Blue Gypsy Inc. Blog

Who would have thought that when I started my exploration of social media, it would become an addiction. But I've begun to realize the powerful way you can help promote change through the use of these social outlets. Most recently I've encountered a great way to pay it forward.

Now I find myself, through social media avenues, helping to co-ordinate TweetsGiving Virginia Beach, a charity event with some great folks I've met through social networking. TweetsGiving is a global celebration that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude. All around the world a 48 hour event is taking place from November 24-26th where people will gather online and off, to express their gratitude and give thanks. This charity event, launched in 2008 by Epic Change raises money for education in Arusha, Tanzania.

Tanzania is near and dear to my heart. I spent 3 months living on a beach in Zanzibar and teaching scuba diving back in 2003. I would have made it to Arusha had I not contracted malaria which kept me from traveling more extensively in Tanzania at the time. However the giving, caring nature of the Tanzanian people is very apparent to anyone who has traveled that part of the world. In fact the school that Epic Change supports with our donations was originally started by a Tanzanian woman named "Mama Lucy" who sold chickens and used her income to build a school that now serves 300 children around Arusha.

In this spirit of gratitude, and giving I've made my top 10 list of things I'm grateful for. What are yours?

1) I'm grateful to have grown up in a positive loving environment
2) I'm grateful for having an adventurous spirit that has taken me passed my fears to amazing places
3) I'm grateful that I always have a choice in how I live my life
4) I'm grateful that I have met Chris, the love of my life
5) I'm grateful that I have amazing friends scattered around the world
6) I'm grateful that I have the ability to fight the battles worth fighting for, leave the ones that are not, and to know the difference
7) I'm grateful for my 3 pets who are really my children
8) I'm grateful for having taught sailing and diving to teenagers for many years and shaped their lives as much as they shaped mine
9) I'm grateful for the common creature comforts so many of us take for granted
10) I'm grateful to have traveled through 3rd world and developing nations to know that what you have isn't nearly as important as who you are and how you treat others.

This blog post was created as part of a global groundswell of gratitude called TweetsGiving. The celebration, created by US nonprofit Epic Change, is an experiment in social innovation that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude. I hope you’ll visit the TweetsGiving site to learn more, and to bring your grateful heart to the party by sharing your gratitude, and giving in honor of that for which you’re most thankful.

Happy TweetsGiving! I hope you'll donate to epic change for just $10 and join us for fun at Gordon Biersch in Town Center on the 24th of November at 6pm. Please purchase your tickets on the website before the event!