world wide web, indeed

Years ago, an old workmate found me by doing a google search for my name... by finding a letter that I had written to the LA Weekly in 1997, thanking them for an awesome Meshell Ndegeocello article. I didn't make much of it at the time, cause I was still marveling at the wonders of the internet.

But every so often I do a google search for my name, and the 1st thing that comes up is my website... my resume has my address on it, which of course I keep telling myself, "I need to fix that."

I did a google search today, and the 3rd thing that came up was my tribe.net profile.... and it dawned on me that all of my pics of my daughters are in plain view, for anyone to see. I kept hearing Ewan MacGregor's voice in my head, about how he doesn't allow his children to be photographed for public use. (Granted, I'm not famous....) So, I made my kid-pics all "friends only" and I made most of my personal blogs "friends only" cause I really don't want Joe Schmo from Anytown, USA being able to check out my private life and pics of my kids.

But then I realized that pics of my kids and other personal ventures are on other sites as well.... photography, etc....

Any thoughts about this kinda stuff? Is it just the times that we live in, that our info is so widely viewable? I like that my stuff is available to my community, cause it's so fun to exchange thoughts/photos/ideas/fun... but of course tribe is a public site.... searchable on google... which means any potential landlord, boss, client, etc., can check you out without you knowing.

Weird.

wisdom and compassion

i don't care about what you do for a living.
i want to know what you love most,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
I don't care how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
I don't care what your astrological sign is,
I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals,
or if you have become hard and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can tolerate pain, mine or your own,
without trying to hide it or change it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own;
if you can get crazy and dance, letting the fun fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
I don't care if the story you are telling me is true,
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from wisdom and compassion.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand up and shout "gabba gabba hey!" for no reason at all.
I don't care about where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
I don't care who you are, what band you are in, or how cool you are.
I want to know if you will stand in the middle of the fire with me
and fight for what we know is right.
I don't care what religion, race, sexual preference or political stance you have.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

--by Oriah Mountain Dream, adapted by Noah Levine