My Thoughts on Michael Jackson's Death

It has been about a week since Michael Jackson's untimely death. I thought that I would be able to just brush it all aside and move on. But there seems to be this collective mourning happening that is hard to ignore. Not to mention the songs that keep playing over and over in my head all week. I think it's because everyone I pass on the street is also humming Michael Jackson songs.

The day that Michael Jackson passed was quite a phenomenon. I was sitting at my desk checking my twitter page when I saw his name start to pop up in more then one twitter trending topic. No trending topic ever gets that many spots. This was four hours after Farrah Fawcett's name had come up announcing that she had passed away. That didn't surprise me as I had heard she was battling with cancer.

So of course, I clicked on his name and there was so much mass confusion happening about whether or not he had passed or not. After about an hour it was finally confirmed, Michael had indeed passed. So I went on with my work not really feeling much of anything one way or the other about his death. When I got home, there was this urge to turn on the TV and see what the mainstream media had to say. WOW! I had not idea that the world was so impacted by this man. It was insane.

I listened to Michael Jackson back in the 80's and then I moved on. Honestly the past few years I really had lost respect for him. I had only seen pictures of him that were unrecognizable, heard about some kind of lawsuit for child molestation, most recently that he was in financial trouble so he decided to go on tour again. I honestly could care less about about Michael Jackson but could appreciate his early music.

A part of me actually became angry that he was getting so much attention. I thought back to 2 months ago when my grandfather passed and how no one outside our family of about 20 people even noticed or seemed to care. It made me realize that we all come into this world, play our part, and leave. Some of us with a bang and some just quietly without a trace. Michael Jackson left with a huge legacy behind him much life Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. They will forever live on in the collective memory of humankind. My grandfather however will live on in the memory of a few.

I went to a gathering the day after Michael's death and of course it was impossible for us all to not talk about what his death meant to us. It turns out that he had touched all of our lives in some way or another. It was a common bond we all shared. As we spoke about his death, I warmed up and actually felt a little sad.

One discussion that came up that really stuck with me this past week was the concept that there is a shift happening right now in our culture. It used to be that there were only a few celebrities and people like Michael Jackson that actually made themselves into a household brand. However, today anyone can build a personal brand. There aren't as many people like MJ who are getting all of our attention. Our attention is being more spread and we are conecting more with our peers. (Or at least we hope.)

We talked about how there had been so much energy for so long directed towards Michael Jackson and that with his death last week it came to a huge climax. That energy burst and is now being released to transform into something else. Maybe in the destiny of humankind MJ did us a favour. Maybe he died an untimely death so that we could release that pent up energy. It will be interesting to see what comes out of that energy. If there is no Michael Jackson in our lives anymore where will we as a collecive put that energy?

I felt the same with my grandfathers death. He lived a long life into his 80's unlike MJ but in the end of his life the quality of it was deteriorating and his energy and the energy of my family was being spread too thin. And that was only 5 people. Imagine the transformation of millions of people worldwide.

What was your experience with Michael Jackson's death? What do you think will transpire out of Michael Jackson's death?

Personal Sustainability

Hard to believe that summer is here! For the summer, I have made a commitment to work on my own personal sustainability this summer. Having studied "sustainability" for the past 6 years, that one thing that always comes back to me is that there will never be true sustainability in the world unless we focus on our own personal sustainability first. The same goes for a business. If you can achieve personal sustainability then that will carry over into the other parts of our lives.

For me personal sustainability has to do with getting plenty of rest, exercise, eating well, and most importantly play! Have fun. Enjoy this wonderful life we've been given. That can sometimes be hard especially for those of us who run businesses. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur and run my own business but had no idea what it would really take. But when I stop and think about what the other options may be I become more devoted to making our business work.

I also wanted to follow up from my last blog post which I am thankful for starting a couple weeks ago. Since then I have thought about writing in my blog pretty much every day just like I think about writing in my journal every day. But for some reason I seem to have gotten the 'ole writers block. I figured out though the difference now between a journal entry and a blog. I honestly don't know if I will ever be able to tell the world completely everything about my inner thoughts but who knows maybe over time I will become more comfortable with this.

After I sent out my first blog I had a few friends read it and give my some great encouragement to keep writing. It was so inspiring and I want to thank you all. It was much different then writing in my journal and then tucking it away for some day when I am long gone and someone happens upon it. Instead as soon as I hit "publish post" and submit this to my facebook and twitter accounts off into cyberspace she goes! WOW! And instantaneously the world is reading my thougths! So cool!

It is hard to believe that just a few years ago I was pretty anti-technology and now I am running an internet company with my husband. I am embracing this new modern era and enjoying it. Just the other day I got to video skype with my 89 year old grandmother in NY. It is so good for both of us to actually see each other face to face. It really helps our relationship. On the same day I was able to instant message with a friend who is living in Lebanon. Plus I have been watching the Iran election discussions on Twitter and getting the latest news in real time as I work. I wonder what 2010 has in store for us.

Back to personal sustainability. I am learning to live in this modern world and still live a healthy and happy balanced life. It takes lots of conscious effort but eventually it will just be a part of my daily life.

How are you working on your personal sustainability? How do you find balance in this modern world?

My Very First Blog.....Ever!

Hello World! I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long time. But have had some reservations about adding my voice to the World Wide Web. There are so many voices out there now. How will mine ever get heard?

As a journaler for the past 30 years the idea of writing to the public vs privately seems kind of strange to me. My journals have been a place for me to think through my life. Just me, a pen, a piece of paper and off I can go for hours. I have stacks and stacks of journals/ diaries documenting my life since I was 7. Back then all that mattered was what boys I liked and whether or not I had ice cream that day. As I grew older life seemed to get even more complicated and as a teenager I started to feel the emotions of life which I won't bore you with details about here.

If someone had told me that in the year 2009 there would be this new kind of journaling called a "blog" that can be for the public eye I wouldn't have believed them. But here we are, year 2009 and I am joining the public conversation. This does seem kind of weird to think that all I have to do is hit the "publish post" key and off it goes into internet land. Where will it go? Who will read it? What will they think? Will I add value to their lives?

I always imagine that one day after I am long gone all those journals that have captured my life will be quite a story for someone to read. They will be shocked at who I really was. Now, I have nothing to hide. I am open to the world and telling you all straight out what boys I like and whether or not I had ice cream today :)

On this topic, I recently picked up a book at a used book sale called "Revelations, Diaries of Women". It caught my eye because this topic of writing diaries has always intrigued me and the fact that I could read excerpts from the lives of women long gone excited me. Among them are of course the most famous Anne Frank and Anais Nin along with many women I have never heard of but feel honored to get a peak at their lives. (OK, so what's really weird is that I just went back and edited that sentence twice...would never happen in a journal entry:)

This book focusses on women from the early nineteenth century to 1974. It raises the question "Why do women keep diaries? Dissatisfaction with the ways love and work have been defined is the unconscious impulse that prompts many to pour their feelings on paper and to acquire the habit of personal accounting on some more or less regular basis." (So I guess I need to quote the author now right? Since this is public? credit goes to: Mary Jane Moffat :)

I would say that during that part of the nineteenth century that sure was true and in some parts of the world today that probably still holds true. But as a woman living in the twentieth century USA I have a blog. I have a voice. I have choices. I don't need to use a diary anymore to express my dissatisfaction with love and work. I can just say it as it is. Right here. Right now!

So, as I begin to explore what it means to find my voice in the twentieth century as a woman online writing a blog, bare with me as I bare all. I am very excited to explore this new voice and I am sure over time it will become easier and fun!

Are you a woman blogger? Are you a journaler? What do you think about this new way of being in the world? I'de love to know your thoughts.

Til next time....