January 21, 2009, the day after the inauguration of the first Obama administration, I took off driving – south, then east, then north, then back west. I was interested in listening to everyday people. I wanted to know what they meant when they said that word – especially public in the preceding months – CHANGE. My goal was 100 voices in the first 100 days. Voices across as broad a range of… Read More
You may know this blog has a history. It started January 21, 2009 – the day after Barack Obama was inaugurated for his first term as President of the United States. It was a time when the ragged red underlining of word processing programs – the marks used to flag misspellings – showed up without fail beneath the two words, Barack and Obama. The blog first followed my road trip around the… Read More
Soon the calendar will shift for another roll through dates, through seasons and all the moments we have no way of knowing from here. Each of us lives in our own contagion of this following that. The unavoidable change that is living itself can sometimes feel unnerving — or at least the anticipation of it, the impossibility I already mentioned of knowing completely any change before it happens. I’ve been writing this… Read More
“The first step is faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” Barack Obama Sasha Obama hugged her dad after he took the Presidential Oath of Office yesterday. “Good job, Dad,” she said. “I did it,” her father responded. Then today, President Obama stood before… Read More
So, every day this week, the initial seven episodes of 100VOICES via Podcast will be released — all starting right now!! Just go HERE for Chapter 1 – Voices from the Northwest. Then come back tomorrow and I’ll add Chapter 2, then 3 on Tuesday and so on through the whole week. By Sunday we’ll be onto the first launch of Chapter 8 followed the next three Sundays with 9, 10 and the super… Read More
This morning a friend in Omaha told me about Sam, a friend of his who was off for ten days on a third anniversary trip to the particular beauty of the Colorado Rockies around Estes Park. My friend has spoken of Sam before, describing him as a notably successful businessman who’s built a thriving company that supplies materials for building or renovating homes. Sam’s success, though, is lately not enough to bring… Read More
Three years ago today, I began the EX:Change project. Our new president had been inaugurated the day before and January 21 was the first of my 100 days for learning from everyday U.S. citizens what they meant when they said the word, change. My goal was to interview 100 people in 100 days and one result was the publication of the book 100 VOICES – AMERICANS TALK ABOUT CHANGE. Now it’s three… Read More
Listen to the voices of your neighbors. One hundred voices from across the U.S. All talking about change. All speaking their dreams. Give the book to yourself, to friends or family. Join us in the EX:Change as it continues to offer its invitation to all of us — Listen to each other. See what is there in those with whom you think you have nothing in common. See what is there in… Read More
Down the street @ Bloke http://blokepdx.com/, Justin-the-botanical-artist is well beyond priming – that happened back in October [EX:C blog, “Bloke – AKA, Barber Babes Redux,” 10-29-2011]. Now, since a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Bloke is hitting its prime for the cold weather Holiday season – the festivities that cry for decorative plants and flowers between Halloween and New Year’s Day. Every time I see him these days, Justin is a little breathless, but… Read More
I just sent this email to the 504 people on my “EX:Change Friends and Family” list. Cool number, huh? 504. These are the people who, along the way — as I drove the highways of U.S. in early 2009 and in the time since have befriended me and the EX:Change project and asked to be kept updated. In ten days, what was once only and idea on a cold and rainy New Year’s Eve will show up… Read More
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