The Road not taken

Morning light brings many things into view.

Mostly, that I want food.

My adventures in the world of Moving Difference, has lead me to speak at several civic groups, pick up trash with youth groups, drive tons of miles, receive a lot of emails and volunteering at so many places across the state and now the country, well – it is hard not to want breakfast because the rest of the day is going to be busy.

This is my road not taken. I am not a morning person. In fact, mornings are for people that refuse to stay up overnight and properly greet the dawn with sneers. Okay it isn’t that bad, but it is bad. And no, coffee doesn’t work. And no, I don’t make everybody else suffer because I don’t like mornings.

In fact many people don’t even know this about me. I truly make an effort not to refuse doing something at 6 in the morning and be ugly about it.

So I am not the “bubbly change the world” person but I am present, briefly smiling and WANT FOOD.

Since the start of Moving Difference last June, I have done more mornings before 6am than I have done in the last five years alone.

I have discovered that if you don’t get breakfast when you wake up that early then your entire day is going down hill fast and before noon…..

I have also discovered that an orange cut in half and the guts eaten make a great cooking bowl for over-easy eggs and ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls. AND a banana with the ends cut off and grilled in peel makes a tasty treat with the frosting packet from the cinnamon rolls!!

Not bad for a healthy breakfast on the road and certainly an adventure to make when half-wake!!

My road not taken of early mornings have lead me to places and people that are beyond beauty, they are life-changing. So I will take this road not taken for a bit more and see where it ends before I wiggle back into the night schedule and remember the mornings of campfire eggs…..

So what is your road not taken?

All new beginnings start from another beginning’s ends.

Bittersweet describes chocolate well, but it doesn’t do justice to the coming of the end of Moving Difference this week.

I am stunned as the emails still continue to pour in with the hours that have been done by people doing the Moving Difference project.

When the final drum rolls with the amount, I am sure that you will be too….

But we have a few days before that happens.

So before then, there will be a few housekeeping items to deal with, and a few other loose bits to tend to… after all we have four more days before that sunset.

Speaking of the sunset, here is the deal.

We have been getting a few emails about where and when.

Basically the deal is whatever you are in the world and whenever the sunset will normally set in your part of the world.

If you can post a photo of it to the Facebook site or email us, that is great too.

The idea behind the sunset is simple. It is a chance to know that the summer has ended, that you achieved with your fellow humankind a great deed in making a difference and that this sunset is once in a lifetime.

I personally can’t wait for that sunset. I plan to watch it until the sky is covered with stars and/or the mosquitoes have eaten me alive. 

Talk with you again soon on other bits.

Cheers!

A Few Good Things Remain

Think about it…

You are part of Moving Difference, it is something that is bigger than yourself.

You are a drop of water of a huge wave of giving forward to our communities.

You are taking one hour a week and you are making a difference while another person is doing the same thing in a different part of the world or maybe across the street.

It is all about the “you” in this world.

It is pretty amazing when you stop and think about it.

The last few weeks of the Moving Difference project, I am thrilled and saddened.

Moving Difference has set out and accomplished what it was to do and then some. It has been a long hot summer and it is marked with wonderful amazing people doing awesome things in their communities hour by hour of giving their time. That is the thrilling part.

The sad part is that it is coming to an end. The great summer of Moving Difference is fading into a memory or a distant thought. And in some ways that is good too. When we all watch that sunset on September 21, 2012 marking the end of Moving Difference and the end of summer, we will also all be marking ourselves as achievements of people that cared and actually stepped forward to be a difference, humans that made a decision to give their time to things that moved their hearts and minds.

As we head together to the final summer sunset and the closing scenes of Moving Difference for this year, I asked that you email us your Moving Difference hours as soon as possible so we can get the count in and going before the official end on September 21.

      I am still very proud of each of you, still working as hard as we did in the beginning when this project started, and still in amazement everyday about how big Moving Difference is and how wonderful people are.

   You being you is the thing that reminds me everyday that despite the crazy world that we all live in, a few good things remain.

Peace,

Jeny

The First Week of Moving Difference

Today is a big day for Moving Difference, today it is a week old!!!

            It has been amazingly fast week!

            I crunched some fun numbers to share with you all about the first week.

            Here it goes –

            Emails received 18,685 – Emails replied 18,542

            Pints of blood donated across the nation – 348

            Hours spent picking up trash – 249

            Hours spent working in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter – 288

            And here is the best number of all –

1148 hours – the total number of hours that Moving Difference has completed across the world in its first week.

            Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

            The world might seem upside down but here we are, a Moving Difference, a week old, over a 1000 hours completed and the rest of the hot summer to go – time to redefine ourselves to bigger dreams!!!

            Moving Difference is now a goal of 10,000 hours by the end of the summer. One hour at a time getting out, moving and making a difference.

            We can do this!!

          We did a 1000 hours already!! By September 21, 10k in hours making a Moving Difference is going to be easy!! And that sunset on September 21 is going to be AMAZING!!

          So come on – Join in! Grab a friend and have a great summer!!

 

So we are all on the same page –

            Moving Difference kicked off with a bang yesterday – 249 hours!

            This is incredible! Amazing and mind-blowing!!

            This is 249 hours of you, wonderful people stepping up and making a moving difference.

             Your time is a precious resource. Very precious.

            Moving Difference is the time of you, your friends & family, your neighbors and even your co-workers.

            I want to make sure that you know that I know it is all about each of you.

            I say you universally in the sense that you all are part of this world.

            This is your achievement, your sweat and your drive to make a difference.

             Moving Difference can’t be done without you.

               Moving Difference is your passion and the world’s benefit.

            I humbly submit that I am a small passenger on this journey, very small.  I am thankful that you all allow me to be part of this amazing journey called Moving Difference. I am grateful for the moments, the laughs, every email, every call and every moment that I spend working on it.

            With that I need to let you all know that Moving Difference did 178 hours today – bringing the grand total to 427 hours in two days – There are plenty of emails to read and post and it will happen. Going to let everybody know the hours total on a weekly basis now since there are just a lot of happy emails to read and process into numbers. But I will take care of that, you just keep being you and know that I am extremely thankful.

            Peace to All!!

First Sunset of Moving Difference

An idea that was first written on a burrito napkin has now become reality.

Today was the day that Moving Difference kicked off, the first day of summer and the first day of the simple concept of moving and making a difference.

There are hundreds of emails to go thru, people reporting their hours and people asking tons of questions – I promise I am going to read them all and report the hours on the Facebook site and of course here.

83.33 people (friends and family) doing 12 hours over a summer, 1000 hours was all I was hoping for. Now I am thinking I won’t be surprised if Moving Difference hits 10k in hours from all over the world at the end of the summer.  

Just today alone – I have emails reports in of over 55 hours of Moving Difference achieved inAustin,Texas– that is pretty amazing and some other good things happening too.

All together for the entire project across the world, it is about 154 hours of Moving Difference right now*** – and that all the read emails/voice messages so far – I still have about 200 emails to look at yet tonight and I am sure the total number is going up! That is the FIRST DAY !!

*** – Writer’s note – it took until roughly past 3a.m., but all emails were read and reported – Total number was 249 hours of Moving Difference..on its first day.

I am impressed! I am shocked! I am grateful! I even cried tears of joy!

Amongst the busy first day of Moving Difference, I did my first hour of Moving Difference. Making balloon animals at a local children’s hospital. My giraffes didn’t look right and my dogs were a bit too big but the kids had fun being critics of the unique world that is the art of balloon animals. Nothing makes you humble like a kid laughing at your attempts to make a poodle and it comes out looking like a pink digestion track with legs. Hey it is my first public attempt at balloon animaling… laughter is good medicine for those kids even though my pride was hurt!! *sniff sniff – smile*

I am still so thankful for the people doing this project – this is a great start!

I want you to know that Moving Difference is because of some really great people – you and your friends & family. It is amazing and wonderful to think that there are people like you out there.

This is the first of one many sunsets on this project

I’m looking forward to the big sunset on September 21, when no matter where in the world we live we stop and all watch that sunset together and enjoy an amazing summer of moving and making a difference together!!

I can’t say it enough – thank you.

I really thank you all for being part of Moving Difference. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer and looking forward to having more people join in this really amazing movement of moving and making a difference.

From the bottom of my heart – thank you for being amazing people! Thank you for being a Moving Difference.

All my respect and love,

Jeny

Welcome to the beginning……

 

Moving Difference Summer 2012

 

The Goal: One Amazing Summer 2012!!

 

The Plan: From June 20, 2012 to September 21, 2012, with our friends and family & your friends and family, we become a Moving Difference. On September 21, 2012, no matter where in the world we are, we all watch that sunset together. 

 

What is a Moving Difference? Glad you ask. It is spending at least an hour a week all summer long getting out there and moving to help someone or something in your community. It is picking up trash at the park, it is reading books to sick kids, it is handing water out to the homeless, it is gathering a group of friends to paint over graffiti, it is finally cleaning out that monster of a closet and get those clothes to charity, it is volunteering with your group or church, it is planting some flowers for an older neighbor, it is making dinner for a shut-in, it is walking dogs at the shelter, it is a garage sale with proceeds going to charity, it is anything and everything that gets you out moving and helping your community in any form or fashion.

 

How do I do Moving Difference?       Easy!

 

               •              Join the Moving Difference on Facebook. This is your way to connect with people like you wanting to be a Moving Difference. It will have tips, suggestions and fun items for the entire summer. There is both a Moving Difference Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moving-Difference/457038127655525) to like as well as a Moving Difference Facebook Group to join (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/260887837341921/ ).

 

               •              Pick something that you want to do in your community to help out. Commit to doing it at least an hour a week or 12 hours over this summer. You can do the same thing all summer or 12 different things. The choice of what to do is completely yours! (If you need help picking something, just ask!)

 

               •              Then DO IT!! Get out there and become that Moving Difference. Even invite some of your friends and family to join you when you do the Moving Difference activity.

 

               •              And of course, when you have done it – come back to the Moving Difference on Facebook and tell us what you did! This way everybody’s hours get logged and we can all inspire each other to get out there. You can even post an “action” photo!!

 

               •              Aren’t on Facebook? That’s cool, you can follow Moving Difference on twitter (@movingdifferenc) or be part of the action with https://movingdifference.wordpress.com or even email us at movingdifference@yahoo.com.

 

 What’s the result? If everything goes as planned, together we will have done 1000 hours of Moving Difference (or maybe more depending on how many people get involved!)- Think about it – 1000 hours of actually helping our communities, preventing just another “boring” summer, getting out there are moving ourselves (despite the hot and sticky) and we will have enjoyed one amazing summer together and one perfect sunset!! That is pretty cool!!

 

Can I invite my friends and families get involved in the Moving Difference? YES and please!!  Everybody is welcomed to be a Moving Difference. Please help us to help get the word out on this awesome project!! This project is truly about sharing the experience of getting out there and moving and being part of the world. 

 

What about this sunset thing?  It is a sweet way to end being part of Moving Difference and the Summer 2012! This will be an once-in-a-lifetime sunset!  No matter where in the world you are, stopping and enjoying the sunset of September 21, 2012. It’s the last day of summer and the perfect way to reflect on an amazing project that we all did together.

 

Other stuff to know: It seems simple because it is. This isn’t a corporate ad trick, bleeding hearts pleads or anything like that. It is just humans, in our own little way trying to do our little part and make the world a better place. We aren’t asking for the moon or your money, we are inviting you to spend some of your time to be a difference with us by moving. An hour a week for twelve weeks means 83 people like you and us can easily do a 1000 hours!! And we know life happens, so if you can’t do one week, do it the next – just keep moving and just keep being a difference.

 

And one other thing: We know that money is tight, times are tough for many people and we appreciate you simply taking the time. Whatever you do as part of Moving Difference over this summer, THANKS!!