New home

On Saturday afternoon, as I was signing the lease for our new Dojo space, I noticed that I wasn't having the feeling I usually have when signing significant agreements; the butterflies were not fluttering in my belly. It was a solid and quiet feeling, that was not accompanied with doubt.


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This morning, the construction process started with demolition of the present layout.
This unit used to be the headquarters of a mortgage company, with lots of cubicles, offices and a massive amount of internet and telephone wires. In the next few days these will be cleared, the drop ceiling will be removed and a large, open space will be waiting to be filled with a very different kind of work. As a very dear friend of mine wrote:
"The photo of your new dojo space is one of the most ironically wonderful things I have seen in a long time--in a collapsing economy shady organizations that sell housing loans go out of business and become dojos. Excellent!"

May this place be a home for transformation, evolution, heart-opening, learning, joy and smiles.








Day 1 | demolition

The blessing of changes

Most of my life I had great resistance to changes. So when we found out that the Los Angeles School District is planning to build an elementary school at the current Dojo location, I felt uneasy. Although we were getting information in the mail about the process, and meeting with our relocation officer, I still preferred not to think much about it.

Now, we are at one of the ending stages of the relocation process; we found a new space, we are preparing to sign a lease, and are brainstorming about the design and construction of the new Dojo. Now, we put our resistance aside, as well as the inconvenience, the fears and concerns. We ignite our creativity and sharpen our pencils, we bring about our vision and heart.

I envision a community of people of all ages; who are taking on a practice that is a source of empowerment in their lives. People who enjoy the process of learning, and willingly exchange their energy and gifts with others. I see a wider outreach within the community; a teen-power group, that besides working hard at their practice is active in volunteering, and kids who understand that "we are all in it together". Young adults and seniors who train for their well being as well as the well being of their surroundings. A community that is caring and sharing, that is aware and evolving.

This is an opportunity that was born from an unexpected change. Like in any birth there will be pains, like at any birth the change is encompassing a promise, a blessing. One that we are awaiting to embrace.

A big heart story

This is a true duck story I found in my inbox today and I just had to share it:

Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works downtown in a second story Office building. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk.

The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over ten feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.















Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off!















The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Michael
Watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leaped into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort. He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall.















As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands
Before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set it by the momma and the other stunned sibling,
Still recovering from its painful leap.















One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach
out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.
















At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey.
They had 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the
closest open water, the San Antonio River.















The on looking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. They brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them in the container. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight.















As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping into the river and
quacking loudly. At the water's edge, he tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward
the water and to their mother after their adventurous ride.















All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma.
Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.















Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.