Hello Wonderful Gaians :)

Jessica here.

I've been thinking about childhood. I certainly had challenges as a child but, there was always playfulness and lots of creativity, magic and imagination. So, this week our Friday Five is all about remembering  what it was like when we were young, how we had fun and kept our hearts light and open :) So cut and paste the questions in your blog and share!

Tell us...

1) What was the name of your childhood pet?

2) What was your favorite toy(s) during childhood?

3) Did you grow up with brothers and sisters?

4) What game(s) did you like to play?

5) Did you have an imaginary friend?

Here's a bit about mine :)

Gaia beings!

Hello Beautiful Gaians,

It's Jessica.

It's Friday the 13th! Ooh! Spooky.

What's more, it's the second Friday the 13th for two months in a row. Some people think this is an unlucky day while others I know say it brings especially good fortune. What do you think? We at Gaia like to look on the bright side and say it's lucky. This week's Friday Five is all about superstition. I don't go in for much, but I do tend to feel a little crazy when the moon is full and throw salt over my shoulder when I spill it ;)

What about you?

1) Do you have a lucky charm? (socks, coins, small rubber chickens?)

2) Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? (and what happened?)

3) Do you throw coins into fountains for wishes?

4) Do you have any quirky or unique superstitions?

5) Have you ever seen a shooting star? (did you make a wish?)

Here's a bit about me :)

I'd love to hear about you! Just copy and paste the questions into your blog or answer right here in the comments section.

I've got three to pass along this week! The first is a copy of our featured book this month—Marc Lesser's Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less. (Don't you love how his name fits? Too perfect. :) Marc is the CEO of ZBA Associates (ZBA stands for the Zen of Business Association), and his presence and energy shines through his work. If you'd like a little Zen calm in your work-world, or need a reminder that sometimes slowing down can be the best way to move forward, leave a comment (or drop a note) and I'll put you in the drawing for Less. ;)

The second is a book from fellow Gaian Laurent, a long-time follower of the great Indian mystic Meher Baba. After 9/11, Laurent produced a day-long symposium called Eastern Heritage: Beads on One String, where presenters from major world faiths came together to share the essence of their path and to honor the approaches of the others. His new book Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God, is a compilation of these original perspectives, plus a few more. The whole book reminds me of our new One Light, Many Windows Group... perhaps one of the moderators from there might be interested? If so, again, just drop me a note. 

Last but not least is John Haines' In Search of Simplicity. I've been friends with John on Gaia for ages but hadn't know his extraordinary life story. I was stunned. The book might as well be a novel, given the vast expanses of the globe (from Nepal to New Zealand) it traverses, and the strange coincidences and synchronicities involved. It's sheer inspiration  for a simpler and much richer life, and hard (if not impossible) to put down. 

Hello Lovely People!

This is Jessica :)

Some of you might know that I love to cook. I'm actually a trained vegan chef, although I just do that in my spare time since I'm here working on Gaia. Still, I love sharing food with friends and being creative in the kitchen. I just read that the Obama family is starting an organic garden at the White House so they can have home grown food and they hope to inspire American families to eat healthier :) I think that's cool even though I don't have a garden right now. It's good inspiration.

Food is a beautiful thing. It can be creative, it sustains us and it can make us feel loved if it's made by someone special. It can be simple or complex and it gives us the energy we take in to live our bustling lives.

So, please join me in this week's Friday Five of Food...

1) What did you have for breakfast?

2) Have you grown your own food?

3) What is your favorite beverage?

4) Do you like to cook?

5) What is your favorite vegetable?

As for me...

What about you? Just comment here or paste the questions in your blog, as always.

Hello Gaia Lovelies!

It's Springtime here in the US! Isn't it lovely? I know some of you may still be covered in blankets of snow, but no matter how cold it gets the Sun always returns and green things can be found stirring and moving in the ground. So, this week our Friday Five is about this lovely season of rebirth and newness.

Tell us!

1) What do you like about Springtime?

2) What is your favorite flower(s)?

3) What do you like to do in warm weather?

4) Do you like daylight savings time?

5) Do you like spring cleaning?

Here's what I do...

Siona holds up hat number one, closes her eyes, and reaches inside. 

clapclapclapclap

The second (unadorned) hat gets raised high. 

Siona covers her eyes, turns around thee times, reaches in the last hat, and unfolds a slip.