(CNN) –  My trip back to my native Bulgaria this summer took on a special meaning because of an event that changed the course of history and my life! Twenty years since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, I was taking special notice of how things had changed. I noticed a new generation gap, separating those like me, who grew up with communism, from those who have no memory of it.

I came face to face with that reality on the plane back home to the United States. 

I was chatting with a 20-something Bulgarian college student on her way to a student work program in the U.S, when I had a flashback to 1991, and my own trip to America when I was that age.  I almost didn't make it. Not because I was late for my flight. But because, to use a famous Cold War scholar's phrase, "history" had not quite "ended" in 1991.

Just a month before my flight, communists opposed to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms, deposed him. All of sudden, it seemed, my dream CNN job could have been shut down behind the "Iron Curtain."

Fears grew in Bulgaria, that a return of communism in Russia would bring the Cold War back to tiny Bulgaria. A week later, it was over. The communist revival attempt failed, I was free to board my trans-Atlantic flight!

I glanced over at the young woman sitting beside me. Such a relief that history is no longer in our way. But even though we're both enjoying the benefits of change, there's one big difference. I experienced that history first hand; she's only heard about it from her mom. And that's a generation gap I gladly embrace.

I don't know about you, but anytime I look at art, I want to know, what does it say?

Most artists say, it is what it is! In a word, it's what you make of it. There's no agenda. Yet, I still can't stop asking myself that question.

And I did it again when I interviewed San Francisco artist Andres Amador. He makes art that disappears just a few minutes after it's created!

Andre's canvases are the beaches of San Francisco, his paintbrush a huge rake. He goes to work at low tide, etching intricate geometric designs. By the time he's finished, the high tide is lapping at the edges of his sand creations. Just enough time for him to take a picture, before it's all swept away. Gone!

Now why would he do that? He actually had an answer! He wanted us to stop and "smell the roses." Enjoy the moments we miss out on in the everyday rush of life!

A great thought to start the work week with. Even if we forget, as soon as we plunge back into the weekday rush of life!

What do you think, should art have a purpose? What draws us to art?

Send me a tweet twitter@RALITSACNN or post a comment on this blog.

ATLANTA, Georgia – The "rags-to-riches" story! Few of us haven't dreamed about it! Maybe one day lightning will strike and we'll be rich and be happy! But more often reality check strikes, a rags-to-riches tragedy, like the Michael Jackson story. When it hits, it makes us wonder, why aren't people who have so much going for them happy?

The thing is that riches place you in a whole different league, a place where some can’t make it.

I learned about that from an old friend who came into money. It was not a "King of Pop" kind of fortune, but still her newly earned "riches" put her in a different league. She never felt comfortable in that world of wealth. She told me she saw some people get ruined by their financial success.

But my friend's story has a different ending. Because she found a way to be happy in her new circumstances. Her answer was to stay grounded in her old world.

She clung to her old friends but had to make a few adjustments. People from her old circles couldn't afford her lifestyle. It meant toning down her spending and spreading the wealth, just enough, to avoid making her friends uncomfortable. That's worked for her. 

Michael Jackson never had the benefit of my friend's "old circles," the friends before success struck. You know, the ones who keep you grounded and tell you the truth, no matter what. 

Jackson was a star since he could remember. I once heard him describe how, as a child being driven to a rehearsal, he wished he could join the kids playing outside.

He never had a life beyond show business to develop the kind of relationships that helped my friend survive financial success AND be happy.

Last week I was asked to speak about women and the media at a Global Women’s Summit in Chile.

As I prepared my speech, I found some disturbing statistics – global surveys showing women are both marginalized in news coverage and underrepresented in top positions. My personal experience did not fit these statistics, most of my bosses have been women. But that didn’t make the problem less important. So what was I going to say? The search for an answer would lead me to question my basic professional values.

According to the Global Monitoring Survey only 21 percent of the news covers issues important to women. Studies show the imbalance can be corrected if there are more women in decision-making positions. But according to the International Federation of Journalists, only 12 percent of executive positions in the media are held by women.

So what should we journalists do? Should we try to correct the imbalance? In other words, should we have an agenda?

I believe the media cannot have an agenda, no matter how noble the cause! Having experienced communist censorship first hand in my native Bulgaria, I’ve seen agendas get corrupted. Communism was sold as a society where all were supposed to be equal, but in George Orwell’s words, some became "more equal." So if the media can’t have an agenda, how do we correct the imbalance?

A few years ago I read a book by one of CNN’s former female executives. Gayle Evans wrote: "Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman." She used her experience as a CNN executive to chart a roadmap for female success in the corporate world.

As an executive, she found herself in a game where the rules had been set by men, since they were the first to start playing. So she started playing like a man, learning the rules and getting good at it. That enabled her to eventually start winning like a woman, on her own terms. She strongly believes that the more women engage in the game, the more the rules start to change to the benefit of both sets of players.

Some at the conference disagreed with me, saying my way would take too long. But I just can’t accept an agenda for the media. Our role is to inform people, to take every story on its merit. And speaking of merit, that’s where we women journalists can help, by explaining the merits of stories that matter to us as women and more men will understand.

I remember a conversation with my doctor who told me he didn’t quite get the glass ceiling women faced in society, until he had three daughters. He thought he and his three brothers did, but it was not until he was personally exposed to the issues, did he truly understand …

ATLANTA, Georgia - There's more to global consumption than meets the eye lately. Spending money for the sake of spending is out. Spending money for a cause is in.

There something in the air, a growing global social conscience. The new global consumer is a discerning one, looking for the purpose behind the brand.

Spending money doesn't bring the kind of happiness buying with a purpose does. Global trend surveys like the annual "Good Purpose Survey" find only 25 percent of the respondents say shopping makes them happy.

More and more of us would like to become consumers with a with a cause. More than 80 percent say they're willing to change shopping habits if it will help make the world a better place and 68 percent say they're willing to stick with a more expensive brand if it serves a cause.

University enrolment in the United States, the world's biggest consumer nation, is expected to decline for financial disciplines discredited by the global financial crisis, experts say. More and more of America's young want a career with a purpose. They're signing up for science and public service seeking to make a difference in the world.

This trend may also be fueled, in part, by a hunger for quality that became apparent the night that unlikely singing sensation Susan Boyle grabbed the world's attention on "Britain's Got Talent" with her heavenly voice.

It seems to me that like other forms of consumption, entertainment becomes less frivolous in times like these. Then the question is, how long will this last.

Is consumption with a cause here to stay? We'll know when the good times come back.

U.S President Barack Obama's maiden trip to Europe is narrowing the transatlantic gap, but the Atlantic still lies in between.

President Obama seems to be moving American foreign policy closer to America's Western European allies and assuming a posture towards easing tensions with Russia. While the shift in U.S foreign policy will help bridge the transatlantic rift between Western Europe and the U.S, it is bound to disappoint some of the "new Europe" states.

Europe's reaction to Obama's pivot in Afghanistan is revealing some interesting things about post-Bush relations. The new U.S President's greater focus on rebuilding Afghanistan's ability to stand on its own, while fighting terrorist al Qaeda and Taliban threats on its soil, is yielding good will from NATO allies.

Europe is pledging some more combat troops, but mostly in civilian roles. It's also promising more money to help rebuild the country. But Obama needs more to fight a growing terrorist threat in Afghanistan, he needs European combat troops in hotspots where the insurgency is at its peak.

But for now, fighting a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda remains primarily America's fight, even though President Obama himself pointed out al Qaeda poses a bigger threat to Europe, than to the U.S.

With weak European combat support, Obama needs all the help he can get because he faces an emboldened insurgency in Afghanistan. This is where "resetting" relations with Russia comes in.

Russia is offering a crucial supply line for U.S troops through its territory into Afghanistan, as U.S military supply routes through Afghanistan's border with Pakistan are coming under increasing militant attacks.

But narrowing the gap with Moscow comes at a price which is sure to disappoint former Soviet states who still fear Russia's intentions. It looks like support for two U.S initiatives in former Soviet block areas will be left on the back burner, to please Moscow.

The Czechs and Poles who still have Cold-War era fears of Russia, might see Obama slow, if not shelve, plans for a U.S missile defense shield on their territory. And it looks like U.S support for the NATO membership of Ukraine and Georgia is going to be left on Obama's back burner as well.

President Obama's foreign policy is helping restore America's image around the world, but the U.S will still have to rely more on self-help than its allies, when it comes to battling the biggest threat to its security abroad.

America's allies stand to gain from his efforts and are willing to help some, but mostly get out of the way. It's up to Obama to keep pushing them to match their words of sharing the burden with action.

What do you think? Should the Europeans do more to help in Afghanistan?

My last blog was about people like me who, having had our basic food needs met, are now thinking about the quality of the food we eat.

But this weekend I was reminded that many people go to bed hungry and was struck by a creative idea to help those in need.

More than 200 European football teams played matches across 11 countries. The winner? The world's hungry.

The European teams played to raise awareness of the problem, which affects one in seven people.

The players are donating their own money to help the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's efforts to fight hunger around the world.

They adopted the number 963 as a symbol of their cause, to draw attention to the 963 million people who go to bed hungry every night.

The FAO's Edgardo Valenzuela told me the idea really took hold when two soccer stars joined him on a field trip.

Italy's Paolo Rossi and Germany's Hans Mueller went to Egypt with Valenzuela to see how the FAO would use their donations to help the needy.

Valenzuela watched the two players come face to face with hunger. Since that visit, the footballers have used their time and celebrity to raise awareness.

FAO's projects focus not on providing rations but on helping the neediest by subsidizing them to grow, sell and buy food.

This way the recipients can sustain themselves without being dependent on others for basic needs. For example, some of the money helps destitute people buy tools and seeds to grow food for their families and sell the surplus to cover other needs.

At the weekend hunger met its match – on the football field at least.

ATLANTA, Georgia – A friend suggested we check out a tiny eco-friendly eatery she'd discovered in Atlanta. Their customers come here because the food is healthy, not just for them but also for the environment. It serves a modest menu which changes every day, depending on what the local organic farms supply that morning. The commitment to the environment goes beyond its ingredients, even its building is Platinum LEED certified for its green practices.

One of Dynamic Dish's offerings in Atlanta

But eco-friendly meals aren't budget friendly. What about the recession, I wondered, can people afford to pay extra to dine here? Some customers told me they'd cut back on many things, but this was a different kind of expenditure, consuming with a cause! The restaurant is developing a dedicated following of customers: consumers with a cause.

It turns out that these socially minded diners are part of a growing global trend in consumption, creating a new kind of consumer, who wants to be socially engaged. I've been reading more about how people are actually becoming more socially conscious despite - and maybe even because - of the global recession!

I even found a study titled "The Good Purpose Survey" which tracked consumers who care about their community and planet. Its most recent poll shows that the global economic downturn has not diminished people's need to do good. Nearly nine in 10 feel it's their duty to contribute to a better society and environment. Seven in 10 like to buy brands that make donations to worthy causes. And despite the recession, more than half of respondents say they will still pay extra for a brand that supports a good cause.

Perhaps businesses can find new opportunities among these consumers with a worthy cause.

I wonder how the global economic downturn is affecting you as a consumer?

ATLANTA – A few years ago, my job with CNN took me to a tiny village outside Bangalore, India. It was so remote, there wasn't even a paved road or signs, we just had to follow an aid worker to get there. The villagers were among the poorest of the poor. I visited with a family of nine, living in a tiny mud dwelling. The parents were day laborers; they took any job just to feed their family. Their home was immaculate, their hospitality deeply moving. Despite their own limited means, they offered me, the honored guest, cookies.

One of their daughters had borrowed money from Grameen Bank, which helps poor women in developing countries set up small businesses. It's amazing what 50 dollars can do! She used the money to buy one female goat and bred her. Now she and her growing brood of kids are providing milk and meat for the whole family, plus a little extra to sell on the side. I was thinking, this program is not just helping poor people make ends meet, it's giving them an opportunity to free themselves of dependency on aid and live a life of dignity.

The founder of Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, won the Nobel Prize for this microcredit program. When he first came up with the idea 30 years ago, people thought he was crazy to loan money to the poor. They'd never repay it, they told him. But Yunus' customers proved the naysayers wrong. The bank now boasts a 95 percent repayment rate! And the project has spread around the world, most recently even to people in the most developed countries.

With American banks almost frozen, credit is very hard to get, so last month Grameen Bank started a program in Queens, New York. It's offering microloans between $500 and $3,000 to 100 women. Grameen lends to a group of people who agree to repay the debt. The philosophy is: If one member defaults, then the group is responsible for repaying the loan. Some have expressed doubt the program's dependency on peer pressure will guarantee repayments in troubled times in the U.S.

Still, after so many stories of corporate greed, it's good to remember the stories of businesses which are profitable but also serve a purpose beyond money.

Share your thoughts about credit and corporate responsibility on my blog.

ATLANTA, Georgia — "People see themselves in a painting."  That’s what the curator of a tiny art gallery, tucked in the back of Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University tells me.

What would I see of myself in his gallery’s exhibit of modern Tibetan art?

I think of the Tibetan political struggle, last year’s protests against the Beijing Olympics, Buddha and enlightenment, the majestic Himalayas.

I see it mostly in political terms, the curator is thinking spiritual discovery. I walk in and all my preconceptions fly out of the window!

The traditional Tibetan art style is evident, but take a closer look and you see all the rules are broken.

One painting speaks to me in particular. A meditating Buddha, but his skin is a road map of America, with arteries of highways running through his body.

A collage of modern materialistic “things” around him. I look at the title for clues. It reads, “Excuse me Sir, which way is to my Home?”

Now I know why I am drawn to it. It speaks to my own American journey.

I am still the person I was when I came to this country, but the journey in my adopted home is changing me. Once you start that journey, “home” is never going to be the same and I don’t think you have to be an immigrant to feel that way.

We’re all on a journey away from “home,” changing as we travel along life’s twisting roads.

It can be disorienting but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tenzing Rigdol who painted "Excuse me Sir, Which Way is to my Home" will join me live this Sunday on World News 22:00 GMT.

You can post questions for him in the comment section below.

Click here if you want to see the report on the exhibit.