The SpokenCoast Project: Introduction

Originally published on May 17, 2011 at http://spokencoast.org

Yay! I’m finally getting to my first blog post, officially, on the SpokenCoast Project Official Website Extravaganza. We’ve got thrills, chills, & spills lined up for you, folks. Keep comin’ back to see all the magical mystery mayhem that will be jam packed into this site. You’re gonna love it!

My name is Marissa, and I’m the founder of this project. This blog will primarily be me writing about my experiences traveling & interviewing people for the SpokenCoast Project. What kind of people will I interview?  Well, it’ll be everyday people, like me and you, who live on the Pacific Coast, from Point Hope Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, Chile. It’ll be people who faced some kind of hardship in their lives, but were transformed by it in a positive way, and who want to share that story of triumph with others. 

The focus is to create stories of hope, to inspire others who may be struggling in the midst of some crisis right now. We all have a story to tell; we all face a major challenge in our lives. The question is: how do we deal with it?  Some people are able to overcome the challenge & thrive in a whole new way. Others get mired down in despair, and seem to wallow for eternity. 

My goal is to uncover what makes these two responses so distinct amongst people. Each one of us as individuals has a unique perspective on the world, and set of experiences. The world is in constant flux & change, especially environmentally. It will be the ability to overcome hardship that will make our communities strong enough to thrive in the face of this rapid change. 

Plus, it feels good to help one another. If one person is affected in a positive way by watching one interview, then my purpose is complete. Despite being a hot-blooded American, unlike many of my fellow citizens I’ve long-ago shed the notion that individualism must prevail amongst all else. Instead, I see the power in numbers, the greatness in many hands clasping together to form a web of support for us all. I’ve been lucky enough to discover a spiritual community that showed me the power of group consensus, and group consciousness. 

Won’t you join me in exploring these questions, and building community along the way? I’d love to hear YOUR story, and experience your wisdom. Thanks!