My dear friend Elsa just called me from Denver, CO where her friends at Meditation 08 are offering silent refuge to residents and visitors of the city who are absorbing all the festivities of the DNC (Democratic National Convention). That’s about 50,000 or so people a day around the area and the collective energy (as she confirmed) is chaotic. That’s a lot of stress and what better way to calm the environment and help heal the planet. That gives me peace of mind and I’m all the way here in Portland, OR. I can only imagine what benefits the people of Denver are receiving. It’s a ten minute walk from the convention to the park where you can feel your heart and listen to your breath. Here’s what Meditation 08 had to say:

We’ve invited forty nationally recognized meditation and yoga teachers from the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Native American traditions to guide us in our practice. Come join us, take refuge in the silence, and listen to your heart.

Hearing that makes my heart sing. Thank-you Meditation 08 for your service. And thank-you NPR (National Public Radio) for recognizing and reporting on this beautiful event. I love you Elsa.

Experience the magic in the interior design of this office space in Shanghai China by architect Nobuhiro Nakamura of A-Asterisk.

This design makes me so happy. Think about entering this building every day.

Decadent, yes. Also very organic. Notice the different shades of light on the floor.

Glittery and sparkly, this design lights my fire. Source:: Dezeen

You know how it is to travel by air; many of us get nervous and one thing always on my mind is the food. One of the ways I love myself is to bring food on board (many airlines don’t offer food service anymore) and sometimes I just don’t have the time or the inclination to pack my own sack. I’ll sometimes get some grub at the airport and there’s not many choices.

The people at Jet Blue are definitely thinking outside of the box with their new food court set to open to the public on October 1st. As reported in the NY Times, “Michael Schulson’s Asian spot Deep Blue is meant to make you feel cocooned in water.” Word is the food will be fabulous and you will also be able to order online before you get there. I’m diggin’ that.

Serenity here, yes I agree. That’s evident in the blue watery feeling evoked. From a feng shui perspective, there is definitely a lot of movement created in the spirals and round shapes which lend to not staying too long. I get it though. As an anxious traveler myself, sitting in a blue room with good food would make me feel a whole lot calmer. Live there I wouldn’t. Visit there, yes. It feels like a place for a deep breathe and relaxed shoulders. I’m happy that corporations are thinking about improving the whole experience. What do you think? How does the image make you feel? I’m curious.

For those of you who know me, also know that I’m a big fan of novelist Paulo Coelho and I’m also way into interpreting signs and meanings of life experiences. Sometimes there’s no answer but either way, I find the awareness very powerful. Here’s a quote from his book, Warrior of Light spoken by Manual regarding the signs of life:

The Signs - at times imperceptible, at others very clear - are all around us.
But they require careful interpretation if they are to be transformed into a road map.
(Manual of a Warrior of Light)

An interesting take on re-using newspapers for something cute and functional. These would make fabulous tabletop pieces and good conversational items. From MNLStyle, these vases actually hold water and I love the texture. The red vase (shown at right) was made by a community in the Philippines living near one of Manila’s largest dump sites. This group (according to the website) is trained and employed by the Filipinas Fair Trade Venture Group, an inspirational organization committed to providing sustainable development to disadvantaged people. That’s wonderful.