Emily's May Inspiration "There Goes The Hood"

It was more than a restaurant, it was a symbol. And in the past decade, the last man standing in a sea of homogeny brought on by outsiders visiting the East Village on the weekends; dabbling in the hip, artistic, and edgy. Fact is MAMA'S was the neighborhood. At ten dollars a plate with a choice of meat and three sides, MAMA's was the spot you went for down home comfort. Nestled on 3rd St btw A & B, I walked past this soul food spot daily back in the nineties, sometimes stopping in just for a side of mash potatoes when the city got rough. They had the best veggies too, and if you didn't want meat you could get an extra side with their mac and cheese rivaling no other.

I encourage my yoga students to embrace change, to accept the only constant in our lives is just that. But as my old street in Alphabet City morphs into more and more sameness - that chain store, homogenized look that plagues our country - I have to cry out, 'Why this hood!?' Why the spot where artists flocked to so they could be different and accepted? With the fortune tellers, druggies, and performance artists singing their tunes, graffiti walls and dive bars that embrace all kinds... Why must the demographic who desires sameness, who feels more comfortable in an OLIVE GARDEN than an authentic Italian dive invade the one place on the planet where we screwed the Man?

Those who infest the East Village on the weekends are in no way supporting the community and those who inhabit it. They leave and go back to their commutes and cubicles, and tell stories about how they had a 'crazy' weekend in the village. We lived there, many old-schoolers still do. It's our home, and place's like MAMA'S, or the old KING'S PHARMACY replaced by a DUANE READE were our pride, our joy and choice to remain original, authentic to ourselves. Most moved to the East Village against their society's wishes. To a far away land where parentals did not understand paying a thousand dollars a month for a shoebox apartment on Ave C, but we did and sacrificed to be there. The natives know the secret to Alphabet City is its character, its funkiness, and constant groove we so adore. With the closing of MAMA'S, I dare say...there goes the hood.

PEACE,

Archived Inspirations

on Growth

The Revolution of Love

My fierce support to the steadfast Occupy Wall Street movement - and even more to Occupy Oakland, Chicago, Portland, Kentucky, Santa Feand all the home grown peaceful protests around this land. I am grateful for your tents and your signs and your passion of shifting this world together. And for the reluctant ones, I thank you too… for your questions and willful doubt. If you’re looking for a simple one line message be patient, you know there’s many, many things to change. We must feed our people, take care of each other’s health, practice a fair economy, and share our abundance - give more, with love. That’s the message. This is a revolution of love.

Jesus spoke of this. Buddha, the Hopis, the Mayans all spoke of a realization that we are here to love. The police brutality, the media’s corporate reporting, the shooting of a two tour Iraq War Veteran for Peace – all this is in the name of the revolution happening before your very eyes. We can no longer sustain ourselves with greed and separatism. We must shift from the love of power, to the power of love.

So as you gather round your tables this Thanksgiving, as you reconnect with family and friends may you widen your heart to a deeper movement happening this season. All over this land. From the tents of youth (and seniors too, dear media) to your own tribes and gatherings of the season - may we all pause and connect in heart. May we extend love to our neighbors, to our enemies, to ourselves…

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.