I've been spending a lot of time around kids these days both professionally and personally. I kicked off this week at Cafe Gratitude, where I helped host the third installment of the Re:Source: Unwasted Pop Up Dinner series at Cafe Gratitude San Diego, featuring the kids from Washington Elementary School's garden club, which is run by my friend Mia Vaughnes and her remarkable Good Neighbor Gardens team. During the pre- dinner promotion, I got to spend many hours with the Washington Elementary garden club kids at work and at play. Their enthusiasm and hope recharged my batteries and help me focus on what is truly real and important to me in my life.

The very next day, after the Cafe Gratitude event, I traveled to Wild Willow Farm for an event planning walk through for the Autism Tree Project Foundation Family Farm Day that I'll be hosting at Wild Willow Farm on Saturday. Athough no kids were included in that planning session, I began to plan my event through the eyes of a child. I began to experience the farm and the activities I planned through the eyes of my heart and truly what would be genuinely fun and healing for children of all ages. I am hoping that the over 50 families that are signed up to attend experience that healing on their day on the farm.

I finished up this week by photographing a "Healthy Happy Camper" day for my friend Marissa Joinson of The Intuitive Kitchen. The Intuitive Kitchen was created by Marissa to help everyone, primarily focusing on children, eat better and thus live better and healthier. Her summer camp is a reflection of all her many talents and was fun for this adult to attend.

But, it was not all fun and games. Real life lessons were being learned about how to cope with the frustration of failure, impulse control and the basics of just getting along with other people. What I witnessed was that these children still hadn't learned that life is hard and is not fun, yet. They hadn't created limiting thoughts for themselves, yet. And they hadn't learned to criticize themselves for their mistakes, yet. Witnessing their joy made me start to let go of some of the limiting thoughts and beliefs that I somehow picked up and made mine along the way.

Oh what a week this has been! Watching and playing with those kids injected new hope and joy into my life. It also made me start to view the world through the eyes of a child, my child. My child who I often ignore for adult responsibilities got to come out and play! I highly recommend that you do the same-just go ahead and play!