“Help the earth, protect it or nothing can happen, so like…” —Kacy
motherhood
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 447: “Find The Magic”
“There’s me words of wisdom… If you are going to commit, commit all the way…” —Chuck (with Karen)
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 445: "Stuff Like This"
“’Alright… I’ll quote the peace movement. Once you’ve marched around the United States, back and forth… from Pasadena to New York and back like four times. 27,000 miles. ‘Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, hatred with love…’” —Dale
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 442: “Pay It Forward… Like The Movie”
“Enjoy peoples differences, including silly. Laugh as much as you can. Smile. Do goofy things. You know, to get other people to smile and come out of their shell. Don’t just look at people who are different with a, you know, oh gosh they’re awful because they are acting so silly, or so weird, or whatever. Or because they are a different color, or they are too old…” —Patricia (with George)
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 438: “What Good Is Waiting?”
Sometimes it feels as if the world is conspiring against 365, something that I am learning to take as a compliment. My reasoning? If what we are doing has no significance then it would most likely receive no resistance. So again, bumps are just part of the path in growing our community and our message of unity.
Why do I express this notion? Well, let’s just call it the mystique of the magnetic jungle and its effect on the audible world. Easier translated: My batteries died mid-interview on microphone one.
“Way to go Richard! You’ve directed and produced industrial film and commercials. How can you let this happen?”
I know, mud in my face. To say I have any excuse would be a great fabrication. I was monitoring the interview of today’s “Stranger,” now “Friend,” Liza. I took my time setting the audio levels. Yet at the end of the day I ended up with very sketchy sound. So much so that I am embarrassed to even stream what seems like more background noise than narrative. Yes, microphone one was the very microphone that was intended to capture Liza’s words. But there is a silver lining to this story. Maybe even a higher than my reason for its happening.
You see, for days I’ve had a message growing in my heart, one that has blossomed from the meeting of our last several strangers, all people who originate (Like Liza), not from North American soil, but from continents troubled by great abuse of human rights–countries that, for many, give first-hand witness to the depths of human brutality (and I am making a few assumptions here as to the full history of my new friends). So perhaps loosing my audio was meant to be, as it allows me to write this entry—that is, if you believe that sort of thing.
Still, credit to whom credit is due, for Liza, an amazing artist in her own right, begins our narrative theatrically by asking to sing a song. That’s right… a song, as I interview her on the sidewalks of Tarzana, California–a song that reminds us of the resiliency of many of our 365 friends.
As Liza sings, no worry does she show while many passing pedestrians gaze at us, nor does she flinch with any display of intimidation as my two cameras stare right back at her—just a joyful peace to offer her talent.
At first meeting with Liza, it is easy to be smitten. There is a special quality to this brave lady. An essence that draws you to want to know her, one that is more than merely comforting, it is inviting.
Born in Lebanon, Liza migrated to the United States in 1978. In speaking with her it is impossible to not feel of her depth of understanding of this experience we call “life.” Light-filled is her face and pure and direct are her words… oh yea, that song? Liza sets it up.
“I’d love to sing a song. It is an international song the applies everywhere and to all people.”
In a voice the likes of Liza Minnelli she begins:
What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret
Put down the knitting, the book and the broom
It’s time for a holiday
Life is a cabaret, old chum
So come to the cabaret
Come taste the wine
Come hear the band
Come blow that horn
Start celebrating right this way
Your table’s waiting
What could permitting some prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away
Life is a cabaret, old chum
So come to the cabaret
I used to have this girlfriend known as Elsie
With whom I shared four sordid rooms in Chelsea
She wasn’t what you’d call a blushing flower
As a matter of fact she rented by the hour
The day she died the neighbors came to snicker
“Well, that’s what comes from too much pills and liquor”
But when I saw her laid out like a Queen
She was the happiest corpse, I’d ever seen
I think of Elsie to this very day
I remember how she’d turn to me and say
“What good is sitting all alone in your room?
Come hear the music play
Life is a cabaret, old chum
Come to the cabaret
And as for me
And as for me
I made my mind up, back in Chelsea
When I go, I’m going like Elsie
Start by admitting from cradle to tomb
Isn’t that long a stay
Life is a cabaret, old chum
It’s only a cabaret, old chum
And I love a cabaret
As I sit her, absorbing the lyrics, a somber note is kindled in my heart as a think of Elsie, the central character in the lyrics. What side of the track of judgment do I (and we) stand on? Are we comfortably seated at the platform of the snickering neighbors, or are we willing to admit to the shared length of our stay? A thoughtful consideration for certain; not one of us is perfect or infallible.
The point being (and what I feel Liza is suggesting) is that we should look beyond the first impression we conjure as we interact with the people around us and, in doing so, lovingly embrace the cabaret we call life.
She shares a few thought as to how to get there. “We have to create happiness for the children. The children today don’t have happiness. The parents are not happy. Me as a kid, I remember with my family. I was a very happy kid. That’s why I am able to smile and give this love to other people. But we don’t see this in this young generation; too much greed, too much selfishness. Why don’t we replace that with loving each other?
With all the races and all these religions. We only need one religion in this world. It’s the respect and to love each other, and with that we will not create this fundamentalist and the extremists, and these dirty politics around the world. We can share the whole earth with love, and worshipping our lord. You know, God above, God almighty… Amen.”
Liza, thank you for your street side audition. But with that said, may we remove you from the stage and place you in a new role for the day. Welcome, Director Liza, you have motivated us as participants in a virtual and ongoing awakening of unity. Its title, “What Good Is Waiting?”
Talk soon my good friends,
Richard
A Four Letter Word
I sit here writing, contemplative, examining… I sit here, looking at my wife and daughter across the room, wondering about the example I am setting for them? I sit here thinking about the sum whole of why Operation-365 even exists and the blood, sweat and tears put into building it. I sit here in analysis—self-debating as I decide to recommit to my essays in adding a different spin on our daily entries.
For almost three years Operation-365 has allowed us to meet and get to know 100s of absolute strangers, and it will continue to do so. To read about, and now with the video entries, to literally hear the words shared by these hundreds of brave people. All walks of life have we met. All manner of attitudes have we approached, and to be open, the big take away is still being developed.
However, I can faithfully say this: each and every day we are getting closer to our end goal of building our globally connected and diverse community. A place where we can eventually do more than simply listen to each other (not a bad thing at all), but to eventually activate our efforts in doing something to better each other’s lives. We have many ideas as to how to do this, and over the next months and years (yes, we are here to stay) we will continue to promote our challenges, create more interactivity and start a path toward our greatest of goals—to generate revenue that can be invested back into helping those in our community.
We are a virtual city in the making. A place where the silent majority truly matters. Our boarders are unlimited and our populous is made up of everyday people living everyday lives—you and I… the mothers, the fathers, the lonely, the popular, the weak, the strong, the wealthy, the poor, the young and the old.
Technology has allowed 365 to bring us together in a cause that is ever evolving. Our culture is forming and it is wonderfully composed of all faiths, races, situations and outlooks. We are a people who embrace diversity and are real in our opinions. Opinions that for almost 36 months have been able to find common ground, even when we have differences in our personal point of view. That is the beauty of 365.
100s of strangers have been asked one basic question. From those who have intimidated us, to those who have invited us in, we have asked this query. It is not a radical survey or a long form in any degree. It’s actually quite an innate request. Simply this, “What single word would you like to share with the world?”
We’ve heard them all. From “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” to “Freedom.” Streams of creative to thoughtful insights have flowed in, yet in all we have interviewed, added to the many who I have personally spoken to on the streets, one expression has risen to the surface. It emerges from both those who have, to be honest, frightened us at first, to those who have hugged us as friends. This magical word resonates; a word that is so easy to roll off our tongues, but one that is so very difficult to act upon in this modern world of hidden hurt and doubt.
In revealing the word, know that I am not asking us to have a Kumbaya moment. Nor am I directing us to overcompensate in reproving ourselves (or others) for the past, and I am certainly not asking us to to overindulge in a sense of “do good.” What I am proposing is a basic consideration. A consideration that we might take pause to reflect upon as we navigate in this fast paced world. Think of it as a rest of heart and mind that perhaps can transform our individual reasoning as to how we view our fellow man.
“That word is?” you ask. You might even be guessing already, and I bet many of you are correct in your assumptions: LOVE.
Call me a sentimental fool, but I’m even tearing up as I reveal it. Its four letters have the power to reach deep into our soul as they conjure up an endless list of pains and joys. Feelings that, if used for the right purposes, can facilitate the grandest of healing and action.
Yes, we all know the word. However, the depth of understanding it is an ever-eluding puzzle, one that if assembled correctly has the potential to move us towards the light; or, if left in the box, can isolate us into the shadows.
I could go on and on about the word, but I choose not to. I’ve said enough. It is time for me to step off the soapbox and put myself at the back of the room to partake of your wisdom. Wisdom that we have been so graced with over the years. Wisdom that has come to us by people we don’t even know. Wisdom that is timeless. Wisdom that has the bandwidth to bind us in unity. That is, if we are together and active in sharing it.
Friends of Operation-365, we salute you. It is you who are the true spirit of what we are doing. Every day of every year we have the ability to evoke universal good. The secret to our mission is pure and sweet. To do what we can in our own circle of influence, for that is where the real change begins.
Talk soon my good friends,
Richard
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 432: “Call Your Mom”
“I can’t really think right now, I would say…” —Salvador
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 431: “The Sameness”
“We love the same things. We love our children. We love our dogs. We love beauty. We love nature. We love freedoms. We want the same things and we strive for the same things and we hope for the same things…” —Julie
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 427: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
“Be patient and to be kind and remember that everybody is a person, and they have emotions and they have feelings, even though they are going through a million other things… you should never compare yourself to them because they are going to have a completely different life than you are…” —Jaye (and Jeremy)
Sidewalk Ghosts / Interview 426: The Dream Catchers
I truly believe that we should follow our dreams as a people… as a human race, and do things that make us happy. But take into consideration everyone else: Family, friends, strangers, the world around you. Selfishness is definitely a thing of the past. We all need to look to the future. There’s gonna be more people, more crowded, more to deal with. It’s only going to get harder and harder if we don’t see each other as human beings and equals. That’s what I think.” —Shawn
I am honored today. Not by the accolades of any crowd. Nor rewarded any acknowledgement for efforts, or even pumped up at any event. My honor this day is indeed beyond myself and for this I will be ever enlightened.
It all began yesterday through a chance meeting with Suzi– one of the fine art students at Ohio State. Suzi is not the traditional enrollee you would expect at a University the scale of OSU. On a campus of 65,000 (rich in diversity), the hopeful futures of many a young man and woman is shaped and formed. From science to art, philosophy to mathematics, it is all here. Youthful minds of times ahead converse and grow, and Suzi is absolutely in her element.
She, her husband (you’ll get to know him in a moment), fellow OSU student Kaylin and I are at breakfast when Kaylin asks, “What class do you teach?” Suzi smiles, “I get that all the time… I’m and undergraduate,” she glowingly replies.
I could write a book on Suzi. Her life experience alone is the equivalent of any masters program and she has the credentials to prove it. But the format of this blog is far too limiting to fully introduce you to the greatness of Suzi. So I’ll just summarize. Suzi has special depth. Exuberance if you will. She is a survivor, a fantastic artist, a loving wife and successful mother… a person, simply put, with the greatest of integrity, true spirit of love and peculiar imagination. Just that kind of person who, at first meeting, melts your heart as she focus not on herself, but refreshingly, asks endless questions of who are you. Yes, Suzi is the real deal, and in knowing her, you realize that is possible to find the courage is to make all your dreams come true.
But she is not a lone traveler in her course. For walking with her is a good husband, children and close friends. All of whom stand as testament to the power of one. A people, who individually, inspire us to (as overused as the term may be) “Follow our Dreams.”
Shawn (Suzi’s husband) is his name. Large in stature, he is a gentle giant. His warmth of character is engaging and his hospitality is endearing. Suzi later tells me, “25 years and I still love this guy to death.” I get it, for after spending only a few short hours with him his influence is forever engraved on my heart. Impressions that inspire me to look deep into my own reasoning for what I do and discussion points that I am certain will refresh my internal dialogue in navigating this next chapter of my life.
Credit where credit is due, Shawn stands not by himself. Greatly appreciated, I’ve been invited to break bread with not only he and Suzi, but also with his closest of friends, Brian and Pat. Both men, who like him, have courageously left the financial security of employment to partner in building a business of their own.
Some might criticize irresponsibility, stating that it is an unstable proposition for three men (all of whom are supporting families) to undertake such challenge during the latter part of their careers. To add to the matter, the risk in starting up a rurally located enterprise during the closing part of painful recession might be seen as throwing caution to the wind.
This afternoon I am graced to visit the workplace of these three remarkable, and resourceful men as they share their motivations. Here is what they have to say.
Shawn:
“If you can seek out your independence… seek hard.
I truly believe that we should follow our dreams as a people… as a human race, and do things that make us happy. But take into consideration everyone else: Family, friends, strangers, the world around you. Selfishness is definitely a thing of the past. We all need to look to the future. There’s gonna be more people, more crowded, more to deal with. It’s only going to get harder and harder if we don’t see each other as human beings and equals. That’s what I think.”
Brian
“Life is precious.
I think everybody just needs to slow down. Learn how to live with family, life… and love– Short and sweet, but very important. We’ve gotten away from family time as a whole.”
Pat
“Listen…Pay more attention.”
“To what?” I ask.
“Everything… to what we are doing in general. Using all the resources and not putting anything back. I don’t know the answer.”
“I think that is the answer,” I add.
“We work with our hands,” Shawn expresses. “We are craftsmen and we are proud of what we do.”
Bryan picks it up. “Makes for a happy environment.”
Shawn: “We catch ourselves singing while we work. Don’t take that the wrong way. We can’t sing. We’re living the dream… to do what you love and have fun while your doing it.”
All three grow in laughter, “life is good… life is good!”
Shawn: “It’s the outside world that is almost bleak now. We are looking out, saying, man everything could be way… way better.”
Pat: “Who else gets to work with their best friends?
Shawn: It has brought us together…”
Brian: “’…and it’s also taught us our trade is, obviously a dying trade, but that our trade can be fun again. To make a product and then stand back and say, ‘wow, this really looks nice!’ I want everybody to see it. Because it was done by our timeline, by our standards… It makes a big difference… A big difference in being happy in what you are doing.’”
All sounds great. But many of us are deep into our life commitments. So I have to ask
“How do you make the break?”
Shawn takes the lead in responding. “You throw the oars in the water and you rock the boat.”
Brian (In unison with all): “Follow your dreams.”
Brian (solo): “Go big or go home.”
Shawn (humbly): “Don’t be scared.”
Pat (reflective): “… and don’t wait too long.”
Shawn elaborates, “If you wait till your ready… you’ll never do it.”
“How do you know when you are ready?” I question.
They all light with laughter. “You don’t.”
Shawn: “That’s why you can’t wait.”
Pat gives final council, “well, you’ve obviously got to know what you are doing to start with. Once that happens, you’re never going to learn the other half of it until you do it.”
Brian: “The biggest thing to knowing when you are ready is, if you are working for the man and you are constantly pointing out his pitfalls and things that you think would make it go so much better…”
Shawn adds to what Brian saying (as Brian nods in agreement). “…and not so much for yourself, but for the whole company. Not just an independent thought, but man! This could be so much better! So much more efficient; and, everyone would be so much happier. Happiness goes a long way.”
“More than money,” I ask.
“No doubt about it!” they all agree.
Pat: “Especially since we have more of that than money.” They warm up again.
Suzi, Shawn, Pat, Brian. Thank you for inviting me into you life today. I am a better person for it.
May all your dreams come true my sweet new friends. 