This week Awesome Stories brings you timeless sojourns, kindness, solar cloth, chimp havens, leadership habits, positive pranks and silence.

Take A Sojourn in Timeless Kenya

If you don’t know Randall and his wonderful photography, you are in for a real treat. Each post is a beautiful adventure woven from wise insights and stunning pictures into a grand feast for the senses. This post on Being Time in Kenya explores the relationship between time and how we show up to life. Randall’s photos certainly helped me enter a moment of “being time”. Enjoy your timeless sojourn!

Chimp Haven

Chimp Haven is a non-profit dedicated to providing life enhancing habitat for chimps after they retire from service as lab animals. I was very touched by one of their compassionate videos, reminding me how similar these wonderful animals are to humans. They’ve partnered with The Humane Society to dedicate Chimp Haven as The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Since they’re located in NW Louisiana, I might have to take a trip. 🙂 Explore the Chimp Haven website if you’d like to learn more or help support their mission.

Prank It FWD

I’m generally not a big fan of TV or advertising, but this gives me hope. Break.com uses pranks and the power of media to spread good in the world. This holiday, they’re raising money and awareness for the homeless. Fair warning; watching this prank may bring joy and tears! Watch the videos and share the hashtag #PrankitFWD to help raise money. 

Practicing the Silence

Most of us know the benefits of quiet and time to rest in the silence of being. Whether we make the time is usually more the question. There are many ways to enter the silence or what I call tuning to the divine. As a former monk, Joseph Dispenza has some interesting perspectives on silence for connecting to our spiritual nature. I particularly like his reminders to honor the spirit of silence, as well as his practical tips like making a ritual of it and ending with gratitude. Do you have a practice for silence? What works for you?

Solar Cloth 

This is a very intriguing innovation for solar energy. The Solar Cloth Company has found a way to make very thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels. This allows them to be used in many more applications that typical solar panels. They can be integrated into existing roof structures, buildings or creative tensile designs. There is enormous potential to utilize the solar potential of millions of non load bearing roofs around the country. Take a look at their photo gallery with some unique designs given their flexible nature. I hope they expand or license their products to the US and around the world.

Compassionate Leadership

This is a thoughtful article on compassionate leadership by Zenobia Barlow of the Center for Ecoliteracy. Her article talks about the importance of leadership habits based on openness, empathy, spirit and multiple perspectives. I was touched by how they teach their students to reach for compassion as a core aspect of leadership. They use an approach called the Okanagan Four Societies model that teaches four perspectives for a community to practice effective sustainability. The four aspects are vision for the future, cooperation, respect for the past and practical action.

I hope you’re inspired this week to show up a little kinder, bolder and present for this grand adventure called life. Wishing you many blessings for the holidays!