International Student Hall of Fame.

I just read this article in the Washington Post about Benazir Bhutto.

I will ignore the assassination for a moment to talk about the first few paragraphs of the article. The images of Benazir Bhutto as a young coed are priceless. It brings to mind the stories of so many young international students that come here to study with such tremendous feeling of mission to their country.

While most American college students worry about loans, relationships, and parties, many of our international students are balancing fears of elections abroad, safety of their family, and a sense of duty that is barely understandable the average American teenager.

I've been chatting with friends recently about how that sense of mission is either present in students or it is not... it's not the kind of thing that can be developed. I think some people - international or not - get so distracted by the accumulation of wealth, fame or power, that they miss the step of developing their personal mission - and missing that step can keep them from being their truly integrated self.

I'm not certain that I feel so strongly about anything that I would be willing to barrel myself into a maelstrom that might get me killed, but I do admire those that see no alternative and do exactly that courageously and unapologetically. I know many of the people that I know and love are working very hard to make the world a better place. I hope that I can help them. (And more so than just eulogizing them)

The best laid plans of mice and men...

The holidays are a time of increased activity, intense emotion, and the desire to express to our loved ones just how much we care for them.

I am always humbled by the effort that people put forth on my behalf. People actually listen to me and try to get me what I want, and more often give me exactly what I need...

It's so easy to get derailed though and feel over-extended. In an effort to give, we forget to protect ourselves. In all good attempts to tell people we love them, we end up rushing around, spending too much money and getting frustrated when the material world fails to express the nuance of the emotional world.

Yesterday, on Walnut street, I was walking to get a cup of tea during my break and I saw a man holding a sign. I saw the word "free" written in somewhat sloppy marker. I thought it was a demonstration of someone wrongly imprisoned... like "free Joe Smith"... but on the way back I could see the whole sign. It said, "Free Hugs." So I stopped, got my free hug, wished the man a happy holiday and went back to work.

When I got upstairs to the showroom, I asked if anyone else had gotten their free hug. The consensus of everyone there - a freely hugable and liberally hugging bunch of folks - was that it was weird and suspicious that they were hugging strangers.

Maybe I've watched one too many Dave Matthews videos, but I loved it.

So here I am, freshly hugged, disillusioned by the capitalist machine, to try to convey my love to you all. I know there are so many of the people that I know and love that stop here to check and see what's on my mind. First, thank you for doing so, and thank you for all your kind words about this little experiment. But most importantly - please know that I cherish you all. From my most cherished family members to the people I've only met in passing - you all make my life so rich and wonderful.

Happy Holidays to you all. Sending my love, my free hugs, and my best and warmest wishes for your happiness.

**Special note: I am going to make an extra effort to post more regularly on both blogs. I have a million things that I've wanted to write about, and I finally have some breaks to do it in. So you may get multiple posts in one day and then none for awhile.