Peace is tranquility, fearlessness, and freedom: All Three

I read this and found it very, very interesting:

Children's Bill of Rights

1. To see healthy, happy adults who create a model for self-care and development
2. To live in a clean, ordered environment
3. To be educated about irreversible mistakes
4. To be guided toward healthy spiritual, financial, physical and emotional habits
5. To be given opportunity for intellectual challenge and growth
6. To be given opportunity for emotional challenge and growth
7. To be complimented regularly on physical, intellectual and emotional beauty
8. To be encouraged to think for themselves, devlop values and friendships
9. To know and see examples of happy, healthy, positive relationships - romantic, familial, and friendly

So last night was fascinating - me, Rue, Kelli stayed up til 8 a.m. talking, hashing out ideas and issues. I shared the frog book wtih kelly, she was very appreciative. I was very appreciative fo the wisdom/ideas she shared about th eimportance of building community, how necessary it is when you livein a city. Community pulls you through the hard times. I bourght up Kyle and Ray and she said "individuals are not community." Community is so important. tonight we went to Cafe Intermezzo and had a big bull session. I advocated excellene and normalcy all night long. And lifestyle - embracing our eccentricities, our soul's fingerprint. Everyone ended up saying something very real, true and compelling. C-murder spoke about the fear of loving a woman when he still feels so confused about his own life and th eplace where he has found himself. Novi talked about the the danger of living at home and allowing fear to limit your opportunities. Niambi talked about fatigue, the exhaustion of fighting your destiny and desire. Rue talked about making excuses for yourself and how it feels to finally stop. I finally understood what Harriet was saying about looking off-center to achieve your goal. When we discussed community committment and how bereft C-murder feels in the midwest where black students avoid him. Novi knows she's not giving her students what she wants to give them and my situation with misguided attempts at community building and being taken advantage of financially, emotionally, and physically by Lorog the Frog and it clicked.
When I went about paying attention to opportunities for giving that weren't linear I was able to see a place/space where I was genuinely needed and appreciated instead of the dicey proposition I started with Lorog. And in general. I knew my goal(s) and by looking around, examing my community more closely, I was able to see where and ways to fulfill and pursue my goals instead of depending on a dead end I knew would be trouble from the beginning. And I saw the power of filling myself with light, positivity and sweetness. I kept telling Niambi, "you choose excellence or not." There are medians, gradations as you learn, but always strive for excellence in your endeavors. I didn't realize I felt so strongly, but I cry at the thought of committing to less than excellence FOR and FROM myself.