DEeds:GOOD:Do

ever since i can remember, my sister and i went easter egg hunting-when i lived in norway we had nearly 2acres worth of land and surrounded by sprawling fields of wholewheat and grain. my parents met in germany and my sister and i got kindereggs from our parents, small plastic toys wrapped in dark chocolate--heaven. our first year in on the eastcoast the neighborhood dog ate all the chocolate my mom had left in the yard; we had just arrived a few weeks before-struck with culture shock and homesickness in a town that was huge, in comparison to where we grew up.

easter has been spent in many different houses and countries, although the best service i remember was at a norwegian church we attended, the sermon was about beinghuman and about daily sacrifice that didn't always have to be done within the confines of fourwalls. when i entered college, i was fascinated by asia, the age of the culture and the how it's similar to that of northern europe, without the vikings ofcourse. i studied the history of china with a professor who had emigrated like myself, his perspective on his culture and how he taught it is still something i remember. he was the one that introduced me to the idea of buddha because we studied his impact on chinese culture and how he shaped modern china.

buddhism takes many shapes and forms like other religions but i think it's something that can be practiced everyday, as it is about seeing what is around you and being grateful for thesmall token in life; rather than expecting the grand. the concept of buddhism has reintroduced through the movement of slowfood which is founded on the premise of acknowledging where the food you're eating came from and savouring cooking&eating it. often we're not, we're too consumed by how fast we can eat, in american culture it's not become a breakingpoint the way it is in other cultures.

where i grewup in norway and sweden the culture takes afternoon tea, this usually involves coffee and cake or pastries; sitting down& catchingup. it's supposed to be a time of theday that is spent with either the family or friends. in american culture this has been introduced by stars who created the multi-functional coffee shop-although it harbors interviews, students &the telecommuter. it's not the same as the homefeeling in europe as we have driven the clock into the ground and american corporate society makes people believe that they don't contribute enough in a 40hr week.

to me ipractice doing something good everyday-it doesn't matter what it is, or how small or big, my goal is to have someone smile or make a difference to them. a goodfriend of mine treated me last night without question and it was a gift, although he made fun of me the entire time. friends do that, and it's okay. when i see homeless person on the street and ihave just eaten i usually give them my leftovers, it's better than change. doing something simple, it's not about getting anything back it's about paying it forward, doing good without expectation. practice doing something good, it doesn't have to be big and it doesn't have tobe money. the only way we can start making change is one small action at a time. that's how we create good, like those easter eggs that made the kosher goldenretriever next door sick, but i know they where there, in the large lawn. goodis always there. everyday.