Wednesday, October 15 is Blog Action Day, and the purpose is to generate worldwide discussion about an issue — this year the issue is poverty.

According to the site, “By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.”

From a quick look at the more than 9,400 sites participating, there’s plenty to write about. And according to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.

In September my column at 5 Minutes for Mom focused on this subject, identifying ways to develop social awareness in our kids. Although I’ve never experienced poverty, and I’ve been personally blessed with a financially steady upbringing and adulthood, I certainly know it exists. And it’s closer to home than we sometimes think.

My husband works in a school district with high poverty statistics - more than half of the school’s population receives free-or-reduced lunch. And he knows from his own low-income childhood that poverty is hard on all families - even strong and close ones.

If you’re looking for ideas for what you can do, the Blog Action Day blog is a good place to start.

I’ll add my favorite Blog Action Day posts throughout the day tomorrow. A few include:
Jonathan Fields — Kids Helping Kids
Digital Photography School - 17 Images of Poverty
ProBlogger - Reflections on Poverty
Freelance Writing — How Reading Helped One Woman Rise Above Poverty
Jessica Knows — Eleven Moms and Walmart Team Up
Bella Casa — Poverty - What Can One Person Do?
First Giving - Online Fundraising to Combat Poverty
The Lamp NYC — Poverty and the Media
Everyday Baby Steps — Blog Action Day, What Will You Do?

My friend Genny is hosting a thoughtful project this month, based on a book she read entitled, One Month to Live. Although I certainly won’t know when my 30 day clock will begin, it’s an interesting prospect to consider how I’d use my time.

In high school I made a “life list” and I’ve considered writing a reprise to that — all the destinations I’ve yet to travel, and the goals I’ve yet to achieve. But this project is quite different. With only 30 days, I find myself thinking more about what I wouldn’t do, than what I would do.

I wouldn’t
…go anywhere, see things or fill my life with adventure, like I would on a bucket list that I might take decades to cross off. I wouldn’t achieve, reach goals or buy things.

I wouldn’t watch the news, or listen to anyone who shared the negative side of it.

I wouldn’t answer the phone or sort my email inbox.

I wouldn’t resent, regret, worry, or feel obligated, angry or hurt.

I would
…pick and choose the small things that have brought me joy.

I’d live at the cabin, like we do in the summer.

I’d fill the freezer with filet mignon and shrimp, make fancy dinners with my daughter and bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch with my son.

I’d rise early and go to bed late, watch the sun illuminate the lake as I drank coffee with my husband, and watch it blaze red at dusk as we sipped Merlot.

I’d go for walks.

I’d toast marshmallows with my kids and ride bikes to Dairy Queen.

I’d blog every day, leaving my own “Last Lecture.”

I’d take pictures.

If friends and family visited, we’d talk and laugh, and share good news.

I wouldn’t talk about dying in 30 days.

And I’d thank God if he let my last 30 days be healthy ones.

What would you do with your time, if you knew you only had 30 days to live?

I once read a magazine article that cautioned, “Don’t try to make your Mr. Right, Mr. Perfect.”

What a wise statement.

As years pass, I often find myself doing just that. How easy it is to take our spouses for granted, and get caught up in the stressful stuff of life that ultimately doesn’t matter. If I take even a single step back to look at the whole picture, I quickly understand how fortunate I am to have married this man.

It’s more than the fact that he’s a hard worker, an attentive husband and father, and that he fills the gas tank. He fills the gaps I leave as a parent, he’s playful and loves to fish. And he helps me to become who I want to be. How could I ask for more?

I love you, Mr. Right!

Readers, please join me in wishing him a Happy 40th Birthday!

(I met the very talented Debba Haupert when she asked to do this podcast interview with me as a part of my book tour. She’s an inspiring business woman and an awesome ambassador for the value of girlfriends!)

Guest blog by Debba Haupert, Girlfriendology.com

Allison, Dana, Jill, Katie, Lisa, Amy, Holly, Terri … just some of the many reasons I started Girlfriendology. My friends mean the world to me. They’re my chosen family, my confidants and advisors, they make me laugh and sometimes cry, and they stand by me, like I do them, through thick and thin.

But where did it really start? (I get asked that a lot!) Maybe it was moving around so much when I was growing up. I always missed my girlfriends when we moved and wanted to stay behind to be with them. Perhaps it was college and my roommates and friends with whom I bonded, grew and learned life with.

But the specific point at which I recognized that I actually needed my friends wasn’t quite so fun. My college girlfriend Dana found out she had cancer. Then another friend, Allison got the same diagnosis. Fortunately both are fighters and strong survivors, but when that news first hit me – it hit me hard. It made me want to spend time with my other girlfriends – to learn from each of them how to care for my girlfriends who were facing fears I can’t comprehend. It caused me to appreciate all of them even more. And it actually made me stop to consider why my friends became so important to me. Continue Reading »

(Works-for-Me Wednesday is backwards this week, so I’m asking what works for you!)

We canceled our cable and Internet last spring when we moved to the cabin. I wasn’t happy with the Internet service and knew TV and Internet wouldn’t get used in an empty house, so we saved ourselves about $300 to cancel everything. But now we’re faced with the reality we’re moving home from the cabin, and have none of our electronics hooked up. I called to install a phone line, so we’ll go with DSL this time. But I’m so conflicted about the television.

Up until three years ago, we’d never had cable or satellite television. The four network stations we received were enough, despite their sometimes fuzzy reception. But we’d moved to a remote area that required a 15-foot-tall antenna to acquire a signal, and even then it was iffy.

So we plunged. We got Dish Network, which catered to our perceived need to plug in and zone out. And because of it, we are now the proud parents of two Disney Channel addicts.

And I’m thinking about pulling the plug.

I purchased $15 rabbit ears for our TV and found that we receive one channel perfectly and about three others so-so, if I jimmy the antenna. The kids noticed the TV was on, after three months off, and were very excited, but I didn’t have the heart to explain my evil plan.

I’m inspired by friends like Holly who have done the same thing. This cold-turkey loss of cable may induce some drama in our household, but I’d love to think that it might also lead to better family communication. I guess we’ll see.

I brought up the discussion on Twitter, and Beth at Life with Two Little Vikings suggested I offer up some kind of family reward for the money we’ll save (which would total at least $30 per month.) This may ease the discontent that will surely be communicated when our daughter hears the news.

I’d love to hear about your experiences related to quitting cable, as well as more suggestions on making the switch. Thanks so much!

Good News About Youth and the Adults Who Empower Them:

The “Curriculum”
Off to College
This Quiet House

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Doing the right thing? Or good news about youth?

Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.

Former PTT posts.