Box of Shine

I love writing a daily post where the pictures can do all the talking. I feel like today is one of those days.

Yesterday a small gathering of women joined me to send boxes of sunshine. Our goal? Put a ray of sunshine in the mailboxes of family and friends around the country.

We called the party, Box of Shine.

Theme?

All things yellow!

Each guest brought twelve yellow items and boy, did they get creative! Starbursts, handmade yellow fortune cookies, beautifully packaged yellow jelly beans, seeds for yellow flowers, yellow tea bags, bumble bees, happy faces, yellow toiletry items, m&ms, yellow note cards, calendars, pencils, post-it notes, and MORE!

All I had to do was supply:

Boxes, tubes, and mailing envelopes...

Packaging tape...

Ribbons and stickers...

Shred...

Scissors, notecards, and markers, and...

Fun stickers to decorate the outside of our packages (compliments of Cheryl).

Include yellow food (compliments of my culinary friends)

Some decorations

Insert great company...

Put it all together and what do you get?

It was a great afternoon of friends, fun, and food - topped off with 31 boxes of shine.It might be mid-January and cold where you are, but for a brief time yesterday at my house it was warm and shining!

Signing off until tomorrow...

Labor of Love

Months and months ago I did a post on a concept explained by Malcolm Gladwell as Concerted Cultivation. In his book, Outliers, Gladwell shared research showing that children whose parents cultivated their skills and interests ultimately outperformed children whose parents did not.

What Gladwell was saying - in Highlowaha language - is that a child's inherent talents and gifts will shine brighter when their interests are supported by parents.

I'm here to say that Concerted Cultivation or shining or whatever you want to call it takes time and is tiring.

In December my middle son gotten bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. He sold pine cone ornaments in our neighborhood and $22.00 later got a taste of what it feels like to be a boss. I think he decided it suited him well. This, of course, was right up Richard's alley, as he's an entrepreneur and could cultivate til the cows came home. He and Richard held lots of business meetings, one of which was Richard explaining to Matthew that, in order to continue making money, he had to "feed the roots."

Mostly Matthew didn't want to hear much about "feeding the roots" and instead wanted to blow his whole wad of cash on Bakugons and candy. Finally, after some additional cultivation from me, Matthew decided it would be acceptable to part with $6.48 to "feed the roots" of his business and create our next product.

Valentine cards with a twist.

But, first...

Here's where the theoretics of Concerted Cultivation meets the realities of implementation. Who do you think was really helping Matthew trace, decorate, stencil, cut, glue, and stamp his 40 handmade Valentine cards?

You got it.

Oh, and by the way... fifteen minute increments. That was the longest a work shift could last before Matthew was ready to move on to something new. About the same amount of time it took to get all the supplies out and set up.

But, right on schedule Matthew's cards are done and he's ready to start selling. According to him, "Two dollars per card or as much as you are willing to pay."

Take a look.

White puzzles mounted on hearts of either red or pink card stock and then decorated with complementary hearts cut from stencils.

Each puzzle valentine was placed in a brown bag, along with a decorated white envelope. Brown bags were stamped with pink and purple DO-A-DOT paints from Crayola and a white heart (compliments of mom) reading, "Thrill Your Valentine to Pieces."

Instructions are placed on the back of each bag to assure ease of use.

A small display showing a "Before" and "After" shot.

And, of course, the 0h-so-important-carrying case that allows Matthew to peddle his wares through neighborhoods, parks, his school, and - if he has it his way - through the grocery store with Richard on Saturday morning.

Matthew is excited about the prospect of 40 valentines at $2.00 a pop, but he is also excited to donate $0.50 per card sold to Haitian Relief (that's a Concerted Cultivation conversation for another blog post).

Me? I'm excited for this second little business venture to come to its natural cultivated conclusion. I also think I'll make a concerted effort to have Matthew's next project involve wood, nails, a jig saw and the sundry other tools taking up space in Richard's half of the garage.

Limited edition cards. Get yours today.

Signing off until tomorrow...

Happy Hunting

For some of us, today is our first day back to work after a long weekend.

What better way to start the week than with a health dose of SHINE?!?!

It seems we are in good company. The Secret Society of Happy People declared this week, Seventh Annual Hunt for Happiness Week. As is the case with happy people who shine, they are no slackers. Click here to check out their website.

But, do more than check out their website.

Commit right here, right now.

Commit that this week you will do something in pursuit of happiness.

Write in a journal * splurge on a treat * flip through a fun magazine * get your blood pumping * introduce yourself to someone new * pay a compliment, make a coffee date * take a walk with a loved one * day dream, fill your house with the smell of chocolate chip cookies * do a favor for someone, flip through old photographs * reconnect with an old friend * send a package, de-clutter your home * meet your postman, learn something new about yourself * name your year(!) * find some quiet time * do something daring * write a letter to someone you would like to meet * check something off your to-do list * tell your family you love them * swing on a swing * color in a coloring book * find shapes in the clouds * play a board game * pamper your feet * listen to a favorite CD * Print the word, "Shine" somewhere in sidewalk chalk...

What will you do?

Signing off until tomorrow...

Buon Compleanno, Fibonacci!

Fibonacci, renown mathematician, would have turned 834 years old this Saturday, November 28. Highlowaha will be involved in our Yellow Envelope Project this Saturday and, since postage for yellow envelopes delivered to heaven are pricier than most of us can afford during the holiday season, we will celebrate Fibonacci today.

Those who know me well are surprised I am making time to celebrate the birth of a mathematician. After all, the more prolific and successful a mathematician is, the more there is for me to learn. Numbers aren't my strong suit and I don't generally look for more reasons than necessary to broadcast my ignor... void.

But.

If listening intently enough, messages - even answers to questions - might be surrounding you.

I could go into great detail about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of my connection to Fibonacci, but I've learned brevity scores more points. Suffice it to say, one month ago you could have told me we were having Fibonacci for dinner and I would have been licking my chops ready for a great Italian meal.

Earlier this month I was reading a book titled, The Think Big Manifesto, by Michael Port. I have big dreams for Shine, Ray Wattson, Yellow Envelope Project, and our Highlowaha community and, The Think Big Manifesto served as a healthy dose of inspiration at the right time. In his book, Port explains,

"To think big is a thing of beauty in keeping with the mathematical code of Fibonacci numbers. I have used its sequence to describe the principles of thinking big. I have another purpose in using this seemingly random numbering. That is, to demonstrate that no one of these principles has a higher priority than another. Rather, each builds on every other one, creating and interdependent web."

That same week I was plotting out upcoming blog topics for Highlowaha and, as usual, consulted the web for a calendar of fun dates. Fibonacci's birthday was listed. One week earlier and that date would have meant nothing to me and, instead, today we would be talking about dressing your turkey.

Click here if you want a credible explanation of Fibonacci's code. Otherwise settle for the remedial and perfectly parochial point I hope to make.

Fibonacci's code is like nature's numbering system. His numbers, in sequence, appear everywhere in nature, from the leaf arrangement in plants, to the pattern of the florets of a flower, the bracts of a pine cone, or the scales of a pineapple, and on and on and on. WOW! Method to the madness? Really, who knew?

How many times have you looked at a pine cone, a sea shell, a pineapple, a strawberry, or a daisy and taken their beauty or symmetry for granted? For me, far too many!

But.

The realization there is a code helping explain what I suddenly realize are perfect patterns to simple things, such as pine cones and daisies, is not only inspiring, but also comforting.

Inspiring because, it seems, there is no way such a thing good be accidental or coincidental. Comforting because, I think it means there is a natural order to things and that that order is far stronger than any of our human attempts to control the world around us.

Fibonacci's Code is my reminder that, if I simply plow forward, living each day with purpose and offering up what I have to give the world, eventually a sequence of contributions will emerge, every bit as beautiful as the seashell, the flower, or the pine cone.

How about you?

Consider leaving your home today in search of a pine cone. Bring it home and spend some time studying the wonder that is Fibonacci's Code. Then imagine - maybe even journal - what that very same code might mean for you.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Signing off until tomorrow...