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August 18, 2012

Marcia Brady, Mars & Me.

The second erotic moment of my life (and very first crush) came while eating pizza and watching an episode of the Brady Bunch in 1979.

Photo: wikimedia commons

Whether it was Marcia Brady or the pepperonis. I’ll never know.

But the first erotic moment came when I was given a copy of Where Did I Come From?, the sex education book written and illustrated for children.

I don’t think my parents gave it to me with the intention that I would look at it—night after night. But I flipped through that book as often as Where the Wild Things Are and The Jetsons Get Pizza.

I was as enthralled by George Jetson’s late night excursion in his flying saucer as I was by this crazy idea of how a man and woman make a baby, as explained in Where Did I Come From.

But my absolute favorite book to tear through as a youth was a National Geographic picture book about astronauts going to the moon.

I recall in vivid detail the pictures of the astronauts putting on their special suits…

being led to the capsule

buckling in before the massive explosions as the rocket ship is blasting off

and then landing on the lunar surface!

It made me so excited about becoming a grownup. I remember thinking how grownups get to go to the moon and ride in flying saucers to get pizza. And as it said in Where Did I Come From—make love!!

Back to the Stars

August 6th may have been the most exciting moment in space exploration in a generation.

In New York City, there were crowds watching on the giant screens in Time Square as the spacecraft Curiosity landed on Mars.

When’s the last time crowds gathered for a space event?

Good for NASA! Good for the USA! We need something big and dreamy to focus on.

As Time Magazine reported,

“If we can do this exceedingly hard thing so well, why do we make such a hash of the challenges at home? Help answer that one, and Curiosity could achieve great things on two worlds at once.”

The landing may have caused a stir.

But will a glamorized hatchback (i.e., Curiosity) roaming around Mars continue to fascinate us? What is there in our time that compares to an astronaut landing on the moon?!

We need a modern day mission—something as challenging as going to the moon. Something that creates positive change in every household. Something that will peel both adults and kids away from the iPad.

Without this mission, we’re stuck staring at screens instead of the stars in the sky.

What’s the Mission?!

To many of us, there’s no more distant yet peaceful a place as…the present moment. How rare and glorious it is to travel to that place, almost like standing on the moon.

As goes the tune,

I see all of southeast Asia
I can see El Salvador
I hear the cries of children
And the other songs of war
Its like a mighty melody
That rings down from the sky
Standing here upon the moon
I watch it all roll by—all roll by.

We all know what stands between us and the glory described above.

As reported in Newsweek, “[Tech addiction] is an issue as important and unprecedented as climate change.”

It’s an issue that touches almost everyone, everywhere. We have to band together in an effort to make it cool to step away from technology and Live in the Moment.

So I have a really important question to ask you…

Will you share some specific way that you live in the moment? Email me at [email protected].

Whether it’s a one minute hug (that means 60 long seconds of embrace) or savoring the first bite of your meal because that is proven to be the most flavorful or enjoying a cup of Holy Basil Tea (which soothes the soul)…let’s hear what you do at home, with your kids, at work, or in the car…to “carpe the hell out of your diem!”

It’s time to think bigger

to push each other to be more present.

to share the ways, means, shortcuts, and tricks we have for getting a little more juice out of life.

…Whether it’s a romantic moment with someone you love (Marcia Brady) or simply enjoying a slice of pizza.

This is your mission, if you choose to accept it.

At the end of my book I shared a quote by Huck Finn.

It’s something to remember next time you are looking down at your screen instead of looking up at a beautiful summer night that is only going to happen once:

We had the sky up there all speckled with stars. And we used to lay on our backs and look up.

~

Starry Starry Nights…Retreat to Sedona (Dec 6-9)

If this idea of a night sky speckled with stars sounds like just what you need…I’m leading a retreat to Sedona, Arizona. There is no starrier sky than one overlooking Grand Canyon country.  Taking place December 6-9 at Mii Amo (rated #1 Destination Spa in the World by Travel & Leisure Magazine, this is a dreamy winter getaway to soothe the mind, luxuriate the senses, and ignite the spirit! Visit here.

Become a Momenteer!

For the past several months, I’ve been asking those of you interested in starting a little revolution to become a Momenteer.

As our world becomes more advanced and more high-tech, there has to be a group of people (maybe you?) who advocate for the present moment, the simple pleasures, the importance of making humanity more important than technology.

And hey, this is not that we stop using technology. But that technology stops using us.

To find out how you can save a seat on the arc and become a Momenteer, email [email protected] and write Momenteer! in the subject.

And to those of you who have already signed on, next week you will be receiving something very inspiring. Stay tuned!

Editor: Lynn Hasselberger

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