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Here is this week’s 8 Good Things. This newsletter is my year-long weekly gift containing everything from articles to books to quotes to videos that are meant to be helpful, inspirational, aspirational, informational, and just fun to read!

Please make sure to scroll all the way down to see our Upcoming Sojourn Events! New Trip! Photographic Safari and Mindfulness Workshop in Botswana, Africa. Also: Walking the Camino de Santiago, Spain and Sailing and Hiking the Greek Islands.

On August 15th, I am launching a 90-day program, Happiness and the Art of Life Balance. Please contact me for details.

Sojourn Explorers: Trek. Fundraise. Inspire.

1) Astronomers Might Have Found the First Alien Moon. Wow! Visualization based on data from NASA.

2) In anticipation of the upcoming August 21st Great American Eclipse, a list of the ten perfect places to see it: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina. Details here.

3) Watching the Eclipse? Don’t Forget to Write! The Postal Service has released a first-of-its-kind stamp that changes when you touch it. The Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp, which commemorates the August 21st eclipse, transforms into an image of the Moon from the heat of a finger. The stamp image is a photograph taken by astrophysicist Fred Espenak, aka Mr. Eclipse, of Portal, Ariz., that shows a total solar eclipse seen from Jalu, Libya, on March 29th, 2006. In the first U.S. stamp application of thermochromic ink, the Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamps will reveal a second image. Using the body heat of your thumb or fingers and rubbing the eclipse image will reveal an underlying image of the Moon (Espenak also took the photograph of the Full Moon). The image reverts back to the eclipse once it cools, which when you think about it, is pretty cool itself. The Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamps may be ordered here | Excerpt from Expedition News

4) From my library: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. “This may have been written for people in a hurry, but I urge you to take your time. It will all be over far too soon.” ~ BBC’s Sky at Night

Picture Happiness: Take a Shot

5) Back again because so many people were curious:
The Foundation of Mindfulness. I recently went into the desert outside of LA, around Joshua Tree, to attend a 10-day silent retreat. I was there to learn Vipassana Meditation, which is one of India’s oldest meditation techniques and the basis of Mindfulness. It was what the Buddha was doing when he attained enlightenment. So, in principle, if you practice this technique, you too can do the same. Though I promise you, it is no easy task to sit for 10-days. I was okay with being silent. I was okay with meditating from 4:30 am to 9 pm. It was the physical sitting that was the challenging part. However, worth the effort of learning to purify your mind through self-reflection, and understanding the wisdom of detachment, impermanence, in all things. This particular course is taught throughout the world. Cost is completely donation based. Also to know, this is not a religious technique. More here.

6) I love walking. I love it so much that I have walked eight marathons, covering all seven continents. Yes, I walked a marathon in Antarctica. So here are 3 Reasons You Need to Take a 5-minute Minute Walk Now (Like Right Now). One is that it gets you thinking. Find out the other two.

7) What keeps us happy and healthy? Harvard’s longest running study on Happiness, 75-years. It may make you rethink your views on wealth, fame, and high achievement. TED Talk.

8) The Foundation for Happiness. Gratitude practices.

Abundance can be had simply by
receiving what is already been given.
~ Sufi Saying

Upcoming Sojourn Events

NEW trip!!!
Botswana, Africa, Nov 23rd – 30th, 2017 | March 21st – 28th, 2018
Photographic Safari and Mindfulness Workshop.
Set in one of the most pristine wilderness places on the planet, you will have the extraordinary experience of witnessing the majesty of this continent’s wildlife. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, they are all there to awe and inspire you. Africa has long been my favorite place in the world, and I look forward to sharing its magical allure with you. Join the Great Plains Wild Studio Team and me on a uniquely curated safari that will tap into your true inner-photographer through the prism of mindfulness to both better connect with yourself as well as the importance of being stewards of our wildlife. Learn more.

Program Launch, Happiness and the Art of Life Balance,
Tuesday, August 15th.
I am committed to helping those who sit in the overwhelm, constantly feeling out of time, and always stressed. As a longtime TV producer, I have been there many times over. And have spent the last eleven years studying what to do about it. My promise is to get you out of the crazy and into the happy. To do that, I have put together a 90-day program. It is designed to be an ongoing curriculum that can fit into anyone’s schedule and can be joined online anytime. You will learn to manage your day-to-day world in a way that is sustainable while experiencing both group and individual support. For a complimentary consultation, please contact me.

Los Angeles, September 9th. By request (thank you, Akram) I am leading a Prayer of the Heart Silent Meditation Walk and Picnic 9:30 am – 12:30 pm at Will Rogers State Park. Please RSVP to happy@pixhappiness.com. Hiking level: moderate. Length: 2-mile loop.

Camino de Santiago, Spain, September 26th – October 3rd, 2017.
This pilgrimage has long been on my travel ‘hit’ list. For years, I have heard inspiring stories about it. We will stay in quaint farm houses, 17th-century stone-made mansions. Eat well, drink well. Pray, meditate, breathe. Of course, walk. Go home happy. Learn more. *the trip cost includes my Happiness and the Art of Life Balance program.

Greek Islands, May 25th – June 2nd, 2018 | Memorial Day Weekend
If you romanticize sailing and hiking the islands in the Aegean, then come along with me. Explore, meditate, do restorative yoga, energizing breathwork, eat great food, dance. Find your inner Zorba. Opa! Learn more. *the trip cost includes my Happiness and the Art of Life Balance program.

“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying
has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea.”
~ Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek

Happy Weekend! Love,
Maria and Team Sojourn
Learn More About Us | +800-869-0538

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