Perhaps growing up needing has made me appreciate what I have in a way that I otherwise might not. Perhaps it is remembering the food stamp lines, eyes cast down in shame, embarrassment, and anger that make me view what I have with such gratitude. Perhaps it was being teased because I was different that makes me love the way I do. Perhaps it was surviving my own darkness, emerging into light that has made me desirous of holding a lantern for others.  Each day, I wake hungry for light, for the air against my skin, the feel of my breath coaxing its way through my body. I wake grateful that I am alive and capable. I wonder whom I will meet, whom I will speak to, who will inspire me. I wonder.

This adventure of creating the LoveMore Movement has been a day-to-day meandering to my personal edge. My shyness (Yeah, I know. Me, shy? But it's true! I swear. Ask my bestie, she'll tell you stories.) is quickly being chucked to the side. I finally woke up, grabbed hold of a dream and started to make it a reality. But you know what? Grabbing hold of it is one thing, making it a reality is some scary shit. Really scary. Because even though I wake up curious and full of wonder, there is also some fear.

Old Navy is selling a shirt that says "Love More" across the chest; it costs 10 bucks. It's just a slogan, some spiritual commodification. And there's us: we are making shirts that say "LoveMore" on the sleeve in a beautiful heart that my friend Drew designed, and LoveMore Movement across the chest. They'll be a little more than Old Navy, at 35-40 bucks, but there is a difference: we are donating 10% to organizations that are urgently working toward things like: ending violence toward women (VDay); using the power of yoga to "inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grass roots social change" (Off the Mat, Into the World), and an organization committed to social justice, bringing meditation into prisons, feeding the homeless, and working to help those suffering from addiction (Against the Stream).

So why the fear? Perhaps because venturing into the world of "how much can we get for less" is daunting. But I have to remind myself of this: I started the LoveMore Movement because I am grateful. I started the LoveMore Movement because I need to give back. I remember what it was like in the dark. I remember what it was like to feel hopeless. So, I go back to the beginning and remember:

Each day, I wake hungry for light, for the air against my skin, the feel of my breath coaxing its way through my body. I wake grateful that I am alive and capable. I wonder whom I will meet, whom I will speak to, who will inspire me. I wonder.