Be the Cause

Love Life – October

After the Walk, I have had several conversations with numerous folks on the structure of Be the Cause and how we proceed forward on upcoming projects. The conversations at times have been energizing and at others times, confusing (right in tune with our secret slogan of “confused into service”) :) . Although the path that lies ahead is not very well defined… it is still our path. Be the Cause, to me, has always set out to be different and to accomplish what most people consider to be impossible. … I think that all of us have witnessed the impossible many times in the last three years. Whether it is a food donation that came in at the last minute, a volunteer stepping in to take over a task that would have gone incomplete, or 500 people attending an event that was organized entirely by volunteers. Although none of these impossible feats have gone without hard work, dedication, or “trade-offs”, what we have accomplished has been nothing short of miraculous.

Embarking on achieving the impossible, however, means that there is no precedent path to follow… we will always be testing new waters, we will always have to find our own way, and we will always be at the beginning.

Maybe it is true what they say, that the “joy is in the journey”. Maybe it is those moments of uncertainty that define our greatest growth. We live in a world that is constantly focusing on end goals and preparing for something that will exist in some future date… and yet, the real changes that are happening, are happening right now.

The other day I thought of Be the Cause as the proverbial stew. Each and every one of us contributes a special ingredient. If we choose to put our love, compassion and integrity into this pot, then that is what we all drink. Thank you for choosing to put the best of what you have into something that is shared by so many.

I look forward to more “beginnings” with you all and to achieving many more milestones that most will consider impossible.

Someone once asked “what is the secret to Be the Cause?” People want to bottle up our secrets and distribute them to others. To me our secret can be written with four letters: “L – O – V – E”. What else are we doing? What else are giving away? I replied that there is definitely something special about service… unfortunately all I know is that it has nothing to do with me.

Sukh

Walk for Hope Update

It is happening!!!

Today, KPFK began to make announcements about the Walk for Hope on their esteemed radio station (90.7 FM for all you folks in the Southern California area… www.kpfk.org to listen on-line). Today alone, eight people registered for the walk through the website… and the night has just begun.

Tomorrow, the Aware Show on KPFK has asked me to speak about the Walk for about 10-15 minutes. 1pm if anyone wants to tune in.

Is all this an opportunity to get more walkers signed up? Most definitely. More importantly, however, it is just another opportunity to inspire service… and that opportunity exists in every moment of our lives. It exists as we face audiences of hundreds, and it also exists as we sit at Thursday meetings licking stamps on envelopes.

We can never know how many people will attend the walk until 9/11. At this point it doesn’t matter… we have already inspired service in each other. Irrespective of how many people actually attend, I know that the journey itself has been worth it. There is a volunteer out there that spent the day cutting and pasting signs for the walk… the opportunity to do service has transformed her life. She will not be a statistic on the day of the event, yet this Walk for Hope is for her.

Ultimately, we will never know how our actions contribute to the lives of others.

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