tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185838192011-07-07T13:32:42.799-07:00Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.comBlogger501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-8777669327780869182010-05-11T09:55:00.001-07:002010-05-11T09:55:13.100-07:00

One of my more interesting writing projects was to create the content for deschutespassage.com for Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The site was designed to inform the public about the efforts to restore fish passage on the Deschutes River. When the original dams were built on the Deschutes River in the 1960’s, they were designed to allow migrating fish to

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-26245388327034504602010-05-06T09:48:00.001-07:002010-05-06T10:03:31.527-07:00

I’ve long been familiar with the idea that if you state what you want clearly enough, it will manifest in your life. I think the part that always tripped me up was the “what I want” piece. It always sounded so egotistical, so self-centered. I also knew that my own vision was limited—“what I want” didn’t seem adequate to address the needs I saw around me. Yesterday I picked up Wayne Dyer’s book “

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-31631740004089781552010-05-05T10:06:00.001-07:002010-05-05T14:53:25.420-07:00

Listening to the national conversation, it is clear that we are in desperate need of a better way of interacting with one another. We’ve become so polarized that we talk right past each other. Indeed, what is the nature of discourse, of dialogue? Listening – When I listen for the truth in what the other person is saying, I am humbled. Not one of us knows everything. And no one is completely

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-24483907959613128122010-04-30T08:04:00.001-07:002010-04-30T08:10:14.463-07:00

When my daughter was in kindergarten, she learned a song about five ducklings. Each day the ducks would go out and play and each day fewer would return, until finally there were none. Then… Sad Mommy Duck went out one day Over the fields and far away. Sad Mommy Duck called “Quack, quack, quack.” Five little ducks came running back! The song hit me square in the heart and brought

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-51503369075284157582010-04-22T09:08:00.001-07:002010-05-06T10:42:50.211-07:00

I went into the woods today, my thoughts churning with unresolved problems. I tramped up the hill… and stopped. A bed of violets spread out purple and green before me—my grandmother’s favorite flower. I hiked and hiked and hiked. The breeze caressed my face and I slowed down. The smell of spring, the song of the birds… I stopped under a Sequoia tree. Huge and old and solid. Generations upon

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-35467925189514310142010-04-20T09:48:00.001-07:002010-04-20T09:50:36.660-07:00

When I was living in Chicago, I discovered the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, the local African-American community theatre. They put on some wonderful productions. I saw one play there and it made me so homesick for the theatre experiences I had in high school, that I stopped by one day to see if I could help out. I was a bit nervous, being a white girl from po-dunk rural Oregon, but I went anyway.

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-57724330005573908042010-04-16T09:34:00.001-07:002010-04-16T09:40:43.747-07:00

In her book, The Soul of Money, Lynn Twist describes the process by which a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. At first the caterpillar lives a pretty normal life, crawling around and chewing leaves. Then at a certain point, it develops a voracious appetite and eats everything in sight. Eventually it stops and encases itself in a cocoon. We all know this from 4th grade biology. But here’s

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-64533285903767287542010-04-14T09:15:00.001-07:002010-04-14T09:15:08.514-07:00

My high school drama teacher, Dana Brown, was amazing. Actually he had already moved away before I even got to high school, but I still claim him as my teacher. You see, I grew up in a town of about 580 people in Western Oregon. The biggest entertainment was the high school football games. One year the stadium blew down in a storm and the whole town got together and built a new one. Sports were

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-23394968077232626122010-04-12T09:31:00.001-07:002010-04-12T09:31:48.274-07:00

Today’s lesson in extraordinary collaboration is “speak the truth.” I’m not talking about not lying—that’s a given. I’m talking about saying what is true even when it’s difficult and no one really wants to hear it. I’m dealing with a situation where people are not being treated honorably, myself included. It has taken a lot of private ranting and reflecting and self-examination to be able to sit

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-32494544330091604012010-04-09T09:07:00.001-07:002010-04-09T09:07:59.927-07:00

I’m developing a workshop around the idea of ‘extraordinary collaboration’ and it’s turning out to be an amazing journey. Yesterday I decided to just take some time and reflect on the concept. So I grabbed my old foam kneeling pad from the gardening supplies and headed to the orchard to sit under a tree. A noisy plane flew overhead. It seemed appropriate somehow—the noise and commotion of the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-49089270876019459842010-03-09T08:40:00.001-08:002010-03-09T08:41:07.548-08:00

White Purity Cleanness Clarity Hygiene Sterility Simplicity Sophistication Efficiency I woke up this morning to snow—in March. It was so beautiful! When I went for my walk, I was amazed at how much a dusting of snow gives definition to the landscape. Rather than a mass of branches, I could see each individual

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-77194834906713444802010-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:002010-03-04T15:30:23.949-08:00

PinkPhysical tranquility Nurturance Warmth Femininity Love I’m a tomboy, so pink is not the first thing I pick up. But this morning the daphne bloomed, with its delicate pink flowers and heavenly scent. Now that’s a pink I can appreciate. Pink is nurturance and warmth. I tend to just see the caricature of pink—the brassy pinks, the gaudy pinks. But becoming a mother, I’ve learned pink’s

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-35622442565409840542010-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:002010-03-03T06:00:03.344-08:00

Red Stimulation Masculinity Excitement “Fight” or “Flight” Red, the physical color. The color of the heart and body. I don’t see much red around me right now—it’s still late winter/early spring. Too early for the tulips. But the last week or so, I’ve been focusing on my heart. Clearing out the cobwebs, clarifying issues, speaking truths that need

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-57158792752807091632010-03-01T08:08:00.001-08:002010-03-01T08:08:41.826-08:00

It’s March. Tomorrow the Fast starts. I realized this morning that I tend to think more about food during the Fast than at any other time. I feel like I need to make a sturdy breakfast in the morning and make sure I have solid dinner at sunset. But the whole point of the Fast is to focus on my spiritual development, to nourish my soul. So I decided this year I’m going to put my energy into

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-23596859754350207722010-02-24T08:05:00.000-08:002010-03-15T10:24:54.856-07:00

OrangePhysical comfort Food Warmth Security Sensuality Passion Abundance Fun Orange is not the first color I pick, usually. But I’m learning to appreciate it more. Yesterday I saw the new growth on the trees—long orange tips of exuberant life in a leafless landscape. And off on a distant hill, the orange branches of the berry field gleamed against the green of the grass. New life is

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-27305107089070470352010-02-22T08:12:00.001-08:002010-02-23T08:06:38.183-08:00

I bought some fabric the other day to make summer clothes—in beautiful greens and purply blues. An elegant print with some solids to go with it. It all just worked and I was very excited to get started. Saturday, when I sat down to sew, I kept battling a nagging doubt that this is all so frivolous—it’s just clothes. But then I pictured myself giving a workshop wearing these colors and what a

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-10156975158779639902010-02-17T08:10:00.001-08:002010-02-17T08:10:35.726-08:00

Yellow Emotional strength Friendliness Creativity Confidence Today I focused on yellow and the robins showed up. Okay, okay, robins aren’t yellow, but their beaks are. Seriously, it was the most amazing thing. I went to my favorite spot beside the young cedar tree and just gazed out over the field. Suddenly I heard rustling behind me and two

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-60363288137283089002010-02-15T08:41:00.000-08:002010-02-15T08:41:00.203-08:00

Yesterday I went out walking and realized that perhaps the most important color is no color at all. It’s the color of air, the absolute clearness that allows us to see all the colors in front of us. Imagine if the air was blue—we couldn’t see a thing. It’s so amazing that air surrounds us and sustains us, yet is completely invisible to us.What is the color of the wind? Only when air takes on a

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-84498763853650869542010-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-12T06:00:10.303-08:00

Purple Spiritual awareness Vision Authenticity Truth Quality Containment Luxury I’m putting together a team of people to work on content for our local Baha’i website. I was a little nervous about the first meeting—getting all the people together, getting us all on the same page, etc. So I started thinking about what

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-88294045673175031352010-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-10T08:48:37.358-08:00

GreenRestoration Reassurance Environmental awareness Equilibrium Peace  I went for a hike today. It was one of those exquisite February days in Oregon when the sun comes out, the earth warms up and the birds sing their hearts out. The whole world seems to heave a sigh of relief—spring will come. Winter won't last forever. Everywhere I looked I saw green. Fir trees, ferns, moss and ivy—all the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-54044319854578552402010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-10T08:48:37.359-08:00

Gray. The psychologically neutral color. And yet there are so many flavors of gray. Sure, we all know the depressing gray of a rainy day. But there's the ephemeral gray of fog stealing between the trees at dawn. The solid gray of rock and stone. The delicate green-gray of lichen growing on the bare tree branches. There's the dramatic grays of a stormy sky. The soft gray of a mouse's fur. Even

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-35852376976721378092010-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-10T08:48:37.359-08:00

I'm at the point where I need to pass on some of my volunteer responsibilities. When I started these jobs, my workload was pretty light. That's no longer the case. As I started thinking about handing off one particular job, my brain immediately filled with all kinds of ideas about how to make it better, all the things that need to be done before I hand it off, how to manage it after I hand it

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-35724437865922970942010-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-10T08:48:37.359-08:00

Brown Seriousness Warmth Nature Earthiness Reliability Support  It's fascinating to me how the colors flow into one another. I'd decided to focus on each color in turn and picked green next. I felt like I needed peace and equilibrium. But I just couldn't focus on it. Then I realized—I'm still in winter. Everything is underground. But at the same time, I can feel things stirring under the soil.

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-27412137122082906692010-01-29T06:00:00.001-08:002010-02-10T08:48:37.360-08:00

Blue Intelligence Communication Trust Efficiency Serenity Duty Logic Coolness Reflection Calm I've decided to try an experiment and focus on each of the colors in turn. I've been reading about the psychology of color and find it fascinating. I want to see what happens when I really turn my attention to a particular color. So I decided to start with blue. The first thing I noticed were the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-17758182215866157032010-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.086-08:00

I'm trying to live my life from the inside out, to delve in and find the pith of life and live it authentically. I've never been one for surface talk and chit-chat. I'm on a journey, a quest for what is real and meaningful and to live from there. It's a spiritual journey. One of the questions I've been pondering is "what is prayer?" Why? Because I feel a deep connection to something deeper and

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-75436422875033515262010-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.087-08:00

When I come to my stillness spot by the cedar tree, it takes awhile for the mental chatter in my mind to settle down. I breathe the fresh air into my lungs and I just watch and notice and listen. Each day is different—foggy, rainy, sunny. Lately when I come to the cedar tree and my mind becomes quiet, I feel an exhilarating joy sweep over me. I feel connected to the earth and the trees and the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-80873059800263528742010-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.087-08:00

I've been practicing stillness in the mornings for a couple weeks and now I feel impatient - "Okay, enough of that. Time to get on with it." This stillness is hard. I know it's valuable, but I just don't want to do it. I want to get things done. So what would I have once I get everything done? Satisfaction An orderly environment A chance to create Ah yes! Create. And that comes from stillness too

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-75791417102369373982010-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.087-08:00

I know why we avoid stillness, why we stay so busy all the time. It's darn scary. What if I stop "doing" and become still and discover I'm empty inside? What if there's nothing there? At first it feels great to just stop the inner mental chatter and look at the blades of grass and the twigs on the trees. I get a glimpse of the extraordinary beauty and immense variety of the natural world - even

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-54004713204416921892010-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.088-08:00

Yesterday, I went for a walk and the wind was blowing. It was amazing to hear the different sounds it made. I could hear the wind in the trees across the field, and in the trees behind me. When I turned my head, the wind was right in my ear. Each sound was distinct. I could see the wind bending the new blades of grass, but I couldn't hear a sound from the wide open field. I stood next to a young

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-73563481810110693732010-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.088-08:00

Today I went to my stillness spot - my special spot behind the young cedar tree. There's actually a view there, but today it was foggy. All I saw was the curve of the hill below me and the tops of the trees. It was hard to quiet the chatter in my mind. The planes overhead didn't help. And the morning commute was loud, even from the distant country road. But I stood there anyway and watched the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-34028831351758485052010-01-14T06:00:00.001-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.088-08:00

I'm trying to write more, so I've made time in my mornings to write, to think, to be still. There's a place down the lane where I can go and I'm visually shielded from the man-made world. It's the other side of the cedar tree. I go and just stand there and look and listen. I'm practicing stillness. I'm not very good at it yet, but I figure if I keep practicing, I'll get better. The first day I

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-88661345206824677312010-01-12T06:00:00.001-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.088-08:00

2009 was drawing to a close and I decided I needed a new beginning - a new year, a new decade. So I cleaned out my home office. I hauled everything out into the family room - files, pens, papers, boxes, books. All but the furniture. I moved the desk near the window and the whole room opened up. It's beautiful! But then I had a problem -  the two file cabinets I had at my desk just wouldn't fit

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-49825669153339648012010-01-09T09:01:00.000-08:002010-02-11T08:29:33.088-08:00

What would our world look like if we actually followed the rhythms of the earth? Modern society moved away from the farm in our quest for more. We set up factories that run 24 hours a day. We created businesses that demand people work in offices for 8, 10, 16 hours a day. It's damaging us (look at the obesity rate) and it's damaging the earth. The thing that really intrigues me is that we human

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-37549915863538152442009-08-21T17:31:00.000-07:002009-08-21T17:48:14.774-07:00

I was re-reading the Statement on Baha'u'llah and was struck by the first sentence: “As the new millennium approaches, the crucial need of the human race is to find a unifying vision of the nature of man and society.” A unifying vision. What does that mean? What would a unifying vision of the nature of man look like? Right now we have a bunch of different views of the nature of man: In

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-55574901839722110112009-01-16T17:14:00.000-08:002009-08-21T17:17:24.772-07:00

This morning I was reflecting on a line from a prayer:"…make me a hollow reed, from which the pith of self hath been blown, that I may become a pure channel through with Thy love may flow to others."I immediately saw an image of pure water flowing through a green reed and I realized that the reed stays green and flexible because the water nourishes it as t passes through to feed others.That love

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-87229579672094348002007-11-27T09:26:00.000-08:002007-11-27T09:37:26.656-08:00

How many organizations can you name that are dedicated to making the world better? Twenty, 100, 150? Did you know there are over 10 million worldwide? That's 10,000,000 organzations whose mission is to address the pressing needs of the day! Never in the history or the planet have ordinary people organized themselves in such numbers. Paul Hawken, in his book Blessed Unrest, describes the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-22752184408316051882007-09-11T14:00:00.000-07:002007-09-12T08:43:18.814-07:00

I went to the mosque today. Such wonderful people! After 9/11, the community of the Bilal Mosque in Beaverton, OR realized they needed to reach out to the larger community and let people know that not all Muslims are bent on violence. So every year on September 11, they hold an open house where people can come and meet Muslims, ask questions, enjoy delicious food, and make friends. The

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-28034904491185721392007-07-05T14:18:00.001-07:002007-07-05T14:20:47.583-07:00

When I am joyful, I listen better. I can slow down and enjoy things more. And I discover that what needs to get done does get done. And it gets done at a deeper level.I look my child in the eyes and I really see her. I hear what she's working on and processing. I see how she's becoming and what and who she's becoming. I slow down and my work flows, rather than having to force it. When my heart is

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-62369669650800162362007-06-06T08:27:00.001-07:002007-06-06T08:31:06.920-07:00

How do you feel when you walk into the building where you work? Are you welcomed with daylight and a pleasant view? We all know that would make us feel better about coming to work. Now there is movement in the architecture and design industry to bring these elements into buildings more, to design buildings for the people who inhabit them. I went to hear Judith Heerwagen, Ph.D. talk at the

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-12549051558730063992007-01-16T09:18:00.000-08:002007-01-23T09:21:54.543-08:00

Tears came to my eyes as I watched them—youth and adults, standing shoulder to shoulder, singing about 'everyday heroes.' I suddenly realized how rare this was. When was the last time you saw kids involved in a 'serious' event? Yet, here at the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, the young people were integrated into the entire program: the youth choir, the 9th grader who won the essay contest,

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-80135490717517368962007-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:002007-01-23T09:17:24.767-08:00

I saw some amazing things yesterday at a business conference:A respected business leader stood up and stated that stewardship of the planet is not just the right thing to do, it is a sound business strategy. He was met with resounding applause from 1000 mainstream business, government and academic leaders.This business community reluctantly included a performance of the arts in its day-long

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-72405596424081664732007-01-03T09:45:00.000-08:002007-03-08T12:40:19.615-08:00

The huge auditorium is full, buzzing. As the lights dim, the chatter fades. Flowers of every color decorate the stage. A clear voice fills the hall:“We are the Australians, the Angolans, the Antiguans. We come from Bolivia, Belgium, Bengal.”Down every aisle they come. Faces shining with joy. One by one they come. Each in his native costume. Each with her head high, walking tall.“We are the Guaymi

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1165257034803416692006-12-04T10:21:00.000-08:002006-12-04T10:36:48.486-08:00

Does your neighborhood have a grocery store? Not all do. What if that store actively supported local farmers and carried fresh fruits and vegetables from around the state? What if your neighborhood had its own farmers’ market and you could get to know the farmers directly? What if there was a community garden down the street where you could grow your own vegetables—tomatoes and tomatillos for

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1165256086554342822006-12-04T10:11:00.000-08:002006-12-04T10:20:28.886-08:00

As I walk through the farmers’ market, I’m struck by what is going on here. Beets and chard gleaming in their baskets. The smell of chili peppers roasting over an open flame. Knots of people chatting and laughing. A farmer’s child perched on a box behind the stand, in full Halloween dress – pointy hat, orange hair and striped tights. Fresh, handmade tortillas warming my hands in their tin foil

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1165255890370187662006-12-04T10:08:00.000-08:002006-12-04T10:11:30.390-08:00

Imagine sitting by a pond, quiet and peaceful. Now listen and watch. Do you hear all the buzzing and chirping around you? Do you see the fish darting in the shadows? The more you look, the more you see—thousands of different kinds of plants and animals all making up this little ecosystem.Now imagine someone decides to make the pond more “efficient.” One type of fish, bird, and bug. The best and

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1151428720146687532006-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:002006-06-27T10:18:42.733-07:00

I never thought I’d find elegance in something as mundane as a dish rack. But when I took it out of the box, it gleamed. Clean, simple lines. It fits in the sink or on the counter. The drip tray doubles as a plate rack, with a spout for funneling the water into the sink. It’s very well designed: it fits the way we live and any extras are easily removed and stowed away.But what really struck me

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1149780110862268042006-06-08T08:16:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:23:11.686-07:00

When you walk through your neighborhood, what do you see? Are you greeted by name? What are the children doing? How are the elders faring? What do the streets look like? What about the buildings? How are the parks and schools?If you could create your ideal neighborhood, what would it look like? How would people treat each other? Would there be a place to gather and chat and enjoy the sunshine?

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1149109363793973912006-05-31T13:54:00.000-07:002006-06-02T12:01:31.613-07:00

Dr. Kimberly Hindman is a Naturopathic Physician and Licensed Acupuncturist and really loves her work. In a recent interview, I asked her what she experiences now that she’s doing what she loves. Her answer intrigued me:There is enough. From a very practical perspective, there are enough patients for all of us. There are enough people. There is enough time. I have enough resources.This is what I

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1147971490410305082006-05-18T09:45:00.000-07:002006-05-18T10:02:31.456-07:00

In The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist tells story after story of individuals, groups, even companies discovering the freeing effects of sufficiency. Through these stories, several ideas emerge. One of them is…What is Already ThereWhat happens when we let go of chasing after “more” and just list the things we already have?What relationships do we already have?What talents and skills do we already have

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18583819.post-1147717759206737172006-05-15T10:25:00.000-07:002006-05-15T11:36:37.926-07:00

What?! Scarcity a myth? Everyone knows our resources are dwindling. There is not enough and you’d better get your piece before someone else does.But suppose for a moment that there is enough for everyone. Enough not just to survive, but to really thrive. This is the invitation Lynne Twist offers in The Soul of Money. She suggests that when we stop racing to get more and more and really appreciate

Sara DeHoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991100027373709182noreply@blogger.com0