Ode to your own joy & freedom

I've had an intense and tear-filled last few days, rife with compounding confusion and seeming instability.
This morning a friend sent me the link to the video clip below, the intro to which sums up all that I would wish to convey today.

In it, the incomparable Leonard Bernstein gushes "This music is the closest music has ever come to universality. To all kinds of people, this music is not only infinitely durable, but perhaps the closest music has ever come to universality. No composer has ever lived who speaks so directly to so many people -- to young and old, educated and ignorant, amateur and professional, sophisticated and naive... And to all these people of all classes, nationalities and racial backgrounds, this music speaks a universality of thought, of human brotherhood, freedom and love. It has a purity and directness of communication...... 

That innocent spirit speaks to us of hope and future and immortality. And it's for that reason that we love his music now more than ever before. In this time of world agony and hopelessness and helplessness. We love his music and need it. As despairing as we may be, we can not listen to this 9th symphony without emerging from it changed, enriched, encouraged. And to the man who could give the world so precious a gift as this, no honor can be too great and no celebration joyful enough.  It's almost like celebrting the birthday of music itself."

Please note, the video is a 3-parter, each gloriously building on the last :)

Additionally [per Wikipedia]:

On December 25, 1989, Bernstein conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in East Berlin's Schauspielhaus (Playhouse) as part of a celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He had conducted the same work in West Berlin the previous day. The concert was broadcast live in more than twenty countries to an estimated audience of 100 million people. For the occasion, Bernstein reworded Friedrich Schiller's text of the Ode to Joy, substituting the word Freiheit (freedom) for Freude (joy).[34] Bernstein, in his spoken introduction, said that they had "taken the liberty" of doing this because of a "most likely phony" story, apparently believed in some quarters, that Schiller wrote an "Ode to Freedom" that is now presumed lost. Bernstein added, "I'm sure that Beethoven would have given us his blessing."

338-300-339

Things change fast.
Our lives can take a dramatic turn in literally seconds.

A friend was messaging me today telling me of an accident he'd been in while driving his truck.  He struck a woman who was walking in the dark, and feared he'd killed her. Fortunately, she escaped unharmed, but my friend is still shaken.  It all happened in the blink of an eye.

On a much less dramatic note, I experienced a strange occurrence on Facebook the other day, which resulted in my being reminded of the lesson that we can not allow circumstances to determine our mood, attitude, worth, or even reality.

I am in the first exciting weeks of launching a new business that I adore.  As part of my promotional campaign, I am working to build a community and fan-base on my business Facebook page.  Slowly but surely this is happening, with some truly lovely and endearing interaction with those who have clicked the coveted 'like' button.

Though I know that the quantity of 'likes' doesn't substitute for quality, I admit it is heartening to see the numbers climb.  So when I refreshed my page the other day and saw in a flash that those numbers had dropped by about 10% in a single second, I was momentarily devastated.  My mind raced. 'Oh no!  What did I do wrong?  What did I post that offended so many people? What sort of damage control do I need to do? And how shall I go about it?'
Even as these noisome worries crowded my head, a quieter thought calmly suggested, 'Why don't you hit refresh again...'  
Huh?

So I did...

And not only did the numbers jump back up to where they were, but I actually gained a new somebody.  The drop had just been some strange, inexplicable tech glitch.

I sat for a moment.... amazed at all of the unnecessary concerns and plans that had been swirling in my thought just seconds before.

Certainly this inconsequential little occurrence pales in impact compared to the kind of accident my friend was embroiled in.  But its simple message encouraged me to apply the same attitude to bigger, scarier situations. I can never be reminded too often that it's not what happens to me that determines the quality of my life. It's how I perceive it.

Your Dragon heart

Power.
Strength.
Good fortune.
Those are a few of the qualities attributed to the dragon, the symbol for the year 2012 in China.

Like most people I am fascinated by dragons and was especially interested in their use and symbolism when I was in China.  In that ancient civilization the dragon has long been used in conjunction with the Emperor, and thus is considered to be the symbol absolute strength and power.

As opposed to the European depiction of dragons as evil and destructive, Chinese dragons traditionally connote potent and auspicious powers, and Chinese legend holds that that China's first Emperors, Yandi and Huangdi, were both related to the Chinese Dragon.  Other legends tell of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark who eventually overthrew the reigning dynasty and himself became Emperor.

Whether we currently feel like our status is that of peasant or head of state, we can find within ourselves our own unique forms of power, strength and good fortune.  And not just for 2012.  If we take a moment at the end of any given day to look back on what transpired, we may very well be pleasantly surprised at all the ways we expressed qualities desirable in an Emperor... such as patience, wisdom, care for the people in your realm, decisiveness, fearlessness, confidence, strategic long-term planning etc.  

These are attributes we can make our own regardless of birthright, astrological sign, our living & work environments or the economy.  Each day affords us the opportunity to embrace our own inner dragon and use our strengths to bless those in our world.  May the dragon in you reign on this auspicious day and every day to come.

Happy Chinese New Year, dragonheart.

Have a groovy Sunday

When was the last time you allowed yourself to slow down and enjoy a leisurely day?
Won't you join me on a Sunday drive chauffeured by Simon & Garfunkel

live, the 59th St Bridge Song

Slow down, you move too fast,   
you've got to make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobble-stones, 
lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy

Feeling groovy

Hello lamp-post, what's cha knowing, 
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain't cha got no rhymes for me, 
do-it-do-do, feelin' groovy

Feeling groovy

I've got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me

Life I love you, all is groovy

peace...

Serenity

It is raining here
which for me means I am spending the day in Heaven
I absolutely love rain and all that it imports
the cleansing purity
the fresh smell
the soothing sounds

So for today, on this wintry Saturday, I offer you simply a soundtrack of rain

Can it get any worse?

How often have we asked that same question in reference to our lives, only to have a friend retort, "Don't ask that.  The minute you do, things always get worse!"
As responsible adults we care deeply about the safety, well-being, security and futures of ourselves and loved ones. That is what makes us worth our salt as humans.  Unfortunately, because of economic factors and health issues, many of us spend an inordinate amount of time fretting... ruminating... worrying... fretting some more... it can be a never-ending cycle.

But what exactly is it we are so afraid of?
Lack of funds?  
Gasp...
What if you actually lost your home?
Or worse yet, 
what if you lost all your money?
What if you lost all of your possessions... everything you'd ever owned?

To which, I further ask, 
Do any of those things define you?

What's the worst case scenario... absolute worst case?
That you have nowhere to live?
I heard an interview with a homeless shelter worker who said that 'most' of those in the shelter actually had friends or family they could stay with... but for whatever reason, they chose not to.
Are you completely without any options as to where to live?
Are you utterly incapable of earning an income, even at the minimum wage level?
Do you REALLY foresee this as your permanent future?

If so, then you have some planning and problem-solving to do; otherwise you will have some challenging, uncomfortable hungry nights ahead. But... if on the other hand... you are not facing homeless foodless life on the streets, then your constant ruminating and fretting is doing you no good.  In fact, it is most likely stealing the joy of the moments you devote to worry.

Most of us say that what we most want out of life is 'to be happy.'  Given that fretting does not make us happy, perhaps that is where we should pitch our battle.  Once we have gotten down to the brass tacks of what happiness is all about, by the time we realize that fine 'things', while pleasant, do not actually bring lasting happiness... by that time we will realize we are already happy and not care a jot for all of the trappings we used to spend so much time being concerned about not having.

hugs
J.

Expect the unexpected... and expect it to be wonderful

Yesterday I had somewhat of a tough day.... actually a tough birthday.... I didn't hear a well-wishing peep from those I expected to hear from immediately.  One ended up texting me later to ask what I was up to. I mentioned it was my birthday and the only words I got in response were an apprisal of the unseasonably cold weather conditions in his neck of the country.

Then the person who had invited me out for dinner materialized hours later than expected.... with a to-go box.... containing my dinner ...... though I'd long since eaten.  He then darted off to go 'kick it' with his girlfriend whom he'd spent the better part of the day with.  Evidently he had a to-go order to deliver to her as well.


Add to that the fact that I could not take myself out to do anything celebratory since i am due a great deal of backpay, the bulk of which I was promised I would receive yesterday..... Put it all together and it was easy to fall into the pouty poor poor pitiful me syndrome... which I did... despite knowing better.

And then....... then......
I got a text
from a friend in India of all places
wishing me a beautiful birthday.
A friend who I had no idea knew when my birthday was and whom I've been missing for quite awhile.

And then......
I was chatting with a friend on Facebook... when the birthday came up ... when he sent this reply, "Sorry I can't be there to spoil you".... I've never had anyone say anything like that to me before.  It floored me.  I have said that to a few people... and meant it... but to be on the receiving end was very humbling.

And then....
if that wasn't enough,
I received this message from a a friend I'd only recently been getting to know "You're remarkable, funny, brilliant and beyond beautiful. Beyond beyond! Happy Birthday, Joy!!!  So happy to know fabulous you!"

And then....
I realized how fortunate I was... how the love I craved was there... I had just been looking in the wrong places, and wanting it from the wrong people.

And now....
I am a little bit wiser than I was earlier in the week... when I was younger :)
and I am grateful for the gifts of grace and kindness I received for my birthday -- gifts that will remain with me and mean more to me longer than any boxed item ever could, no matter how pretty the wrapping.

gratefully yours...