Christmas time is a special time of the year, regardless of one's faith. It provides a time to remember people we care about, to travel to see family and friends, and to pause and reflect on years old and new.

There are endless variations on gifts to buy, and it's easy to be sold on buying more. But I don't think we need to.

There is no gift better than a heartfelt hug, and no words are sweeter to hear than "I love you." When you stand by someone through the tough times, you bring them encouragement and strength. When you say "I'm sorry" you wash away distance and pain. When you smile and thank people in your life, be they a friend or a service provider, you create community.

When people stand together they see the common goals we all share: peace, love, health and joy.

Here's to standing by each other, and caring more each day.

We are all part of our society – benefitting and struggling within the system we share. We might think of ourselves as isolated from the rest of the world, but our lives are entwined – connected to the world through our supply chain of food and materials, and to people around the world through our relationships and shared goals.

As powerful and important as any one person might be, they are supported by the efforts of others.

As humble and unknown as any of us might feel, we live together within the world, and our existence affects the world.

No matter where we are now, no matter what we or others know of our real potential, we all want a better future, and can help to create a better future – for ourselves, for our family, for our friends, for our community, and for our world.

A future where:

- We can each use our real skills and abilities, which might be different from those we use to live right now.
- There is a role for each of us that is valued and appreciated.
- There are more smiles and hugs.
- Everyone is safe, fed, clothed and healthy.
- Caring is recognized as both vital and possible, because we work on things we care about, with and for people we care about.
- Happiness is not marketed as being dependent on money or stuff.
- We can afford to be less greedy because we have things that mean more to us than stuff and money.
- There is more fun, more music and more treasured moments.
- We feel hope and optimism, because good things are happening around us and include us.
- We rediscover, every day, that people matter most, and we are included.

There are many bubbles of awareness popping up in our society. People are becoming dissatisfied by the short-term happiness of owning more stuff, and disillusioned by frequent economic problems. People who want to work can't find jobs, and people see important things – like freedom and a healthy planet – being disrespected and abused. Generations of people have been cajoled and bullied into thinking that our current type of economy and life style is the only possible way, and it's wearing down hard-working, good-hearted folks.

It's not just the Occupy movement that is expressing this – there are discussions within companies and coffee shops, at the kitchen table and amongst friends. Entire countries are being pushed past their financial abilities and reaching economic meltdown. People are questioning what is going on in their lives and in our world. It's a wide-spread feeling of yearning and discontent that flat screen TVs and shopping can no longer suppress.

No-one knows quite what to do about it. Yet. And that's okay.

Some of the best things take the longest, and take the greatest number of people to make it happen. There are a lot of people who want things to be better, who are starting to see the possibilities of a better future, and who recognize the power of being kind and trying hard. Like bubbles in water they are rising and merging to bring a breath of fresh air and hope.

There might be a lot of things to set right in our world, but there are a lot of people to get things done. Big changes can happen when many people make small changes – changes that actually make our lives better – that benefit everyone, even people who currently think that money is the key to happiness.

We can do it, together. Bubble by bubble.

Keep reminding yourself (and those around you) that happiness is not based on what money can buy for us, but on what our lives become when we're focused on sharing community, health, music and peace. Helping others is a great source of joy and progress, so find ways to make a difference in your life and neighborhood.

There is a paradigm shift going on, with changes happening in our attitudes and outlook. It is like when people learned that the Sun is the center of our solar system, not the Earth. Except this time it is people figuring out that people need to be the center of our lives, not money.

You can help change the world, a bit at a time. Start being a bubble of hope and caring. Spread the word: people matter. Let's see how changing things a bit today can help us all occupy a better future.

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In her cheerful yet poignant song, Price Tag, Jessie J helps shine some light on our society's obsession with money. In an age of endless encouragement to buy things, it is refreshing to hear a musical artist reminding us there are simpler, priceless aspects of life.

Teaming up with American rapper B.o.B. and producer Dr Luke, Jessie J sings about the importance of truth, music and life.

Some of Jessie J's understanding comes from her own life, being diagnosed with a heart defect at the age of 11 and suffering a stroke at 18. She's experienced earlier than most the "life-is-hard" lesson, and uses that to help us do our own exploring about what is really important in life – about things more priceless than money.

[Here's an alternate video of Price Tag on YouTube by Trojan Lazo, with some good interpretive images.]

While her lyrics "It's not about the money / Forget about the price tag" are powerful, they are perfect dark mirrors of what we really need to keep in mind:

1) That for almost everyone in western culture, too much of life *is* about money, stuff, and our own needs, and
2) We need to see the bigger, long-range price tag of our excessive consumerism, including:

• Unmanageable personal, business and national debt, which cause us to pay so much interest that we become long-term prisoners of previous purchases.
• Making decisions in our lives that focus on ourselves rather than others, robbing us of the joys of community, sharing and helping others.
• Polluting our wonderful planet, encouraging companies to make things we don't need, and people discarding useful things just to get a new thing.

Perhaps the most telling lyric of Jessie J's song is the revealing phrase: "Got your shades on your eyes". She's not just talking about expensive sunglasses.

The marketing machine works feverishly, every day, telling us what we "need" – what we should want – and trying to convince us that life just won't be good unless we own whatever thing, goo or food that they want to sell us.  We need to wake up, and be aware of how advertising is working against us.

The truth is that life can be good without a focus on money, and without owning so much stuff. In fact, life has always been better when it is about your friends, your family, and your community – when we've focused on trying hard, being kind, and sharing time.

Please do some thinking about the moments when you are really happy – like when you're sharing a laugh with friends – when you're figuring something out at work – when you've helped someone and they smile in thanks.

And when you stand in the blinding beacon of marketing, and you're being sold false joy – put on your sunglasses – and see through the advertising glare to the costs of caring too much about stuff. Don't forget about the price tag.

Rob Hueniken

"Price Tag"
(By Jessie J, featuring B.o.B)

[Jessie J]
Okay, Coconut man, Moon Heads and pea
You ready

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop for a minute and
Smile

Why is everybody so serious?
Acting so damn mysterious?
Got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good time

[Pre-chorus:]
Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (uh)
Can you feel that (yeah)
We're paying with love tonight

[Chorus:]
It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching
Ain't about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag.

[Jessie J]
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all unite!
And it wasn't low blows and video hoes,
Am I the only one getting tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can't buy us happiness
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now
Guarantee we'll be feeling alright

[Pre-chorus]

[Chorus]

[B.o.B]
Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six strings and a half stack
And you can, can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I, yes all I need
Are keys and guitars
And guess what, in 30 seconds
I'm leaving to Mars
Yeah we leaving across
These undefeatable odds
It's like this man
You can't put a price on a life
We do this for the love
So we fight and sacrifice
Every night
So we ain't gonna stumble and fall
Never
Waiting to see a sign of defeat
Uh uh
So we gonna keep everyone
Moving their feet
So bring back the beat
And then everyone sing

It's not about the money

[Chorus 2x]

[Jessie J ‒ Outro]
Yeah yeah
Oh-oh
Forget about the price tag

(Lyrics from azlyrics.com)

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I came upon some images of heart-shaped cookies and a cookie-cutter image of a person with outstretched arms.

It reminds me that even though each of us is unique – with our own decisions and life journey – that we value the same good and basic ingredients: love, peace, freedom, harmony, joy, music and community.

And if you look past the fancy icing, sprinkles and the box we're in right now we are all humble, shortbread cookies.

While some people are in a happy place right now, many more are not. When you look at the cookie with the outstretched arms he is joyful, yet there are others around him, reaching out.

It is my hope that each of us finds new ways to bring joy and relief to people around us – so that, like heart-shaped cookies, we rise higher to fulfill good roles in the bakery of life and love.

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I recently attended a party held outdoors in farming country. Near the road was an old piece of farm machinery, slowly rusting.

I wrote this poem for what is past and unchangeable:

Waiting long:
For men to bind me to their task.
For sun and wind and dirt and grass.
For purposed motion past that tree.
For harvests that are not for me.

As the sun set I was struck with the awareness that each of us has had times of achievements — of getting things done, of doing well — but feel now that time is passing without the arrival of new successes.

Looking at this rusting machine, I realized that I too have rusty parts — signs of wear, not quite as fit, and holding on to old ideas of how things should be done and said.

But looking at this rusting machine, I realized that I am changeable — that my rust is reversable, that I can be renewed.

There are truths of purpose and truths of things worth doing. They all involve people, helping each other to move forward, even if moving forward means to sit and share a smile.

We are not a rusty machine or a tree stuck in the ground. Shake off the rust. Shake off the dust.

Try hard. Be kind. Make more of today, together.

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In celebration of Mother's Day:

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Back in the days of wood heating, the fireplace was a central and essential part of the house. Stoked and prodded, fire was a bright orange source of heat, and a strong reminder of our shared interests in warmth and community. Atop the fireplace, on the mantle, was always something of personal meaning to the family, be it a family portrait or a treasured heirloom. Chairs were positioned around the fireplace, and it was a focal point that drew us together frequently, to talk and share time.

Nowadays, most homes are heated thoroughly and invisibly by a furnace or baseboard heaters. No-one has to stoke or carry wood, and we can each be comfortable in our own rooms. More often it seems, we are on our own, with our iPods and screens. Without direct fire we are safer now, and the warmth is easy and assumed. Its cost comes in the bill at the end of the month, and the more subtle loss of shared time and discussion.

On a recent visit to my parent's home my Mom had changed the fireplace mantle display. An elegant vase from my childhood held long stems of spring buds and bull rushes. Entwined through it all were soft, pink flowers. On its right was a beautiful woman, dressed in soft grey with a matching pink umbrella, enjoying the nearby flowers.

The starkness of the dark brown bullrushes stood out against the muted shadows on the wall, and it struck me how easily we can separate ourselves from nature and community. In their native environment, bull rushes grow in swamps, and wet feet are guaranteed for their collection — or would be if it were us collecting them. More often these days the colors of nature are filtered through our screens, and not so much entwined, but engulfed, in the determined marketing of everything. There's a lot of pulsing, dynamic color to be seen on our screens, and no shortage of actors' interpretation of life.

But here in my parents' home, bull rushes and porcelin ladies stand together, as we sit and talk and share.

People are wonderfully adaptive and strong — surviving almost anything and flourishing whenever possible. I love art and the freedom and creativity that our culture encourages. I know that people gather, as they always have, to share time and stories — to meet and to fall in love.

But let's not lose our sense of subtlety — our joy in calmness — our appreciation of being together, full of subtle warmth and color.

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We have all heard the saying “You can’t take it with you.” The saying is very old, though not as old as the Egyptian pharaohs, who stocked their pyramid burial chambers with lots of goodies for the next world. The pharaohs thought of themselves as gods, so if they wanted to bring some golden cats into the next world then surely that was going to happen.

The recent touring of His Extreme Highness, King Tutankhamun (King Tut to us disrespectful peasants, and Tut to his buddies) showed lots of King Tut’s stuff, but no sign of his re-embodiment in the next world. Most likely he wouldn’t want to be hanging out in museums with cellphone-packing peasants anyway.

King Tut has moved on, but King Tut’s stuff is still available for ogling and historic analysis. In other words, he didn’t take it with him.

While Tut spent his pseudo-powerful lifetime building a pyramid and carefully planning his personal journey beyond this world, our own journeys focus on more local travel, powered largely by good will and moderate prosperity.

When we think about what we can take with us, we are mostly thinking about how much will fit in our luggage or the car.

What we maybe don’t realize, is that even for travel in this life, the most important things we bring with us are within us.

A friend of mine took a business trip into Mexico recently with his colleagues. On a drive between cities they came upon a bridge, on which there were many beggars — destitute and seeming without hope. As they drove across the bridge my friend spotted a pregnant woman, and felt a strong need to help her. Looking into his wallet he saw his last $20 bill, so his companions sifted through the ashtray change and gave that to the woman.

My friend felt the need to help, and did something.

He felt compassion, and took action.

As it turned out, when he checked his wallet later, he had two more $20 bills. It made him sad, realizing that he could have helped more than he did.

But he had sensed the need to help, and had done something. Not nothing, maybe not a lot, but something for someone in need.

The strong, deep urging each of us gets — to help someone — is built into us.  It is part of why humans have survived long past the days of the pharaohs, and it will still be part of us when our focus on money is over.

Along life’s highways, each of us can bring something important: a willingness to help others. And since no-one gets a smooth ride through life, each of us can benefit from being helped.

Which skills we have and what resources we have varies from person to person, and from moment to moment. But even the poorest of the poor can be willing to help, and to share a smile.

Studies have shown that the happiest people are not the richest — but regular folks who care about others, and who share in community.

Whether in small ways or big ways, wherever we go, we can be someone who helps others.

Here is a hand, reaching out to help.

Be the hand.

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Our world depends on a lot of people getting things done. We all have our roles and our tasks, and every day has more than enough to do.

And swirling through our days are people. Some of them we see every day, like those we work with. Some people we only see for a minute, like those who help us in checkout lines or at a restaurant. Some we walk by and never share a word with.

But all of the people in our days are, in fact, real and caring people. And all of them, in some way, are sharing their lives with you.

We cannot know every person, or spend all of our days thanking each other.

But we can appreciate people, and let them know.

Showing appreciation usually starts with a smile or a greeting — letting the other person know we see them — and ends with thanking them.

What happens after that comes naturally. When people feel appreciated they are encouraged and they feel welcome. Their eyes sparkle a bit more, and they can handle tough moments a little more easily. They try hard and the work day goes more easily. They feel they are part of a special team — a loosely knit community of people who recognize the efforts of those around us, and who acknowledge that personally.

You like it when other people appreciate your efforts. Share the joy. Thank someone — many someones — every day.

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I love music, and I always have. It makes my body move and my spirit soar. I have many favorite songs and passages, and I can listen to them repeatedly — thrilling to the skill and nuance of the performers.

My brain plays songs I’ve heard, like a tape recorder in my head.  But sometimes it plays songs I’ve never heard, and those are the hard ones for me to hear, without the skills to make them real.

When I was in first year university I lived in a residence with many other young men. It was a mix of hard working students and party lovers, all learning to live away from home. Many people left their hallway doors open, and there was a real community feel in the dorm.

One of the guys on my floor played classical guitar, and I often heard his skilled and melodic playing floating down the hallway. I was a shy person but, drawn by the sound of his guitar, I introduced myself. Over the next couple of weeks I often spent time sitting in his room, listening to him play. He wasn’t limited to classical guitar — he could play anything, from folk to rock. It was amazing and wonderful to hear up close.

One day when I dropped in my friend was reading a book. He welcomed me, and as I sat down he saw me looking at the guitar. “Pick it up,” he said. “Give it a try.”

I carefully picked up his beautiful acoustic guitar and clumsily sat it across my lap. “You won’t break it,” he said. “Just try.”

I had no clue about notes or how to play, and the sheer number of frets was intimidating. But I plucked out some notes, slowly and quietly at first, and then more enthusiastically. I was surprised by the vibration of the guitar — of the physical pulse that accompanied the start of each note. It was an extra dimension that a non-musician would not have experienced.

With my friend kindly appearing to ignore me and read his book, I tried playing a bit more. After a few minutes of fiddling around I found a series of notes that sounded good to me, and my awkward fingers somehow got them into a loop. It was fun!

Just then another guy from the floor came into the room. No doubt he had heard disturbingly awful playing coming from an otherwise quality guitar.

“That’s not how you play,” he said, shaking his head and frowning. “That’s no way to play a guitar.”

My gut wrenched, and I felt a wave of shame and regret that I had dared to pick up that guitar. I have no memory of anything my friend might have said at that moment. All I remember is a dark hole being punched through my fledgling attempt at music, and then a lot of years passing. I still loved music and appreciated musicians — even more than before — but any thoughts I had of playing music were kept small out of a fear of rejection, and easily brushed aside in the busy-ness of work and family.

Last year at Christmas I received some money as a gift, and with it I bought myself a beautiful guitar, which looks a lot like the one my friend played at school years ago. It sits in the corner of my room — a reminder to appreciate our world’s creative and musical communities, and those who encourage them.

Sometimes I pick it up.  I have taken guitar lessons — from a skilled and lifelong music teacher — so I can play a few chords.

But I can never get back those years when I was a vulnerable young man trying to play music for the first time. I was an impressionable, sensitive person who a jerk successfully shot down.

My son playing my guitar on stage. Please encourage the musicians and artists in your life.

I have a son now, just a bit older than I was in this story. He is a wonderful guitarist and musically skilled in ways that I admire but can not quite comprehend. He has tried to teach me some music, and has encouraged me to play more. “You’re over-thinking it,” he has told me, no doubt correctly.

But the extra 30 years of life have changed my brain, and are not easily erased.

If they could be, and I were back in that dorm room, I would wish for two things to have happened:  My guitar-playing friend would have kicked the jerk out of the room and told me in a clear and supportive voice, “You’re doing great. Keep trying”.

And I would have kept trying — enjoying and knowing how to play a musical instrument.

Please be a patron of the Arts. Whether your child or friend loves music, drama, dance, art or writing — please be supportive and encouraging. The Arts and our community, not money, are the collective value of our world.

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