Sangha of Auspicious Companions

The Never-Ending Story

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. — Barry Lopez

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Good News of the Day:
In 2006, Jonathan Harris and a colleague launched We Feel Fine, a project that took the Web’s emotional pulse by culling personal data from blogs. It was the first of several groundbreaking websites that Harris helped to create, and the project attracted widespread attention. In the following years, however, Harris began to feel like a voyeur. Determined to find a more open, transparent way to chart shared human experiences, he retreated into solitude, altered his approach, and developed a new digital storytelling platform called Cow Bird. The platform, which recently launched, encourages people to tell long-form stories online using photos, sound maps, timelines, videos, and casts of characters. It then spins a larger “meta” tale from their commonalities. With Cow Bird, Harris aims to revive letter writing in the digital era-providing the Internet generation with a deeper, more reciprocal means of communication than shouting into a disconnected social media void.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A05B2:C3009629A010612C9CDFD32E8C659D88B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Write a meaningful personal story, no matter how short it is, and share it online or on paper. For inspiration, Cowbird.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A05B3:C3009629A010612C9CDFD32E8C659D88B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A05B4:C3009629A010612C9CDFD32E8C659D88B4B847859706E37D&

The Never-Ending Story

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. — Barry Lopez

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
In 2006, Jonathan Harris and a colleague launched We Feel Fine, a project that took the Web’s emotional pulse by culling personal data from blogs. It was the first of several groundbreaking websites that Harris helped to create, and the project attracted widespread attention. In the following years, however, Harris began to feel like a voyeur. Determined to find a more open, transparent way to chart shared human experiences, he retreated into solitude, altered his approach, and developed a new digital storytelling platform called Cow Bird. The platform, which recently launched, encourages people to tell long-form stories online using photos, sound maps, timelines, videos, and casts of characters. It then spins a larger “meta” tale from their commonalities. With Cow Bird, Harris aims to revive letter writing in the digital era-providing the Internet generation with a deeper, more reciprocal means of communication than shouting into a disconnected social media void.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0566:C3009629A010612C0E1BF7DF6AB4ECABB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Write a meaningful personal story, no matter how short it is, and share it online or on paper. For inspiration, Cowbird.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0569:C3009629A010612C0E1BF7DF6AB4ECABB4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A056B:C3009629A010612C0E1BF7DF6AB4ECABB4B847859706E37D&

The Never-Ending Story

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. — Barry Lopez

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
In 2006, Jonathan Harris and a colleague launched We Feel Fine, a project that took the Web’s emotional pulse by culling personal data from blogs. It was the first of several groundbreaking websites that Harris helped to create, and the project attracted widespread attention. In the following years, however, Harris began to feel like a voyeur. Determined to find a more open, transparent way to chart shared human experiences, he retreated into solitude, altered his approach, and developed a new digital storytelling platform called Cow Bird. The platform, which recently launched, encourages people to tell long-form stories online using photos, sound maps, timelines, videos, and casts of characters. It then spins a larger “meta” tale from their commonalities. With Cow Bird, Harris aims to revive letter writing in the digital era-providing the Internet generation with a deeper, more reciprocal means of communication than shouting into a disconnected social media void.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0484:C3009629A010612CFFD06A7FC14732A4B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Write a meaningful personal story, no matter how short it is, and share it online or on paper. For inspiration, Cowbird.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0488:C3009629A010612CFFD06A7FC14732A4B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0489:C3009629A010612CFFD06A7FC14732A4B4B847859706E37D&

Kindness Daily: Parking Lot Surprise!

kindness daily home smileCards smileGroups

Parking Lot Surprise! December 17, 2011 – Posted by nancy.schotter My mom was recently hospitalized at a local inner city hospital that requires visitors to pay for parking. I cannot fault the organization for accepting revenue for parking when it is difficutl to find addequate spaces to park at many hospitals. As I was leaving I was reflecting on how very fortunate I am that she is improving daily and that I have a job and can afford to pay for parking. Having a family member or someone you care about to be in a hospital is difficult enough, many folks are grieving or afraid so to extend a small favor like a parking fee, maybe would help just a bit. So as I left, I gave the parking lot attendant double the parking fee each time I visited and asked her to use the extra money to pay for the next person in line’s parking. I have no idea if the person behind me felt any better about the "free parking" but I did! Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories My Most Prized Possession, by Anon An Experiment in Teaching Children Philanthropy, by Author Unknown No Choice But To Do Something, by Will Glennon Survivor Flowers, by Kat Callaway I Bow to the Paint on my Walls, by Sukh Chugh Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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The Never-Ending Story

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. — Barry Lopez

~~~~
Good News of the Day:
In 2006, Jonathan Harris and a colleague launched We Feel Fine, a project that took the Web’s emotional pulse by culling personal data from blogs. It was the first of several groundbreaking websites that Harris helped to create, and the project attracted widespread attention. In the following years, however, Harris began to feel like a voyeur. Determined to find a more open, transparent way to chart shared human experiences, he retreated into solitude, altered his approach, and developed a new digital storytelling platform called Cow Bird. The platform, which recently launched, encourages people to tell long-form stories online using photos, sound maps, timelines, videos, and casts of characters. It then spins a larger “meta” tale from their commonalities. With Cow Bird, Harris aims to revive letter writing in the digital era-providing the Internet generation with a deeper, more reciprocal means of communication than shouting into a disconnected social media void.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03ED:C3009629A010612C3068430DC0E548E9B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~
Be The Change:
Write a meaningful personal story, no matter how short it is, and share it online or on paper. For inspiration, Cowbird.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03EE:C3009629A010612C3068430DC0E548E9B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03EF:C3009629A010612C3068430DC0E548E9B4B847859706E37D&

Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Video of the Week: “I’m Being Santa”

You’re receiving this newsletter because you are a KarmaTube subscriber. Having trouble reading this mail? View it in your browser. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Video of the Week Dec 16, 2011 “I’m Being Santa” In this cheery (Ho, Ho, Ho) video, everyone gets to be “Santa.” Follow the ripple effect of anonymous acts of kindness, as a handmade “flower” for a mom inspires a plate of brownies for a neighbor, which then inspires the neighbor’s co-worker to feed a parking meter… Ho, Ho, Ho! Share: Related KarmaTube Videos The Fun Theory: Piano Stairs A Teacher in Tokyo Nursery Rhymes Bring Down the House An Unlikely Crusader for Food Safety About KarmaTube: KarmaTube is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions every viewer can take. We invite you to get involved. Other CharityFocus Projects: DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 40,049 subscribers.

Locked Up, Yet Calm Within

Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

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Inspiration of the Day:
“Prison time, you’re in a box. Every second, every day, every year, every decade — there’s no hope. No matter what you accomplish in there, no matter what you do in there, you’re still in that box.” These are the words of boxer Dewey Bozella, locked up for 26 years for a crime that he did not commit. His is a story about the triumph of the human spirit, and living proof of the maxim: “never give up.” One man’s journey to reclaim his life, against all odds; a man fighting his biggest fight outside the boxing ring, without any hatred or bitterness towards the system. Narrated by Matthew Mcconaughey, this powerful short video shares the story of Dewey Bozella — courageous, persistent, human and finally … free.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0066:C3009629A010612C36C0984FD8985846B4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Have you experienced injustice? Stand for what is true, with courage but also with a free mind.

**Share A Reflection**
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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

7 Spiritual Perspectives on Personal Leadership

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism; the way you play it is free will. — Jawaharlal Nehru

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “How do you deal with change? How comfortable are you with what is on your plate? Are you creating or are you resisting? The quality of your leadership depends on how you deal with the cards that you draw and how you succeed using what you got.” This article presents an approach for increasing personal mastery and leadership effectiveness, based on ancient spiritual wisdom from around the world. The seven core principles: Integrity; Confidence; Restraint; Energy; Alertness; Trust in self and in right experts; and Execution effectiveness help steer both people and organizations wisely in turbulent times. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB3:C3009629A010612C46CB9B74C55A0411B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Author Dan Millman shares a brief reflection: “To Transcend, Observe Cause and Effect.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB4:C3009629A010612C46CB9B74C55A0411B4B847859706E37D&

**Share A Reflection** http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB5:C3009629A010612C46CB9B74C55A0411B4B847859706E37D&