Melissa Richardson Banks

It's the little things that matter. I'm inspired by the simple actions by others who demonstrate their love of others and of you. Today, I'm basking in the warmth of those who have touched my life recently. You know you are loved when: Your baby brother (now a father and in his mid-40s!) rearranges his two-hour airport shuttle so that he can ride on yours to spend MORE time with you (and arrive four hours early for his flight, which means he just hangs around the Denver airport on Christmas Day until he departs). Now, who in their right mind would do that? Well, I guess a caring man who I must not have traumatized too much when we were kids. Your boyfriend gets up and washes the dishes without being asked. Your dog gazes into your eyes and then snuggles into your neck, leaning against you for what it seems like hours. Your dogs walk nonstop during a mile-long morning walk that you desperately need! Your neighbor brings your newspaper two flights up to your door in the morni

Life is all about doing your own thang [INSERT TEXAS TWANG HERE] ... what is BEST for you seems to be BEST for others as you become an inspiration just by feeling good about yourself and emitting positive energy. For me, life is also about expression, sharing, doing, feeling. But enough about me right now -- view the YouTube video, which, after viewing it myself, reminded me of the importance of carving your own path in life's jungle, experiencing pure joy in the simplest of things, and doing things that feel good to you and not worrying about what others might think. Watch this solitary guy in the midst of an unenthused crowd dancing away to his own beat, seemingly without caring what others around him think, and later inspiring others to let it all hang out for themselves. Watch the WHOLE thing (it's only about 3 minutes!). Remember: Be UNSTOPPABLE, be true to yourself, and do your own THANG!!!

I love my downtown L.A. -- its concrete starkness, its desolate beauty, its haunting quietness. Over the past three years, when it suddenly became "hip," these peaceful qualities were often shattered by the sounds of loud voices, too many cars, and breaking beer bottles. Luckily, that phase seems to be more of an ugly duckling phase as the area's hipness clunkily settles in. I still miss the longer spans of solitude that used to exist as I traversed the city at all hours, but now I find it in less-traveled paths at night.

I've lived and worked downtown since 1993, and never have I felt threatened, scared, or frightened to be here. Before I started my business in 2000, my office was at Central Library, so I dutifully walked a four-mile trip every weekday, leaving each morning at 7 AM and returning home around 7 PM. I was one of the few in those days who walked downtown at night. Last night, I had an interesting experience. I have two dogs that I walk thrice-daily, the last walk typically around 9 or 10 PM. We took a familiar route, and stopped for a moment so my dogs could tinkle in the grass near a four-story office structure on the north side of my loft building. We were about four feet from its glass entrance when the left door suddenly shattered. I was on the cell phone, talking to my boyfriend. It seemed like his call disconnected around the same time of a flash of something, glass breaking, and the noise of it all. I looked across the street -- no movement, no people, no sounds ... parked cars