On Monday I had a truly lovely time with Diego Mulligan of Santa Fe Radio, who interviewed me about The Path of Synchronicity.

Now, the thing that made this very special is that Diego had recently undergone surgery, but was in his hospital bed, hosting the show despite everything. That is truly professional dedication at its best.  And yet it is also far more than this.  Every listener would have noticed that Diego was dedicated to his show, dedicated enough to disregard pain and discomfort, and do what he feels is important.  And I have to say that is profoundly inspiring. In fact Diego did something extraordinary.  He took what may have looked like bad luck and, because of his sense of what truly matters, he turned it into a blessing for everyone.

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I'm just back from Antwerp in Belgium, where I did some interviews for "The Wisdom of the Heart" documentary, due out in early 2012.  I'll be in good company. Deepak Chopra, Desmond Tutu, Marianne Williamson, Gary Zukav and others are already in this wonderful movie. I didn't get to hang out with them, but I was blessed in a different way, because I got to spend time with Baptist de Pape, Mattijs van Moorsel and Arnoud Fioole, the three inspired friends who are making it happen.

To be part of a splendid project is always a delight, but to be part of a project where the three main figures complement each other so well, and have so much shared vision, and generate such a magnificent synergy - that, my friends, is truly extraordinary.

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This past week has been rather busy - between Dr Pat’s radio show (more interviews to come on Sept 29th) and Summer McStavrick on VoiceAmerica.com I’ve found myself delightfully in demand.

The thing that I enjoy most is that in this age of video everything, with extra effects and music, there seems to be a robust call for interesting conversations on the radio. The media may like us to think it’s all zippy effects and explosions, with rock music attached at brain-numbing levels, but I am not buying that.  Far more prevalent are the thoughtful conversations and explorations of intelligent radio hosts.

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Today, Saturday, at 3:30 EST I'll be speaking on the Dr Pat show as she participates in a three day event to Memorialize 9/11. The idea is not to dwell on the grief but to acknowledge how the fear and sadness can be transformed, if we choose, into love and forgiveness. Love and forgiveness are not soft options.  On the contrary, they are far stronger than the evil that terrorists can bring to us.

We can remove that darkness by bringing the light of love to dispel it.

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Some of you may remember this fine political body as the joke party of Quebec, some years ago.  It derived its name from Eugene Ionesco's famous play "Rhinoceros", which was, as I recall, about how to deal with something that wouldn't go away.

Perhaps it's time to revivify this ancient and venerable party.  After all, we have Republicans as elephants, and Democrats as mules, and nothing can get done in Congress right now. A rhinoceros might be the creature to push through some changes. After all, it's big, strong, armor-plated, and well armed.

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Thousands of young people will be heading, or already have headed, to college this September. About 30% of them in the USA will drop out by the end of their first year, for various reasons. Even those that remain are sometimes tortured with feelings of stress that they do not measure up, either academically or socially.

Luckily, many colleges are sensitive to this and extend helping hands. And many students do find themselves empowered, excited at their new potential, and happy to be making their way in life.

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Hurricane Irene is headed our way and the media have told us to prepare for this emergency. Many people are piling up food and water and flashlights. Others are rushing around trying to find safe places to put their lawn furniture. Still others have headed for the hills.

Which asks the question: what actually is worth worrying about? And to what extent do we worry about the wrong things? I recently read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - all about the exodus from Paris in 1940, when everyone thought Hitler would flatten the city. The tale is terrifyingly human, as people worry about their china, their money, their papers, their pets.... And the tragic irony that completes the book is that Ms. Nemirovsky herself managed to save most of her essential belongings from a threat that turned out to be not a threat - and then was rounded up by fellow citizens and to be killed in a concentration camp.

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As a small child my parents would read to me from A.A. Milne’s stories. One of the stories I remember best is when Pooh and Piglet decided to go hunting for Woozles. As they walk through the snow to where the think the Woozles are hiding they see, just ahead, a pair of tracks, side by side, and decide that these are the marks left by two Woozles, a big one and a small one. Going a little further they see that there are now four sets of tracks, and they begin to feel a little anxious. Then, a short while later they see that there are now six sets of tracks…

We know, of course, that they’re walking in a circle and the tracks are their own, but the two animals become more and more concerned. As a child I laughed at this, feeling superior to these silly creatures.

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Perhaps it's a stretch, but think about this: The News of The World spent 40 years denigrating and begriming every celebrity and public figure - especially the Royals. Now it comes out that they illegally hacked into phones, and were aided and abetted by the Metropolitan Police, quietly sanctioned by ministers and Prime Ministers, including this one. The Metropolitan Police, notice.  The same people who fired the shots that sparked off the riots.

Corruption at every level, and a war that was widely seen as being merely for the benefit of the wealthy. A volatile brew.

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It's easy to stay positive when things go well.  But when things don't go well it can be a dismally hard grind. Of course, we're supposed to say, "Oh, good.  Here's an opportunity to deepen my awareness and stay positive". Those words don't always work, though. I can't always get there in one bound. I'm supposed to be able to access that feeling right away, yes?

So, what are we to do to stay positive?

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