Category Archives: Giving Back

Life is Balance: Going for the Gold!

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Life is Balance is a sponsor of the Empire State Winter GamesI’m excited to report that Life is Balance® has become a sponsor of the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY. The Empire State Winter Games is a multi-day sports event, taking place February 2-5, 2012.  For more than 31 years, the Games have brought together nearly 1,000 athletes from across the State to compete in a variety of winter sports. What better venue for Life is Balance® t-shirts? I’ll be placing a brochure in each athlete’s gift bag with a coupon code for a discount on the Life is Balance website. And, two t-shirts are going to be raffled off during the weekend!

Not only am I able to help support young athletes in their quest to realize their dreams, but I learned about some sports I’ve never heard of! The winter sports included in these games consist of: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross country skiing, figure skating, luge, skeleton, ski jumping, ski orienteering, slopestyle, snowshoe racing, speed skating, women’s ice hockey and skier/border cross. Slopestyle? Skeleton? Sounds more like a fashion show for Halloween!

Did you know that the Slopestyle competition takes place on a course consistingof variations of jumps and handrails. Anywhere from 3 to 5 of these “features” make up a standard size run. Athlete get two attempts to execute their most difficult and creative maneuvers. Another one new to me is Skeleton –   a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. Crazy? They don’t think so. I think I will stick to downhill skiing!

Here are some of the winter sports themed t-shirts available from LifeisBalance.com:

Men's Ski/Snowboard T-Shirt

Keep Your Edge Men's Ski/Snowboard T-shirt

Women's long sleeve figure skating t-shirt

Controlled Spin women's long sleeve ice skating t-shirt

Men's Ice Hockey T-Shirt

Reach Your Goal Ice Hockey T-Shirt

Women's short sleeve ski/snowboard t-shirt

Keep Your Edge women's ski/snowboard t-shirt

Balance and the environment: saving our oceans, one t-shirt at a time

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Life is Balance Protect and Preserve Ocean Environmental design Anyone who knows me, knows that the ocean is my second home (or would be if I already owned my dream home). From the time my father taught me to swim as a little girl, I have always felt comfortable in and around the water. Whether I’m sitting on the beach watching the ocean’s waves roll in and out or immersed in it, not only do I feel at peace, but I feel a connection to something special. When I scuba dive I am a visitor to another world — a world beneath the sea. There is an enormous amount of life under the ocean’s surface. Coral reefs are teaming with life, fish and animals both big and microscopic all living together in a fine balance. Each time I dive, I notice more damage to the reefs and less and less fish life. There are many organizations who dedicate themselves to protecting and preserving our ocean environments and educating divers, fisherman and the general population about ways they can help.

One of my Life is Balance® designs (above) represents our need to protect and preserve our oceans and their inhabitants. I have decided to donate portion of sales from this design to an environmental charity. The question is, which one? I am currently considering two different organizations. Blue Ocean Institute uses science, art, and literature to inspire a closer bond with nature, especially the sea. As an artist and ocean lover, I like this.

Another ocean environmental organization that I am looking at is Oceana Oceana is the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana’s vision is “to make our oceans as rich, healthy and abundant as they once were.” The oceans cover 71 percent of our planet. They control our climate, drive our economies and feed our peoples.
A sentence in particular from their vision statement struck a chord with me:
“For millions of sailors, swimmers and vacationers of all stripes, they offer a refuge from the metal and concrete that encase our working lives.” Now if that’s not what Life is Balance® stands for I don’t know what is!

I’d love for my readers to share their thoughts and opinions about these particular organizations and help me decide which one to contribute to.

Sea Foam

Don't ever take for granted the coming and going of the ocean's tide!

Single on Valentine’s Day

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There’s a lot of hype over Valentine’s Day. My inbox has been flooded with ads for all the things I can buy for my Valentine or he can buy for me. From dozens of roses to boxes of chocolate, diamonds and heart pendants galore! Then there are all the online dating sites trying to capitalize on all the single people out there still looking for love – a free weekend of online dating, and then just $35 a month to make sure that next Valentine’s Day you are not alone. And let’s not forget the singles parties…

It’s Saturday night and I am going to an anti-Valentine Day party. What exactly is an anti-Valentine’s Day party? Well, I’ll let you know at the end of this post when I return to finish it. What I think it will be is a way for single people to possibly connect, have a drink or two and still go home single, but maybe with a business card or two.

Ocean Valentine Bouquet

Feather duster worms make a beautiful underwater Valentine's Day bouquet

I’m about to save this draft and head off for the party but hold on – I just got another Valentine’s Day email. However this one is different from the rest. It is a Valentine’s Day request for me to show my love for the ocean by donating money to the Project AWARE Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. I like this idea. It’s a way for me to give a Valentine to something that I love, the ocean. The ocean gives me gifts every time I visit it, whether scuba diving beneath its’ surface or looking out over its’ waves. It is one of the many things that makes me smile and adds balance to my life. Some of you might know that I recently launched a new line of inspirational sport and hobby-themed T-shirts, called Life is Balance®. Lately I have been thinking about donating some percentage of sales from my shop to an ocean conservation organization (when I start actually making money, that is). I haven’t decided which one yet – Sea Shepherd is another worthy possibility under consideration.

What a nice change it would be if instead of only thinking of Valentine’s Day as an over commercialized day for couples, it became a day to show your love for anything that you are passionate about, whether it be the sea or some other worthy cause. It doesn’t have to be a monetary donation. The gift of your time is ever so valuable as well. Well, enough procrastination, it’s time to go and search for my anti-Valentine…

…12:30am
I just got home from the party, remember that? I promised you an update. I did something that I don’t usually do. I went to this party by myself where I didn’t know anyone. Out of my comfort zone to say the least. It didn’t start out all that promising when waiting on line to get in the bouncer asked both the girls in front of and behind me for proof but didn’t ask me. Should I be insulted? Inside, the line to check coats was another 15 minute wait. This was not looking promising. However, in the end I met three nice guys who each asked for my card. I still came home single but hey, you never know…

Monday is Valentine’s Day and I’m not going to sit around wondering whether either of the three guys will call. I’m going to see Placido Domingo with one of my best friends and I’m going to think about how I can help save the oceans. Not a bad day to look forward to. Nothing anti about this Valentine’s Day.