go figure!

here we are heading home after a wonderful meal at ohashi, our favorite west side sushi place (24539 lorain in north olmsted if interested) and BAM! what do we see but our beloved dalai lama's face smiling down on us - on a billboard of all things!!! now HH is pretty cool about sharing his image with almost all that ask, but a billboard? how bizarre is that! then again billboards reach a lot of people so why not. when working to improve things, perhaps we should employ every means possible - even billboards and blogs!!

I've seen other billboards by this 'foundation for a better life.' this morning I decided to check out the 'group' and what I learned is very heartening and inspiring. apparently the sole purpose of this foundation is to: "(S)hare about the actions of others to inspire someone to do one thing a little better, and then pass on that inspiration. While a few individuals living values-based lives seems small, collectively they will make the world a better place." to learn more about the foundation and to see more of their billboards (and other things that FBL does) check out their website.

since I mentioned how great HH is about sharing, I'll share an image from a moment that was life-changing and by far one of the best in my life. how often in life do you get to meet a truly great and seriously wise human? from my experience not often....

this moment was made possible by d, my wonderful beau-frère who I've written about before. after e & I met HH, I would joke that the whole reason d met my sister was to set up this moment for us....and who knows with the way the universe works anything is possible.

a lesson from Tenzin Gyatso HH 14thDL:
If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation.

pictures: billboard- fairview park, oh, july 2007; holding hands w/HH, bloomington, indiana, september 2003