Bloggin’ Bisbee

Love this of me and Alec at Soup. So fun!

Dear friends,

Some of you have been to a Soup event or you have heard about it
from me.

It’s an all-volunteer community I’ve been involved with since its
inception. Together, we’ve raised over $100,000 for non-profit
beneficiaries and have held an annual event for 13 years, as well as
trips to Peru to do volunteer community work, Democracy Soup trips
to swing states and regular gatherings to keep people engaged.

We’re currently planning an additional trip to El Salvador and an
action/education group around climate change.

I want to share my thoughts about this recent weekend at Soup 13,
and the passing of UCSC’s Chancellor Denice Denton.

Much love and gratitude to each of you for your wonderful presence
in my life! -Kathy

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Dear friends,

As ever, I am grateful for every moment I spend at Soup with all of
you. Thank you.

Each year is different. Every Soup tastes unique. You bring that
special ingredient without which my soup would not have been complete!

As folks are sending me pictures, the visual connection to you all
and the land causes me to slip into soupy daydreams filled with
sunshine (Soup 13) and rain (Soup 12) and think about the many
changes in my life since my first soup many years ago. (What a baby
I was at that first soup! How much I still have to learn!) How
grateful I am for all I have learned, for the amazing growth and
for the acceptance and love I have found amongst all of you.

For me, Soup 13 seemed about looking back and being oh-so-grateful
for the path that got me here.

Venturing with my dog from the East coast, I arrived in CA with $20
to my name (no credit cards!) and a broken-down ‘77 Chevy Impala.
Had not even a couch to sleep on. I didn’t know anyone. I became
fast friends with the thoughtful and articulate David Minkow at
shows who then introduced me to the Soup. You all shared your
networks, your beautiful spirits and your open hearts with me.

I think about the many times I have turned to so many of you for
support, a well- timed hug, motivation, love, political action, as
dance, drum and singing partners, for greater awareness, housing,
new opportunities to learn, professional help and so much more. You
are my community; a non-exclusive, open-hearted, new-school
paradigm alternative to the dying out old- boys network.

I realize too, the commitment that Soup requires of me. To give
openly, to get involved, to be vulnerable or to reach out to others
when I’d sometimes rather isolate myself, to surrender, to let go of
time and space, to love big, to think about what is possible, to
help welcome and match others to resources and each other, to keep
that connection with you throughout the year, to get up at Soup and
serve breakfast to your smiling faces after swimming at 6:30 am in
the pond
(both of which I loved–thanks Jim for the inspiration!), to become
an active participant in creation. I’ve never been a part of any
community as long as I have Soup*, not even during my travels with
the Dead that originally brought me out West. (*except my 14+ years
long relationship with sweet Alec!)

You may have heard that our UCSC Chancellor, Denice Denton committed
suicide this weekend during Pride in SF. She suffered from
depression and no one knew. Our sleepy little coastal community is
still in shock. Everything seemed fine.

Her passing illustrated an important
point to me. That it is SO critical for us to reach out to one
another, to accept that all of us feel a sadness sometimes (or lots)
even from just living in this sick culture, and that extending
ourselves to each other is something we can do every day. To lead
together towards a healthier, happier, more sustainable world.

Immediately upon hearing the news, I thought of Soup. One thing I
always notice at Soup is this: when people ask me how I am doing or
I ask them, it is always with intention, attention, feeling and
real connection.

Openness to hear the whole story, good or bad.
Willingness to listen deeply, share in one another’s joys, pain and
struggles and offer support if it is needed. This is one tangible
daily act that we can take out into the world with us, one that our
world so desperately needs.

I am so grateful for all we have created, and continue to create
together. Soup gives me hope. You give me hope. The way I related to
others changed because of how each of you treat me and one another
at Soup. When I return, I am renewed to I spread my love around
without caution and listen to others more deeply. There lies the
beauty of the ripple.

Consider taking time today to really connect with someone, to reach
out and give them some soupy love. Your connection could change
their life like it has mine.

With much love and gratitude,
Kathy in Santa Cruz

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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing
is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~
Albert Einstein