Captain Sex Kitten is camping out, y'all. I'm out in the woods, finding myself in nature, blazing up the trails. It's good for the soul and stuff. I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded this week by a whole group of like-minded folks, camp-mates from all walks of life who are into the idea of taking a break from the norm, regrouping a bit, and of course stopping to smell the beautiful flowers along the the trail.
We are all reading a book called "Real Love," by Greg Baer. A couple of my dear friends already have a lot of experience working with this text, as they run a recovery clinic and share this with their patients. They have also worked directly with the author to develop a workshop curriculum, and we're lucky enough to be taken under their wings for a "short course" on the material this week. Never underestimate the importance of looking into your heart and checking things out once in a while - re-establishing your emotional boundaries and making more conscious choices about the way you communicate with everyone you interact with, but especially those you have close relationships with.
Real Love is basically caring about the happiness of another person, any other person but especially those you are close to, without expecting anything in return. The process of finding real love within yourself first, and then offering it to others, is not always easy. It requires the ability to tell the Truth about yourself, which can be difficult, but once you do that, it's easy to progress to being truly Seen. When somebody hears your truth, they see you in a different way and you can be truly understood. When somebody understands where you are coming from, they Accept you for who you really are, and can offer Real Love.
Working through this process is a different journey for everyone, and can be very emotionally intense. It helps to have a guide, such as this book and/or people like my friends who facilitate this workshop. It helps to have at least one to three other friends who are willing to honestly go through this process together.
Whether you do it at your kitchen table, in your favorite cafe, or in a breathtaking valley in the Virginia highlands, the process of finding Real Love is a definite yellow-brick-road to peace and well-being. If that sounds good to you, I highly recommend this spectacular trail, the view is amazing! I am grateful to be surrounded by so many compassionate souls striving to work together to make the world a much better place.
Here is a link to the Real Love website:
http://www.reallove.com/
Would you like more information about where to find a Real Love course in central KY? Email CaptainSexKitten@gmail.com and I'll hook you up. xo
Showing posts with label Community Resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Community Resources. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Be Bold - Existing to Empower!
Dare to Dream! Dare to Hope! Dare to be BOLD!
"Be Bold exists to empower: from the hood to the holler, our girls matter!"
Captain Sex Kitten salutes the women of Be Bold, especially Tanya Torp, the founder of this organization who seeks to provide an inspiring, motivational, and above all empowering environment for young women and girls from our neighborhood. As she says, "if you judged our community's statistics against the affluent places you've heard of on our city's map, you might dismiss it as just another high crime, low income neighborhood." Yet the community has pulled together to bring many new resources in via grant funding and volunteer work - including rain gardens, artistic bus stops, neighborhood clean-ups, and a new Farmer's Market on the East End of Lexington, KY.
Tonya went walking in her neighborhood one day. At the corner light, she struck up a conversation with a group of young women. She couldn't help but notice that they were all very scantily clad, and was surprised to find out how young they were, ages 10-15. They flaunted their sexuality because they had already learned that this was a major bargaining chip. Tonya says "...their bodies were currency and they were willing to cash in to get what they needed. Attention, someone to think they are important, give them nice things. My heart breaks for problems that are so big that there are few answers." These girls did not have direct access to many positive role models, and were already becoming entrenched in a degrading "survival" mentality.
A woman of action, Tonya immediately started brainstorming and created a community initiative called Be Bold, designed to help expose these girls to strong, positive lady role models with a variety of creative talents and careers. Some of them went to college, some of them did not, all of them are successful in their chosen field. Tonya wants to inspire girls to be successful on their own terms, no matter what, and provide the solid foundation of self-esteem that they need to respect themselves and others. The women of Be Bold will be presenting a workshop on Saturday, October 20. Collaborators on the Be Bold project include poet-activist Nikky Finney, local fashion designer Soreyda Bendit Begley, and special-effects make up artist Ari Arsenic.
To find out more about how you can support Be Bold, go to:
http://www.daretobebold.org/
"Be Bold exists to empower: from the hood to the holler, our girls matter!"
Captain Sex Kitten salutes the women of Be Bold, especially Tanya Torp, the founder of this organization who seeks to provide an inspiring, motivational, and above all empowering environment for young women and girls from our neighborhood. As she says, "if you judged our community's statistics against the affluent places you've heard of on our city's map, you might dismiss it as just another high crime, low income neighborhood." Yet the community has pulled together to bring many new resources in via grant funding and volunteer work - including rain gardens, artistic bus stops, neighborhood clean-ups, and a new Farmer's Market on the East End of Lexington, KY.
Tonya went walking in her neighborhood one day. At the corner light, she struck up a conversation with a group of young women. She couldn't help but notice that they were all very scantily clad, and was surprised to find out how young they were, ages 10-15. They flaunted their sexuality because they had already learned that this was a major bargaining chip. Tonya says "...their bodies were currency and they were willing to cash in to get what they needed. Attention, someone to think they are important, give them nice things. My heart breaks for problems that are so big that there are few answers." These girls did not have direct access to many positive role models, and were already becoming entrenched in a degrading "survival" mentality.
A woman of action, Tonya immediately started brainstorming and created a community initiative called Be Bold, designed to help expose these girls to strong, positive lady role models with a variety of creative talents and careers. Some of them went to college, some of them did not, all of them are successful in their chosen field. Tonya wants to inspire girls to be successful on their own terms, no matter what, and provide the solid foundation of self-esteem that they need to respect themselves and others. The women of Be Bold will be presenting a workshop on Saturday, October 20. Collaborators on the Be Bold project include poet-activist Nikky Finney, local fashion designer Soreyda Bendit Begley, and special-effects make up artist Ari Arsenic.
To find out more about how you can support Be Bold, go to:
http://www.daretobebold.org/
Friday, July 6, 2012
Pride, Independence, and the Indomitable Dan Savage
In honor of all the festivities this week -- PRIDE-fest and Independence Day -- Captain Sex Kitten salutes Dan Savage and his "It Gets Better Project." The IGBP has been ongoing since 2010. Dan, an outspoken sex educator and advice giver, found that he was not always welcome to speak at high schools. He was often blocked from communicating directly with teenagers, especially in rural Bible-belted communities. Some young LGBT teens really have a hard time and live in constant fear of high school bullies, and many were writing to him confessing suicidal thoughts, reaching out for hope.
Determined to help these young teens, Dan made a video of himself and his partner Terry, where they addressed the bullying they experienced themselves in school, but then went on to explain how their lives improved after school, how they met each other, and the loving family they have now. The "It Gets Better Project" has gathered momentum and thousands of videos are now posted on the YouTube channel reminding LGBT teens that they are not alone.
Join bizillions of supporters universe-wide in taking this pledge:
"Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family, and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and other bullied teens by letting them know that "It Gets Better."
If you have not already done so, you can take the pledge at:
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
And now for the best pick-up line ever:
"You have a really beautiful mouth....."
"The better to eat you with!"
Here's a link to the Dan and Terry interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcVyvg2Qlo&feature=relmfu
Yeah. That's a really good one. I actually might have to steal that.......
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