Verity - Home

Simplicity Simplified

2012-05-23T20:08:00Z

"Simplicity in its essence demands neither a vow of poverty nor a life of rural homesteading. As an ethic of self-conscious material moderation, it can be practiced in cities and suburbs, townhouses and condominiums. It requires neither a log cabin nor a hair shirt but a deliberate ordering of priorities so as to distinguish between the necessary and superfluous, useful and wasteful, beautiful and vulgar." -- David E. Shi Whew! Finding this quote feels like sweet relief. I have been aching for simplicity recently and wondering how to find it.

In my head I have a fantasy about a piece of land, far away from everything, and a little house that is off the grid (solar-powered perhaps) where I live with my family, growing our own food, homeschooling the children and just generally "living off the land" as they say.

This fantasy only goes so far, however, when I remember that anytime in the past when I have tried to grow my own food, I soon grow (wink, wink) weary of all the effort it takes and let my seeds wither in the dirt, or allow them to be choked by the weeds that seem to grow more easily in whatever ground I have chosen.

Or when I remember that when I am feeling sad or tired or hopeless, nothing soothes me like a scalding hot bath and when I want one, I want one right now and not in thirty or forty minutes when the ten gallon pot on my wood-fired stove has finally boiled.

Or when I remember that I require much more "alone time" than a homeschooling mama would ever get.

In essence, when I remember that I was not born, nor raised, to "chop wood, carry water" and wouldn't know how to do much of anything that would be required from the kind of life I am fantasizing about.

So I am forced to let go of my simplicity fantasies and continue to feel slightly dissatisfied with my urban life.

But now David E. Shi has given me a new standard for simplicity, one I think I can meet, or at least aspire to.

It reminds me of my favorite quote about speaking: "Before you speak, ask yourself: is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?" (Shirdi Sai Baba)

Whenever I say something that I wish I hadn't, I remind myself of that quote and repeat its questions to myself: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it true? Does it improve on the silence? It is not a standard that I meet all that often, but it is a guide that leads the way to where I want to go.

And now I have a similar yardstick for simplicity, a set of questions I can ask before I buy yet another widget or gadget to add to my collection and to further complicate my life: Is it necessary? Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Does it improve on the world around me?

Community Banks vs. Credit Unions

2012-05-21T15:13:00Z

...community banks are more similar to large banks than to credit unions because, well, they are banks, there’s just no getting around that fact.

With Bank Transfer Day in November 2011, and the bubble burst in 2008, many people have been advocating for community banks and credit unions. Having worked at both types of institutions, I felt that I was uniquely qualified to give some perspective on this topic.

I started my career in the “banking” industry with a community bank. I loved the fact that I saw the same “customers” frequently enough that I could get to know them and could greet them by name. I know they loved it too because we were able to provide them with more personalized service.

I worked for two community banks (one as a temp) over the course of nearly two years before I found the magical world of credit unions, and boy was I surprised at the difference! Not just as an employee, but also from a “customer” or “member” standpoint.

Mind you, the purpose of this is not to bash community banks, because they do have their place, apparently. The purpose of this is to bring to light some of the differences that people may not be aware of when choosing a bank or credit union.

Community banks, like the large banks, are still run by a paid board of directors who get the final say in how things are run, whereas credit unions are a democracy where each and every member gets one vote on how things should be run. Ever received a notification about your credit union’s annual meeting? If you’ve never attended, you should! This is where you get to exercise your right to vote on things such as who sits on the board of directors.
All banks, including community banks, are required to abide by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which is meant to provide banking and credit opportunities to underserved communities. You may be asking yourself why credit unions are not bound by this. The answer is simple: credit unions already do that. It is part of being a credit union. Credit unions exist to better the lives of their members which often times includes reaching out to the community in various ways.
As mentioned in point #1, the board of directors for banks large and small are paid. Their shareholders, generally a limited group of people who can afford to invest in a bank, are also paid out on their shares. This does not exclude community banks. The income that they earn from your loans and the fees that you pay, once expenses are deducted, go to the board and shareholders. Credit unions have a volunteer board of directors and credit union members are the shareholders. Any income that is generated, after expenses, goes to the members in the form of lower loan rates, higher deposit rates, and lower/fewer fees.
Banks, including community banks, don’t generally have any type of financial education goals or programs because it is not their focus. Their focus is to grow deposits and loans in order to turn a profit for their shareholders. Part of being a credit union is, as previously mentioned, helping to better the lives of the members. Financial education is a very important part of that because credit unions seek to help people get to a point where they are able to make sound financial decisions to better their lives.

So to sum up, community banks are more similar to large banks than to credit unions because, well, they are banks, there’s just no getting around that fact. You may get more personalized service with a community bank than with a large bank, but they are nowhere near as awesome (in my humble opinion) as credit unions.

And one further point that I would like to make before I bring this lengthy post to a close is the employees. In my experience, credit union employees are far happier than those who work at banks, community or otherwise. This is because credit unions not only care about their members, but they care about their employees too, and it shows! Have you ever gone someplace (any place really) where the person helping you just has a sour look on their face and thought to yourself, “Boy, that person must really hate their job!” I know I have. Now ask yourself how often you find that at your credit union. I bet not often, and if you have it is likely that you just happened to catch that person on an off day.

So when you consider where you want to keep your money, think about what you want out of an institution that will be holding your money for you. If you value lower loan rates, higher deposit rates, your community, financial education, and just plain great people, a credit union may be right for you…maybe even Verity!

Running in Circles

2012-05-18T16:26:00Z

"Running in Circles - What Riding Race Horses Taught Me About Life" by a loyal Verity Credit Union member

Richard Baum has been a loyal member of Verity Credit Union for almost 15 years. He recently finished writing his 1st book: "Running in Circles - What Riding Race Horses Taught Me About Life."

In "Running in Circles - What Riding Race Horses taught Me About Life," he shares some of the life lessons he learned making over 60,000 miles of circles on these incredible animals. He thinks everyone ever involved with horse racing, whether directly as a trainer, owner, jockey, groom, exercise rider, etc., or simply as a fan, has been impacted by their involvement. We learn how to live authentically, develop empathy, have patience & perseverance, and release control. These lessons affect the way we interact with the people in our lives as well. Our "equine" companions make us better humans.

If you have ever experienced the excitement of horse racing and the thrill of seeing your horse cross the finish line in front, then tip your hat to the equine athletes that made your day. Like human athletes, the glory and gold they run for doesn't last forever. Injuries and age can end it all in a snap, sometimes literally. When the running stops, they rely on their human companions to care for them.

It's time to "pony up!"

Because we take so much from horses - income and enjoyment - we owe them an opportunity to pursue a life after racing. Each of us, race trackers, fans, or just horse lovers have an obligation to contribute to this effort. We take credit when they run well, spend the money enthusiastically, and marvel at their athletic feats. How can we abandon them when the race is over?

So if you have ever worked with race horses, or cheered them on, or cashed a ticket, or just love horses now is the time to "pony up for the ponies." Do you think racing is cruel and inhumane? Put your money where your mouth is. Do you want to prevent injuries and keep horses from ending up in slaughter houses? Put your money where your mouth is. Do you want race horses to have a life after the race track? Put your money where your mouth is.

Richard shed the light on the fact that so many horses suffer career ending and fatal injuries primarily because of continued racing, due to a lack of affordable off-track opportunities for rehabilitation, retraining, and placement. That is the reason for the book ... to raise funds to support the facilities dedicated to providing these much needed services.

To purchase this book for the low price of $7.00, visit his Running In Circles website. You will also find a list of some racehorse rescue organizations you may want to support. If you share this book with friends, please encourage them to buy their own copy, since the reason for the book is to support our equine athlete friends as they pursue life off the track. He will be donating $5.00 from every sale of this book to various organizations, including CANTER, Second Chance Ranch, and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

Buy the book. Feed a horse. Heck, go hug a horse!

Meet the Alderwood Ladies (and Jason)

2012-05-12T00:05:00Z

The Alderwood team is a small but close-knit group, with great longevity. Of the seven people assigned to the branch, five have been working together for more than 4 years. We read books together, we celebrate births and anniversaries together, and we even sometimes dance in the branch (we have some interesting music sometimes thanks to the satellite radio station).

But as the northern-most Verity branch, many members never have a reason to come to Lynnwood to see us, so I thought I’d share a bit about each member of the AW team.

Jason, regional operations manager (he’s the branch manager, as well as working part-time at headquarters)

He’s been working for Verity for seven years, all of it based out of the Alderwood branch.
All of his working experience is in the banking field, although he did consider working in the import/export industry, as well as insurance.
His “baby” is Sunny, a one-year-old Maltese (who sometimes makes appearances at the branch on Saturdays).
He was born in Vietnam (he’s the youngest of 7) and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was in third-grade.
He loves to travel to sunny locations, including Las Vegas, Florida, California and Mexico; his dream destination is Australia.
When he’s not at the branch or headquarters, you can generally find him on a golf course. If he could do anything, he’d own a golf course and teach others how to play.

Mindy, assistant branch manager and security officer

She’s been with Verity for nearly 11 years, having started at the Smokey Point branch (she grew up nearby). She moved to the Alderwood branch nine years ago when it was opened and the Smokey Point branch was closed.
She’s named after Mindy from the TV show “Mork and Mindy.”
When she’s not working, she likes hanging out with her husband and three sons (ages 9, 3 and 10 months), although much of her “free time” in the spring and summer is spent watching baseball and t-ball.
She likes to draw, read and play volleyball.
If she had the time and money was no object, she’d love to travel around the world and visit beaches, her “happy place.”
She loves pink lemonade Jolly Ranchers (although she can never find them), and hates mayonnaise.

Katie, relationship consultant (new accounts, loan origination, public relations, etc.)

She’s worked for Verity for 8 years, ever since she was a teenager. She’s always worked at the Alderwood branch, except for about six months early in her career when she worked at the Beacon Hill branch.
She’s currently pregnant with daughter #2, due in July.
She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and her mom worked for Verity when she was born. (In fact, her car seat was a gift from CEO Bill Hayes and COO Sherry Steckly).
During her free time, she’s a “home body,” hanging out with her daughter and husband between running errands, dance classes and other activities.
Her list of favorite foods is too long to write, but it includes pretty much all things sweet, especially cookies.
She’s afraid of heights and flying, and doesn’t go into water if she can’t see the bottom.

Flo, member services representative

She’s been working for Verity for 8 years, all at the Alderwood branch, and she is the only full-time teller. She started working in the financial world in 1975.
She was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 1983.
In her free time, she watches her grandkids, two of whom live nearby. Her third grandchild lives in the Philippines with one of her two grown daughters.
She can speak several languages, including Chinese, English, a smattering of Spanish, and Tagalog (also known as Filipino).
She loves to eat Chinese food (and sometimes she treats us to homemade egg rolls).
If she could do anything, she’d open a business in her home, possibly for childcare or cooking.

Debbie, member services representative

She’s been with Verity for 4 ½ years, all of it at the Alderwood branch, but she has 9 years of banking experience.
She moved to the Pacific Northwest from Texas in 1992 with her husband and two daughters.
She is an accomplished cook, having “mastered” essentially all types of cuisine, except Chinese.
In addition to her two grown daughters, she has three four-legged kids: Nicky (a lab), Pebbles (a Chihuahua) and Maddie (a shi tzu)
Her favorite foods to eat are from the Mediterranean region… plus Cheetos.
She is a former ballet dancer and doesn’t like to swim, even though she’s from Texas where everyone has a pool.

Teresa, member services representative

She’s only been with Verity since October 2011, but she’s been in the banking industry for nearly 30 years, having worked for both credit unions and banks.
She and her husband are avid sailors, belonging to three yacht clubs and regularly racing their 40-foot sailboat, “Shoot the Moon.”
When she’s not sailing or working, she’s spending time with her four-year-old Golden Retriever, Ryder.
She has five kids (a son and daughter, plus three step-kids), a son-in-law, a soon-to-be daughter-in-law, and two grandkids (who she is looking forward to babysitting this summer).
She loves cooking, regularly challenging herself to try recipes she stumbles across in magazines. But, her favorite food to make, and eat for that matter, is Thai.
If money was no object, she’d spend her life sailing around the world, meeting people from different walks of life and working when she needed money.

Kira (that’s me!), member services representative

She’s been with Verity since February 2012, having come from the journalism world.
She has two step kids plus four four-legged children – Denali, a six-year-old lab/pit mix; Yoda, a six-year-old Himalayan Siamese; and Pepper and Wicket, three-year-old calico sisters.
She is a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient (the highest honor for Girl Scouts) and a lifetime member.
She sells accessories (namely jewelry) for humans and pets through the Etsy store KMC Crafts.
When she’s not working or crafting, she’s hanging out with her husband grilling or working in the vegetable garden.
She hates strawberries and bananas

So come venture to the northern-most Verity branch and say hi! We’re always here with smiles on our faces. (And if you’re lucky, you’ll catch us dancing).

Verity in the Community

2012-05-10T16:34:00Z

Supporting community...corporate citizenship is alive and well at Verity! There are sooooo many good and worthy causes to support. We wish we could say "yes" to them all. Here are a few events that we recently supported:

Instruments of Change-A benefit for the West Seattle Food Bank

Pete Spalding, super star Indirect Lending Officer and West Seattle community humanitarian & advocate, and a few other Verity-ites, pose for a group photo.

Auburn Valley YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Verity's Auburn branch was out in force in support of healthy kids. The annual event featured information and activities around being physically active, nutrition (samples too...yum, yum), raising financially healthy kids (yay Verity!) and sooooo much more.

Clothes for Kids

Clothes for Kids is a nonprofit organization in Lynnwood that provides school clothes for children of underprivileged families. Verity's Alderwood branch donated an Italian themed wine basket that captured an impressive $130 during the live auction .... nice job Alderwood branch!

Until next time, V2

Everything is Interconnected

2012-05-09T22:41:00Z

Have you ever worried about money? What about finding shelter, or food? There are many issues facing our local and global communities that prevent our communities from developing to their full potential.

Recently I had an opportunity to participate in a poverty simulation as part of Credit Union Development Education training in Madison, WI. Though there have been times in my life that I’ve worried about money, postponing some bill payments in order to have enough money for rent or groceries, this simulation opened my eyes to the very real stress faced by 15% of the U.S. population.

My classmates and I were all given scenarios, and had different goals (mine: find a place to live by the end of the 2nd 15-minute “week“ for my partner and our child, so that we would no longer be homeless). We struggled with having enough transportation passes, with finding work, with being able to afford food or child care. The simulation was meant to represent one month’s time. Never have I been so stressed and worried about money, and it was only a simulation, and only for an hour. The experience enabled me to recognize that when someone is struggling with finances – seriously struggling, as in "If I don't eat, will there be enough money to have both shelter and food for my child?" sort of struggling – it becomes nearly impossible to think beyond the immediate goals. The money stresses I’d faced in the past paled in comparison.

The program I was in – to become certified as a Credit Union Development Educator – seeks to examine the issues facing communities locally and globally. With 39 other credit union representatives hailing from all over the US, and from as far away as Nairobi, Kenya, we worked together in small teams to explore the different development issues that hold back our communities. As we worked together discussing the issues in different activities and for presentations, it became readily apparent that so many of the issues are interconnected. For instance, in the US, if you don’t have transportation, it can be challenging to find (and keep) employment. If you aren’t employed or are underemployed, it’s near impossible to afford housing and food. Health care is prohibitively expensive. Education has been heading out of reach of many Americans for a long time, too, which can directly impact one’s ability to earn a living wage and save for the future. If one is unable to save for the future, it can be impossible to change one's circumstances.

As we look at the issues globally, it gets increasingly heart-breaking. Fifteen to twenty million people die every year from hunger – end hunger, and we may begin the slow process of ending poverty. Cooperative efforts around the world are making a difference with opportunities such as savings mobilization and micro-financing programs, working within communities to empower them in ways that change their lives.

The challenges faced by our population are very real, and can be so easy to forget when we focus on our lives, which in the grand scheme of things for about 90% of the Seattle population, holds very few threats to our basic needs. “If you keep your food in a refrigerator, and your clothes in a closet, if you have a roof over your head, and have a bed to sleep in… you are richer than 75% of the entire world population.” Puts a lot of things into perspective.

Now that I’m back in Seattle, back where I can count the blessings I may have taken for granted previously, I find myself driven with a new purpose – to do what I can to help uplift and enrich the communities I belong to, as well as the global community that we all share. After all, much like the development issues, we as a people are all interconnected. It’s our responsibility as global citizens to make this world a better place, which we can do through cooperation.

How to Stop Global Warming

2012-05-04T15:00:00Z

My 8 year old son after school: “Hey Mom, did you drive?”

Me (bracing for the backlash): “No.”

My Son: “Good, because I really care about stopping Global Warming.”

Me: (Speechless)

I often refer to my younger son as “my guru” because while one of the sweetest boys I know he is also one of the most persistent, particularly when insisting on his own way. Some days I would swear he was especially designed to push my buttons (if you have kids, you’ll know what I mean).

One of our long-standing battles has been the l-o-n-g walk home from school.

When he was “just” a younger sibling going to pick up his school-aged older brother I let him ride in the stroller there and back, but when he started kindergarten he was expected to walk to school on his own two feet. I still let him ride in the stroller when I picked him up after school because it was a long day for him and the walk home is almost all uphill.

Sometime in the second half of his kindergarten year, however, I decided it was time for him to walk home as well. Needless to say, this was not a popular decision and led to many v-e-r-y l-o-n-g walks home and more than a few v-e-r-y embarrassing sidewalk incidents. There was kicking, there was screaming, there was crying. And that was just me. Sometimes I would have to literally drag him along behind me and, yes, sometimes I would give in and carry him home on my back.

He’s a big boy for his age and this always got a lot of comments from the other parents. “Must be nice.” “Wish I could get a lift.” But this did not deter him. He just smiled and cuddled up to me from behind.

Finally sometime in first grade he came to terms with walking home and the sidewalk drama ended.

Then one day I drove to pick them up. I had been out running errands and was a bit late getting back so I just parked near the school, met the kids and we drove the l-o-n-g five blocks home.

The kid thought he had died and gone to Heaven. We could drive? It had never even occurred to him.

Ever since then I get asked the same question nearly every day after school, “Did you drive?”

99 times out of 100 the answer is no, which leads to the following conversation:

My Son: “Why not?”

Me: “Because we live within walking distance.”

My son: “So what, you could still drive. Can you drive tomorrow?”

Me: “No.”

My Son: “Why not?”

Me: “Because we live within walking distance.”

Repeat endlessly.

Imagine my surprise a couple of days ago when we had the following exchange:

“Mom, did you drive?”

“No, I didn’t drive.”

“Good.”

At which point I stopped and looked at him, certain that he had finally discovered sarcasm - it happens to the best of ‘em eventually - but he was dead serious. So I asked him why he was glad I didn’t drive.

“Because I really care about stopping Global Warming. Next time you are running errands you shouldn’t drive either. You shouldn’t even drive to your errands if they are close by, like the grocery store, you shouldn’t drive there. You should walk.”

He may be a few years away from grasping sarcasm, but the irony was palpable. All I could do was smile, take his hand and keep on walking the l-o-n-g walk home.

You eat WHAT?!

2012-04-30T20:29:00Z

Like everyone else I have dislikes and many of them are considered delicacies in various countries. So let’s play a game: what are your favorite exotic foods that you think your friends would balk at touching?

I grew up within the international community in Indonesia. I went to an international school, my parents socialized with friends living in Jakarta from all corners of the globe; life was good fun. What brings people together if not for good company, a good time, drinks and great food, right? I remember the potlucks my family would host at our house; all the people that would come over and the incredible food they would bring. From a very young age I developed a taste for pretty much any and every type of food – within reason, that is. Like everyone else I have dislikes and many of them are considered delicacies in various countries. So let’s play a game: what are your favorite exotic foods that you think your friends would balk at touching?

In both the Amazon jungle and Cambodia, tarantulas are considered a delicacy. The tribes in the Amazon will dig a pit in the ground, start a fire then wrap the tarantulas in leaves and barbeque them over the fire pit. In Cambodia, they deep-fry the tarantulas and eat them like potato chips. Apparently the only part to avoid ingesting is the fangs – they make good fishing hooks. The female tarantula eggs are also considered a plus and make for a tastier chomp.

Now let’s travel to Thailand where bugs of every kind are considered deee-lish. I’ve had first hand experience with this; walking through open air markets, passing vendors that call you over to their tents to try a sampling of grasshoppers on sticks, caterpillars, and flying ants, to name a few. My dad was the brave one, sampling fresh grubs that live within coconut trees – you could hear them pop in his mouth and he commented on how coconutty the pasty insides tasted.

Now we’ll hop over to the Philippines where locals go out and dig out whole cockroach nests by the sea shores and after netting the swarming nest, go home and fry up the whole nest and feast.

In parts of Africa, many tribes collect cow dung, leave them out in the sun to dry and then make cow-dung soup. It’s white in color and looks like a batch of Elmer’s glue. Not in a million years would I have thought up to make soup out of cow dung. But hey, that’s because I’m just not that creative.

Heading north we land in Iceland where the local delicacy is putrefied shark meat. The meat is dug into the ground to decompose for six months in order to get rid of the acid in the flesh. As you may well imagine, the smell is absolutely horrible. I have a friend that can attest that the taste isn’t an improvement over the smell.

The list goes on and on… here in the United States many Americans enjoy rocky mountain oysters. What exactly are those? Well, I’ll let you read about that online for yourselves.

I hope I’ve left you guys with a unique insight to the foods we human beings eat and consider to be delicacies. I’m sure I’ve left out quite a few so I welcome responses to this blog to help us have more…well, let’s just say ‘food for thought.’

Alderwood bowling at its best

2012-04-27T18:33:00Z

I am not what you would consider a good bowler. But, I am always happy to attempt to roll the ball down the lane for a good cause.

On Saturday, April 21, some of us Alderwood Branch folk participated in the first-ever Clothes for Kids Bowl-a-Thon, and we were all pleased with how much much we raised and the event itself.

The Alderwood team - consisting of Katie Stevenson, Jason Bui, Teresa Wills, Gavin Chinn and me - was one of 18 teams who participated throughout the day. In all, the organization raised more than $5,650 in a few short weeks. The Alderwod team collected $400 from at least 23 members, Verity employees, friends and family. (We don’t have an exact number because, honestly, we didn’t write everyone’s name down.) We were even collecting donations at the branch a couple hours before the event, with one member getting into the excitement and donating $50 because she “loves Verity” and “loves kids.”

Clothes for Kids is a non-profit organization in Snohomish County that helps low-income families ensure their kids are properly clothed and therefore better prepared for school and life. The program is open to students in Snohomish County who qualify for free and reduced lunch. All parents need to do is ask for a clothing form from their child’s school office and then they can go shopping at the nonprofit’s location in Lynnwood.

To thank the volunteers, Clothes for Kids also has a raffle going throughout the three hours of bowling, giving away gift cards to restaurants and casinos, toys for kids and adults, and even event tickets.

We may not have had the highest scores of the day (only two people broke 100 points in two games), but we had a complete blast spending time together outside of work.

So, thank you to everyone who supported the Alderwood branch and Clothes for Kids. And you better believe I’ll be back on the team next year, showing off my lack of bowling skills yet again.

The Same in Any Language

2012-04-26T05:36:00Z

"Regard your neighbor's gain as your gain and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." --Lao Tzu Recently I took an online training course called "Ethical Leadership" as a requirement for my position as Assistant Treasurer of the PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) Board at my kids' school. I procrastinated taking the course, assuming it would be long and boring and hackneyed as these types of trainings often are. I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The best part of the course was the Introduction, which began with The Golden Rule (also known as The Ethic of Reciprocity). But it was not just the Christian version ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.") that was presented. The first page of the course was a scrolling list of the Golden Rule from a variety of traditions around the world.

Here are some of my favorites:

A Yoruba Proverb (from Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."

Chief Dan George (A Native American Spiritual Leader): We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive."

Guru Granth Sahib (Sikhism):"I am a stranger to no one, and no one is a stranger to me."

From the Baha'i Faith: "Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself." (Baha'u'llah)

From The Wiccan Rede:"An it harm no one, do what thou will."

And finally, from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations General Assembly:"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

I could go on. For another couple of pages. There are versions of the Golden Rule in Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, from ancient Greek and Egyptian philosophers, and from non-religious humanitarian groups around the world.

This is the kind of thing that really gets me going. I love being inspired and discovering that an organization I am associated with has higher ideals than I might have imagined always inspires me. (It reminds me of how I felt when I first started working at Verity and realized this credit union aspires to be much more than just a place to store your money.)

To the outside observer the PTSA may look like just a bunch of moms raising money for pizza parties and field trips, but we are working towards nothing less than changing the world by treating each other as we want to be treated. And isn't that all anybody really wants?

The truth is, despite our differences and disagreements over the years and across the miles, ALL of us, ALL around the world, have the key - in our books and in our hearts - to world peace. We just need to use it.

My love of Coach

2012-04-23T17:16:00Z

The designer brand and the dog...

For whatever reason, Coach is my design brand of choice. I love Coach - I love their purses, shoes, clothes, umbrellas...you get the idea. I, clearly, don't buy everything that I like of theirs, but I have collected a few precious items over the years. This includes a Coach collar for my dog, who is in fact named "Coach."

Now, before you go calling the crazy police, I would like to note that I inherited this dog from a friend who liked Coach even more than I do (she even worked for the company for a while for the discount) and she named the dog after her favorite purse brand. The name totally fits her (look at that face!) and she is a very sweet dog.

My dog is a purebred Pomeranian and she just loves everyone she meets. She loves to jump on laps and have her tummy rubbed (typical dog) and is always excited to see us when we come home. She is very protective over my stepson, and whenever he is staying at our house she insists on sleeping in his room. Coach is now five years old (people years) and makes me smile every day. I would definitely keep her over my Coach purses any day.

Do you have a designer dog like me? Or, do you love a designer? Or dog? I would be interested to hear your thoughts!

“Don’t have a meltdown, mommy”

2012-04-18T16:30:00Z

Seeing yourself through the eyes of a three year old gives a new perspective. I have an intense personality and approach every situation with a dedicated enthusiasm. For those of you that know me you just rolled your eyes and thought that was an understatement. I often get frustrated when those around me do not share my passion and enthusiasm for things. Not being somewhere when you say you will be or not meeting a deadline are mortal sins. For example, one night my 3 year old looked at me and said, “I know, I know, I know. Don’t have a meltdown mommy.”

Lately though I’ve been forced to rethink my approach.

My daughter is at the stage where she repeats and mimics everything I do. I’m assuming (hoping) it is a stage. When I see my hyper intense (another word for stress) reactions come out of her little 3 year old body it isn’t very cute. Last Saturday, as we were scurrying out the car for her Spanish class when she said with a very troubled look, “Oh mommy we are going to be late again. We need to hurry.” She proceeded to tell me that she was going to miss the song teacher Danielle did at the beginning (not to important because she didn’t know the name). It broke my heart to see her so worried.

Well we were late to Spanish class that morning and probably will be this weekend. However, the world didn’t end and probably won’t the next time we are late. I shared this perspective with my daughter as I taught her a saying that was also new to me, “Oh well.”

I invite everyone into my journey of relaxation. My 3 year old not only helped me to get to this new journey but will probably help me stay on this new road.

"Clothes 4 Kidz"

2012-04-16T20:46:00Z

We are conducting a Clothing Drive to help Communities In Schools.

The Auburn and Alderwood branches of Verity Credit Union are collecting items to benefit students in need (ages 5-18).

<u>Requested Items*</u>:

Clean, gently used clothes
New socks & underwear in original packaging
Backpacks & school supplies

*If you have items to donate, feel free to bring them to any of our branches. Thank you, in advance, for your support!

Download the flier.

Time and Space: A Conundrum

2012-04-13T15:50:00Z

While Friday the 13^th is always a fun day, especially when there are three of them in the same year, each 13 weeks apart, I feel like I exhausted my Friday the 13^th post a few months back. Which left me with nothing to write. Or, more realistically, an empty coffer of Friday the 13^th ideas. Not that I had anxiety or “writer’s block” (which I don’t believe in). I just didn’t have the proper, tiny blob of imagination that I needed to send rolling down the hill, gathering momentum until it exploded across the page.

I sat at my home computer this morning, trying to squeeze out some sort of mass of words on document relating to this most superstitious of days (beware the black cat twining its way around your leg). But I was distracted by the other writing projects I have going. So I bolted for the office, for a reprieve. On the drive in, I realized what I had to write about.

I can write about writing. Or, more specifically, I can write about what I’m writing, about what distracted me this morning when I was trying to write about Friday the 13th.

In my spare time, I’m working on the third draft of my novel, a novel about an immortal time traveler who stitches up tears in the Universe, thus averting catastrophic disaster for the entirety of Time and Space. My main character is Lilly, a formerly mortal, now immortal, time traveler. She and her hummingbird companion travel, with instruction from Janus and his minions, ominously called Temperature.

I started the novel back in the fall of 2009, at the beginning of my second year in an MFA program in New Hampshire. The first draft was done in less than four months, clocking in at something like 250 double-spaced pages. Starting in the fall of 2010, I rewrote the entire thing (okay, 95% of it), and now it sits at 530 double-spaced pages. I’ve been tinkering with the third draft over the past few months, but I hadn’t really sunk my teeth in, as they say.

The problem was the first chapter. I had glossed over the first chapter. It was, in a linear sense, the middle of the story. However, it needed to serve as the beginning of the novel, throw the reader right in. Plus, in a time travel novel, I couldn’t start at the beginning. Where would be the fun in that? Needless to say, I don’t know if I’ll ever write a time travel novel again. I can’t keep track of half the things going on. I have large boards covered with post-it notes, color coded with sharpies, to try and help create some semblance of order. I think it works.

Anyways, about a month ago, I figured out the situation that would start the novel. I just didn’t know how to pull it off. I tried, oh, six or seven times to write the first few pages. Nothing seemed right. I’d start with an interesting idea, be excited about it for two or three pages, and then, bam: I hit a wall. It didn’t move forward anymore.

Then, a breakthrough. Last weekend, I figured it out. I was sitting in the sun on my porch, drinking coffee, listening to the birds, procuring as much outside time as I could, and there it was. I spent Saturday and Sunday mornings getting it started, gathering details, getting it rolling. This week, I’ve been stealing writing time whenever I can at home, and have been successful in figuring out how this beginning works in the context of the novel as a whole. It is delightful. But, it leaves no room for other writing projects. I think about my novel, the characters, the plot, every day. More than every day. Probably six or seven times a day. They’re my friends and family. They’re real, at least in my own, strange, head. I’d tell you all about it, but you’ll have to wait for the novel to come out. If it ever does. Plus, in my own superstitious way (hello, Friday the 13^th), I don’t like to talk about ongoing projects, especially when they’re at this fragile stage of creative beginnings. It makes me scared that the idea will dissipate, play out in conversation instead of on the page. Maybe next month, if things settle down.

I could now tie this in as some lesson on perseverance, or some such thing, and how that ties in to personal finances and credit unions and the like. But, by golly, I’m just too excited about my own writing to flush out those connections. I suppose, though, that could be your homework (I was, at one point, a teacher of English 101). You make the connections. You have a month before your papers are due.

And, above all else, have a Happy Friday the 13^th.

Practice, Practice, Practice

2012-04-12T05:17:00Z

"...A relationship is a great gift, not because it makes us happy - it often doesn't - but because any...relationship, if we view it as a practice, is the clearest mirror we can find.." --Charlotte Zoko Beck

Have you ever been talking to someone when all of a sudden something they say just triggers you? Makes you mad, insults you, hurts your feelings?

Of course you have. We all have.

We all have those people in our lives who trigger us. If you have to live with one of these people, or work with one of these people, or interact with one of these people on a daily basis, life can get pretty uncomfortable pretty fast. And this can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness and increased stress.

What if there were a way to undo this cycle and learn to relate to these people in a different way?

There is!

Here's the process:

When you notice yourself feeling angry or hurt or upset by someone's behavior, don't react. Instead, stop. Take a deep breath and then ask yourself these three questions:

1) When have I felt this way before? Is this person or situation reminding me of something I have experienced before? In childhood? In a different setting? In a previous relationship? Often just pinpointing the original feeling can help dissipate some of the negative energy you are feeling.

2) When have I done this to others? Often the behavior we most despise in others is behavior we exhibit ourselves. When have you acted like this person is acting? When have you made someone else feel like you are feeling now? Have compassion for those you have hurt with your behavior in the past and with yourself for how you are feeling now. Then forgive yourself for your past behavior. Recognizing how you are alike, instead of how you are different may help you to understand their behavior.

3) When have I done this to myself? This can often trigger a very powerful "Ah-ha!" moment. We all treat ourselves as poorly, or sometimes worse, than we treat others. When have you done this to yourself? Are you able to forgive yourself? Can you love yourself as you are right now? Once you do, you may find it much easier to forgive the other person and let go of the feelings of hurt and anger.

By asking these three questions you use the situation (and the other person) as a mirror to see where you still need to grow and heal and what you are still trying to love and accept about yourself.

If you can find a way to use the situations and people that trigger you for your own growth and development, you might just find yourself appreciating the more challenging relationships in your life.

[Thanks to Karen Lindvig of Seattle Unity for teaching me the three questions!]