Giving and Getting

Hi, friends,

I've been thinking a lot lately about getting out of my own head. When I'm busy working or helping someone else, I have a lot less time to worry. So in honor of how nice it can be to be out of my own head and in case you need a cerebral escape of your own, here are a few unique ways to give:

• One Frickin Day: Forget giving a few people to give more. The world would do better if more people gave less. One Frickin Day asks for just that. Give a day's salary and be done. Or better yet, skip the donation altogether and give one day a month to a local school. Go in and share whatever you can: talk about your job; read with a kid.
• Hole in the Wall Camps: In founder Paul Newman's words, these camps give kids with serious illnesses a place to "raise a little hell." Who can't get behind that? It's about taking fun seriously, and the organization, as a result, is changing its name: from here on out you can give your time, services and cash to the SeriousFun Children's Network.

Learning is another way to focus on something productive, and school has also been on my mind, as the kids all around me head back to their classrooms. Whether you learn about how the universe is put together or how to put together a dress, we could all use a lesson or two. And bless the sweet Internet, these days you can learn all kinds of marvelous stuff - like this, this and this- from where ever you are.

Also, this is just captivating. Enjoy the view into a beautiful somewhere else.

Happy learning and living,
Juli

"It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English — up to fifty words used in correct context — no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)