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Welcome to my new and improved site. The first version was created in 2006 and was in dire need of a makeover. I realized in looking at my previous site that it attempted to focus in on one or two aspects of my life, yet my life has grown into a multi-faceted gem over the past six years. This website is as much for me as it is for those who are curious about the steps that I've taken along the path to peace. Here you will find a rough foot path at best, but it is one that is well worn yet lively and dynamic.
I've identified five areas of my journey that might be of interest:
Community. We are nothing without it. It's taken me many years to realize this. In fact my career in Engineering was an attempt to drown myself in unfeeling science and numbers to avoid any social interaction. My early attachments to adults were not healthy and I needed to parent myself alone for some time, then get some outside help, and eventually I realized I love people and the world. Growing up in the isolated, suburban or rural model is so unhealthy to our kind - we're human - we're social animals of the highest order. We need each other and to deny that need will only cause suffering, both inside and to those outside.
Living Nonviolence. My journey did not begin nonviolent. Like all of us violence touched my life many times before age 18. These touches molded a young woman unable to trust and on the edge of becoming a violent actor in society. Coming back to life from there was a long journey. I had to find another way to interact with the rest of my species. Before I could engage I had to change me. I changed my diet, my lifestyle, my hair, my religion, even my skin, but ultimately what I needed most to change was my mind with a daily meditation practice. In this section I link to my personal blog and to a blog of a friend with much more knowledge and real life experience than me.
Workshops. As I learned more about peace and nonviolence it was like the curtain being pulled back on the wizard. The truth was both exciting and frightening, and I wanted to share it. I was astonished that I had lived so many years yet knew so little. As I continue to re-educate myself I like to offer what I can to others. I've been in the hills panning for gold and realize that each little nugget must be shared to be of any value. I've offered Adventures in Nonviolence - a nine month series that looked at many aspects of nonviolence, both principled and strategic. I offer skils training for engaging on controversial topics. I've just recently been certified to offer a training in forgiveness, one of the most difficult "f" words we all must face, whether it's forgiving one who has harmed us, or forgiving ourselves for harm we've caused. I look forward to offering more as I continue my journey toward truth.
Library and Information Science. On my travels I discovered that being an engineer in the semiconductor world no longer fits with my new world view. I've since returned to school in a formal way and completed a degree that I felt would help me better get the news of nonviolence out into the world. I believe that the high tech world must balance it's negative component with the positive. As we've witnessed in Arab Spring and in the Occupy movements, the new world of Information Science and web technology is playing a huge part in distributing information and instruction. My latest interest is in mobile applications for the grass roots. Watch for AppsForPeace.org - it will be a unique portal for connecting these two worlds.
Writing. I've been writing for as long as I could. It is my passion and my plague. Whether it's a poem, a screen play or a blog, I can't seem to end this harrowing hobby of mine. The written word has been tormentor and temptress. Reading is a joy and takes our emotions on many twisting roads, but writing takes me under the road to the infernos of agonized hearts and to the heavens that pray them back again. I am both creator and co-creator with what I write. So here lies the darker side of the journey that doesn't fit with the blog on nonviolence.
Thanks for visiting.