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Hello, funky chickens. Come with me on a journey through time and space (sorry to get all Mighty Boosh on yo ass). Let us go into the future, a hundred years from now, and imagine what the world would be like. Is there global warming? Poverty? Discrimination? Giant women who wear cone bras?! Well, we can do something about that. Maybe not the cone bras, but we can sure do something about the others! Here’s a few things that are guaranteed to bring you a burst of inspiration and hope!

Eat in the dark - I know it may sound weird at first, but eating your meals in the dark teaches us what’s it’s like to be blind. In 1999, Jorge Spielmann had the idea of opening up a restaurant (called The Blind Cow) staffed by blind and partially sighted waiters, where the customers eat in complete darkness. (I doubt there would be any complaints of hairs in the soup!) The toilets are lit up, but the guests have to be led by the waiters who wear bells around their feet. A visually impaired waiter who works in a pitch black restaurant says;

“See what it’s like in the dark. Here, we’re on an equal footing with other people. And for once we can hold a hand out to others”

A few more restaurants like this have been established, like In The Dark and The Invisible Bar (where the guests are required to wear masks as they eat). Because there aren’t many dark restaurants around the world (yet!), just try it for yourself at home, or with your family or friends. I can imagine the taste and appreciation for our food (and sight!) would be heightened.

Lend for change - I learnt about Kiva through How I Changed the World Today (written by a fantastic woman on a mission). Kiva works in the same way as microfinance, except you and I are the banks. You sign up, lend a particular amount of money (could be anything, from $25 to $2005) to any one of the poverty stricken clients, then in 6-12 months time, your loan will be re-payed back to you. A complete win/win situation! Then, if you like, you can re-fund another Kiva entrepreneur with your re-payed loan, and recycle that donation to help more people. Through the website, you can actually see where and how your donation is being spent. All of these poverty stricken clients have dreams and know how to earn money, but they can’t fund their dreams without a small loan. Watch this video and find out how one man began his bicycle business through Kiva;

Learn a new language - In the past, people have promoted chess, gardening or even ballroom dancing as hobbies that help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia and other forms of cognitive decline. Another activity has been added to the list: fluency in more than one language. And it’s not just about the physiological effects, learning a new language is great for social interaction, travelling and even your resume! There are plenty of online resources to help you become bilingual, but my favourite would have to be My Happy Planet. It’s where people from all around the world sign up and create a profile saying what languages they know, and what languages they’d like to learn. Then, another member will offer you free lessons in their fluent language while you can teach them (or someone else) your fluent language. So it’s a great way to make friends and learn a new dialect whilst keeping your mind alert and healthy - win/win!

Big love & butterfly kisses,

Ivy

xx