I’m a Hurricane Sandy survivor. “Victim” was the word I used to use until I realized that it made feel powerless. Organizations like Recycle the World help people like me who have used all of their funds for basic home repair and are in need of things like furniture and the like.

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No, not all change is brought on by power, vigor and strength of high school and college students but much of it does emanate from these youthful groups, ready to do what it takes and armed with education.

Student activism has been flourish since the 1930’s and has continued to reform itself many times over the decades.

Here’s an example of an upcoming student activist event:

The grassroots movement against human trafficking and modern-day slavery, Stop Trafficking of Persons, has worked to bring awareness to Chico State and the surrounding community since 2008.

STOP’s second annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week starts March 25 and continues through March 29.

The week will feature informative, exciting events such as a presentation from an award-winning musician and filmmaker, a kick-off concert with three local bands and a speaker who survived slavery.

Alyssa Higgs, president of STOP, said last year’s awareness week was very successful and the club has high hopes for its second year.

“Our goal for this week of events is to bring human trafficking, in all of its forms, into the light,” Higgs said. “People are not really understanding that this is something happening here. There was a human trafficking bust Feb. 1 this year in Chico!”

I’ll admit something to you: I don’t like running. But often it’s my “go to” sport when that’s all I have access to. Over the years, I’ve tried to find the pleasure in running, because I know it exists. Maybe some of the experts will have more say on running, even in the metaphorical arena:

“I always loved running…it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.”
-Jesse Owens

“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.”
-Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

“Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.”
-Oprah Winfrey

“Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.”
-PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

“Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you’re young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don’t let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.”
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

We can often get lost in the dull routine of the workplace. It’s hard to find anything positive in our surroundings and we stop recognzing the people we work for and with as special human beings. But some simple steps can change the entire feel of where we work and how we feel about work.

Bring in a treat. Whether its some homemade cookies or some fruit, it livens up the spirits of the people around you.

Tell a joke. Whether its good or bad, people often simply appreciate you trying to be funny.

Get outside. And try to bring a co-worker with you. Studies have shown that even a few minutes outside lifts our spirits and energizes us.

Decorate. Feel free to personalize your space. It makes the workplace feel a bit more like home.

Compliment. We all love ‘em! Give them freely. By making someone else feel good (especially someone you might be having problems with), you feel good.

Listen, work is work and you don’t have to be in love with it. But its a good opportunity to see how simple steps can lift moods and shift and increase energy. Again, the name of the game?

Create your Own Positive News!!!

Positive news can be conveyed via a story, an image, a video…even mere words can be “positive news” to your brain. Indulge in the following, if you will:

Ailurophile     A cat-lover.
Assemblage     A gathering.
Becoming     Attractive.
Beleaguer     To exhaust with attacks.
Brood     To think alone.
Bucolic     In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow     A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant     Like a cat’s eye.
Comely     Attractive.
Conflate     To blend together.
Cynosure     A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance     A brief love affair.
Demesne     Dominion, territory.
Demure     Shy and reserved.
Denouement     The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude     Disuse.
Desultory     Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous     Filmy.
Dissemble     Deceive.
Dulcet     Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience     Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent     Bubbly.
Efflorescence     Flowering, blooming.
Elision     Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir     A good potion.
Eloquence     Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation     Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient     A softener.
Ephemeral     Short-lived.
Epiphany     A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile     At one time, for a time.
Ethereal     Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent     Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative     Suggestive.
Fetching     Pretty.
Felicity     Pleasantness.
Forbearance     Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious     Fleeting.
Furtive     Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol     To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour     Beauty.
Gossamer     The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk
Halcyon     Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger     Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication     Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio     An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue     To infuse, instill.
Incipient     Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable     Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue     A naïve young woman.
Inglenook     A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance     Blithe nonchalance.
Inure     To become jaded.
Labyrinthine     Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe     A special kind of gift.
Lagoon     A small gulf or inlet.
Languor     Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude     Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure     Free time.
Lilt     To move musically or lively.
Lissome     Slender and graceful.
Lithe     Slender and flexible.
Love     Deep affection.
Mellifluous     Sweet sounding.
Moiety     One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen     A slip of the ear.
Murmurous     Murmuring.
Nemesis     An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing     The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia     A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent     Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest     A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea     A solution for all problems
Panoply     A complete set.
Pastiche     An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra     A half-shadow.
Petrichor     The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora     A large quantity.
Propinquity     An inclination.
Pyrrhic     Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential     Most essential.
Ratatouille     A spicy French stew.
Ravel     To knit or unknit.
Redolent     Fragrant.
Riparian     By the bank of a stream.
Ripple     A very small wave.
Scintilla     A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal     Eternal.
Seraglio     Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity     Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery     Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous     Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious     Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna     A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous     Whispering, hissing.
Talisman     A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation     Tinkling.
Umbrella     Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward     Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial     In trace amounts.
Wafture     Waving.
Wherewithal     The means.
Woebegone     Sorrowful, downcast.

Source: AlphaDictionary.com

Ethereal.

I just had to share with you this inspiring article in Gimundo. It’s written by an author who was suddenly blind at the age of 26. He refers to the idea of hitting a “reset” button in life, as he did when he was a child playing video games. Is there a chance to hit a reset button in life? Can you do it all over again?

If you are looking to begin again, you should first learn what is possible in your new life. Some areas will be easier to master than others: Learning to walk with a cane came easily to me, but Braille proved to be my biggest foe, for example. Finding inspiration, connecting with others in similar situations, and building confidence provided the necessary motivation.

Begin by searching out a mentor — someone who has or is living a similar situation. If you want to get out of debt, you should find someone who struggled to pay bills and avoided debt collectors’ calls. If you are learning to be a single parent, find a woman who not only is a single parent, but also leads a million-dollar company, volunteers for community causes, and still makes it to her son’s games.

I found that having a blind author as a mentor helped me remain patient and have faith that I could eventually learn to iron my own clothes, go shopping, and even travel far distances. This person also served as inspiration for my own writing ambitions. Find a mentor who can provide advice on the current changes in your life and serve as an inspiration for your future.

Read more here.

Making a movie is a bit like having a baby. It requires a tremendous amount of time, love and yes…lots of pushing and labor!

Indie filmmakers often drain their bank accounts, max out credit cards, borrow from loved ones and do whatever it takes to have their “baby” seen by more than family members. So when a few make it to the stage of the Oscars, let’s give props to their sheer determination and burning creative spirit.

What was the last independent movie you’ve seen?

Michelle Obama screens indie Oscar contender ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ at White House The low-budget picture is in the running for Best Picture and Best Director. One of its stars, actress Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, is the youngest-ever nominee for the Best Actress award.

It’s a sunny morning.

Didn’t get as much sleep as I’d hoped.

Plenty of work needs to be done.

And you know what I want to do?

Lounge around.

That sounds like a whole lot of nothing…but is it?

Taking some time to lay down, read a book, sip some tea, take in some sunshine, talk to a friend…all of these actions seem very small and inconsequential. But isn’t it what life’s about to some extent? We live in a culture that adores busyness and abhors the opposite. But its that opposite that recharges your battery, allows you to reflect on life…and simply just be. Isn’t that enough sometimes?

So how do you lounge around? How can you make some time for a whole lot of nothing today?

This might be a difficult sell as a purely positive news story. There are politics involved, ecological concerns as well as complicated logistics. But underneath it, something very positive remains: Iceland is teeming with geothermal energy garnered from volcanic action underneath the earth. What will happen with that energy is another question…but there are smart alternatives that other countries are utilizing that hopefully we can learn from:

Krafla [power plant] is today a showcase of Iceland’s peerless mastery of renewable energy sources, another problem that has dogged its energy calculations for decades still remains: what to do with all the electricity that the country — which literally bubbles with steam, hot mud and the occasional cloud of volcanic ash — is capable of producing. In a nation with only 320,000 people, the state-owned power company, Landsvirkjun, which operates the Krafla facility, sells just 17 percent of its electricity to households and local industry.

“This is a very promising project,” said Mr. Hordur Arnarson, the power company’s chief. “We have a lot of electricity for the very few people who live here.” Compared with the rest of the world, he said, Iceland produces “more energy per capita by far, and it is very natural to consider connecting ourselves to other markets.”

Read full story at The New York Times.

As we get older, our ability to dream big diminishes. We realize that we can’t fly to the moon and that Santa Claus was just an old guy with a beard playing a role. We realize that while we dreamt of being an Olympic contender or a prima ballerina, it was a much more difficult path than we thought.

But we lose something when a nuts-and-bolts “realistic” approach on life pervades our being. We lose the ability to come up with imaginative solutions, to open the door for possibility even if the chances are slim…we stop taking flights of fancy.

Today, take some time to reflect on dreams you’ve let go because “reality” got in the way. Do you think you can no longer be a rock star because you’re too old? Well that doesn’t stop you from auditioning for a local band. Do you want to fly but realize you don’t have wings? Why not try windsurfing or jumping from a airplane (with a parachute of course!)

Bottom line: when we stop allowing room for fanciful solutions, our box of life becomes smaller and smaller.

Think imaginatively.

Think ridiculously.

Allow room for impossible solutions.

Allow room to dream big again.

Look what this pig can do!