Dance Your Heart Out

When was the last time you went dancing? I’m not talking about taking a ballroom dancing class, or the “bump-and-grind”, or heaven help us, anything remotely close to the Macarena. I’m asking when you lost all inhibitions, you let loose and danced like no one was watching. There’s an incredible feeling to losing yourself and becoming the person you were intended to be; someone who is free, someone who is full of joy, and someone who has no concept of self-doubt or of feeling judged: you just dance and laugh and all over again learn to love the person you are and who you’ve become.

As Americans, we are a society who has seriously forgotten how to love ourselves and because we are so driven by images of air-brushed “perfection” and the movie star six-pack abs we seem to willingly step into the sinkhole of self-degradation.

This last weekend I was in my friend’s wedding and besides all the amazing food and drinks, and catching up with old friends, I’ve found that my favorite part of weddings is when the dancing begins. Though some dances at weddings can be almost painful because of how awkwardly people stand in the middle of the dance floor without so much as a toe-tap, I am constantly amazed at the beauty and inspiration I find in people truly dancing like there’s no tomorrow.

I’m sure we’ve all had our moments on the dance floor constantly thinking about who’s watching and wondering how stupid we may look trying to moon-walk down memory lane during the customary playing of “Thriller”, I’ve had more than a few myself. Some of my favorite moments to be a part of include when I get to witness a young child bouncing up and down on the dance floor, eyes closed and wearing the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. They’re not dancing with their eyes closed because they want to avoid the condescending eyes of others; they dance with their eyes closed because nothing else matters but their joy and complete contentment with who they are and the moment they’re in.

And it’s not just the child that’s mesmerized, but you can look at every nearby face and see that there is a fascination and longing to be just as that child is: complete. Slowly, this dance floor comes to life as people learn from this child and start to truly let loose. With flailing arms and kicking legs they forgot about the eyes watching around them and truly enjoy being themselves. For a moment, however brief, they get to be kids again and feel the joy flowing as they authentically remember what it’s like to be comfortable in their own skin.

However, the dance and wedding inevitably come to a close and everyone goes home. There’s always some form of brokenness in our lives that keeps us from loving ourselves. Whether we come from a good home or not we are products of our past and of the company we keep. Our brokenness and whatever name we give it inhibits us from experiencing true joy and from loving ourselves…or allowing ourselves to be loved by others. Although there is no “three-step program” to loving ourselves we can take wild steps of passion towards the freedom and joy of being content with who we are and towards truly loving ourselves. Sometimes this takes a night of losing yourself in the moment and truly dancing like there is no tomorrow and if there truly is no tomorrow, there’s no better time or place to learn how to love yourself than in the center of the dance floor.

Nick Anderson is a Guest Writer for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Nick at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com

Re-defining the American Dream

I can’t help but struggle daily with the pressures that are pushed on us constantly throughout our Western culture. The pressures to ‘live for ourselves’, to make as much money as possible, to consume, to always be productive, to look for advancement in all areas of life, to believe that we will find happiness and security in money, and to work, work, and work!! However, I believe that we are created for so much more.  It begs me to question and wonder how things have changed throughout time. Have we always been this way? Do people really find happiness in this model, or just emptiness?

No matter how long we are whipped by this work-horse of productivity and consumption, at some point we will be forced to ask the question: why should I live this way? I believe that the majority of people will realize as they continue to live this way that they will be met with more emptiness instead of true joy.

The famous Hollywood director, Tom Shadyac, shares this exact finding in his documentary: I Am. In I Am, Tom explains how he finally completed his goals of becoming a world famous director and producer (I bet you have heard of some of his films: Liar Liar, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor), and had become extremely rich, famous, and ‘successful’.  However, a condition caused from a bike ride accident forced Tom to look at life differently as he suffered, basically, from an injury similar to a constant concussion. As a result, Tom could barely function in his daily life and dove into depression as he wasn’t able to do any of the things he loved. Through his quest for recovery he starts to really ponder the true meaning of life versus the life that he has lived thus far. He comes to the conclusion that for all these years accumulating tons of success, riches, and self-gain, he still finds emptiness in it all. Through his journey, he ends up selling his multi-million dollar house in Beverly Hills to move into a mobile home community in Malibu and now uses his talents and time to help people. The documentary, I Am, records Tom’s journey in discovering what's wrong with our world and how we can improve it and the way we live in it. He talks with many philosophers, intellectuals, scientists and spiritual leaders. Through many interviews and conversations the truth of how we are more connected then divided as humans becomes apparent. How life is about finding and shaping who you are, what you can give, and what you can share with other people in the world. To leave the world a better place in small, tangible ways. 

This is the mantra in which I hope to live every day of my life. I wish to be the change I want to see by living my life with a different currency than money. My drive is to help justice and love reign by helping people in as many ways that I can. I will chose to not give into fear, but to believe in my dreams and to live courageously in every aspect of my life - even if things seem impossible at times. Remember my friends, it’s better to have tried to make a positive difference and fail then it is to never have tried. Let’s unabashedly pour good into the world and learn from our failures when they happen instead of being afraid or held back by them.

I believe there is already a strong current building made up of many dreamers and doers who are creating a counter-culture driven by virtue, love, and compassion; reframing and rewriting the nature of our world away from the beliefs that security is found in money, that independence is freedom and that it’s okay to be selfish.

Let’s join together and create a different bottom line for the way we live. Let’s live a mantra that is based on how much good we can put into the world and to be authentic to who we are, while allowing integrity to be our guide.

Please share ways that you are putting good into the world and creating a culture that is driven by virtue, love, and compassion. Remember we are all on the same team. We would absolutely love to hear from you!

Stephanie Zeller is the Community Director for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Steph at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

The Eye of the Beholder

Most people have heard the saying: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but is that true? Is it even fair? If beauty is only seen by the beholder, then isn’t beauty terribly subjective? To say that beauty is determined by each individual who sees life differently through various ‘lenses’, backgrounds and passions means that something, someone could be deemed as lacking beauty; simply because of seeing from a different vantage point.

For example, most can agree that the Grand Canyon is a sight of beauty: the vastness, the colors, and the appreciation for such a view. But, what about the graffiti scribbled on the red brick? Some might call it defacement…ugly; others would see it as an enhancement, beauty. So which one is it – beautiful, or not? (Aside from a whole other discussion on the argument of right/wrong use of graffiti)!

Instead, I think beauty is something I believe we discover through understanding, through observation and an openness to learn and receive something different or uncomfortable than your normal routine. There will be things you are naturally drawn to that are beautiful, that not everyone will see. There is also beauty that is seen only by looking through someone else’s lens to see what they see. 

Where do you find beauty? Are you looking for it, or does it slip by while your nose is buried in your phone, or email, or just life?

How do you find it: a busy street or a quiet escape?

And most importantly, how are you sharing it?

-Jennifer Anderson is Content Director of The Authenticity Project, you can contact Jennifer at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

Take the Wheel and Drive!

When was the last time you truly believed you were in the driver's seat? In the past year or so, I have been trying to see life through the eyes of children whenever I find little ones around me, and it is amazing to watch the faith they operate with hourly. During a recent bit of airport travel, I found myself on the underground train with a mother and her two small boys. The boys bounded into the train car and immediately ran to the box seat beneath the back window. Their hands braced against the glass staring down the dark tunnel, the tracks stretching into the distance. "You can be the driver, Tommy. Where do you want to go?" the mother asked the youngest. "I want to drive too mommy!" remarked the older brother jumping in the conversation. Immediately, the older brother looked down at his younger brother reminding Tommy that he would be the assistant driver because of his size. At that moment it struck me. We often take the words that are thrown at us as our new label. As a high school teacher, I watch this daily in young people. Somehow as we age, we become more entrenched in defeat, often just accepting the harsh words of others acting as if there was no other choice.

But not when we were younger...

There is something that happens along the way that shatters the belief that what we imagine in the “pretend world” really does come true. And that is exactly what I find so fantastic in watching small children. There is still a bold, and even growing, belief in what is possible.

In that moment of doubt, the younger brother simply looked ahead, pulled his hands off the glass, and gripped the imaginary steering wheel before him. The older brother, still absorbed in his self-appointed position, never even noticed the bold courage his younger sibling had embraced. We began moving, and the train quickly approached a split and two tunnels appeared. The mother leaned over the young boy, and whispering to him, again asked which way he thought the train should go. Without even thinking, the young boy moved his hands to the right, bending as he turned the "wheel".  The train approached the split, and oddly enough we could not tell which track the train was going to take, and somehow, all of the adult passengers were now watching the movement of this young boy.

At the last minute, when it looked as if the train would not take the track to the right, and the little boy was beginning to doubt the movement of his body, the train jolted, and the train veered to the right! The boy fell to one side as the car jolted, only adding to the surprised look on his face.  He had steered the train in the right direction! The joy on his face instantly captivated the heart of every disbelieving adult that had watched this young, bold conductor.

He beamed. The world of pretend had not let him down.

When we begin to dream, pretend if you will, there is a moment when we believe everything is possible. We envision the life we want, sometimes even taking that world of pretend out for a little walk as we share dreams with others; however, the thoughts of fear and doubt that have ricocheted in our head for years pound those dreams into dust and we shrink in defeat.

But what if....what if you held on to those dreams? What if you gripped that steering wheel with both hands, looked straight down the tunnel ahead, and used your whole body, and more importantly every ounce of your inner spirit, and just leaned in with bold belief?

What if we lived like Tommy? We too might find ourselves in shock over how much power there is in trusting our gut. When we live with courage, the tracks will lead down the "right” path.

Ironically, I was traveling in the airport that day with huge doubt punching holes in my dreams. But that little boy reminded me that it is all in the level of belief we are willing to afford ourselves. In a world that somehow has come to expect dreams to remain in the land of pretend, feed what I have heard called your soul-esteem.  Surround yourself with people who believe in you and will whisper those bold questions in your ear shutting down that doubt.

I encourage you to dream. Pretend with the boldness you had as a child. You might just end up being the "Tommy" for someone else.

Heidi Rickard is the Creative Director for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Heidi at  TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com

Never Ordinary

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was” --Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

I used to do a lot of public speaking at schools, churches, retreats, camps, etc. and every time I did I would try to use stories from my life to convey different themes. It got to the point that when I would return to a specific place to speak again people would ask “Are you gonna tell that story again?” or “Wow, you've had some crazy experiences…is all that true?”  That last question always confused me because my stories were always true, and to be completely honest, I never thought they were all that crazy, at least, no crazier then the average person’s life. You see, the point of telling these stories was never to showcase my life, but simply to use the experience as a catalyst for discussion. Whether it was the disaster that was my first time surfing, or watching a clown accidentally set himself and a classmate on fire (don’t worry, both escaped unharmed), or watching a little girl puke on a flight to California - all these things, in my eyes, just happened. But that’s the great thing about our lives, especially when we have the chance to share our experiences with others, the hum-drum becomes the outlandish and the hard life lessons we learn become inspirational to others. Think about it, everyday we go out and live our lives going through the day meeting deadlines, fulfilling responsibilities, studying, shopping, driving, relaxing, etc., and all around us people are doing the same. All of us are collecting experiences whether we choose to see it or not. This is one of the reasons I love to journal so much (when I’m disciplined enough to actually do it) because it gives me the chance to look back on the day and re-examine some of the things I might have missed:

Did I say “Yeah, you too” to the guy at the movie theater when he told me to enjoy the show?

Was that guy at the grocery store really wearing kilt?

Did I actually go the whole day without telling my wife I loved her?!

As we go through the day, some of these things can slip right though due to the constant barrage of other external influences, but when we take the time to stop and think about them, each ordinary experience can be turned into an extraordinary opportunity to share some basic human ideals.

For instance: the movie theater experience can teach us how over-programmed our responses to others have become - that often times when we communicate with others we don’t speak honestly. I didn't care if that guy “enjoyed the show” because he wasn't going to a show; he was working and serving ungrateful customers (like me) soft drinks and popcorn. Instead of seeing and responding to him as a human being, I set my brain to auto-pilot because I was too focused on not missing the previews (my favorite part of the movie-watching experience), so I missed a chance to connect with a fellow human being on a real and honest level by simply stopping for a second and honestly thanking him and wishing him a good day. 

The guy with the kilt could easily be used to spark a conversation about how comfortable or uncomfortable we are with breaking social norms and looking or being out of place, acceptance of those that seem different or even showing off our cultural pride.

And finally, the deal with my wife shows clearly how often I tend to take for granted the people I love.

These are just normal everyday encounters that can be used to start a dialogue with others or reveal truths about ourselves. And this stuff happens to us every single day!   There are millions of these stories happening all around us, for example: two girls just walked into the coffee shop I’m writing at and both look too young to be out on a school day, and one was just extremely rude to the cashier. So, what’s their story? Why aren't they in school? Why do they have matching nose rings? Are they sisters? Best friends? Why be so rude to someone that just didn't hear your order because you mumbled? Whatever is going on up there at the counter, there is some lesson that can be learned. I think one of the problems is that we have been so conditioned to only notice the loudest, shiniest, most extravagant or controversial stories; the blockbusters or the best sellers distract us so we often miss out on the subtle beauty of our own short stories.

So what lessons have you learned today? What story could you tell about the lady picking her nose at the stoplight? Or, the kid running up and down the street with the superman cape? How would our life be different if we took the time to notice the stories taking place in our ordinary day?

This week:

Take some time to look around and notice the little things.

Spend five minutes before you drift off at night to replay some events from the day: 1. Where did I go? 2. What did I do? 3. What did I notice? And finally, 4. What did I learn?

If you can find the time to do this and string some of these events into a cohesive narrative then soon you’ll start to see trends, reoccurring themes that can take us from simple third party observers of our own stories to the author of an epic tale. 

Erik Ewing is the Program Director for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Erik at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

Resolution Dissolution

My best friend and I have made it a routine that every weekday morning we go to the gym together at 10am. However, recently we have needed to go a little later in the day due to the fact that a new year has begun and apparently everyone in town is trying to follow through on their new year’s resolution at exactly the same time of the day.

We joke that in a month we will have the gym to ourselves again because everyone will have given up trying to gain the body they dream of. But this got me thinking…

How many people actually change themselves at the start of a new year? Should we be changing ourselves?

It is easy to find something about ourselves that we wish was better, but the thought of putting in the work to change it becomes exhausting. So what do we do? Well, personally I use that as an excuse to hold off on doing anything about it. By the time the day rolls around where I am supposed to get up off the couch and make a change, I feel like I am in a completely different spot than I was when I originally made those ‘absurd’ resolutions. I feel like all I can do is laugh at myself. Instead, I realize that, in fact, something HAS changed…my attitude.

As the end of January nears, many of us may start to realize that those resolutions that we were going to “work so hard on”, have already been laid to rest. Does this mean we should wait until February and start over? Or better yet, should we just start fresh next year?

I hope the answer to those questions is obvious.

I urge you to push yourself to use this year to not just change something about yourself that you feel needs improvement, but use this time to learn who you are. New Year’s resolutions can be used to learn something about yourself and not just change something about yourself. If we fail to accomplish “shedding a few pounds” or “quit smoking”, that’s OK. We need to take the experience, step back and learn a little something about ourselves. We might just be surprised what we find.

Ben Heydt is the Media Director for The Authenticity Project; you can contact Ben at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

5 Nuggets of Wisdom for January

In case you have missed any of the articles for January, we have highlighted the theme: New Beginnings, in 5 thoughts:

1.       Encouragement and inspiration is found through sharing.  

2.       Slow down, and give your thoughts a chance to catch up.

3.       ‘Remember that you are “always becoming” rather than “always changing”’!

4.       As MLK Jr. reminds us, it’s worth having a dream, but it requires a first step of many.

5.       It’s time to step out of the fog, and step into community.

P.S. Have you thought about a word to encompass 2013?  

Leave us a note anytime here, Facebook or email!

Navigating the Fog

The current view.

I'm looking out my window, in the great Northwest, at dense fog. This makes the fifth day where I can't look across the street and see what I normally do. It's clouded; a shroud of confusion and so quiet. Lucky for me, I am a Northwesterner through-and-through and revel in these foggy days. But, as the deep, longing fog horn echoes somewhere out in the mist, I begin to think about living in the fog. What if you are living life engulfed in not knowing where to go, and strain as you might, you just can't see through the thickness? 

We've been talking a lot about new beginnings this month, but what if you ache for a new beginning, yet can't get out of the fog? What if you are ready and willing to plant that garden of dreams, but you wake up on the fifth, or fiftieth, or one hundredth day to more dense fog? I've heard too many stories of fog -  financial stress, isolation and loneliness, depression and anxiety, or just plain stuck. How do you move forward? 

I think we can take a hint from the ships currently navigating this thick fog on the Puget Sound: though tracking a steady course, which they can't rely on sight to get them through, they blast the fog horn. In a practical sense, to warn others nearby of their location, but for the sake of our fog - is it not to find one another? If you are silent and alone, hidden by fog, then no one knows where or how to find you, or even that you need finding! You have to reach out, blast your fog horn and allow community to surround you. To navigate the fog together, to encourage and learn from one another. Do you have that community? 

I recently watched the documentary, Happy, which examines the question: why are people happy? Where does happiness come from? And in each case, those who we think should be the most unhappy because they are living in abject poverty, or have horrible working conditions, no life insurance, no retirement...in fact, are the most happy  people found on earth. How could this be? In each case, those interviewed gushed about the community within which they live. Family, neighbors and friends - living side-by-side. And if one suffers, there is always someone to be there. If one loses a job, there is always abundance in food. If one loses their health, the community surrounds and works to bring healing. 

Do I need to tell you who the most unhappy were? Those that seem to have it all. Wealth, power, money and all the material possessions you could dream of. Community always trumps stuff. Need more convincing? 

I recently heard about Touching the Void, the story of Joe Simpson who, when climbing with a partner, fell down a crevasse and assumed dead, his partner cut the rope as nothing could be done. Miraculously, Joe survived though he was broken, starving and frostbitten and facing death. His motivation for ushering all strength and dragging himself to find help? Not the strong will to live. Not the items and gadgets waiting for him at home. It was because he didn't want to die alone. He knew he was facing death and couldn't bear to be without another human. How powerful is that realization? We are made for community. We are made to live dependent and generous with one another. Yet, so often we choose stuff believing the lie that it brings fulfillment. But, in my experience, all that brings is fog. 

So, even though community is messy, and frustrating, and requires patience and selflessness - it also brings support, love, connection and according to some research, happiness! Raise that fog horn -- take the first steps to making community: face to face at work, at school, with neighbors, with the wider community. When you do, watch your life transform and the fog begin to lift.

Need help? Need ideas? Don't hesitate to contact us at theauthenticityproject@gmail.com. 

-Jennifer Anderson is Content Director of The Authenticity Project, you can contact Jennifer at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

I Have A Dream, and It's Worth It!

These famous words are forever etched in history as a catalyst to the magnificent, life-redeeming movement toward standing up for social justice and equality. I am forever grateful for the work of Martin Luther King Jr., William Wilberforce, and so many strong men and women who stood up for the redemption of all people, stating in unison through their actions, that we are all beautifully made and created equal. With this, no person has the right to own another person and each person should have the right and ability to dream and believe in his/her dreams.  Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on these great leaders, their dream that started this call to justice, and in joining their voices, express this simple, yet essential truth.

There are still countless men and women who are fighting for the freedom and justice for those trapped in modern day slavery. In fact, there are still over 30 million people trapped in slavery today! I know this is horrendous and hard to imagine that such injustices still persist in this world. I know it’s crazy to think that there are many millions out there who probably forgot about their dreams or have forgotten the ability to dream among so many other things. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream is still alive and well in my heart and in the hearts of men and women who are fighting for the freedom of these people who are trapped. I hope to, in some way, give these people a way to dream again. For a dream is what starts it all.

These four words, “I have a dream,” were probably said since the beginning of creation and are still being said countless times daily all over the world. In fact, I hope each one of you have said these four words at some point in your life. I hope those words have never left your spirit, but have spurred you on through the difficult times and through the doubt and fears. We must believe in our dreams and the power we possess to change the world.

If you have forgotten when you said these words or have ever thought that your dream wasn’t good enough or too crazy to come true, you need to think again. Like I said before, BELIEVE in your dreams, you are worth it, and you can accomplish so much more than you ever thought possible. And in my personal belief, I believe that especially with the help of Jesus, all things are possible for the good of all people. And just as important, encouragement from one another!

Once you believe in your dream, TAKE ACTION toward sprouting your dream into growing. Start small and write some steps or actions you can do to head in that direction. For Martin Luther King, Jr. lived out each day in light of his dream and took bold steps to making his dream come alive. Imagine the power you have within the choices you make. We all have circumstances that we might not be able to change, but the one thing that makes the biggest difference in birthing our dreams into reality and shaping our lives into the lives we dream of, are our choices each day.

Seeing The Authenticity Project start and grow has been a personal dream come true for me. It hasn’t been easy, but I definitely am so thankful for the journey and the opportunity to grow and learn together. The biggest thing that keeps me going and even excited for what is to come in the face of doubt or others’ hesitations, is the fact that I would rather give my all to see if this dream can come true rather than to never have tried at all and be wondering for the rest of my life, what if?

So, today let’s all recommit to our dreams and take real, tangible steps to making those dreams come true. Remember it’s far more noble and better to have tried than to never have tried at all.

Please comment below about what your dreams are! We would love to hear about them and encourage you forward!

Also, I could go on for many pages about what human trafficking is and the many different ways you can join the fight again human trafficking; however, this is not the intent of this article, but I hope to write more about this in the near future. If you would like to learn more, please visit the organization hard at work to stop human trafficking: Not For Sale.

Stephanie Zeller is the Community Director for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Steph at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

Always Becoming - Seasons, Steps & Chapters

I am jealous of the earth

To be blanketed in snow

To not feel the cold,

But understand the sleep

My body horizontal to the land,

As my skin crystallizes

And I become built upon

By the best architect

I wish I could sit in every corner of the world forever just to have the opportunity to watch the landscape evolve.  A landscape is always becoming, never quite remaining the same, and eternally at peace with change. 

I don’t know if this is the common thought when nature is observed, but throughout my life I have always found myself in a state of permanent admiration for the landscape.  I don’t want to simply feel connected to the environment, but I want to always progress as the landscape does: embracing each season for whatever it may bring.

The new year of 2013 will feel like nothing unless we take the time to breathe it in and embrace this next cycle of seasons, chapters, and steps in wherever each of us are along our journey. Like so many others, I have welcomed this new set of 300+ days with a period of deep reflection and strive for better awareness of my true genuine self. The poem above is something I found during this length of recent soul-searching, and it took me back to the deep longing I often feel to be swept away by the raw and frightening energy of the natural world around me. And how I wish I could do so fearlessly.

For some reason, it feels better to me to say we are “always becoming” rather than “always changing”. This has consistently arisen in my mind when I look at the journey my life has taken me on thus far and wondering where it may lead. I cannot pinpoint why exactly, but I think a big part is because a change feels like we are at the whim of some outside force, but to become feels like a choice we were always meant to make. When I look up “become” in the dictionary, it offers, “begin to be” or “grow to be”, whereas “change” says, “make or become different”. I like to believe we are on a journey of becoming our true selves, rather than constantly changing what we don’t like.

The landscape is always becoming, whether through erosion of its mountains, flooding of its water, or fluctuations in organism populations.  My admiration stems from the desire to be able to become as fearlessly and flawlessly as our 4 billion year old home.

I want to know the peace that the landscape feels as life continues to evolve and grow upon it.  I want to watch without fear, apprehension, or any strong emotion, but with the understanding and contentment that life is always becoming, and that is how it was always meant to be. 

For the rest of our lives, we will always be evolving.  Just as the landscape I admire, we are always becoming.  We are constantly learning to contend with storms or difficult weather, honing our emotions to see the truth beyond them, and cultivating the growth of our personalities.  All of these are the features of our landscapes, and will ultimately lead us to live as peaceably as possible with the seasons to come in this new year.

So the next time you have a chance:

Stop what you’re doing

Step outside

Take in the view

The earth beneath your feet is spinning, and yet we are each taking steps, writing chapters, and harvesting new seasons to become our genuine selves. Embrace the journey.

Jeanne Clark is an Associate of the Kearsarge Cooperative & free-lance writer in Central New Hampshire. You can contact her via email at jmarieclark33@gmail.com.