The Real Us…..

Sapna was born in India and Dane was born Northern CA. Somehow, The Universe brought them together here in So. California.

Sapna…

Is detail-oriented and likes to go-deep.
Is loyal, generous and truthful and will fight for our children which she sees as the future.

Is more “big picture” and skilled at tying disparate things together.
(When he is not stressed from work) is actually a big goof-ball (Ask him about all the pranks he’s played on all the nurses and doctors in the past) but he takes his work very seriously.
Has a passion for spiritual philosophy and even read the entire Mahabharata (a VERY long ancient Hindu spiritual text) on our honeymoon! Huh? Yeah, that’s what Sapna said…
Loves everything outdoors: hiking, camping, surfing, or mountain biking. In fact, Dane was an Eagle-scout and would probably practice medicine in the forest if he could! (Of course, you would have to hike to get to his office to see him ☺)

Are each a little copy of each of us: One daughter is a mini-Sapna and the other is a mini-Dane.
One is an athlete and the other is an academic/artist.
One does her homework while doing handstands, the other can’t be bothered to move, and would rather read a book about it.
Despite these differences, they are both smart, funny and creative.

We homeschooled, world-schooled and unschooled our kids for a few years—it was great chance to build a bond that we still keep today, despite them having to be at regular school now.
In 2012, we sold our house, cars and most of our belongings, quit our jobs, pulled our kids out of school and traveled through Asia to live like a vagabond hippie family. We bought one way tickets and had decided to go endlessly and maybe not ever come back. We ate like the locals, lived with them and thought like them too. (Ok, we did stay in a few 5-stars when we needed a break ☺) We went all over India, Sri-Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Bali and Japan. We only lasted 6 months on the road… (But that’s another story)

We took our children to teach them about the world, how the world lives, world religions, poverty, death, volunteering in orphanages, etc… you know, ‘real life’ stuff. They came back and decided to become American patriotic capitalists/entrepreneurs, deciding they didn’t want to live like that! There went our idea of our kids being little ‘Mother Theresa’s!

Dane contemplated being a Hindu monk once upon a time, but then he met Sapna…in a temple, ironically. So much for monastic chastity!
Sapna had her horoscope done by Ketut Liyer; the famous Balinese Shaman from the book/movie “Eat, Pray, Love”. She can’t tell you what he told her here, but if you watch the movie, you’ll get an idea ?
We stayed in Dharamsala, India for 1 month and met many of the Dalai Lama’s monks and even saw the Dalai Lama speak several times in his Monastery.
Dane taught Hindu Philosophy to 11th and 12th grade students at a local temple for the last several years.
We sat under the same tree that Buddha sat under to attain enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India… Unfortunately, we didn’t attain enlightenment ☺

We value freedom, time and love.
We are both old Punk rockers and have rebelled against the school system, the health system, the food system and the job systems… maybe that’s why we don’t have many friends? ☺
We are constantly evolving and changing because if you stop learning, you stagnate and die slowly…
Yes, we are a crazy family, but wouldn’t have it any other way. Our kids…well, they chose us! ☺
The thing we tell our kids most often (after “Be Grateful”) is “Question everything”. Not to be a rebel for being a rebel’s sake, but to think for themselves. We challenge them: Is it truthful for you? Does it feel right? Don’t just go with the crowd. Be your own self. Do it with love. Love for yourself, because if you don’t love yourself, you can’t love others and others won’t love you. You will attract your own tribe. In other words, “Don’t be a ‘sheeple.’”

Love the Fliedners,

Sapna, Dane, Bhavani and Gayatri