A Sarah Kaye Moment

My mate Pete sent this TED video to me this morning and Jo and I watched it while eating breakfast. I have to say that I had one of the most amazing days today that I have had since I have been in Switzerland. It was spent volunteering at the asylum seeker's centre in Chrissier. I took a rugby league ball in and did league skill drills with soccer (football) mad kids that I used to do with my under 7's team 28 years ago and they loved it AND caught on really quick. After lunch we played tennis (two racquets and a tennis ball on bitumen) then this afternoon watched a movie in French called 'Despicable Me'.They loved the movie and so did I. After the movie they wanted to play Rugby League again. It's a small step I know but I can see a multinational Swiss team rolling up to a world cup sometime in the future.

Now about Sarah Kaye. If you have a sniff of a rainbow of  creative instinct in your body you will love her. If not, you will be at least be inspired to give today your best shot.

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis -- from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York's Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. -- and gives two breathtaking performances of "B" and "Hiroshima."

A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project V.O.I.C.E, teaching poetry and self-expression at schools across the United States. And now she is all of 23.

Cut and paste this link to watch the video.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-03-22 

This is the words of inspiration that Sarah Kaye gave to me. Thank you Sarah wherever you might be at the moment.

Goodbye Mister Petty

Dear universal Mind,

If my life ever becomes petty

once more 

for even a moment

please take it to the court of petty sessions

plead guilty on its behalf

and have it deported to a universe not yet created for the term of 

its pettiness.

If I ever complain 

about catching a lift

to the basement

to do the washing

on a Monday night

take away

all my clothes

and give them to someone

who enjoys

the shelter and warmth and colour

of cotton or denim or wool

when the seasons

are in a savage mood.

When I complain about the price

of Life just remind

me of how much I had

when I arrived on this planet

and ask me what exactly

have I done with it all.

And if I have one more moment

where I am not getting enough Love

just do that calculation for me where the Love

we harvest is only the interest

on the love that we spend

on others every day.

And if I get so petty

that I think that my pettiness

is a quality worth cultivating

and sharing with others

please open up my chest

and show me the magic in my heart

and forever let me be stimulated

by the beauty and joy

and amazing things that are going

on around me like smiles and gratitude

and kind words and laughter

and opportunities that are there for me

to encourage in others 

the gift of greatness and remind

me of the Sarah Kaye moment

that I had while eating

Rice Bubbles in Lausanne

when I said goodbye to pettiness

forever. 

1. (c) Rob Swales