Lessons from I Am Legend First of all, I hate horror movies. Yet I was gripped by this one. There was an underlying theme that held me glued. Maybe it was the constant battle that Smith walked in throughout the movie.
Will Smith's character Robert Neville creates the tipping point of the movie when telling this story of Reggae legend, Bob Marley.
Marley believed the theory on curing racism and hate was possible by "injecting music and Love into people's lives… the people who are trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. Why should I?"
What if every person lived with an expectancy that their actions would be spoken of in generations to come? People looked back on how you lived, led, and loved, and said, "___FILL YOUR NAME IN HERE___, he/she was a LEGEND."
Today, not tomorrow, live knowing that one person can make a difference. Believe, dream, and decide today, that you can provide hope for a new way of living and thinking, doing and being. Like Smith's character, be willing to sacrifice to defend, or more importantly declare the cure. Ironically, in I Am Legend, in came through a blood samples that were the inoculants.
Love+Light=Life
Until then, much love…and ask "How Can I light up the darkness?"
Start by hitting pause on video one... Ok continue by reading.
The week after the election Rick Cole was stunning in his affirmation of President Elect. He made it clear to those, nearly 48%, who voted for a different candidate, his intention was not to be political. Instead, it was a moment to celebrate that for so many the journey towards racial equality became one step closer. For America, not the presidency, it is truly a new day.
Since then, I have talked to so many who found liberation in the new reality. A reality that can envision President-elect Obama's children playing on the White House lawn. Yea, it's a new day.
I love America. I love the fact that millions exercised their right to vote. That was true power.
I know, the preceding paragraphs will be seen by many who read this blog as political. I have had so much rhetoric, dis-information, and deception spoken, that I've concluded that no matter what is said disdain will occur.
Imagine for a moment, you were one who was oppressed. Would these not be your words:
I went asleep last night Tired from the fight I've been fighting for tomorrow All my life Yea I woke up this morning Feeling brand new 'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming Has finally came true
It's a new day It's a new day It's a new day It's a new day It's a new day
It's been a long time coming Up the mountain kept runnin' Souls of freedom kept hummin' Speaking Harriet Tubman
Kennedy, Lincoln, and King We gotta manifest in that dream It feels like we're swimming upstream It feels like we're stuck in between A rock and a hard place, We've been through the heartaches And lived through the darkest days
If you and I made it this far, Well then hey, we can make it all the way And they said no we can't And we said yes we can Remember it's you and me together
I woke up this morning Feeling alright I've been fightin' for tomorrow All my life Yea, I woke up this morning Feeling brand new Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming Has finally came true
It's a new day (it's a new day) It's a new day (it's a new day) It's a new day It's a new day!
It's been a long time waitin' Waiting for this moment It's been a long time praying Praying for this moment
We hope for this moment And now that we own it For life I'm gonna hold it And I won't let it go
It's for fathers, our brothers, Our friends who fought for freedom Our sisters, our mothers, Who died for us to be in this moment
Stop and cherish this moment Stop and cherish this time
It's time for unity For us and we That's you and me together
I woke up this morning Feeling brand new 'Cause the dreams that I've been dreaming Have finally came true Yea, I woke up this morning Feeling alright
'Cause we weren't fighting for nothing And the soldiers weren't fighting For nothing No, Martin wasn't dreaming for nothing And Lincoln didn't change it for nothing And children weren't crying for nothing
I stood in Oakland. Maybe it was San Francisco. Regardless, I was at the U2 Vertigo Tour. Nels had there with me. A bunch of other friends had gotten down on the concert floor to be near the stage too.
About half way through the set, the lights dimmed. The screen rolled the footage.
It was awesome to see our team tutor at Oak Ridge Elementary. I know it seems like I speak so often about this school but the children are so special. Wednesday's are the strategic. It is a tough day; middle of the week, etc. That is why we run.
With such great traction, we've added tutor. CSUS Friend's have represented with Katie and Ashley. Micah, only days from deployment continues to show up faithfully. Ashkan, the Senior Class President from Colombia University tutored while home this week. Ross, the most passionate guy I have ever met...he works with the kids.
I never dreamed in a million dreams that four years ago when I met for the first time with Principal Steve Lewis that so many would dive in and dream. But we are at a cross roads.
It is the best of times. It is the most challenging of times.
The Best Ahead Children are starting to believe that change is possible. Rather than suppressing the pain, they are beginning to open up and share what they are feeling. They explain with exquisite detail the derailment of hope in their life, their home, their circumstance. Now , because of so many amazing readers of this blog and listeners to the podcast, volunteers are making life better.
A few weeks ago Stef held a little girl. I had not seen the girl smile. As Stef helped her get a snack, they joked, danced and pranced around the playground. Observing everything in my mind's view faded to black and white, but still high contrast.
As if a Hollywood Movie trailer had been produced for this moment, everything seemed to go into slow motion. At that moment, it was just Stef and the Princess. Stef's smile was contagious. The little Princess smiled. It was the first time I had seen her smile.
I saw hope in her smile.
Yet, even now, I embrace the challenge to meet the socio-emotional needs. We have addressed health care and are thriving. But now they trust us and I don't want the smile to fade.
Each story comes with a detail and and basic human need that must be addressed. Those details take time and people power. We stand in need of approximately 20-30 people who have two-hours a week. FAITHFULLY! These kids set their clock by the teams arrival. We have no skill, just availability.
ZERO SPECIAL SKILLS are needed, just a heart of compassion, a quick training, and an unbreakable endurance to do the same segment of 2 hours each week.
Smiles. Pain. Promise. Purpose. Hope.
I can supply the all of the above. You are the answer.
I have had a few rough nights of sleep. Three of the last four nights, a portion of the my sleep was disturbed by the same dream. It is a dream I am used to.
In the dream, I am usually driving this car I used to have. It was a 92 Red Honda CRX. I loved that car. It got me through college road trips. While laying still in a deep REM sleep, the Red CRX rolls into my conscience. I am usually alone in the car and going fast.
My driving is in control and calculated. The problem is not my driving. Its not the speed. In the dream, I am flying down the street. FAST.
Then, as I approach a corner, a car, or some other obstacle, I go to hit the breaks. But there is nothing there. The pedal goes to the floor with no tension. BAM.
That is when I wake up. Yea, I would hate to stay asleep and have to see the carnage of my crash.
No breaks.
I don't think I need a Freud session to figure this out. But it is the first time I really pondered it. Today, while running, it hit me. Sometimes life's pace is out of control. Sometimes I feel like everything is moving at a lightening pace. It is.
I probably would have no other way. But when the corners come, the crash creates carnage.
This Wednesday will be our fifth week since the launch of the Be Change Running Club for Oak Ridge Elementary. Many of the kids started school in September with the 100 mile run still fresh in their mind.
They wanted to run. So we said OK. Days later we had over fifty kids show up for the once a week after school running group. We really did not know what to do. So they ran.
A few weeks passed and we got some running shirts. The Running Zone of Sacramento sent out a request for their runners to adopt a kid for shoes. People responded.
Shoes should get here soon.
In the mean time, the vision has taken on a life of it's own. As the kids line up each Wednesday to run, we keep lining up the future.
We are trying to show them a level of living that exceeds the four square blocks that many never leave until adulthood. What would happen if we took them to see a college?
What if we took them to the ocean? The mountains? I realize I take so much for granted.
