When I was young, I suffered a shortage of Love, as many children do. When I got a little older, I made Love my mission. In the early stages I tried hard to understand where the line was between friendship and love. In the later stages, I was working more on the lines between friendship, sex and love. After a good amount of time spent on adventure and research, I gave up on Love. I came to the conclusion that Love is much like Happiness; something that happens while you are busy doing other things. And so I decided to make Peace my mission.

I decided to give up everything I had. Much of what I had was tired and worn and didn’t suit me anymore, but the friendships, the networks and the city, they were all so hard to let go. I moved country, back to my old home, in the hope of discovering more about Peace. Sure enough, Love found me just as I was on my way out the door.

I went to school. I didnt study Peace; I studied the obstacles to Peace. I studied a range of processes and procedures designed to try to bring Peace on small, personal levels. I have to say, I’m dissapointed by the limited effectiveness of many of those processes. Only one particularly promising process caught my eye.

With the future and all the people I miss in mind, I looked for an opportunity to practice Peace in perhaps less effective but more lucrative and transferable contexts, but met brick walls all the way. Unexpectedly, and at the last moment, I found my way into a context where the most interesting process was practiced. Not only that, but the process being implemented for children in their daily lives, not just when there was conflict, but every day. I saw a Peace process that was easily teachable, easily implemented, easily accepted by children as fair and desirable, and most importantly, able to reach the ones most likely to end up in juvenile detention centres or prisons. A Peace process that teaches responsibility, empathy and consequences, a process that builds community ties as a side effect. I found something that I can believe in.

And today, I was invited to be one of the people that teaches this process to schools. The placement turned into a job. I had a dream, and now I’m living it. I’m very happy today! And Love comes to visit next week too, for two whole weeks, and I’m going to be mostly on holiday. It doesnt get much better than this!

• MJD-S (Japan) said on 07/08/01 at 03:35 AM.....

  CONGRATULATIONS HONEY!

  Have my fingers crossed for you!

  
  xxxx

• felix (new york) said on 07/08/01 at 04:17 AM.....

  Many congratulations!

• Kristen (Toyk) said on 07/08/01 at 07:39 AM.....

  Wow, congratulations. That’s fabulous news. :-D

• j-ster (at the computer at work) said on 07/08/01 at 12:47 PM.....

  Thank you!!! I couldnt sleep last night, I was all excited… I will find out the details of this job on Friday, but initially it will be a casual position. Im stil applying for a couple of other particularly interesting things that were in the job ads last week, but Im still quite excited about this!

• the goddess (Tokyo) said on 07/08/01 at 02:30 PM.....

  YAY..  catching up with your love puppet tonight actually.  He is coming to collect gifts for you and your family.

• MissSin (Tokyo) said on 07/08/01 at 06:20 PM.....

  Wonderful news, darlin’!

  Well done - you so deserve it!

• arumand said on 07/08/02 at 02:07 AM.....

  good for you. that’s really wonderful news. 
  be happy and enjoy your new life, discoveries and adventures.

• Journogirl (Mount Gambier) said on 07/08/02 at 11:47 PM.....

  Congratulations Sweetie - that is wonderful news. See love and peace can go together! Isn’t it amazing that when you least expect it that new door opens. Enjoy the time with your boy and recharge yourself up for the job.

• Martine (Delhi) said on 07/08/07 at 04:19 PM.....

  woot! love logging on to the net after ages and finding out all the good shit that’s being going on with my buddies! Congrats baby, so happy for you!