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...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
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...
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...
Monday, June 2, 2008
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...
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...
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