I believe in balance. Hard core. I believe that if you start to unravel any issue you are dealing with big or small, balance will be right there waiting for you among the possible solutions. I believe what goes around comes around, both in a real-life-everyday way and in a great-big-cosmic-soul-level way.
That is why in so many ways I am thrilled to get to share this with you. It is just so deliciously apropos I can hardly stand it!
I would like to introduce you to my dear friend and one of our Sweetheart Sponsors, Mariam Gates.
It is quite possible that without Mariam, Curly Girl Design would not exist.
I’m not kidding.
The short version: Mariam was my boss a million years ago at her Boston yoga studio, and when I showed her some ‘postcard art’ I was making for my friends she satisfyingly gasped and asked if I would make some for the bathrooms at the studio. I obliged, and soon after people began asking to buy prints and soon after that I had a fabulous (pre-Etsy) little cash business on the side.
I was happy as a clam working at the studio, selling prints to yogis out of my car and flirting with this handsome guy that kept showing up on my shifts (who would become my husband). One day Mariam pulled me aside and said (and I paraphrase…because it was more than 10 years ago, and I cannot remember my own name at the moment): “What are you doing here?”
I thought I was in trouble.
“You need to be doing this.” (blank stare) “Like, really really doing this. ” “Like, full time. This is your thing.”
“But I don’t want to.” I said.
“But you need to.” She said.
Then she politely and lovingly fired me.
That was the beginning of me putting everything I had into Curly Girl and several starving artist-esque years later, it would start to really work. And I would start to believe she was right.
This was all before Etsy and Kickstarter and Zazzle and Moo and all this other cool stuff that helps us put the incredible stuff we are doing out there into the world. This was at the beginning of blogs and when the internet was still a baby…back when we had to walk uphill both ways…
Mariam, who is among many things a ground-breaking and inspired kids yoga teacher with her Masters of Education from Harvard, is working on a passion project. This is her “thing”.
I have been lucky enough to see “Goodnight Yoga” grow from an exercize taught in her kids yoga classes to a poem, to a full-blown beautiful book and teaching tool. I am so excited to be part of putting this book into the world, and I LOVE that Mariam has decided to make this a community project by launching her self-publishing effort on Kickstarter.
Take a look and share it with those whom you think might want to be part of something like this. Teaching balance to our kids (and ourselves) and the inherent balance of many hands lifting something up is such an incredible thing! What a perfect combination.
Along with the opportunity to help a friend who helped me give what I have to the world, give what she has to the world, I just love this book and the mission of this book and the kids that it will help (including hopefully mine someday soon!) and I wanted to share it with all of you.
Thanks for checking it out!
To support this project, just click through on the video (the little K in the top left corner) or follow this link.
xo
