Month: February 2016

Re-Fueling my Soul at Pacific Beach

I’ve loved the ocean for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories go back to early childhood & walking the beach in Wildwood Crest, NJ collecting sea shells with my mom. She loves the sea too, that’s probably where I got it from.

During a lunch break at a mindfulness conference I took a quiet walk along the sea shore. Rolled my pants up (still soaked them) & enjoyed the beauty in front of me. I was so moved, that’s why I captured it in video after the moment passed through me. The ocean gives me perspective, it reminds me how small I am in a vast world. The ocean seems to go on forever – beyond the horizon.

The ocean reminds me of how precious life is, my time here is so short, like a drop of water in the ocean. But the ocean also rejuvenates me, re-fuels my soul. I feel awe, my spirit renewed. Although my time on earth is limited, I’m determined to make the time I have count.

~Savoring the Dash ~

My Day at Facebook HQ: #Compassion @Facebook, it’s not a paradox.

I was excited for my day at Facebook to say the least. I am attending Wisdom 2.0, a conference I went to 2 years ago & literally changed my path. Conference attendees could apply to attend this special Wisdom week event to learn and discuss Compassion Initiatives at Facebook. I feel incredible gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this event. I approached FB headquarters in my Lyft ride, the driver dropped me off at Building #15, the visitor entrance, where we proceeded to go through security and mingle and meet in large open space. Shortly thereafter, a FB employee escorted us to one of the many MiniKitchen’s on the campus where we were told to help ourselves to snacks & drinks. They had so many choices! (It’s everything you think it is & more.)

We settled back into the meeting room where we networked with other Wisdom attendees from a variety of businesses and places. The Facebook Compassion team then shared their work with us, informing us about products already available, and others they were working on. Did you know they had a Compassion team? Click on the link above to learn more. They have a team who uses Design thinking, accesses the most current research and experts to increase compassion in life’s difficult moments as they are shared on FB. They research, design, test,  and re-design before a product is ever launched. There is genuine sense of caring to both protect and serve their users. For example, if any of you have gone through a break up, you may have noticed the options that are given to you when you change your relationship status. Users could leave things as they are or make changes they are most comfortable with. Did you ever think about what happens to a person’s FB page after they pass away? Facebook now has a Legacy feature, if a loved one dies, if someone contacts Facebook to let them know, the page then becomes “Remembering” and then the users name. In addition, now we have the option to go into our security settings and identify Legacy contacts. For example, I could name someone my Legacy contact, so that when I die, that designated Legacy contact can pin information to my page. Or you have the option of having your account deactivated once you pass. I realize these may not be pleasant conversations, but I think it’s reassuring to know that Facebook recognizes not all of life’s moments are good and there are people working hard to support their FB community of users. These are just two of many initiatives they are working on. We had lunch, discussed compassion topics and teams and then we toured their campus.

Facebook has two campuses across the street from each other, connected through an underpass. I got to see the existing one and the very newly opened Building #20 designed by Frank Gehry. Check out this outstanding aerial pic of the 9 acre rooftop park on top of the building.facebook_mpk20

Obviously I didn’t take that one myself, found it online. But here are a few of my snap shots of the park.

I feel such gratitude for the opportunity to visit their headquarters, listen, learn and discuss Compassion, a topic important to me both personally and professionally. How can you make your life, your home, your workplace more compassionate?

Living, Loving & Learning

I read this poem years ago and it made me reflect on my life, my past, my future, but most importantly how I’m living today, now. The dash represents the time between the day we’re born and the day we’ll die. It reminded me of saying my Nanu (grandfather) said, loosely translated from his Italian dialect, was the idea that we begin to die from the day we are born. Some may interrupt that as morbid, but in our family, the lesson was simple but powerful, the time we have here is limited and we should appreciate it. Every day I work at Savoring the Dash. The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis