Ponder for a moment:

How many people do you know that have suffered some kind of injustice at the hands of an inconsiderate friend or lover? Betrayal, theft, dishonesty, in any of it’s forms.

Or perhaps you have experienced the feeling of being totally wronged, first hand. Did it make you angry? Did you eventually decide to forgive that person? Or do you still feel a slight twinge of disgust at just the thought of them?

Let’s change the scenario a bit… let’s say your inconsiderate friend had actually killed a member of your family. Intentionally. And maybe instead of this person being your friend, they were a complete stranger. Would you have any intention of forgiving this person?!

That’s exactly what the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative is encouraging in Rwanda. Is it possible?

IT IS POSSIBLE: “Innocent (left) murdered five people including the brother of Gespard (right).” They stand on the site of the executions with the message written on their arms: “Love is the weapon that destroys all evil.”

Photo Credits: Jeremy Cowart for CNN

More photos of the CNN photo essay by Jeremy Cowart here!

“[Laura Waters] Hinson whose film led to the creation of a Rwandan reconciliation organization, says that “some Rwandans liken unforgiveness to the experience of having acid eat you from the inside out. Others describe it like being trapped in a prison of hatred.”

“For the victims,” she says, “forgiving their offenders is a way of setting themselves free from the chains of anger and bitterness.”’ – CNN.com

Freedom. THIS… is freedom.

The human race has procrastinated long enough. It’s unsustainable to treat each other and ourselves terribly. This is a piece of the necessary change that we are seeing slowly shift in the world right now. An authenticity that breeds real and lasting growth, change, and maturity. The opportunity to learn about ourselves as humans and live better. Live free.

The shift is happening. Do you see?

XO

Abella

With Christmas less than a week away, most of us are scrambling to finish our last purchases before the big weekend. The following gift ideas include quick last minute options, inexpensive options, and unconventional gift ideas that show attention, effort and creativity.

1. Time and Necessity.
You can give the gift of time in many ways, even if you’re not J.T. in his new movie, In Time. If you think of the money we spend on the cost of living in terms of the hours we work to acquire it, a $50 gas card could’ve just saved someone a couple hours of time. (Or better yet, a bike shop gift card!) Or why not give your hard-to-buy-for loved-one a chore/errand-free day? I’m sure most mom’s would kill for this gift! Giving necessities are a great way to gift time and in this economy you can’t go wrong with that!:

• A free oil change – most major car shops offer gift cards!
• A $50 Target or grocery store gift card.
• Coffee (for some of us this is definitely a necessity…)
• An Xcel Energy, Comcast, or Qwest gift certificate! (You can get these now!)

2. Customized and Creative. 
Who doesn’t love to feel important, noticed and paid attention to?! Why not get them a gift that really fits their needs and makes them smile…

• A Survival Kit – Now however positive we may be, we all have our unpleasant life situations that we can’t quite avoid. Whether it’s a life event, an obligation, or a current circumstance, we still gotta get through it somehow. So why not make it a little easier with a (insert life situation here) Survival Kit! Some examples:

  - 5 o’clock Traffic Survival Kit! (good music/books on tape, water, snacks, candy, phone headphones/Bluetooth, a scented artificial flower, you get the idea.)
  - College Finals Survival Kit!
  - Dating Survival Kit!
  - New Job Survival Kit!

• Novelty Items pertaining to them or fun experiences/memories/inside jokes.
• If your loved-one lives afar… A Pen Pal Kit would make a great gift!

3. Memories.
Memories are forever…

• ____’s Perfect Night Out!
• Get a book bound of their favorite memories here! http://www.blurb.com/make/bookify
• Did you know that you can actually volunteer to go play with, walk, and pet the puppies at your local shelters? What a great way to give back while having a fun-filled afternoon!
• A concert with their favorite genre of music, a game, or any fun event and experience that fits their fancy!

4. Knowledge:
Knowledge is power…

• Lessons/classes to learn that skill they’ve always wanted.
• Is there anything that you do well that they’ve always wished they could do? Make them a how-to video!
• An all-expense day-trip to explore and learn about somewhere new and interesting.
• A meet & greet with a professional in a field that interests them.

5. A small investment in the future.
…assuming we’re not done-for a year from now.

• A little bit o’ stock in a promising company. A little bit of money now can go a long way in the future. Apple Inc. anyone?
• Future collector’s items.
• A homemade rainy-day fund coin jar.
• Or perhaps in case the world does end, some Moon Land may come in handy. Yes, apparently you can now actually purchase a lot of land on the moon. Weird.

What other ideas do you have!?

XO

Abella

Post two, in the series of creative/one-of-a-kind/sustainable products that make great gifts.

Today, the wearables…!

We at DVLP|Life, are getting just a little excited for the holidays… Here’s why:

1. Bags Of Tires…

http://www.etsy.com/people/blowuponline

2.  Repurposed Rubber Accessories!

http://www.etsy.com/people/Junkitlove

3. The Airbag Tote!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/airbag-tote

4. A guitar string ring!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/guitar-string-rings

5. Uncommon Belts from Uncommongoods.com!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/fire-hose-belt

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/bike-tread-belt

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/seat-buckle-belts-ford

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/seat-buckle-belt-volkswagen

6. Former vinyl records turn elegant cuff!

http://www.gogreenitems.com/Recycled_Record_Cuffs_Black_Roman_p/rrc-02.htm

7. Skatedeck Style

http://www.etsy.com/shop/derekhowlettdotcom?ref=top_trail

8. The I-Mean-Business Bracelet… For all your loved ones’ intimidation needs.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/bullet-casing-cuff

9. Front-row seats to nostalgia…

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/authentic-stadium-seat-cufflinks

10. And anything on this blog: http://www.ecofabulous.com/

 My personal favorite Sword + Fern beautiful recycled jewelry…

http://www.etsy.com/shop/swordandfern?ref=top_trail

Next week, sustainable gift ideas for the man/woman that has it all… Happy shopping!

XO,

Abella

Another wonderful thanksgiving, and here we are, back to work just a few pounds … happier… yeah, that.
Thanks to the ever-increasing marketing tactics of retail America, this year it has finally dawned on me, in a timely manner, that Christmas is less than a month away.

Ruh-roh.

So I decided to give you a little early Christmas present of my own…
…in the form of sifting through the interweb to search out some unique, creative, upcycled, and sustainable gift ideas for all of the lovely boys and girls on your list. Due to the nature of endless options, this will be spread out over a few posts. Stay tuned!

Today, I’d like to introduce to you HIPCYLCE.COM, a whole reservoir of upcycled products.

What is upcycling?

“Generally speaking, upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.”(-Hipcycle.com)

Brilliant!

Here are a few of my favorites, click to see!

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little micromanaged … by my Google calendar.

“Go do this!” it says, “K, now go that!”

“What – you don’t have time to get from there to there within the allotted time frame because of traffic?”

“What – you’re ‘tired’? Well take a power nap then so you can get on to the next thing!”

Perhaps you can relate… complete this (and do so quickly) so you can go on to that. No time to enjoy this or that, not really. Just focus and complete the task.

Perhaps this is a flaw in over-scheduling oneself? Perhaps.  Regardless, it seems to be how we operate as a society. I mean, how does one support themselves, have any kind of down-time, and go to school simultaneously? Or how does a mom juggle a few children, a relationship with her husband, a job, and her own personal endeavors (church, friends, etc.)?

Well it’s the American way!

And it’s gotten me feeling like, between my harsh and bossy calendar, and the many expectations to blow out of the water, in spite of what the constitution might say, I’m not really free at all.

Well that’s certainly not sustainable…

So what does it mean to be free?

I’m not really sure…

So I decided to ask Google. I stumbled upon a little website meant for Mr. Martin’s class of sophomores, wherever that might be. Some interesting points to ponder, check it out:

What do you think?

XO

Abella

WHAT HE'S REALLY SAYING: "You're super hot, therefore I'm in love with you. Let's get married! Even though I've known you for a total of 3 days... and know nothing about you - as you aren't physically capable of communicating with me for some mysterious reason. Weird... whatever!"

I am subscribed to this obnoxiously AWESOME, young comedienne on YouTube, and just a few weeks ago, she brought up a really good point in her video, “What Disney Movies Taught Me“.

About 5 minutes in, after her initial silly commentary, she starts talking about something she clearly feels strongly about – the unrealistic plot repeatedly recycled in classic Disney films (1989 – 1999). It goes a little something like this:

1. Girl (age 15-17) has problem.
2. Girl meets boy.
3. Boy solves problem.
4. Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after. The end.

First of all … what good decisions are made between the ages of 15 and 17?

And marriage is the goal/answer/ending-prize? Well that sounds like a great message for developing minds. Young ladies of the early 9o’s and beyond: Take the shoulder pads out of those blouses and put them back in your bra where they belong! Clearly, you must wait for (or coerce) a man to marry you in order to finally live happily ever after. If you don’t, well, you might end up single, old, ugly, and evil… like Ursula.

Nonetheless, the now, twenty-something women, grew up on that business. Have you noticed the effect? We’ve all seen it – relationships used as the fix for sadness, validation, fear, money woes, boredom, etc. What’s to be done? Surely banning Disney movies isn’t the answer. Nor can 80′s/90′s Disney writers be blamed for it all.

The moral of the story is this: The world is full of so many thoughts/ideas/beliefs, it’s your job to challenge what doesn’t work for you. What happens in life to make us believe or think a certain way, at some point, stops mattering. What matters is what we do now – what we choose for ourselves.  Sometimes we forget, I can admit that there have been many times that I have, but our experience here, our life, is our choice… and no one else’s.

XX♥

Abella

… SHORT FILMS… anyone?

It’s like, 15 minutes, and you’re left with the same engaged/satisfied feeling as you are from a feature, you get to see the world from a different point of view, AND you just saved an hour… Brilliant!

If you have a few minutes, check out the awesome short film below to see a rad|creative approach at promoting positive and sustainable communities.
Because happy people = happy communities.

Enjoy!

XO
Abella

Have you ever seen a 3-year old “cry”? No not cry… but “cry”.

It look’s something like this:

WHAT?!

Yep. That babe knows what’s up. He wants something and he knows exactly how to get it. _{BUT HOW?!}

Well, he’s an observant little guy. We all once were. And we learned pretty quickly how this world works.

Evidently, we also seem to remember these things as we get older…

AND older…

Oh boy.

We remember these things so well that research shows the way parents or caregivers respond to children in infancy has such a significant effect, that it can actually determine how a child will grow up to form romantic attachments, as an adult. According to psychologists, this can make the difference in how open, trusting, and understanding (versus jealous, dependent, or distant) a person may be with their partner. _Woah.

So if we are capable of carrying habits, beliefs, and perspectives, with us that we learn as infants, into adulthood, what about all the other things we learn in the most developmental times in our lives? What we observed or were even taught directly as children or teenagers?

As children, we may not know any better. We may not even have much of a choice – or know that a choice is possible. But as we get older, more aware, and more experienced, we can challenge those beliefs. We grow out of them, as we get older, just like we grow out of our old clothes as kiddos.

This takes some honesty, but what perspectives or ways of doing things are you attached to? Do they bring you positive results? Do they fit your life and what you want?

Challenge the beliefs that don’t work for you, don’t fit anymore, and see what happens…

Time to take some old clothes to the thrift store… See you there!

Hugs,

Abella

Assignment for fun-having: There are a ton of phenomenal, life-changing teachers out there, I am thankful for them, but just to illustrate my point of the sometimes invalid things we’re taught as younglings: Next time you get a chance, drop the following into your Google search bar: “dumb things said by teachers”, and enjoy!