Glimpse of my Green workshop

The other day, I had a lovely time with a group of 3 to 12 year olds, at the West Des Moines Library, where incidentally, I've been doing a lot of my recent blogging. On this day, it was time to represent Metro Arts as a children's seminar leader for their Green initiative. So I did my part to use music to declare the glory of "taking care of our planet, because if you do this, the planet will take care of you."

Imagine your inner child is hanging out with us for this whimsical hour. You would be the enthusiastic singer of the following to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat"--which is one of my favorite songs, by the way:

Save, save, save the earth, save the earth with song
Paper--Please recycle every day, paper waste is wrong
Spray--Please cut down your chemicals, too much spray is wrong
Water--Please run water carefully, overuse is wrong

And then, to the tune of "Jingle Bells", and complete with creative movements:

Let us all, let us all, let us all Go Green (Motown "shovel" steps left and right)
We can make the world go round (Sunburst hands and arms)
With our new routine--Hey! (Roll-up arms from hips to sky, with raise-the-roof at the top)

I think everyone should have the privilege of just spending an hour with a group of adorable kids like this, let alone being the one up front to teach them a little while. For me, they are always the ones who do the most teaching, if only I stay open to receive it from them. In the coming year, I'm going to be traveling more with the band and other musical endeavors, but I hope to be able to find some way to keep my learning connection alive with the next generation.

Ripping the glove off--reprogramming!

It's working...as Oprah would say, "I get it, people!" Sugar, caffeine, white flour, all the satan substances, are steadily on the culinary decline in the Findlay diet. We are feeling better all the time, yet still are in the throes of reprogramming ourselves out of "the food matrix" once and for all. We are learning that so much of what is shoved into our faces via marketing is so harmful, and far below the optimum for food consumption. For me, as I gain in knowledge about food, health, and especially world hunger, it is becoming easier to eat less and stop the insanity. I've gotten out my old Susan Powter books, as well as Suzanne Somers, Stormie Omartian--Greater Health God's Way, even my old Weigh Down stuff. It's a blast to extract the nuggets of wisdom that click with me, and increasingly apply them consistently to my daily relationship with food. If I can evolve from a daily 44-ouncer at 2 pm to an unflavored pure water bottle at my side, you can, too! I see and feel the difference in my moods, my skin, my energy level, my clothes, in so many ways. Now I'm fixin' to add some sort of exercise regimen to the schedule, and future entries will track the progress of this former fast-pitch windmill and slingshot softball pitcher.

Portfolio Soul

Once again, it's time for a glimpse of the diverse sources I've recently been calling upon in the formation of my "frame of life reference" mentally and spiritually, so savor the proceeding wackness:

1. Paula White/televangelist and inspirational speaker - Yes, I think she's a bit crooked financially and I hope Senator Grassley calls her to the carpet in that area. But I am captivated by her enthusiasm and dynamic charisma. I don't think discussion of spiritual things needs to be boring and irrelevant. Her speaking always peps me up and makes me smile. Sometimes, that is precisely what is needed to propel me through the day.

2. Marianne Williamson/New Age guru of "Course of Miracles" fame - Yes, I think she's a bit crooked in a few nutjob beliefs from "the course". But lately I find myself in surprising agreement with a heckuva lot of her stuff. Ten years ago, I would have held her opinions at bay based on narrow-minded labeling. Thank goodness I've grown enough to be open to viewpoints from sources not so obviously lifted from the evangelical assembly line.

3. The Shack/recent bestselling spiritual fable - Anyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a fiction person, but this work has intrigued me greatly and I highly recommend it for those looking for a fresh view of God which is, again, not cut from the same old Christianese cloth.

www.paulawhite.org
www.marianne.com
www.theshackbook.com

What's in your soul portfolio these days?

The Innocence of Guilty Pleasures--#2

Love your quirks--they are what make you YOU! The more eclectic, the better, I say. Just like the diet for the body, our minds and souls need diversity to enable us to maximize our productivity. Our psychic muscles crave the delightful shocks that variety brings, not just the predictable nuances of the humdrum patterns we always resort to, but the NEW, truly new, extraordinary tidbits of unexpected joy that come when we "dare to dabble"!

1. Grandma's magazines--such as Women's Day, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, etc.; the circle of life has really come full swing around now that I find myself the eager reader of these mags. Can there ever be enough articles like "how to clear the clutter yet again" and "50 more recycled ideas for relaxing and trying to be happy?" I don't think so...

2. Beef jerky--peppered and teriyaki to be exact. Since I read that this is a favorite snack of supermodels, I figure, hey, if it's good enough for the Twiggy descendents, it's good enough for me--yum yum and especially with a little hunk of "pretty cheese" to go with it.

3. Oprah's 20th Anniversary DVD--now say what you may about Oprah, but I dig these DVDs. They are guaranteed for a good laugh, good cry, good round of soul searching, good round of superstar gazing. This woman has had an amazing life and career, and these well chosen highlights hit all the bases dynamically.

'Fess up--it's your turn...

Portfolio Song/Portfolio Soul

Today I launch 2 series on the concept on the "Portfolio" approach to song and soul, one which I'm embracing more and more as I age. I'm realizing that to achieve the most effective frame of life reference, I must cultivate a varied song/soul diet from a plethora of sources. So here's my snapshot of Portfolio Song:

1. Tori Amos - I love this lady's music. And I love her book, too. Though we would probably have some lively debates in the religion and politics arenas, I am such a fan of all her radiating passion and creativity. You MUST see her live - it defines epic. Her latest project, American Doll Posse, takes her artistry to a whole new level only glimpsed at in "Little Earthquakes".

2. Michael Crawford - He was the original Phantom onstage in "The Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and in my mind, will always be the absolute best. I'll never forget going to the Jordan Creek Mall theatre with Karen and seeing the movie version, then dragging Karen over to Barnes and Noble after it was over, finding Michael C on the Broadway soundtrack, popping earphones on Karen's head and gleefully proclaiming, "Now that's the REAL phantom!" When I need soul soothing, Michael Crawford's voice will do the trick. If you aren't moved by his version of "The Music of the Night" from "Phantom of..", then yours is a stone heart indeed.

3. Amy Grant - Once again, I love this lady's music. We kind of grew up together in a way. I had the Amy LP's, the Amy 8-tracks, then I even sang Amy songs with background tracks, then I sang along with her on (gasp!) secular radio and even MTV and VH1 for a while, then on down the line to the Hymns CDs, then most recently, a fascinating trip down memory lane through her new bio called "Mosaic". In my forties I'm learning the value of an artist's whole body of work, what has transcended, what was before its time, what I didn't dig before but understand better now, etc.. Amy's body of work is a beautiful collection of honesty, no-frills forthrightness, accessibility, and endurance. And like so many former blockbuster artists whose quality has gone up as their sales have gone down, Amy's vibe these days is better than ever in my opinion, shining on as someone who really understands "the meaning of grace."

Next post--Portfolio Soul--so stay tuned and don't forget to add your portfolio choices when you reply...

Ripping the glove off yet again...

"Addiction stays on tight like a glove..." -- lyric from not one but two songs on the hauntingly beautiful Emmylou Harris project entitled "Wrecking Ball"

Bottled water, oatmeal, and loads of veggies--that's a glimpse of my latest attempt to get healthy and detoxed. If I had a dime for every 44-ouncer I've downed in this life, I'd be Trump-rich by now. But like the Girl Scouts say, it doesn't matter where a girl has been, what matters is where she is going. Actually, all stages of the journey matter, but I trust you know what I mean.

Yesterday, I celebrated my 41 month miracle marriage. To be honest, I've been celebrating my newfound closer proximity to happiness all these months with, shall we say, caloric prosperity. For me, I guess it's some complex combo of success eating and stress eating.

Anyway, I'm thankful that the level of addictive behavior in my life has progressively decreased to this point, where it seems like the final frontier, the threshhold where dramatic breakthroughs are destined to occur, as the roots of the roots of the roots of this issue finally breathe their last breaths of toxicity, like mushroom cloud residue lifting and leaving the land once and for all (anybody watch Jericho?).

So wish me luck, keep Snicker bars away from me, pour me another vitamin water, and check back with me in the not-so-distant future for an update. All encouraging words welcome...

Keep Peace Alive In You

For the boys in my APF Action Packed Fun group, whose "Men of Peace" stage presentation project (through my work with www.partnersunlimited.org) is coming to a bittersweet, celebratory end:

Keep Peace Alive In You
by me

Verse:
What doesn't kill you makes you strong
And sometimes it becomes a song
There is a right so far beyond the wrong
And down the road I hope you find
Adventure plays to please your mind
And show you how your soul has been designed

Bridge:
Don't let anyone shake your state
Don't let anyone crash your gate
Don't let anyone break your faith

Chorus:
Wherever you go, whatever you do
Remember the journey that we walked through
And keep peace alive in you
Whatever you do, wherever you go
Remind yourself what you already know
And keep peace alive in you

Now, use your imagination for the tune, and tell us how you keep peace alive in you...

Mother's Day 2008--awesome gifts from my awesome guy

On the night before Mother's Day, while lounging at Karen's on pet-sitting duty watching all 4 hours of Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, my husband showed up around 9 pm with 2 sacks; one from Taco John's and the other from our beloved 1/2 Price Bookstore in Clive. Here are the contents of the book sack, lovingly chosen as strategic investments for my life right at this very moment--this guy definitely knows what condition my condition is in...

1. Spirituality: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
2. Creativity: The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by various creative women
3. Business: Ballsy by Karen Salmansohn

Check these out as follows, and enjoy the greatness you discover therein; then share your new nuggets of wisdom by responding (comments link below)...

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Loves
2. www.creativesuccess.com/products/twelvesecrets.html
3. www.notsalmon.com

Goodbye, Michelle, my little one...

"We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time..." -- from the song Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks, written after he lost a loved one named Michelle, which also contains the lyric of this blog title

It's amazing that I could even remember this lyric, in light of this week's tragic personal loss. Our friend, KCCI Channel 8 reporter Michelle Parker, died of massive heart failure on Sunday, May 4; and all I can say is, our hearts are broken, yet struggling to celebrate the privilege we had to share some life with this lovely lady of the airwaves. The remarkable outpouring of loving reaction and tribute is here.

My connection with Michelle began when I was a teenager at home in Algona, IA. A regular viewer of people that eventually became colleagues and acquaintances once I came to Des Moines and progressed in my public musical career, such as Dolph Pulliam, Mollie King before she married Kevin Cooney, and the incomparable Mary Brubaker; I specifically remember getting excited seeing Michelle when she first started doing the "Community Calendar" segment around noon each day. As a mixed-race child raised by my black grandparents, who were the only black family in an all-white town, I was so excited to see a black lady on their station--you didn't say African-American back then. And I was equally excited to see someone who was a little more like me, less apt to be a cover girl, more apt to be among those who wished they could be someday, but would never quite fit "the type".

It's strangely appropriate that I can't recall the moment that I first met Michelle, because it really has seemed like we've always known each other; drifting in and out of each other's worlds of music (she routinely gave outstanding narrations in my productions, and her appearance as a fan at one of our recent Lady Blue gigs at Shooter's Hideaway had to have been one of her last of such outings) and faith (I served as her worship leader & Bible study companion while on staff at First Federated, and have remained one of her e-mail prayer chain contacts to this day).

My greatest memory of Michelle by far is that she was a Scripture reader in our wedding on 1-1-05. From that time forward, we got in the habit of giving a little "clap and cheer" whenever we saw her on the tube, enthusiastically lauding the big emotional stories, and occasionally grumbling a little during the, shall we say, less high profile pieces (what on earth is she doing all cooped up in that parka out in the bushes drenched by this monsoon, etc.).

As a singer and vocal coach, I am into "the power of the voice." I tell my students that we sing/speak who we are. In light of this, I invite you to return to the tribute clips of Michelle, and listen again, because it's all there in that voice: the kindness, strength of character, razor-sharp intelligence, authenticity, seriousness of intent; and above all, the undeniable power of a person who really knew the source of her own power, harnessed it with humility, and cast it forth in a perpetual state of seemingly effortless mastery.

So as much as I grieve the loss of this great professional broadcasting presence, I just miss my pal, my "homegirl." And I hope we all can honor her and keep her spirit alive, by conducting our own communication as "the reporters of our own lives" with hefty doses of "the Michelle Parker standards" of faith, hope, and love which, as easily evidenced in her life both on and off-camera, is the greatest journalistic trait of all.

The Innocence Of Guilty Pleasures--#1--a series

Here's a series for us to 'fess up with our tiny eccentric, eclectic, electric sources of enjoyment that are seemingly so out of character, or wildly unexpected, or just dipped in the soupy sauce of innocent wackiness! OK, I'll start...

1. Wilson Phillips - these ladies accompany me via cassette to and from Iowa City, and they let me sing along on every harmony part, bouncing around from high to mid to low. Besides, I identify especially with Carnie, the one most musically talented, yet most likely to be fotoshopped like Ann Wilson next to Nancy in Heart...

2. Danielle Steel movies -- like that one with Melissa Gilbert doing that weird quasi-Frenchish attempt at an accent, or anything with a former Charlie's Angel. They have trials, they have hairspray, they have glamorous fireplace love scenes, with soapy, suspension-of-disbelief happy endings. What could be better?

3. Mandy Moore -- specifically, her last 2 CDs, "Coverage" and "Wild Hope". She's still young, but she is making subtle changes toward musical adulthood for the better. And she does kooky roles in movies, like "Southland Tales" where she was the wife of...

4. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- big brute, but in interviews he comes across as amazingly zen and articulate and classy. For me, that's hot!

5. Kathy Griffin -- yes, she gets a little racy--actually even a lot sometimes. But she is so funny and clever and astute in her observational humor, I really can't help but give in to the tabloid giggles once in a while!

And last but not least...

6. Anything and everything Olivia Newton-John -- I owe this lady sooooo much! She has been my psychic friend on many lonely rainy childhood days, including a bout in the third grade with the chicken pox. The beauty of that voice inspired me to find the beauty of my own, and still does today. No longer a commercial blockbuster, she continues to make more beautiful music than ever, more spiritual and substantial. But hey, I dare you to give "Xanadu" another chance and listen more carefully--if you don't get it after that, you just don't have a heart!

And now--your turn to bare your guilty-pleasure-filled soul...

Cumpleanos feliz...

...correctly pronounced "coom-play-AHN-yose fay-LEESE." That's how you say "Happy Birthday" in Spanish. And that's what I celebrated this past Saturday the 19th of April, my 43rd year of existence. I'm probably closer to the end now than the beginning; and for all the fear this provokes, it also inspires passion, urgency, wonderment, thrill, as well as the "less-sexy" qualities of gratitude and maturity.

First, Lady Blue played at an Earth Day event called "Blues For Greens" downtown, then I was treated to a romantic breakfast of French toast and thick juicy sausage, with popcorn and Sterzing's--the best potato chips in the world--as we watched "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," two lovely movies featuring--brace yourself for the lack of frills--two people walking and talking. That's it, well not really, but that is the core of the premise. Two people sharing a soulful connection in a soulful location. Can't tell you anymore without ruining it, but I highly highly highly recommend these films, and I loved loved loved "sharing their sharing" with my partner-in-rhyme, breakfast chef extraordinaire. Then we had the KADOBRA moment--Karen, Dove, and Brandon, all together with me at Karen's, over superb enchiladas, Dirty Dancing, and Citizen Kane. This, my friends, was a red-letter day, and I am wondrously blessed beyond belief.

So go have yourself some Sterzing's and soulfulness, and have fun charting the course for the rest of your days on this planet. Raging Aging can be Really Awesome, so I invite you to Respond Accordingly, both here and in life!

influencer

this is a very very interesting book; check it out and be influenced by it...
www.influencerbook.com
it's from the same people who did the "crucial conversations" books.

yoo-hoo, be an influencer right now, and please report to me on your findings...

Antidote to the world's woes--the Bee Gees?

Anyone savvy about blogging will tell you that it's supposed to be used at times as a commentary on things like culture, recent headlines and trends, politics, government, economics, celebrity tabloid stuff, etc.. When I combine the heavy issues of the world at large with the heavy issues of my own world, sometimes honestly all I feel like doing is screaming, crying, or sleeping. So it may seem a little strange that, upon thinking of all the areas listed above, this is the response I'm choosing to focus on and share with you this day. I hope its relevance is not lost on all who read this; it certainly isn't lost on me:

This melancholy hormonal just-snowed-again-in April morning, I was soothed by the voice of my lovely husband, whisper-singing in my ear while we were lying in bed, "you don't know what it's like, baby you don't know what it's like, to love somebody, to love somebody, the way I love you..." Sometimes all I can say is: to heck with all the woes of the world and my own world; moments like these are what make life worth living. Filling life with many more moments such as these would be an outstanding antidote to "what needless pain we bear."

Today in the face of all I cannot change but wish desperately that I could, I cling to the sound of a whispered song from the voice of my own personal "inner-beast whisperer." May we all be so blessed to see enormous mounds of pain dissipate at the mere presence of tiny whispers.

the floor is yours--tell it like you see it...

From learned to learner

If you are the least bit interested in theology and future spiritual/cultural trends, or even if you're not, I cannot recommend the works of Mr. Leonard Sweet highly enough. One of my favorite writings of his is called "From Learned to Learner" and here's the link to it.

www.leonardsweet.com/llltransformation.asp

You really should check out his whole site, www.leonardsweet.com, and bash in the greatness of all the wisdom, progressive thought, good solid humor and writing skill that lies therein.

I'm actually reading his book, "Summoned To Lead" for 5 minutes every workday morning, and it's one of the best books on leadership that I've ever read, with a truly unique perspective using the exploits of Shackleton as an ongoing case study.

Taste some "Sweetness" today!

the floor is yours--tell it like you see it...

Feast of funky films

Lately during my oh-so-vast expanses of free time, I've been gravitating toward films with some kind of experimental bent to them. Me being the free-spirited open-minded cinema student that I am, I've thoroughly enjoyed my recent imaginary travels through these 4 films--try one or more out and enjoy the "mind grapes"--bonus to you if you know where that's from:

1. Yes - with Joan Allen, a Sally Potter film, spoken entirely in the beautiful rhythm of iambic pentameter - I recommend subtitles to help celebrate the writing.

2, Nine Lives - with a plethora of great actresses (NOT the Paris Hilton B-movie), this one features nine different short stories, each filmed in one unbroken take, so that's about 10 to 15 minutes each.

3. Marie Antoinette - a film by the lovely soulful director Sofia Coppola (please forgive her acting moment in Godfather 3--she has more than redeemed herself in her 3 films), that uses a hedonistic 80s soundtrack and greatly decreased dialogue to tell the story through action and atmosphere

and last but not least:

4. Cloverfield - by JJ Abrams of "Lost" fame; WOW-this is one wild frentic postmodern "Blair Godzilla Project" fantasy. Not for the faint of heart, but stick with it, it's an amazing movie experiment. (We saw this at Billy Joes on 4-1-08, our 39 month anniversary present to ourselves--xoxoxo!)

Enjoy your feast of funky films!
peace, tina

Haunting, hunting, hurting

Last night, my husband said the most amazing thing to me, in one of my "getting fewer but still appears once in an annoying while" moments of major depression mucky-muck. He took my hand and declared, "Honey, for everything that is haunting, hunting, or hurting you, I am here. Let me be here for you for all those things." Talk about a miracle statement. This from the guy who was just depicted as dashing younger man in our so-called "May-December" romance, featured in this week's edition of the Des Moines "Juice" publication (www.dmjuice.com--search with keyword May-December). Actually, I'd like to call it more like "May-August or September." Anyway, even in my momentary funk, I was instantly reminded of how blessed I am as "wife of Brandon", and what we said in this "Juice" article is so true, that love is not about age, but finding the "right person at the right time for the right reason." Thanks to Brandon for once again being the "right" that rights a million wrongs.

the floor is yours--tell it like you see it...

unimaginable devastation...

I sped past my usual newsstand on the way to work, peering over to discover today's headline...Iowa City family murdered. At that point, all I wanted to do was just keep on driving down the highway, all the way over to my daughter Dove in that same city, look at her face, hold her in my arms, and be reassured of the love we have for each other. What a horrific tragedy--simply put, there are really no words. It takes me back to the memory of when Dove was little; one morning while she was still sleeping, I awakened early and went to our apartment doorway to pick up the daily newspaper to find this headline...Algona family murder-suicide. NO--not in MY own idyllically-sheltered-from-the-world hometown, not THAT family--one of the wealthiest, most high-profile in the small town's history, not THOSE kids--whom I waited on during their holiday visits home when I worked at the Algona Public Library. How did the world get so crazy?

Being famous for my "penchant for sorrow" persona, I've been reading some "positive-thinking" stuff lately, including "The Little Book of Such and Such" books by sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer--www.gitomer.com. I like them; he says quit watching violent movies and the evening news--they're way too negative. And I do agree that optimism should be cultivated in life. But sometimes all we can do when we are hit with "bulldozer" news like today's unimaginable devastation is linger in the pain at least a moment, for it is undeniable reality at its most desperate and honest. Think of all the tiny and not-so-tiny heartaches that led up to that headline, the layers of complexity that rose and rose like a house of cards believing it could withstand the wind. And yet the wind came, a bloody wind that leaves behind an aftermath for all of us to respond to, and learn from; that somehow these cycles of unimaginable devastation can be tempered with sanity and grace.

the floor is yours--tell it like you see it...

from leading to led

I begin by revealing how radically I've been changed by my interactions with the 2 most important people in my life...my husband Brandon and my daughter Dove. They've carried tiny chisels and refined me into something much closer to a masterpiece than I ever could've achieved on my own. Dove's influence has led me to very pleasant obsessions with Project Runway, Sex and the City, and my latest fave, 30 Rock. And Brandon has encumbered me with the greatness of Jimi Hendrix, several Tao/Samurai books and movies, the Black Crowes (aka Sweet Crush Chris Robinson and the other guys), and a long-awaited reclamation of my right to what once was robbed me, the right to serious Led Zeppelin consumption. Artistic examples aside, my existence is infinitely better the more I cease resistance, and allow these 2 loved ones (and it's really 3 counting my best friend Karen) guide me and inform my choices. I remember nights when Dove was little when the two of us got home from work and I wisely just plopped down, looked at her adorable face and said, "Now what? You tell me!" whereby we proceeded to have the greatest of DIY evenings ruled by the navigating skills of my tiny teacher.

I think life is so chaotic that we're fools to try and control it as much as we do. We resort, when left to our own lethargic devices, to the same paths, the same smells, the same straws in the same cups of the same stimulation. At my age and stage, I truly am discovering the pleasure of finally shifting from leading to led.