Now that I’ve been in my new apartment for almost two weeks, it’s beginning to feel like home. To this point, it’s felt like I’m in a hotel room that I’ll be leaving soon. I’ve had to learn new patterns around my neighborhood and inside my apartment. I didn’t realize how rooted I was in my old apartment. I wondered if I would ever feel at home in this new space. Would I ever settle in mentally and physically?
On Thursday night, I went to bed late after being out to dinner with friends. When I laid down in my bed, I let out a long sigh. I thought to myself, “It feels good to be home.” And then a huge smile found its way onto my face. Home. It had happened. Since Thursday night, I feel gitty every time I walk through my front door. While I have been busy putting everything in its place, this place has been busy transforming itself into more than just a box. It’s a sanctuary. It’s a place of creativity, peace, and joy.
When things are right in our homes, they are right in other areas of our lives, too. Feeling at home these last few days has helped me to see that everything is going to be okay – in my career and my personal life. Just as I’ve been transforming my home, my home has been transforming me. I’m standing taller. I feel like options for opportunity abound, and many of them begin with me just making a choice to reach for them.
Change is good. And change – real, lasting, good-for-you change – begins at home.
Wilfried Hounyo (left) and Golden Rockefeller pictured with Charles Bolden, Administrator of NASA, a retired US Marine Corps General, and former NASA astronaut
From a water filtration system powered by a stationary bike to a writing system that aids those afflicted by neurological hand tremors, the White House was brimming with the creations of young innovators at the third annual White House Science Fair. One hundred students from 40 different states attended the event, proudly accompanied by their teachers, parents, and mentors. It’s hard to overestimate the excitement of being invited to the White House by President Obama. I’m not sure who was more thrilled – the students or the adults – to be in those hallowed halls, sharing our passion for STEM education and careers.
Why would the White House host a science fair? President Obama plainly and earnestly made the case for this event, which he refers to as one of his favorite events of the year.
“If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”
Three of the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge winners attended the event. Gustavo Zacarias, a middle school student from San Antonio, Texas, built The Dark Labyrinth on Kodu and was invited to exhibit his video game at the fair. The Dark Labyrinth is a 3-D maze that players navigate by solving math challenges. Gustavo began playing video games at age 4, and plans to build a career as a video game designer.
“I never thought I would be exhibiting my game at the White House,” said Gustavo. “I worked very hard during the making of the game and was very happy about winning a national competition, so I’m very excited and thankful for the opportunity to be part of this great event.”
Gustavo was joined by two students from the D.C.-area, Golden Rockefeller and Wilfried Hounyo, who won the Open Platform high school category of the National STEM Video Game Challenge. Golden is now a 16-year old freshman at University of Delaware studying mechanical engineering. Wilfried, a junior in high school, is currently looking at Berkeley, Stanford, and Penn State, where he plans to study computer science as a path to eventually work for NASA. Their game, Electrobob, teaches players about the nature of electrons by combining subject matter from physics, chemistry, and robotics.
Halfway through the fair, all attendees were escorted into the East Room to hear President Obama speak about the importance of STEM education and his continued financial and program support for it. Wilfried and Golden joined President Obama on stage as he repeatedly stated how amazed and inspired he was by all of the students at the fair.
“Young people like this have to make you hopeful about the future,” he said.
The President made several significant announcements during his speech:
The launch of US2020—a campaign by ten leading education nonprofits and U.S. technology companies to encourage companies to commit 20 percent of their STEM employees to 20 hours per year of mentoring or teaching by the year 2020.
The Summer of Making and Connecting program will encompass more than 1,000 summer learning events hosted by leading education-based organizations; the Joan Ganz Cooney Center of Sesame Workshop is one of the organizations involved.
The President concluded the event with a simple, powerful statement that resonated with teachers, parents, and mentors all around the country.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to make sure that we are giving these young people opportunity to pursue their studies and discover new ways of doing things. And we’ve got to make sure that we’re also leaving behind a world that is safer and cleaner and healthier than the one we found. That’s our obligation…students, we could not be prouder of all of you.”
“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.” ~ Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
We want to make an impact in every moment. Everywhere. For everyone. We are a society of immediacy, a nation of broadcasters. We’re about scale, leverage, and reach. Bigger, faster, cheaper, now.
What I’ve found is that there is a lot of beauty and meaning in the small. Compass Yoga, my nonprofit, began with one small class for a handful of people in my sliver of a neighborhood over two years ago. Now we serve over 200 people per week in a dozen classes. We are a slow growth organization and that’s just fine by me because what we are building is deliberate and sustainable over time. We have phenomenal teachers, passionate students, and dedicated partners. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Do what you can do right now, right where you are. The future will find us. It always does. The opportunities will present themselves as long as we put real heart into our work. Help will arrive when we need it as long as we remain authentic and true to who we are.
Every journey of change is built one tiny purposeful step at a time.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner. ” ~ English Proverb
We all carry our share of challenges. We don’t have enough time, energy, money, or space. We can feel paralyzed by our giant and never-ending to-do list. Life can be a slog.
Lately I’ve been taking a different approach when the seas of life get rocky. I take a deep breath and whisper a quiet thank you. Difficulties breed growth.
We don’t grow when life is moving along swimmingly and perfectly (but, oh goodness it’s nice to have that feeling once in a while!) The lessons that stick with me the most, that impact my life in powerful and magical ways, were all gained during times of trouble. When I am tested, I rise higher than I thought possible. When I really need strength, I dig down deep and find it harbored within my heart. We don’t know what we’re made of until we actually need to know.
I don’t wish hard times on anyone. I have tremendous compassion and empathy for those who are bearing a heavy load. I lend a hand anywhere and everywhere I can, and many times that means helping others to see the blessings available to us in every moment, difficult or not. There is always a reason for gratitude.
“Beauty is whatever gives joy.” ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay
They say beauty is the eye of the beholder. I say it’s all around us in the form of joy and happiness.
A smile on any face is beautiful.
A laugh or a giggle from anyone of any age is beautiful.
Sunshine, dancing, singing, art, and music of any variety are all forms of beauty because they give joy.
In our family and friends, furry and otherwise, there is an immeasurable amount of beauty.
I find beauty in even the smallest acts of kindness, grace, generosity, and gratitude. These are all paths to joy and we would do well to take them as often as possible.
Joy – it’s all I ever wish for. Beauty – it’s all I ever seek.
“Nothing in life is trivial. Life is whole wherever and whenever we touch it, and one moment or event is not less sacred than another. it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.” ~ Vimala Thakar
It all matters. The simple and the complex. The difficult and the easy. The joyful and the heartbreaking. Each moment comes to our door to teach us something – about ourselves, about others, and about the world and our place in it.
I’ve been wrestling with this idea a bit this week, trying to make sense of why things go haywire, why they fall apart, and what we do with the pieces that remain. As best I can tell, we pick them up one at a time and help others do the same. They don’t fit together neatly as they did before. But what they create is stronger, more unique, and reflects what we learned in the process of putting it all back together.
Difficult circumstances are hard to live. They’re hard to examine. They’re hard to release. But the process of getting through them, reflecting on what they taught us, and figuring out a way to move forward is an act of sacred healing in and of itself. We can be whole again.
Today it is my extreme pleasure and honor to attend the White House Science Fair. I currently consult at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at the Sesame Workshop. At the Cooney Center, I manage a program called the National STEM Video Game Challenge. Students in grades 5-12 submit video games that utilize STEM skills. Several of our winners from last year’s Challenge have been invited to exhibit and attend. I am thrilled beyond words by their accomplishments!
There are a few ways to follow the event from anywhere in the world:
In the midst of the anxiety and horror of last week, the light is beginning to shine through and the very best of human goodness is driving out the darkness.
Boston
Mary, a dear yogi friend and loyal reader of this blog, told me about The One Fund. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013. To learn more, click here. To donate, click here.
West Texas
The Waco / West Texas Fertilizer Plant explosion caused widespread destruction, loss of life, and severe injuries to many in this small town. There are many ways that you can help ease their pain. For a list of organizations that are offering support and assistance, click here.
And it goes without saying that your continued thoughts and prayers will be needed for a long time to come. Keep them going.
“While infused with love you see fewer distinctions between you and others. Indeed, your ability to see others — really see them, wholeheartedly — springs open.” ~ Barbara Fredrickson
I’ve heard it said that love is blind, but I’ve never found that to be true. Love in all its beautiful forms – for another person or animal, for self, for community, for life, for a project that is near and dear to our hearts – has the ability to make everything appear clearer, brighter, and more joyful. And there is plenty of hard science to back this up.
Last year, the New York Times ran a series of pieces that analyzed the brain on love and the findings are remarkable. It reduces stress. It makes it easier to learn new things and to heal from illness. The power of love is potent and worthwhile because the benefits far outweigh the costs. We would all do well to invest time and effort into bringing more love into our lives.
Many of my friends are now going through or considering big life changes. New jobs, new homes (temporary and permanent), new relationships, new babies. So few of them are actually ready for any of these changes. Hardly any of them could have predicted even a few months ago that the situation today would be what it is. Opportunity abounds and it doesn’t consult us. It just appears and we are left to decide whether to take advantage of it or pass it to someone else.
All of the big changes of my life came about when I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t been planning on their arrival or possibility. They just appeared. My recent move is one example. I didn’t realize that chapter was over until it was.
The Universe works in mysterious ways, and mostly out of our view. It is that (wo)man behind the curtain to whom we pay no attention until it’s ready for us. All change is hard, even joyful change. It brings about memories that are stored deep within us, in our minds and in our bodies. We toss and turn over our decisions. We find it difficult to let go of our ideas of how our life should unfold.
And yet, the actual act of letting go is not difficult at all. We simply do. Like clinging to the side of a pool, we often stay where we are out of fear. But to physically let go, all we have to do is uncurl our fingers, release our grip, and we find that we can float. We can only take one day at a time, one moment at a time, and this allows us to move with grace.
We can’t wait to be ready for change. All we can do is give ourselves over to it when it arrives, find the beauty, the joy, the light in it. Celebrate it and welcome it. Get swept off your feet by it, and have faith that eventually you will be able to root when the time is right.
Today it is my extreme pleasure and honor to attend the 
