Another Day Goes By

Jason Mraz, Bikram, & Mockingjay

Well, that just about covers it all, doesn't it? After writing that title I had to laugh at the amazing numbers of categories I had to check for this blog. The combination is a bit weird, but who am I to question when the universe moves and speaks?

Sometimes I'm sent a variety of things in a short amount of time that have no more in common than a chicken and a rock. The things usually don't come together to form the big picture until the last piece has arrived.

Jason Mraz has just put out a new song. (below) I loved it and bought it before I was even done hearing it for the first time.
If you ever have any kind of relationship strife (not just male/female either), you'll want this one in your playlist. You know how with most songs that echo your sentiments you have to throw out some parts because the lyrics don't apply? Not so with this one. Every word counts. Every word hits home, for everybody stuck in a certain place in a relationship. Check it out.

Bikram - Today in class we had a guest teacher. The camel was extra long. I was reminded that I learned how not to give up in camel. After I did my first one-minute camel last year, I vowed never to come out of a camel early ever again. Camel taught me just how tough I am. Just how much reserve I have. Just how much resolve I have. Just how much stamina I possess.

Mockingjay - the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. When you read it you'll know all about not giving up in a terribly hopeless situation.

The obvious theme here cannot be missed. When certain areas of my life let doubt and despair show through, I must remember what this strange combination has taught me about myself.

And so, as another day goes by, "I won't give up on us, even if the sky gets rough, God knows I'm tough enough, we've got a lot to learn and God knows we're worth it"......and...I have written.

The Sleep Timer Strikes Again

Once again I forgot to set the sleep timer and was awakened by voices in the distance at 6am. This time it was Alan Jackson singing "Remember When". When that song was popular, years ago, on the country music charts, it was also popular with my husband and me. Laying there, reluctant to put my foot on the cold hardwood floor, I was brought back to a time when our children were still young and at home and Saturdays and Sundays were for getting everything done before Monday came. We mowed grass, cleaned house, took turns chasing the girls and had wonderful barbecues at the end of very long and busy days. We'd sit on out deck while the girls played with the dog and their food and look at our groomed yard, clean pool, and just smile at each other. Words weren't necessary - you couldn't get them in anyway between the girls fighting and the dog trying to escape off the deck. During that era of our lives, the first time we saw Alan Jackson's video of that song, our girls were older. We told them we wanted that song played at our 50th wedding anniversary because it described us accurately in our past, present, and in the future we were looking forward to.

This morning, when I woke up to the old ballad, I suddenly realized I was in "my future". I missed those busy days of chasing kids, mowing lawn, and teaching full time. I saw myself with my "big hair", blonde and held with what was then called, a "banana clip". Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire rocked my world and kept me sane.

Getting out of bed, turning off the tv, I thought about how in those days, I wanted these days. Now here I am in these days, wanting those days. "Oh, well, such is life," I said to myself, making my way down the stairs. When my foot left the last stair and I made the familiar turn for the kitchen, the sight of the beach and the cottages out my front window stopped me, as it does every morning for a brief second, when I say "Thanks, Lord" that I can wake up here.

While brewing my tea, it dawned on me that I wasted a lot of time back in those early years wishing these later years would hurry up and get here. I now wish I slowed down a bit more back then (in my mind, that is - anyone with a house and young children knows your physical pace is set for you) and bathed myself in the thoughts of the then present, rather than having spent so much time wishing for this now future.

Lately I've been squandering my time in this lovely place wrangling with the same fears and troubles that we all have in this uncertain world. Today, taking a lesson from my past, I need to stop and bathe my thoughts in appreciating and enjoying the here and now so I, along with Alan Jackson, won't be singing the same song five years from now.

Now. That is the key word. We all know "now" becomes yesterday way too soon, but every "now and then" we need to just stop, acknowledge that truth, and give a little extra appreciation and respect for the moment at hand. Those nice moments back in the eighties on the deck were not without fears and troubles, but those fears and troubles sifted away from the memories and what I remember is the smell of fresh cut grass.

Maybe today I can do that with the here and now. Let the fears and troubles sift away and pay attention to smelling the ocean in front of me. The song lingers as I set out for the beach..."We won't be sad, we'll be glad...". That time is here. I'll be glad.

And so, as another day goes by, lessons from the sleep timer (or lack of it) once again kick off my day, and...I have written.

Clarice! Wow!

Most people who know me know that I am well-acquainted with daytime TV, from the morning news, right on through the afternoon talk shows. They yammer away in the background as I go about my business of blogging, editing my book, researching my book, or practicing my daily pencil drawing exercises. Today I was irritated by the endless parade of artists promoting their films, books, and music - it just seemed excessive for some reason today, more than most. Then, ping, an email dropped into my phone alerting me to a post by a fellow blogger whose writing, wit, and wisdom I love. I stopped what I was doing and read her post. She wrote about the impact a favorite movie character had on motivating her to forge out and take a risk. (I will let her tell her own story - the link to her blog appears below.)

After reading her post I was somewhat saddened about the current state of the arts in our schools. The school I taught at in New York State is in severe financial trouble, as are most in our country today. They are threatened with laying off 32 teachers and cutting all music, art, and technology programs. My friend was sincerely impacted by the work of an artist in film. Who is going influence our children if the arts are cut from our schools? They will receive their influence from tv and Internet, but how are they going to achieve their dreams and realize their potential if they can't touch that saxophone in third grade? What if they never get to staple together that book they wrote in kindergarten, or do that amazing charcoal mural in high school?

Artists truly impact our lives. We want to be them. We want to be the characters they invent and portray. They in turn, sooth and heal us with their stories and music. They show us heroes in movies do exist in our worlds if we just stop and look around. They write books about the real and human condition, assuring us we are not alone. They motivate us to be more than we ever thought we could be. In short, all those involved in books, movies, and music play a huge part in helping us find our way in our worlds.

Pause with me and think about how a current movie, book, or song is currently influencing you. Today I'm reading The Children's Picture Book by Ellen Roberts. The children's books she sites are all books I've used for years in my kindergarten classroom by authors and illustrators I admire. I remember how I used their stories and pictures to teach children important concepts and life lessons. They have inspired me to want to talk to children through the printed word. I want to write a book that teachers can use to speak to the hearts of children.

How were you influenced by an artist's work today? Is there anything you can do to help keep the arts in your local schools? I thank my friend for bringing up an important point for me to ponder as the Ellen show winds down.

And so, as another day goes by, I apologize to Jennifer Aniston for being annoyed by her getting her Hollywood star, as I do appreciate her work on the big screen, and ...I have written.
~ Link to my friend's blog...enjoy!
http://www.freesialane.com/2012/02/23/silence-of-the-lambs-and-me/

To REALLY Love

Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. It is for love, period. Every one of us has at least one person we love. Most of us have have as many as five people that are not mere acquaintances, or even close friends, but something more. I'm talking about those few people we can count on one hand who we love as God loves us. Those few that our love for them does not depend on how they act toward us, how they treat us, or whether or not they even respect us. Our love for these certain few just is and always will be. It doesn't depend on anything they do or not do. It doesn't even matter whether or not they make any effort to return our love. A few years ago bracelets with WWJD were all the rage. What would Jesus do? Jesus would love us like this. God loves us like this, without asking for us to do anything in return. We don't have to go to church or do good works. There are no rules or requirements or even any way to earn God's love. It's just there. We do what Jesus would do and we live them like this.

Most of us have a few people we love like that. A kind of love that connects two people with a thin silver thread that absolutely cannot be broken, no matter what. A thread that both people hang onto through the hurricanes. A thread that leads people back to each other in spite of all the world does to separate them. A thread that they both hang onto in, under, and through it all. A thread that assures them they'll both still be there after the storms have passed.

Below I'm sharing a favorite picture that I have shared in past blogs because it says it all. The fishhooks signify this kind of love. When a fishhook pierces the flesh of the fish the spikes prevent it from coming back out, no matter what. This is the kind of love we are meant to celebrate today. Love for a few people that has pierced the flesh of our hearts and due to the spikes, cannot be removed, no matter what because "Love never fails".

My heart goes out to one girl today that had that kind of love for someone. Bobbi Christina had that kind of love for her mother. A piece of my heart breaks off for this young girl who now has to learn to live without the mother that meant everything to her. I know. I know because I have a handful of people that I love like this. People that I'll love no matter what they do or do not do to me.

I believe this is the kind of love Valentine's Day is meant to celebrate. Look to those you love like this today, make sure they know it, and have a very happy Valentine's Day.

And so, as another day goes by, figuring out love is a life-long process, and celebrating it should be too, and....I have written.

The "Adele of the Ball" Impact

Nicki Minaj's performance was beyond elaborate and expensive to put on. Yet it was tweeted as "people were outraged" by it. Adele - with just a black dress and a microphone resulted in six Grammys and everyone is enamored with her. Why is that?

I don't think it's a judgement of each artist's style. I think it's due to the current climate in our country. America is hurting right now. The economy and government are a mess. Job loss is the plight of many. People are seriously ill. Families lost loved ones. Significant others have left each other. Parents and children are estranged. There is a lot of loss. Pain is running rampant in a lot of lives. America needs a bandaid. Music empathizes and heals. Music understands. America, in general, seems to be seeking music that will stop the bleeding. Songs about sex, drugs, alcohol and, obviously, exorcism, delivered with extravagance and gimmick just don't seem to be giving people what helps in these rough times. A black dress, a microphone, a big voice, and songs that were written from the heart are making America fall in love. Songs that say "I feel your pain", and "I walked in your shoes", and sung simply, with passion, seem to be what we crave in these uncertain days.

I, myself, gravitate there lately, too. 21 was an album I played often during my difficult times last year. It's an album that understands real, heart wrenching, loss. I remember crying while walking on the beach as "Set Fire To The Rain" coursed through my soul. "Take It All" just knew my heart inside and out. "One and Only" was sung with such deep passion that resonated inside me I would find myself playing it at least two or three times. The album, to me, is a masterpiece that certainly deserved Album of the Year.

Adele was also impressive in her 60 minutes interview. I love how she said she doesn't have to look like a skinny pop star and wear skimpy clothes to sell her records. Adele is a wonderful example for our young girls. She sends the message that it's what you do in life, what your passion is and how you use it to help others, rather than having to look a certain way, to succeed. She said even if she were thin, she would still dress elegant. It's about her songs. It's about her voice. It's about the passion with which she puts the two together that draws people in.

It was refreshing to see simplicity rule in in today's music. So many times I go to a concert all excited to be taken away by someone's voice and nine times out of ten I'm disappointed because the band, costumes, and stage antics completely drown out the performer's voice and the passion is lost on me. Dave Grohl's point was well-taken. It's not about the stage production. You learn to play your guitar, you write your songs, and get out there and do your job. It's about what's in the heart and in the mind that counts. Though I am a huge fan of Lady Gaga, the only times I really enjoy her are when it's just her, her piano, her music written from the heart and sung with passion, coupled with her fierce piano playing. Maybe, in music today, less really is more.

And so, as another day goes by, just a mic, a black dress, a big voice, and songs from the heart, sung with passion, certainly pack a wallop - who knew? And...I have written.

"Duh"

You know the old adage where the shoemaker's children are the ones without shoes? I'm certainly a member of this school. Being a teacher for many years, the philosophy of learning that I firmly believed in was spiral teaching - reviewing everything learned for a few seconds each day and gradually adding new concepts to the queue. Throughout my thirty years in education it is the only method I've ever found to be tried and true. Spiral teaching results in learning that becomes part of a person. The concepts just don't live fleetingly in the mind, but are actually assimilated into the person's being and are drawn upon automatically, without thinking.

All that being said, here I sit, the classic example of the shoemaker. I was made aware of this in a passage I read this morning on simplicity, compassion, and patience. I also need to add surrender to this list. I spent a great deal of time last year exploring these concepts and "learning" them. Yet, this year, Valentine's Day weekend, I'm no better off than I was last year on this very same weekend. All week, in the back of my mind, I've been asking myself, "How can that be?" Then, a piece of wisdom shared by Mark Nepo in an essay reminded me about spiral learning.

I went about my journey last year changing and growing and learning to be a better me, but every time I came upon a new piece of learning, I'd drop the old and rush headlong into trying to master something new. How did I ever expect hard things like patience and surrender to ever be automatic to me if I dropped them by the wayside on my quest for something new?

Today I'm reminded that patience and surrender must be worked on for a few minutes everyday and not dropped on the side of the road when I'm being enamored by new things. Within minutes, in another book, I came across this:

"The hardest part of surrendering is remembering to do it." ~ Melody Beattie

That was a "duh" moment for me. Recently I got myself caught back in the sticky web of a relationship I had worked so hard last year to surrender. One small blip on the radar and there I am, mired down, feet and hands stuck in the web, wondering, "How did I ever end up back here?" Duh. The hardest part of surrendering is remembering to do it.

When I was in college some forty years ago I got a handmade gift from someone who is still today my very best friend and spiritual mentor. On the night that I surrendered my life to God, an old hymn was being sung. (As my other best friend would say, it was my "come to Jesus" moment- I love this friend for lightening up the heavy times in my life.) That night I was brought to my knees, with tears streaming down my face. My friend held my hand as we sang the hymn together. Her sister was an artist. A few weeks later, for my birthday, my friend presented me with the song lyrics, framed, and done in pen and ink, with the sides of the pages decorated in artwork. The name of the song was "I Surrender All".

For the past thirty eight years that picture hung in every bedroom I ever slept in so I would not forget the huge moment that changed my life. In November of 2010 I repainted my current bedroom. I put away all my wall decor to redo the room. Somehow that picture never made it back onto the wall. I haven't woken up to that message in over a year. And I wonder why I'm back in the sticky web. One more time - "duh".

And so, as another day goes by, I know what I'm doing as soon as I get back home on Monday, and ...I have written.
~ Mark Nepo - The Book of Awakening
(Haha - no pun intended, but once again, it's fun that it's there.)

On Lady G..for My Michael

Thursday night I posted about the Lady G Thanksgiving special on Facebook. A mom of one my former kindergarten students, who is now a teenager, commented that she didn't get Lady G, but her son, whom I always call "my Michael", explained it to her and she got it. She sat down with her teenage son and listened seriously to something he cared about. This doesn't happen near enough between parents and their teens today. And that is what Lady G is all about.

She decided at 7 she was going to be famous. By age 11 she already knew she could sing and write- she just had to figure out how to get herself out there. She studied "the fame" and here we are today. How is that possible?

If you watched the special Thursday night (she produced it all herself), one message stands out. Family. The quality education her parents provided left her knowledgeable in many areas, including history and art. She has a wealth of material to draw upon to use in her music for symbolism. She knows a lot about a lot of stuff. Many of her songs are about her family members and the impact they have had on her life. During Edge of Glory she stopped to talk about writing this song about her grandfather and remembered how they made the Italian cookies (pizzelles) every holiday. She has a strong religious base - "the three men I serve my whole life are my daddy, Nebraska (close long time friend) and Jesus Christ". She had parents who supported her uniqueness (Born This Way) and encouraged her music talent and provided every avenue she needed to be well-schooled to fully develop her skills. She was bullied for being different in high school, but because of her strong family background she took it and made a mission statement out of it and built her "fame" on acceptance and tolerance.

Yes, Lady Gaga (aka Stephanie Germanotta) is an enigma. My Michael is also an enigma. As young as five years old, his parents and I would marvel at the things he came up with. His view of the world was always a little deeper and a little different than most kids his age, but he never strayed from the things he believed in. Michael also has a huge heart that even today, as a teenager, loves, accepts , and empathizes with those who are just a bit different or less fortunate. Michael also has strong family support for whomever he chooses to become in life. Michael and Lady G have a lot in common - including the message in her song "Hair" - I just wanna be myself and I want you to love me for who I am....." They both touch a lot of lives, including mine.

For a young person to make it in this world today, it takes a strong support system. If you have a strong family that you love and made you who you are today, be thankful. And if you know someone that is not that fortunate, maybe you could share yours. I know both Lady G and my Michael certainly would.

And so, as another day goes by, I give thanks for artists like Lady G and students like Michael that have touched and enriched my life, and ....I have written.

Thinking Very Pink

At the Pink Floyd Aussie Experience....In Albany NY.
And so, as another day goes by, I'm still LISTENING, and....I have written.

A Place I've Never Been Before

On The Voice last week, Celo Green picked a country artist. He said he wanted to go to a place where he's never been.

These past few weeks in yoga, our teachers have been asking us to "go to a place we've never been before" in each pose. They tell us to push until we fall out of the pose. They say there's no judgment in falling out of the pose. Everyone does. Falling out means your working hard. It's not how many times you fall out - it's how many times you get right back in it.

I have gotten complacent in standing bow pose. I found the "sweet spot" in the balance, and could stand there on one leg for the full sixty seconds. When the teacher said "body down, leg up, go to your max", I'd just ignore her plea and hang in my comfort zone. These past two weeks she's been stressing moving past your comfort zone and going to that "place you've never been before". I was curious about this place, hearing it everyday in yoga, then from Celo, too. So, this week I pushed harder, fell out of the pose a couple of times, but I still couldn't seem to get past the fear of leaning farther forward and catching myself until I fall headfirst onto my hand. Today was the breakthrough. Each day I see the tip of my toe peek up behind my head in the mirror. Today, as I pulled out all the stops, for about two seconds before I fell onto my left hand, I saw my whole right foot high above my head, my hip opened in an oddly smooth way, and a giant rush of emotion was released. I found a place I've never been before.

As it is in yoga, so it is in life. Sometimes we get too comfortable where we are in life. We get complacent. We hang in our comfort zone. We plateau. Our energy begins to wane, and we hear ourselves question our happiness somewhere in the back of our mind. This is a signal for change. Maybe not a change of what we are doing, just a change in how we are doing it. Can we push a little harder? Can we go to a place we've never been before? What is there waiting for us? What kind of experience can we potentially have there? What happens if we "fall out"?

And so, as another day goes by, I'm learning not to fear the unknown, but to look at it as an unopened gift, and...I have written.

King of Carols

Upon waking this "Mayday" I was greeted by that term on the morning news. The only meaning I have for it is the distress call "Mayday! Mayday!". In looking back upon my journey through loss over this past year, I have uttered that cry many times. The nuances of "move on", "let go", "go forward", etc. have been thrust upon me by many sources. In my quest I have found that forward isn't always the best direction to go when trying to heal oneself. Remember the old adage "hindsight is 20/20". Sometimes looking back to a time in your life when you found yourself in a similar place and rediscovering what helped you save your life back then, might be a good thing to try now. Wednesday night, on American Idol, my Carole King Tapestry album was resurrected. I immediately downloaded it.

Back in the early seventies, when I was a mere youngster in my mid-twenties trying to figure out how to live life as an adult, with a marriage, a mortgage, and a career, that album got me through what was the toughest year of my life, until now. My husband and I became separated for the better part of a year. I can still picture my Carole King cassette, with it's clear plastic box cracked and the words worn off the cassette itself from so much in and out of the tape decks everywhere I went. I drove with it, walked with it, slept with it, and above all cried with it. Every song touched my soul and spoke directly to our sad situation. It was in those songs I found hope and answers. I did a lot of praying too, but my faith in God was so new back then, He had to find other ways to reach me. It was in those songs, when I was so alone (everyone, including my parents, was on my husband's "side") I found words that said "I understand".

Today, on this Mayday morning, I was happily surprised to discover my download of Tapestry as I set about choosing music for today's beach walk. As I set off down the street, "I feel the Earth move under my feet ..." blared through my headphones. Just as it did, back in '79, the pavement somewhere inside me seemed to move and another shift toward healing took place. Once again the old cloak of "someone understands" wrapped around my shoulders - a bit musty from the seventies, but nevertheless warm and no worse for wear.

King's music, in my story, is a perfect example of timelessness. A prolific songwriter whose words still move this old soul in a positive direction thirty years later. If you are ever called upon in life to heal and move on, before you take those first steps forward, take one last look behind you - there may be something valuable you need to take with you to help you in your journey once again.

And so, as another day goes by, "my life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue" that I wouldn't change in any way, and ...I have written.