Pin it Forward

Three More Pin Princesses

2006-11-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Whoever thinks you've got to be a certain age or have a certain amount of money/power/influence in order to make a difference needs to think again. Love and thanks are going out to these three lovelies who've not only pinned themselves but are also Pinning it Forward! Oprah recently announced that so far the (Red) campaign has raised enough money that 15 million pregnant women in Africa will not be passing AIDS along to their beautiful babies -- isn't it marvelous? This sort of success makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. With all my gratitude and appreciation for your enthusiasm....let's keep those pins rolling!

Hono(red)

2006-11-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had the joyful honor of being in the delivery room with a dear friend as she was giving birth to this amazing angel. I've never seen a live birth before and no words of mine could ever do it justice so I won't even try. But the big, beautiful, heart-opening experience did make me think of all those babies in Africa who are born with AIDS when medication exists to prevent such a thing. And it made me think of all those mothers and fathers who, just like parents in any other corner of the globe, are praying hard for a healthy child. I pray along with them. I pray (and pin) for the coming generations of AIDS-free babies. Babies as healthy as this little girl here. So please keep pinning. And please share your stories to help inspire others.

The Final Pin

2006-10-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

How lucky am I to have this gorgeous creature for a next door neighbor? Hip, cool and smart, she's not only one of my favorite teens, but the recipient of my fifth and final pin. I could think of no one better to start Pinning it Forward in one of our local schools. Here's to conscious gift giving this Christmas....thanks, Em!

Four out of Five Pins

2006-10-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here I am about to leave for town, armed with my snazzy new pin bracelet (assembled with eleven pins by yours truly) and five loose pins to begin Pinning it Forward.

The ever-so-lovely Kristi. She was trying to enjoy a meal in peace, with a guy I am guessing is her significant other, when she found herself being kindly accosted by me and my bright ideas. She loved it and promised she'd pin it forward too...thanks Kristi!

My crazy pixie-friend, Aiyana (who has been officially pinned as well). We turned four pins into two sets of earrings. Here she is showing them off. We eached pinned someone else and hope they keep the pins rolling...

The birth of an idea

2006-10-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I belong to a small and very wonderful writing group and last week our fearless leader (Max) gave us an assignment called $5 Changes the World. Here is an excerpt from our assignment sheet:

"They say that everything we do, every breath, every dollar we spend, every butterfly that flaps his wings, changes the world, ever so slightly. These days 5 bucks doesn't buy much, but you can still buy a used book, one or two items of food, a ream of paper, 5 packs of gum, etc. Think carefully and then spend five dollars in a way that, ever so slightly, changes the world. How can this five dollars (20 quarters? 50 dimes?) feed someone, clothe someone, educate someone? Can this five dollars plant something or pay to have something removed? BE CREATIVE! And then write about what happened and bring in the text..."

I let this challenge percolate for a few days until it hit me. I had seen and heard about (Product) Red - the campaign involving Bono and many retailers to help in the fight against AIDS in Africa. The Gap is heavily involved and there are these little red pins you can get for a dollar. They are safety pins with a red bead attached and every time you buy one you are paying for one days worth of medicine for someone who would otherwise go without. So I went to the Gap and bought five pins with my five dollars. But it didn't seem quite finished because I was left with the pins and was convinced that they could keep working for me. Since I love the whole pay-it-forward philosophy of giving, I thought hard about how I could apply it to my pins. And that's when I had the Pin it Forward idea. I would go up to five people and pin them each (like a tiny corsage of hope) with the understanding that they would go buy at least one pin (preferrably five) and pass it on by Pinning it Forward to strangers they meet on the street or co-workers, family, friends, the bus driver, sales clerk, anyone.

I bounced the idea off a few people at a party last night and they loved it but a few asked how I would know if the people actually did it - actually Pinned it Forward. I said I guess I would never know. Which is where my sister came in, suggesting I create a blog. So that's it. The birth of the idea through this moment, five little red pins still in my hands. I will go out into the day tomorrow and start Pinning it Forward in the hopes that everyone who recieves a pin and everyone who passes along a pin will write in and tell us who they are and how and where they got Pinned. In the hopes that the reality and the spirit of my five dollars will travel far and wide. Farther and wider than they could without your help.

The devastation in and around our world is just so scary-big. It's overwhelming. I thank Max for reminding me that even a small gesture can make a difference, can make us feel less paralyzed. So let's do it. Let's flap our butterfly wings. One pin at a time.

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