Our Big News (Or Shower In The Kitchen)

Springtime; a season of cleansing and awakenings; changes and new beginnings. Right?

Just a month ago, I remember thinking to myself: "Well, nothing big for us this year!" Energy had been gushing through so strongly all winter, it was hard to conceive how our lives could possibly get 'amped up' even more. Wouldn't you know it, a few days later, Don was presenting me with an idea that was to rawk our world to its core. Another lesson in never underestimating Life and its unfathomable grand schemes!

With my scarce appearances on Raw Food Talk, and my mysterious references to a new big project, some of you might be wondering what I've been up to lately. What better time than Mother's Day to throw a shower party, and announce the birth of our brand spanking new baby?

Taking It To The Next Level
I was telling you recently about how The Sunny Raw Kitchen has been an incredible adventure, going beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Even though blogging is a fantastic medium to share, I've also become increasingly aware of its limitations. I mean, a blog is, after all, mostly a one person show.

While there's nothing wrong with that, I find that I learn so much from an environment where there can be lively discussions and exchanges of ideas. This is why I've been hanging around Alissa Cohen's Raw Food Talk a great deal in the last 7 months. A forum is such a fantastic, effervescent interface to connect with other people who share similar passions and interests.

The possibility of starting my own raw food forum had crossed my mind, but I had envisioned that being somewhat further down the road. When Don told me, a few weeks ago, how he saw that a forum was the next logical step on our path, I was shocked. Yet, it was immediately apparent that he was right, and we were on our way...

Focus
Not long ago, we came upon a fantastic book called "Simpleology", in which the author speaks about the necessity of focusing one's energies on a single goal at a time. When you divide your attention amongst a number of interests, you are compromising the chance of success in all of them. This confirmed what had become more and more evident to us; we needed to stop fragmenting ourselves all over the net (which is so easy to do!) and to bring our different passions under a single roof.

After a little over 3 weeks of intensive work (talk about a short gestation time! lol), Don and I are almost ready to open the virtual doors to;

Raw Freedom Community Forum.


Our Vision
We've been holding the vision of building a community for years, although we never imagined that it would be a web-based one! This project is an extension of our desire to join with and assist others, in our common journey towards a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

It is our intention for Raw Freedom Community (RFC) to be:

A warm, supportive and nurturing environment where we can let our guard down and help one another, without the ever looming threat of rules and politics...

A space where everyone is treated equally, and where generated profits are distributed evenly amongst all members...


A place where we can explore the inherent power of real cooperation...

A virtual space where we can meet other like-minded individuals, and exchange about everything that matters to us; be it raw and living foods, how to achieve financial freedom, health or personal growth.

Making It Happen Together!
Although, we are holding the vision in order for Raw Freedom Community to emerge, we certainly don't intend for it to be solely our creation. We want this forum to be a group venture, and as such, all members will be invited to contribute in making it their web-based home.

The entire forum will be run on a voluntary basis. (That's right! We're not getting paid either!) There will be all kinds of opportunities for members to get involved in a direct way: forum construction, moderation, web design, newsletter publication, marketing and spreading the good word, etc..

Sharing The Goodies
A small portion (10%) of all profits generated by RFC, eg: advertisement, product sales (ebooks and various promotional items) and the like, will be going into the 'Community Pot' to cover forum's expenses and further development of the community's resources. The rest (90%) will be used to promote the raw lifestyle.

Nearly Ready
Everything has been going incredibly smoothly; to us a good sign that we're on the right track. We're now almost ready to launch the Beta version of RFC Forum. A few minor things need some work, so we won't be releasing the link just yet, but for those of you who just can not wait any longer, and who enjoy a treasure hunt, we thought it might be fun to have a little contest.

RFC: The Newly Expanded 'Sunny Raw Kitchen'


We look forward to meeting you there!

In the meantime, better get your chopsticks ready for Part I of my post on Asian Cuisine 'in the Raw'.

PS: Drop by OurSpace on MySpace to learn more about Raw Freedom Community.

PPS: Pfhew! Sure feels like I've just given birth! lol

*~*~*~*
Photo Credits:
Mr. Sun & Mini Sun by Warm 'n Fuzzy
Piggy Bank by elizabeth star
gazania mania by mimbrava

Technorati Tags: Raw, raw food, forum, community, internet community