I am getting ready to check out and head home. It's been an amazing few days. I will blog (aka write) more about BlogHer08 another time. I want to do a summary of my key learnings and observations as a way to capture it. But right now, my head is spinning.
I attended a number of sessions with people who do good in the world for many reasons. It has been so inspiring and eye opening. It made me feel like I don't do enough and want to do so much more to make positive change in the world. It actually made me think of how I can pursue a life long dream by leveraging the Internet. I scribbled down a bunch of notes about it and need to think it through more and just DO IT!
Last week, I went to see a screening of August, a new film about the bubble bursting in 2001. It focuses on the start-up hype and captures that period in time really well. What made the movie special was seeing it with some great friends. We went for dinner before and I was forever grateful they put up with my coughing and blowing my nose. It was the first time I went out in public since I got bronchitis.
I was asked at dinner when I am finally going to start my non-profit. I answered that I have to pay my mortgage. And then, I was challenged: "do you need to live where you do?" Hmmm ... interesting question. I often asked myself the same question since the divorce, especially when I came back from a trip in Johannesburg where I saw the conditions that people lived in. I initially felt a sense of huge guilt because I just saw 100 people sharing one bathroom and I met two adorable children who showed me where they lived with 6 other family members. I don't even know what to call it as it wasn't even a shack. And today, I caught the end of a news clip about a family that is selling their 6,500 ft house and scaling back. They were donating $600,000 somewhere in Africa to build schools and healthcare. It was a family decision. WOW is all I can say. Personally, I can't afford to do that right now. But how inspiring.
So the simple answer is I love where I am living. It provides me with tranquility and sanity and I am too selfish to give it up right now. My big learning is that before I can help others, I need to take care of myself. I know I will get there but my house is non-negotiable right now.
What is possible is taking my energy to start my special project online some time soon ... stay tuned.
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