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One of the most meaningful messages I took away this New Years Eve I learned at an exhibit of Dr. Seuss’ life work. Dr. Seuss, you say, really? How did Dr. Seuss fuel my new years resolution? It’s a simple message really – Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel (known by most as Dr. Seuss) said, and I paraphrase,

“We all need to have a little nonsense in our daily life.”

That resonates for me because I realize that I have had such tunnel vision for so many years, working and supporting clients and family that I have forgotten how a little silliness can go a long way to happiness AND fuel my creativity. That small message provided a huge shift for me.

In this time of change for many of us, opening ourselves up to what is possible has to begin with making room for ideas, and that comes from allowing creativity to have a bigger space in our being.

So, if I may offer you one small wish for the New Year, allow for a little nonsense each day. Even if it’s only for five minutes!

This great idea from my client at Freeflow and Fantasy Spas – made in Calif. by Watkins Manufacturing in Vista. For #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, they’ve turned their hot tubs PINK! to turn up the heat on breast cancer!  And their retail partners around the US are sponsoring PINK PARTIES. I love this campaign.

Check it out here in the news release we sent today. News Release  Check out the marketing too – They created Spas for a Cause as the “brand” for the Campaign; a logo; Twitter Account @Spas4ACause and a Facebook page, and a video, all to coordinate a maximized reach.

If you like this, go ahead and Like their FB page, follow them on Twitter, and help us gain some interest from MM media.

As I launch my new website, it’s only fitting that I start blogging. Well, actually I’ve been blogging for years, for clients, and other folks, about topics near and dear to me. Those of you who know me say, PRSWIMSTAR is a fitting blog name – I wanted it to be Water Woman, but WordPress tells me that some savvy person already owns it. I’ll be working up a calendar of blog topics that hopefully you, dear readers, friends, colleagues and new to be acquaintances, will find interesting. If there’s a topic you want me to write about, just ask! So, with that, I’m pressing the PUBLISH button for the aquatics world to read. Please, be patient with me as I work out the bugs, but do follow me! And share when appropriate.

Here I am, 7 mornings a week for the past 30 plus years.

Likely you viewed the video and watched the news report about the McKinney, Texas police officer pulling a gun on a teenage girl at the local pool, which in this case was a private community pool

I read the article below with interest as this writer offers a historic view of racial tension over the years, and the fact that public pool access was central to perpetuating racial tension in many cities and communities in the United States. This also reminds me of the excellent book by Jeff Wiltse, Contested Waters, A Social History of Swimming Pools in America. Worth a read.

How the rise of gated spaces like swimming pools can quietly perpetuate racial tension.

By Emily Badger

Excessive police use of force is in and of itself a problem, one increasingly recognized by politicians from both political parties. Here, though, as with so many of these stories lately, much more — the way we design communities and divide their resources with race and class quietly in mind — is implicated, too. Read the full story here.