Thinking back...I remember getting aggravated when driving behind "old" people - why did they drive so slowly? Why didn't they get out of my way?

Well,now that I'm one I think know at least one of the answers. There are new freedoms that comes with aging - you don't HAVE TO rush any more - you get to take it easier, and as a bonus you can focus more on what's happening at the moment rather than what's coming up

It's really great being "in that moment"

Seeds of Hope 2011

We've been so busy doing so much and now it's time to resurrect the Seeds of Hope events - springtime is good for that!

So far our format has been having Seeds of Hope events in community gardens.  We feel that these were good for outreach and lots of fun will continue to do them in gardens.  Meanwhile we are expanding our efforts this year to bring Seeds of Hope parties  into Community Centers and organizations that serve seniors and persons with disabilities throughout San Francisco - and next year into Neighborhood Associations. 

It is our goal to develop partnerships throughout the city working with these groups: partnerships that will ultimately benefit all parties involved and will include exchanges of resources and ideas, development of stronger,empowered community members that can effectively advocate with strength and decision on behalf of those issues which are important to them and others in the same position.

Seeds of Hope Parties will happen on afternoons and last about 1.5-2 hours as determined by participants.
We will picnic and discuss the CLC Seeds of Hope project and talk about issues that community people feel are important to them. We can decide what is the best way to work together as partners to  achieve our goals and accomplish our missions.

Finally, we will plant and/or distribute Seeds of Hope for people to pass on to each other, put in their own windows or gardens, and ultimately bloom in the minds of people throughout San Francisco.

garden parties

Our garden parties, in addition to being fun, are a good way for people to learn about the Community Living Campaign, our values and our programs.  We are now scheduling garden parties for the rest of the year - on July 17 we will have a  party at Boeddeker Park in the Tenderloin (Jones and Eddy Streets) - in addition to refreshments we will have a dance demo (probably hip hop), and 4" pots for people to plant their "seeds of hope" to take home with them - the party will be from 11-1.

We will have a party at the Greenway Community Garden in Visitacion Valley in August (date not yet finalized) and are looking at the following locations for the remainder of the year: the Sunset in September, Civic Center in October, Bernal Hts (Alemany Garden) in November, and St. Francis Square near Japan Town and the Richmond in December.  These parties will also have entertainment, information and seeds of hope for people to plant and take home with them.

waking up with ideas

a good sign - much better than with anxiety - woke up thinking about San Francisco and what an incredible place this is - I used to think that if my kids grew up here they could grow up anywhere... we've got it all in 49 square miles

WRONG - having it all exposes us - we become familiar with diversity and comfortable in it - seeing it all work together - how can you be afraid of differences if you are part of them - have exposure -

yet there are  many, many things as yet unaccomplished
but in this kind of environment you can work on them and have people listen
you can personalize them and see how working on them helps everyone - all of "us"

so, I think I've a plan to move on with planting seeds of hope and exposing those that are already growing or incubating

thinking about it all - again

my history as an artist organizer is bringing people together and forming community through conceptual thoughts as well as physical activity - when we "get" (understand) an idea and articulate (put it out to the public) it, it has achieved its greatest scale that is immeasurably incalculable - when people hear about it and can conceive of it, they get an idea of what it will look or sound like -  then when we implement it physically it is not only in people's consciousnesses  - but it is also in their physical vision.

with our seeds of hope project we are trying to do this very thing -  let people know that the issues with which we are dealing will affect every single person on this earth as they age - gender, race, religion, financial bracket, culture etc. aside.  get people thinking about it, give them ideas of what it could look like in a garden and in a community to plant seeds of hope both figuratively and literally, let them know how what we are doing is so universal it is incomprehensible, bring them in to participate in the visual and conceptual rewards of activities that bring us together while enriching our lives right up to the very end

we have been planting seeds of hope for well over a year now - more people are starting to hear about this project and signs of hope are increasing -  it's a long, long process - but we are creating community from the grass roots (the best place at which to start) and taking our creation right up to the level beyond which one cannot go....

thinking about it all

It's so wonderful to see people appreciate what we're doing - getting out into the community, letting people know what we're doing, inviting them to participate with us and their friends and acquaintances- seeing smiles and new and more adventurous feelings in people who have tried us out and then joined us more often and finally become more active and communicating in ways they have not done so before ...

our next step is to really reach out not only to garden managers and the gardeners (via the managers) but to reach out to community organizations (churches, community centers, schools, senior housing, hospitals - ) - in the communities where we're having social events

it's a daunting task and we have to be patient (not easy for me) and trust that the continuing grass roots work will be more effective  than one big activity precisely  because people see, personalize and  empathize with the concepts that we are supporting

every single one of us will deal with these issues in our lifetimes -

so come on out people
come on out artists
help create and enjoy community
connect with us and each other
it's a great feeling
and we can all make it pay off

what do we do at the Community Living Campaign?

• stage garden parties that bring people together creating the potential for new relationships

• create tyze personal networks which facilitate connecting with people- old and new friends and family

• sow seeds of hope - sharing and demonstrating our hopes and values for our lives

• promote aging in communities of choice

• agree that we should all be having fun

• meet new people

• help each other realize our potential

• support each other in making contributions to our communities

• enable/empower

• give

• receive

• share

• teach

• learn

• create