About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... I founded a global community to do what I can to make a positive difference in the world, and then discovered how ServiceSpace is already doing this, on a large scale in such a beautiful way, with so much to teach me.
A good day to me is when ... I can reach out and connect with others, and find ways to share our journeys.
My hero in life is ...My father, my wife, my daughter, my son, my teachers and my friends.
My favorite book is ...Book of Formation (ancient Kabalistic text), Tao Te Ching, The Essential Rumi, Complete Works of Shakespeare
One thing I'm grateful for is ... The awesome gift of the beauty of this world; the chance to connect with others to pass this gift on to future generations.
Over The Cliff: A Lesson In Being Alive
Jun 07, 2021, 7 comments, 14 smiles
At the tail end of a recent Awakin Circle I was reminded of a time about ten years ago when I received an unexpected lesson in the miracle of being alive.
Ironically I was driving on my way to see the doctor. To get from where I live in Half Moon Bay to the doctor’s office in Redwood City, you drive over the hill on Highway 92. The narrow two-lane road takes you up to a crest high above the valley below, and winds back and forth in hairpin turns.
It was raining. I was running late, so I was probably driving a little fast. The road was slippery.
I came to a turn where the road goes sharply left. I turned the steering wheel, but the car kept going straight. I tried the brake, but the car kept skidding forward, straight toward the edge of the cliff.
I looked around me. There was ... Read Full Story
Sow With Tears, Reap With Joy
Mar 18, 2021, 2 comments, 11 smiles
In last night's Awakin Circle, Nimo shared a joyous song from a legendary Gandhian sculptor, Kanti-dada:
I was struck by how the lines: "We came crying, crying / But shall go laughing, laughing" are almost identical to the words from Psalms that we sing in the Hebrew blessing after a meal.
The lyrics of that are: "The one who sows with tears will reap with joy":
Freedom In Prison: A Story Of My Great-Grandfather
Jul 07, 2020, 18 comments, 39 smiles
[I originally shared this true story of my great-grandfather at an Awakin Circle. By request I'm archiving it in writing with some additional context.]
-- Freedom in Prison: a Story of my Great-Grandfather --
As I knock on the door of Grandpa Max’s apartment on Valentine Avenue in the Bronx in the fall of 1956, I’m feeling a little nervous. This is an important visit, and the first time I’ve come on my own from New Jersey, without my parents, by bus and subway, to see him.
I’m flooded with memories of my early childhood in the 1940s. He lived in this same apartment back then, on the second floor, with Grandma Minnie before she passed away. My mom and dad and I and my little brother lived up on the fifth floor. When we went to visit them, we’d go to the elevator and press “2.” Then we’d get out, walk ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From William Dyson's Call
Jul 28, 2019, 2 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with William Dyson.
William Dyson is a technology visionary based in Oakland. He is the founder of the Douglass Decentralized Operating System (DDOS), named in honor of Frederick Douglass — an African American icon who stood for the equality of all peoples. Through DDOS, Dyson seeks to create new inclusive economic and political spaces, culture change, system change and redefining computing. DDOS been developed from the ground up with the intention of bringing Martin Luther King’s “Beloved Community” into reality. At the age of 5, William began a meditative practice. When his family spun into poverty 6 years later, that practice helped him to get through each day, support his family, and experience the understanding that he was not alone. William has devoted his adult life to developing technology that will disrupt computing as we know it; empowering worldwide communities in ... Read Full Story
Road Trip Of The Imagination: Day ...
Jul 15, 2019, 7 smiles
Road Trip of the Imagination: Day 9
Road Trip Of The Imagination: Day ...
Jul 09, 2019, 5 smiles
Road Trip of the Imagination: Day 15
Six Lessons (Plus One) From My First Awakin Circle
May 31, 2019, 8 comments, 33 smiles
Have you ever found yourself standing in front of a door with the strange feeling that, if you choose to open it and walk inside, life will never be the same? For me, on a balmy summer evening in 2013 in Santa Clara, California, standing at the front door of the home of Dinesh and Harshida Mehta, I felt that this was one of those moments. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.
I was greeted in silence by a man about my age with a calm demeanor and a sweet smile, who put his hands together and bowed to me. This must be Dinesh, I thought. I wasn’t used to being greeted in this way. But I immediately understood his message, so I smiled back, placed my hands together, and bowed to him.
My first Awakin Circle lesson: we share silence here; we acknowledge and honor the ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Ajay Dahiya's Call
Mar 23, 2019, 10 smiles
Saturday March 23 we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Ajay Dahiya.
Ajay Dahiya is Executive Director of The Pollination Project, which makes worldwide daily seed grants – 365 days per year – to inspiring grassroots leaders who would not likely qualify for funding from other foundations or institutions.
Once supported by the Pollination Project, grantees often are able to leverage their seed grant into more funding, media attention and more.
Ajay was born in Surrey, England, to a working-class immigrant family. From early on in his life he felt a deep spiritual calling that moved him to become ordained as a monastic in his late teens. As a monk for eight years, Ajay served diverse teams across the globe. After transitioning out of monastic life, he went on to hold leadership positions in various mission-driven organizations. An entrepreneur in all that he does, Ajay strives to realize a healthy, equal ... Read Full Story
My First Corporate Job Interview In 1981
Feb 07, 2019, 3 comments, 15 smiles
This week's Awakin reading brought to mind my very first job interview in high-tech.
It was for a job in corporate sales in Silicon Valley in 1981. They didn't have LinkedIn then, but same idea. I had previously been teaching at a community college, and I had a small business called Right Livelihood Workshops. But I needed to change after my daughter was born, because the income stream wasn't quite what I needed it to be. So I thought, okay, I'll apply to a tech company in Silicon Valley and try corporate sales. Why not? I knew how to do career workshops and good job search techniques, and had coached others in writing resumes and doing job interviews. So now, my task was to create a story about myself -- the story of how what I've done all my life has really led me to this job: corporate sales and computer ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From James Stark's Call
Dec 30, 2018, 3 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with James Stark.
James Stark has committed his life to exploring how we might move into greater harmony with who we are and reignite a deep connection with the rest of the natural world. He is the co-director of the Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) at Commonweal and co-founder and co-director of the Ecology of Leadership and the Ecology of Awakening programs, which prepare community leaders for what some are describing as the “Great Turning” of our era: an invitation to face the destructive nature of our modern way of life and urgent need to transition into living in harmony with and support of our Earth home. The Commonweal Garden in Bolinas, California has been developed into a large-scale living permaculture classroom and demonstration center for regenerative design. Jame's non-profit RDI aims to revolutionize the way humans relate to the natural world, ... Read Full Story
