Empower*

In addition to my nutrition class this weekend, I attended a meditation class. Although I've never been one for meditation (My mind does not seem to want to shut off. Ever.) I felt like I really got something out of the class. If nothing else, I got an hour of quiet time. I came out of the class feeling calm and feeling pretty good about life in general.

From my class, I headed over to the fitness expo. Mostly, vendors were selling workout clothes and fitness DVDs and CDs. But one booth stood out. A business called Canvas. She just recently opened so there's not a whole lot to her site, but I still want to give her a shout out.

Among the things she was selling were recycled paper beads. Here are the bracelets I bought.

Handmade by women in Uganda, the beads can be a means to creating a better life. Bead For Life works to empower women in Uganda by giving them opportunities to become economically self-sufficient through the sale of bead jewelry and other products.

Outreach Uganda is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Colorado and dedicated to helping empower poor people in Uganda.

Both companies sell beads online.

Maybe it was my relaxed state. Maybe it's that I was feeling especially lucky today, but I felt the need to by these bracelets and do a (very) small part to help empower women who don't have it as good as I do. Whatever the reason, it gave me a little sense of empowerment, too.

You can see how these beads are made by clicking here.


*Empower - to give power or authority to