Today's show was a rerun from last year - Oprah seemed especially engaged by it - about people who have found their calling and are passionate about helping those who are less fortunate. One story was about a woman who collected pajamas for kids in shelters; the next was about a man who left a lucrative job at Microsoft to bring books, libraries and schools to Nepal and other developing nations; and the final one featured a woman who started clipping coupons to help feed the hungry in her community and now has a thriving food pantry. All quite inspirational. Oprah was so excited, she frequently interrupted her guests to tell them how she felt, but still, it was nice to see her emotionally connected to the people and the topic. She's at her best in these times.
I missed the first 10 minutes of the show (Olympics!) and will have to catch tonight's replay so I can make sure I didn't miss anything. I looked online at the summary of the episode and noticed Oprah tossed out a simple, breezy assignment to her viewers: "That's your real job, to figure out what is your calling and then begin to honor it." Oh, is that all? I actually feel - and I don't mean to sound high-fallutin' or cheesy here - but this project has made me feel like I'm on track with my "calling." Oy. That feels pretentious to say, but I gotta be honest.
In regards to the first segment about the Pajama Program, developed by Genevieve Piturro, Oprah told us to, "Go to Oprah.com for more information on the pajama program. And we want new pajamas, too, we don't want your OLD, discarded pajamas." So, that's going on my list. Jammies!
She also told us that if we're inspired by John Wood's Room to Read program, we can go to Oprah.com to help. Ok, so how could I NOT be inspired by his story?! I was especially touched by it because I spent time in Nepal and think of it as my home away from home. It was the most special place I'd ever visited, although I was there before all the political strife, and I dream of going back. I will add this item to my assignment list.
And then, her final assignment: "This Sunday...let this story inspire you. Instead of pitching those coupons, cash them in, go to your grocery store...the better thing I think you can do is to combine it, get your friends in on it, combine them...go to the grocery store, use the coupons, give the food to your local pantry...do what you can." Here's where evil-LO comes out. Or maybe it's just my lazy side. I'd rather just buy and donate food - I can't stand clipping coupons, but Oprah has spoken and I do what I'm told. I'll buy the paper on Sunday and will clip and clip until I can't clip anymore.
On another note...this publicity thing is a double-edged sword. Amazing because it's made my project more widely-read and then weird because I have people coming up to me asking if I'm the "Oprah Lady." Blogging is so private - comfy on my couch with my laptop, in front of my tv, my cat snuggled up next to me. I really enjoyed the comfort of it. This new direction is very different and unexpected. It's a little overwhelming and I'm trying to remain focused. The priority is the successful completion of my year of Living Oprah. Everything else is icing on the cake. WHICH I DON'T EAT. I promise. After all, Bob Greene and Oprah made me sign a contract. No icing. No cake.
I am going to eat an apple now.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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28 comments:
Honestly, I don't know how you do it all. But I have to say as a longtime nerd that the idea of assignments and checking things off on a list appeals. But I suspect Oprah would not approve of some of my 101 things to do in 1001 days- bummer. Maybe I'll never find an inner Zen... or be the wealthiest woman in America. Sigh.
Would clipping coupons and sending that stuff to a food pantry really be more effective than a direct donation? Often times coupons are for things with no nutritional value, or things that are more expensive. Not that I don't think food pantry recipients don't deserve the nicer brand of canned corn or the occasion pack of Oreos, but still. Food pantries usually need the items that don't have coupons the most.
Hey! Robyn, I have been to your classes at Bloom before and you are one of my two favorite teachers there. Thanks for being such a great yoga teacher. I wonder, do you get the sense that you are "living your best life"/helping others/finding your calling by being a yoga teacher? As a student of yours, I get that sense from you when you teach yoga.
You are also a really good writer, this is a treat to read.
eleanorstrousers - first - love your name. i'm so fascinated in why/how people choose them. yeah, my head feels like it could explode sometimes. i ain't gonna lie :)
jennifer, yesssssssss. i agree.
anonymous yoga student! hiya! i don't know who you are, but i love my bloom students, so that makes me really happy you enjoy my class. i TOTALLY love teaching yoga. i think it's the best job in the world. i've had a few careers in my time and this one feels just right. thanks so much for noticing! :) and i'm glad you like the blog. hopefully i won't chase my students away! i've tried to keep the two things separate, but clearly, that's not an option for me anymore!
best,
LO
Oprah does inspire...I must confess thanks to O I hosted a food pantry party (invited my friends for food and cocktails, but asked them to donate food) and then went on to co-host a benefit for a local children's shelter. And it really was Oprah (and her guests, of course) who talked me into it.
I've been searching for my calling since Oprah told me to and since my mid-life crisis started about a year ago only to realize I have missed the boat on my calling. I'm too old, too tired, too wedded to a job that pays too well. Sigh. Luckily, Oprah offers tools for talking oneself off the ledge like buying a crips white shirt or reading a good book.
As for that damn Bob Greene and his contract, he can go to hell. No cake? No booze? Who's he trying to fool? I bet he's a drunk with a chocolate fetish. Me no likey him.
Robyn, thanks for your response. I haven't been a regular student of yours due to scheduling constraints, but I always enjoy your class. I know that this blog won't scare me away from your yoga class. I can separate the two, because I know that you can do the same! I'll say a quick hi next time I go.
One other comment. I ran into an Oprah-staffer at a party once. Let's call her Linda, I can't remember her name. Of course I asked the big question that everyone asks, and she noted that she signed a confidentiality agreement and couldn't talk about O, but she basically said that she liked her job.
I remember one thing, though. I heard later from my friend who threw the party that Linda has told her that there is a lot of pressure around leaving a position at the O show. If you leave, there is the feeling that your next step will/should be fantastic and dream-fulfilling. Linda felt stagnant by the pressure and stayed at her position, in part, due to the fact that she had difficulty moving onto something that would be "good enough,"
personally/spiritually fulfilling enough. Not just another office job with better benefits/pay.
Just thought I'd share what little I know of the O world.
I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading this blog every day. If your calling is about how you affect others, not just about how you affect yourself, you should know that you have affected me. Thanks.
Hey Robin aka "Living Oprah,"
It was awesome to read the NYT article about you and your project! I commend your efforts and endurance. You picked an excellent year to do this with the Eckhart Tolle and A New Earth side series and her support of Obama. Both have generated tremendous awareness of her effectiveness as a leader and her effect on society. I don't watch tv, but I have an impression that she is tapped into the pulse of American culture. Enjoy living in the present!
All the Best,
Allie Compton
(former classmate in a SAIC video performance class)
PS- Thanks for the tip on the Shiatsu exercises. I'm going to check them out.
Don't feel high fallutin', arrogant, pretentious or anything other than THANKFUL that you feel like you are following your calling.
Congrats!
I definitely have my qualms about aspects of Oprah, but if watching her show allowed you to go through that thought process and end up at such a great outcome, well - hey, don't knock it, right?
Yeah, I hear you on the coupon clipping.
I am actually going to look into volunteering at the food bank in town once my girl is in school all day this fall. I will have the time and I always loved working on service projects. My late husband I met doing volunteer work.
As someone who watches Oprah from abroad (Australia) the pyjama project just makes me feel sorry for Americans who appauld themselves for making themselves feel better about masses of people living in shelters in their apparently wealthy country by giving them new pyjamas in order to more comfortably sleep in their extreme poverty. This kind of program would be inconceivable here - we just vote for better welfare and basic working conditions so people can buy their own pyjamas and, even better, have a roof over their heads.
Expect more from yourselves and your country, Americans - other countries seem to be able to.
I don't blame you for not wanting to clip coupons. I tried doing that for a while and I found I spent a lot more money on groceries when I was shopping to the coupons. There are rarely any coupons for the generic brands so it's all brand names to begin with IF it's even something I'd eat and usually there's a size requirement or a buy 2 get the 3rd half off sort of thing so then you end up buying 3... nonsense.
Seems to me like the food banks might fare better with some generic brands or buying in bulk or something.
Cheers to anonymous from Australia. I'm right there with you on that one.
Hey Robyn - I know you're stuck doing it but the coupon thing is such a tedious waste of time - if someone feels inclined to give and has the resources to do so, why would they spend precious time honoring various manufacturers who make unhealthy food?
I love Oprah but she's just slightly off the mark sometimes or rather she's too beholden to advertisers.
Right on OZ with your comment about PJ's!
Anon Aussie- You are so right! Us filthy rich Americans should just keep our p.j.s to ourselves! Besides, what do poor people need with pajamas, anyway?! I mean small, everyday comforts to make people feel more human is a waste of everybody's time. Oh, and people who can afford to only give small like pajamas should just spend their money on beer or whatever middle-class people do over here, right?! You Aussies sure are smart, don't give of your own funds, just vote! Because we here in the U.S. don't do that thing...what is it again...voting?? Huh, maybe we should even vote for leaders or best shoes.
Yeah, this country stinks. No one wants to live here, no one thinks we're cool, no one wants to be anything like us. I wish we could be a superpower, leader of the free world, Olympic powerhouse, with a choke hold on entertainment and all things awesome like Austrailia. Maybe someday...if we try real hard for boring as hell.
Oh, and another good thing I've picked up from you is that shaming others about their choice of charity is a good way to spread bitterness and selfishness! Love that. What I can't figure out is why such a well informed Aussie, such as yourself, living in a poverty free, perfect nation would bother watching Oprah, U.S. citizen supreme. Huh. I guess when things are perfect you just don't have anything better to do, but eat up what the U.S. serves.
Oh Jurl, you made my day.... I'm also a non-Aussie and was quite frankly unable to be kind in my original response to someone watching our American icon from afar. Socialist just don't understand the meaning of freedom. It means the freedom to make choices be they good or bad choices. It is not the fault of the homeless child that has no pj's. It is more likely the fault of bad choices of the parent. Sad as it may be that they are in the predicament they are in, the fact remains that in America your choices count. We can't expect to be mothered from cradle to grave by our government... not yet anyway, give it time.
woo, some heated nationalism going on here.
personally, i value and appreciate what both the australian and americans are saying on the pj topic. i get what aussie says about putting money towards a more tangible process of getting these people back on their feet as opposed to giving them pjs. but, i also think that the pj project is inspiring as well. who says you have to go big or go home (well...oprah, haha). but if giving pajamas is all you can afford to help a cause, then why not do it.
to living oprah, i read the article about you in the newspaper and have been reading your blog for the past few days. i love reading what you have to say, fabulous job!
-from the canadian
Well, I'm glad that you've gotten publicity, because it led me to this blog. I think that this is as valuable an experiment as anything designed to improve yourself; some of it will work, some of it won't. But I appreciate your thoughtful approach to it, and I also appreciate that you are sharing it. Good luck, and I'l be checking in and pulling for you.
My Sunday ritual requires that I first read Sunday Styles before all the other news depresses me. As a displaced (misplaced?)Chicagoan, I loved reading about your project.
When I first moved to Toronto everyone would ask, "Have you been to Oprah?" My affirmative answer gave me a weird cachet. I'm looking forward to checking in on your progress.
PS
Years ago Oprah said to always leave a fresh bar of soap for guests so I do.
LO - we must have been tuning each other in...cause I was like - yes! I'll send pajamas! Building libraries? I'm in! - Coupons - wait, shouldn't that just pop up with my savings card that I signed up for? Even O admitted she doesn't clip them. And the whole "double days" thing IS a lot of work and does take skill (also noted by O) - my dad has become a pretty good eye for this ironically. Nonetheless...maybe, given your readership and ample amount of time (you have plenty, right?), you might consider something you can spearhead into reality? Of course that's easy for me to say (if I was in your area I'd be SO for helping). :-P
I'm with the others: I don’t mind buying jammies or books, but clipping coupons? Ugh!
Enjoyed the rerun--and Oprah WAS very animated and excited.
Enjoy your apple! This farmer’s wife appreciates it! (there’s a hint for LO’s mom!)
~~mtv
Hey it's the Aussie here again! Just telling you what your the 'plastic bracelet' charity initiatives look like from countries with decent welfare systems (education and healthcare for that matter). It honestly seems appalling to me that anyone would be touting buying homeless people pyjamas. If this were such a prevalent issue in Australia (and we do have some homeless but not generally families as we have more welfare and public housing) it would seem like we should be looking at issues of welfare and employment ... maybe firing the minister of welfare or something.
Giving pyjamas seems to be to be like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. But that's just how I see it from afar.
Oh and by the way I DO PAY FOR IT in my taxes which are high relative to the US... but well worth it to know that people are cared for when they need it.
I am saying this because you could choose to have this kind of country too. I know this because you have had it before for example with FDR and the New Deal, when it became patently obvious to the average American that some things were in fact beyond the blame of individual choice but in fact effects of the collective economic conditions prevalent at the time - the great depression - people demanded and were given government support. (Why is it Americans seem to be so afraid of taxes?)
Look it wouldn't be worth mentioning this except that it is such a recurrent theme on Oprah. It seems like there's a steady stream of these token charities/initiatives (cut coupons, buy a bracelet, send in a can) which are offered to counter overwhelming systemic problems in the US which just seem to worsen (e.g. US poverty, education. healthcare). I realise that Oprah sometimes does get polictical and that she is walking a fine line between engaging people in the issues to encourage at least some action, and turning off viewers who just want a light break in the middle of the day.
Perhaps it's like the Oprah show overall... you aren't actually supposed to really change anything in your life (your debt, your health, your society) you just watch a bit of TV to make you feel as though you're aware (and perhaps by a homeless person some pyjamas) and then you can go back to your daily life feeling like you've done your bit.
My point is that some of these charities just seem profoundly ridiculous from the perspective of other countries ... and it's not such a bad thing for you to know this.
yo, came here via consumerist (http://consumerist.com/5040157/), interesting blog. not my thing to follow, but appreciate what you're doing and think its a clever idea.
best
dave
Aussie person- The Oprah show is where you get your information about the infrastructure and governing body of the United States of America? Really? Really?
That's like me watching an Austrailian T.V. show about a group of cool aboriginies hanging out in a local coffee shop, trying to live their lives surrounded by bigots, then hopping on a blog to blast off a comment about how you're all a bunch of racists. Wouldn't that be silly?
Now, don't get me wrong, the U.S. is an imperfect place and we need to improve (unlike Australia where everyone is perfect like Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban), but we're one of the most giving countries on the planet, both at home and abroad, both in small ways and and in big ways. Please also understand that Oprah is talking about what private citizens can do on a daily basis to help impact another human being's life, not what our government can and is doing. You do realize we have government assistance programs, right? And government housing? And, food stamps? And unemployment pay? Maybe it could be more, but you make it sound as if we don't pay taxes and have left all social programs behind with the Great Depression. Duh.
And let me tell you, I pay plenty of taxes and would gladly pay more if that's what was needed to solve the problem, but it's not all about money (or pajamas).
Problems related to the poor and the homeless are complex and cannot be solved by a welfare check or can a peas, but both help until we can heal the deeper issues.
And now a little history- us Yanks carved an empire out of rock and wilderness (granted, we pushed the Indians around, not proud of that)in order to escape big government telling us how to pray and what to think. When we still struggled beneath the Crown we fought a bloody war to be free of it. Even though it's 2008, our genes are programmed to resist government in our private business, though our gov is an essential part of our daily lives.
I don't realy expect you to get it because your national history is so very different (having been essentially a jail house then flush with gold), but you could at least admit you don't know what you're talking about.
One more thing, can you conceive of running a country as large, as ethnically divers, as individualistic as the U.S.? I can't. Our success is a modern marvel!
Oh, and Oprah called....she said you should stop wathing her show since it seems to offend and confuse you so much. Though her producers want to talk to you about a show they're doing on foreigners obssessed with all things American, but with a sorry, snobbish, attitude toward the U.S. itself.
And from my perspective you seem profoundly ridiculous...and it's not such a bad thing for you to know this.
Still, I wish you well- may you always enjoy our wares and have sunny days in your own land.
Peace out.
jurl, you are SO not too old to move in any direction you want. kick some butt, girl.
anonymous yoga student. very interesting story!! i can't imagine being in that position. wild.
anon, wow - muchas gracias. that's great for me to hear.
allie, so good to hear from you. hope you're doing well these days! my life's an open book, so you can see what i'm up to! :)
miss anne, too true. that's deep.
anniegirl1138. that's so touching about how you and your late husband met. what a lovely story. thanks for sharing. made me tear up.
aussie anon: i actually think it's important to hear this. it's a pretty big slap in the face to american pride, but i think knowledge is power - and the more we know about how the rest of the world views us, the more we might be able to consider why. maybe change is in order, maybe it's not. clearly, no country is perfect, but we can ALL make improvements, can't we?
MrsSoersdal, so you don't want to come over and clip with me on Sunday?
cathy, i know - those sunday paper coupons are filled with products that are super-crappy on the health-front. although - i'm lucky enough to have 3 meals a day, so i can be picky. thanks for writing!
jurl, i can see our aussie commenter hit a major nerve with you. i really appreciate your pride in the country...but we do have some broken systems. so do the aussies. so do we all. i don't think it's a bad thing necessarily to hear about what other countries think of us. we truly have separated ourselves from the rest of the world...sometimes for good, and sometimes for ill. i'm always fascinated to hear how we're portrayed in other countries. sometimes i get defensive and other times i get embarrassed. i want this country to get better and better, though...so the more i hear, the more i get a complete idea about how the rest of the world responds to us. in this global economy, we're no longer able to isolate.
anon - do you think there's any pure socialism anymore anyhow? plus, as i learned on Oprah, we have several socialist systems here in our own country - the fire department, for instance.
haha - hi canadian! you're so funny. i actually feel as if i can really appreciate both points of view as well. thanks so much for coming to the blog and adding your thoughts. that's so terrific!
anon - too true. it'll be a roller coaster, that's for sure.
american girl - that's so funny about people asking about the oprah show. i hear the same thing when i travel. years ago, people used to ask about michael jordan as well. also - i love hearing about the guest soap! thanks for sharing.
jax, hm...we definitely are on the same page. i was thinking about trying to spearhead something on this blog. i still have to arrange my own Big Give and think i might try to do it online. good to hear from you!
hey anonymous aussie, many Americans are afraid of taxes. it's a very deep-seeded, complicated issue in our country. i think it's one of the major dividers between our two political parties. a very layered issue here that you are sure to hit a nerve when you bring it up!
dave, well i'm glad i got one visit out of you, at least!
jurl, ok sister. breathe. i really appreciate that you made it clear that our government is not trying to abandon our own citizens. but, if we look to Oprah (and you know i sure do, this year!) we can see so much poverty in communities in this country where people have fallen through the cracks. these aren't folks who have made bad decisions in life, they just happen to be born in a certain geographic area. how do we take care of them? i think that's the real dilemma. it breaks my heart to see their plight...and i don't think throwing money toward them is necessarily the right answer. but i don't know what is. what do you think? plus, the US is in the media EVERYWHERE so the rest of the world is waiting on the edge of their seats to watch us succeed or flop.
thanks y'all.
have a great day!
xoLO
Totally agree that circumstances are most often not due to poor decisions....that's precisely why I'm a pinko liberal, but I guess I forgot that this is all about Oprah and though I love O, and the show, I don't look to her for news or actual problem solving. I look to her for inspiration, some good advice, and pure entertainment.
I also absolutely agree that the U.S. needs improvement and that we should all strive for better. I just don't respond well to criticism meant to inflame and delivered with a heavy dose of condescension. Plus, sometimes I just like to argue.
I wish I had the answers to make us a perfect country, but sadly I do not. Giving more of our tax dollars to public education, more of our time to children who lack strong role models, not seeing color or gender, and recognizing that the playing ground isn't even are surely good starts.
But I still take issue with degrading any charitable effort. I can't take over the world and give everyone a home and a job, but I can write a check, host a giving event, and donate clothes. These are the things I can do to help.
Poverty is a complex problem and Oprah isn't responsible for solving it, right?
jurl, you comment actually made me laugh and then cry. no joke. i love the line about sometimes just liking to argue. brilliant. so funny. and then, the tears came when i could relate so strongly to the struggle of being liberal, knowing things are broken, loving the country, wanting so much more for it, but being at a loss about how to fix things. i totally agree with you - we do what we can. and you know what? i think anything that our citizens do out of care and desire to help each other can't be wrong. the more positive energy in this country, the better. let's collect jammies.
xoLO
Hey thanks for the response Livingoprah... nice to see you took my comments in the spirit they were meant (I'll tone them down next time though as they were a bit OTT and got people a bit rabid!)
Jurl. I have lived all over the globe (in US for ten years, worked in and out of Europe) so I have a fair idea of what I'm talking about having studied in the US as well.
As for taxes here's some figures
US
0% of the first $8,950 of income,
10% of the income between $8,951 and $16,975,
15% of the income between $16,976 and $41,500,
25% of the income between $41,501 and $87,800,
28% of the income between $87,801 and $173,500,
33% of the income between $173,501 and $366,650, and
35% of the income exceeding $366,650.
And for OZ
Tax on this income
$1 – $6,000
Nil
$6,001 – $30,000
15c for each $1 over $6,000
$30,001 – $75,000
$3,600 plus 30c for each $1 over $30,000
$75,001 – $150,000
$17,100 plus 40c for each $1 over $75,000
$150,001 and over
$47,100 plus 45c for each $1 over $150,000
There's quite a difference ... and that's called putting your money where your mouth is!
I never said we didn't have any problems here - for example Aborigines have really terrible health and welfare problems - they weren't even counted as people in our census till the 60s. This is what drags our rankings on international rankings on healthcare. education and welfare down. But, like the EU and Japan, we do do much better on these measures than the US because of our social policy. this is why the US ranks below these countries on poverty measures.
In a nutshell you get what you pay for and jammies and plastic bracelets aren't going to really change this!
Over and out on this one!
Aussie
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