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Ethically Adventurous

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hello travelers ... Elissa here. My friend Tim just sent me this link and I had to share it: ethicaltraveler.org. It's a cool site that helps adventurers of all kinds explore our world with a clean conscience and a pure heart. Sounds very evolutionary to me. A quote from their site sums up our kindred spirits and moves me to ... move! Check it out:
"I take very seriously the sense of our living these days in a global neighborhood. And the first sensible thing to do in such circumstances, as well as one of the most rewarding things, is to go and meet the neighbors, find out who they are, and what they think and feel. So travel for me is an act of discovery and of responsibility as well a grand adventure and a constant liberation." - Pico Iyer
Nice.

Wanna Come Along?

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Hi all ... Elissa here. And, as clichéd as it sounds, I'm having one of those "today is the first day of the rest of your life" sort of days.

You know, suddenly things feel all fresh and new ... and your cup of tea tastes crisper ... and the sun seems shinier ... and you look around at this glorious place called earth and you just want to EXPLORE.

You just want to bust out the door and explore and meet and greet and skip through the streets yelling to people you've never met, "Come out of your holes! We're alive! Let's have an adventure!"

And so you would ... You'd all come out and we'd meet in the street and we'd all go to the train station and choose a random destination by each asking a stranger where they're going, then all the destinations go in a hat and we'd draw one and -- BAM!  -- that's our destination. Then, we'd settle in our seats and drink champagne as we watch the world whiz by for three days and we'd share stories about our lives and loves and what we believe and what we're willing to unbelieve and then... we'd arrive. And we'd go straight to the best hotel and say: we need your entire top floor because we're on an adventure. And they'd say, "Well, absolutely." and they would give us their best rooms for free because suddenly we're like this flash mob art group that's traveling the world, being followed by all major networks and newsmagazines because we were living each day as if it really was the first day of the rest of our lives....

And then ... what happens next?


To have or have not...

Thursday, April 09, 2009
In my inbox this morning was the answer .... As always, it's really quite simple. On the road, in life, from the universe ....

"Too often, the only difference between HAVE and HAVE NOT depends on whether or not the initial request was followed by a thank you, yee-haa, and action, rather than a question mark, timidity, and TV. Don't ask. Give thanks. Bust a move." - The Universe

(Want to receive cool notes from the Universe? Check out one of our favorite sites: tut.com)

"Thoughts Become Things ... Choose the Good Ones!"

Friday, January 23, 2009
Hey all! Elissa here. And I just got this email the other day from one of my favorite sites around these parts: TUTs Adventurers Club -- which offers these handy-dandy, super-cool daily notes from the Universe. Always, they're kookily right on and oh-so fun. (And very poignant.)

This one, especially, moved me into a space of intention for the new year. And I wanted to share. Insert your name in the blank ... how does it make you feel?!
When in doubt, Elissa, show up early. Think less. Feel more. Ask once. Give thanks often. Expect the best. Appreciate everything. Never give up. Make it fun. Lead. Invent. Regroup. Wink. Chill. Smile. And live as if your success was inevitable, and so it shall be.

Happy global domination,
The Universe

p.s.  Especially wink, chill, smile, Elissa!

Goosebumps, excitement, anticipation and toes-on-the-starting-block feelings over here! Let's go!


BE Winter!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Hey all ... Elissa here for a check-in as I'm peering out my window at the amazing winter wonderland ... well, in the Midwest anyway.

Yep, we have snow and it's definitely going to be a white Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa.

And it makes me wonder: how do you embrace (or avoid?!) the winter season??

Do you hide inside, cowering under the covers? Do you become a winter adventurer / unique as a snowflake / exploring every nook and cranny of a snow drift?

Personally, I like to strap on a pair of skis and fly down a mountain / hill / whatever small slope is available ... but come 5:00? I'm inside, locked up tight, my "day" over and the night has begun. And I'm not a fan.

Buy why? I've been wondering about my dislike of the winter darkness and if said dislike simply exists because I haven't joined it ... I haven't BECOME a part of it.

Think about it: in the summer, it stays oh-so-light for oh-so-long and even when the sun sets, we remain lazily lounging among the crickets and stars until the wee hours -- and then proceed to invite the outside in with our open windows welcoming the breeze as we sleep.

But the darkness of winter? Nope. Once we move past the sun, I move past my interest in the out of doors. When it's 6:00 and it's pitch black, I've always taken that as my cue to be indoors, behind closed curtains, allowing no more of winter/outside to be a part of my experience. Or: No more outside time after dark. Call it an odd, seasonal, residual film from early childhood or what, but this has been my reality for as long as I can remember.

And -- thanks for letting me vent -- I think it's time to reevaluate this rule. I think it's time to question this authority. I think it's time to allow my 34-year-old self a romp in the snow after dark.

What do you think? How do you “become” winter? What are you doing that brings the season into your life fully and freakin' exuberantly??

And: want to join me around 7 tonight for a round of snow angels???

Grrr-attitude: Do it!

Friday, November 14, 2008

This morning, wading through my email, I opened my e>v newsletter that came this week, e>veryday. If you aren't getting the newsletter, click here. (Ok, I opened it earlier this week, but it was so chock full of awesome, I knew I'd have to come back to it again and again.) In it, this month at e>v we are all about the practice and power of gratitude. With the American holiday Thanksgiving right around the corner, we thought we'd get a head start on digging into this thing of beauty.

One idea from e>veryday is to create a gratitude top ten list every morning – even if all you can muster at first is that you're grateful to be actually making a list. It may sound weird, but it honestly changes the whole tone of the day into a space of newness and possibility.

Now stop.
Right here, now.
Back away from the glowing screen, grab your favorite pen that writes so beautifully, and a notebook, napkin or the last thank you card in the box of 12, and write your list.

You'll be so grateful you did.



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