to this idea has been so positive, I’m encouraged!

And I read…

“Every day, in many ways, in unexpected places, you can hear a new tune and learn another step in your dance.” The Dancing Healers, by Carl Haammerschlag.

a moving book, insightful, words of learned wisdom and experiences…

Alrighty then,

Back from Philly after four wonderful workshops with our lovely sponsor Vikki, and two 3-day intensives! Those girls know how to work it, and me!

CJ Callaghan- PA

Susan Ricciardi- PA

Laura Wilson- DE

Rose “Roma” MacGregor- MA

Shannon Bishop-PA

And when that was done, we went right into Teacher Training Level One!

Congrats to those ladies who worked so hard to acquire teaching skills, how proud I am of you all!

Bonnie Reese- PA

Chrtianne Truelove- PA

Rose “Roma” MacGregor- MA

Jaz parilo- PA

Susan Ricciardi- PA

Also, all of you CS graduates, I have finally updated the website to list all of you, so please check and make sure you are on that ever-growing fabulous list of CS dancers!!!

Collective Soul graduates

Wow, just doing some inventory, and surprisingly, we have only FOUR Mizna CDs left in stock. At this time we will not be reprinting them. Now is your final chance to get a copy of this fabulous CD! My favorites on this CD switch back and forth, but Wazm may still by my trancey favorite of all

06-wazm

and then there is

Colleena,

02-colleena

And then….They sure made some mighty fine music while they were together…

Go to our web pages and BUY NOW

Mizna thanks all of you for their support…

Greetings from Huntingdon Valley, PA! What a lovely area of the country this is outside of Philadephia!

I have just finished up three days of Collective Soul Level One Certification—congratulations goes out to Roma, Susan, CJ, Laura, and Shannon, who came here together to dance and study hard with me, took the test and passed yesterday! Getting down to the basics, again, or in a new way, these women took the course to get to the roots of their tribal bellydance, to give themselves the time to better themselves as dancers and as artists. And to be a part of the growing worldwide community!

Today I start the next course of the three day intensive Teacher Training Level One, here, with five women who have been certified in CS1. And I also will teach four workshops over the weekend for a variety of tribal bellydancers! So looking forward to it. More on this, with photos, when I get back home next week!

**But one of the things that came up in our many discussions about dance and about life, is the state of the world, a common topic of conversation in my life these days. With frustration at how many people still do not pay attention to recycling, reusing, and taking care of the earth, I try to do my part on a daily basis. WE can all do a little to help, and every little bit does help, but it is not enough.

I thought, One more thing.

We can all do one more thing. Whether it be helping our neighbor recycle, or not using weed killer on our lawn, or…..

So the Collective Soul dancers and I decided to start here, on this blog, every Monday to write in with what one more thing the can do or have done that week to help educate the public or what they have done in their own world. And I want you to participate!

Beautiful Rima suggests never buying a plastic bottle of water again. Get your refillable bottle and use it, or go thirsty that moment. I think that is a brilliant way to start!

Let’s hear it, starting this Monday…What one more thing can you do?

Bring it on, and remember, it all counts.