Whirled Peas

(Prayer flags over Nepal's Annapurna Himalayas)

Everyday seems to be a day to honor something. There's National Cupcake Day on June 13th, International Bacon Day on August 31st, and even Sisters' Day is the first Sunday in August. For the most part, I am not aware of these celebration days, I usually eat a cupcake, or have bacon when the mood strikes. But I want to call out today, September 21st, is World Peace Day, and their focus this year is Climate Action. A little known secret is my lifetime wish on birthday candles, wishing wells, or Prayers of the Faithful (on rare occasions when I attended Catholic mass as an adult with my family) has always been peace. World peace to be specific. This afternoon, I attended The Bluefire Street Festival in Dublin, a quaint venue with food trucks, craft artists, and a stage for performers to showcase their talents. The theme embraced Peace, People, plus Planet. I sat in on spoken word artists Chandrika Narayanan Mohan and Claudia Crampton. Chandrika spoke about her love story with Dublin and on embracing your individual self, and Claudia rapped about injustice. Each were impactful and captivating. I participated in a meditation by the Dublin Tibetan Buddhist Centre and even helped design a tote labeled with the word "hope" in different languages, including "pag-asa" in Filipino. At noon, those gathered were led in a global minute of silence. A lot went through my mind in that minute - from reflection, to gratitude, to letting go….

FYI - tomorrow is Paella Day - not kidding, and don't ask me how I know these things.

(With two sisters from Belfast, Sarah and Kathy, and our silk screen pag-asa tote)