Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
therapy through charity
Today's message from the Universe:
Sure, we have an "Advanced Self Help" department here, Faustina!
Down the hall and through the doors with the sign that says, "Help Others."
Yeah, same-same, because the therapy that comes from helping someone else is one of the most advanced ways to help yourself.
Shhhhhh... please do not tell a single soul!
The Universe
Of course, as soon as I read it, I copied it to post here, for all the world.
How much better would life be if we all gave of ourselves to others?
I'm not talking about writing checks or digging in your pocket, either. That can help others, but you might want to check the Charity Navigator or Better Business Bureau first. After all, you want to be sure the majority of any monies you donate are used for the programs they espouse, not for the staff or fundraising.
No, throwing money at folks is not the best way to help.
Your time is a valuable resource for them, too.
Ever since the summer, I have been volunteering my services at the Lucas Theatre For The Arts.
Every month, the list of events which need ushers is sent out. I look at my schedule and select those events which I know I will be able to attend. I am very careful to not double-book myself, as I have no clone to stand in for me.
As my friends will attest, if I say I will be present at a gathering, I will certainly be there. As a volunteer, it is doubly important to maintain those appointments, as others are depending upon my physical and mental presence.
I have found that I enjoy having that responsibility of being a Volunteer.
Certainly, I have also enjoyed the events for which I am "working." So far this month, I have served as an usher for a ballet ("The Nutcracker in Savannah"), a Christmas chorale ("Savannah Children's Choir Christmas Show"), and two holiday films ("Home Alone" and "Miracle on 34th Street"). All very enjoyable, some of which I might have attended on my own. Possibly. (Although, at this time of year, many events compete for my time, especially on the weekends.)
Tonight, I usher for the speakeasy-style show, "Cool Yule: A Christmas Cabaret"! I know I am going to very much enjoy being present for this! Johnny Mercer's holiday tunes! Trae Gurley (think modern Frank Sinatra)!! Folks dressed up for a party!!!
So, use the link and you can be there, too... and I will be glad to help you find your seat!
Friday, November 15, 2013
rules for life
Written By Regina Brett, "90 years old *", of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to '91' in August (2009), so here is the column once more."
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20.. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22.. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23.. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39.. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Just so you know, the woman is actually in her 50's. Somehow, somewhere along the line, somebody went to forward her list and mistakenly read her age as "90", not "50". Strange how things like that happen!
Wear your glasses, folks... I do!
Well... most of the time. :-)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
brandy, you're a fine girl
MOMS IN GROUP THERAPY
A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children.
"You all have obsessions," he observed.
To the first mother, Mary, he said, "You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy."
He turned to the second mom, Ann: "Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny."
He turned to the third mom, Joyce: "Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy."
At this point, the fourth mother, Katie, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand, and whispered, "Come on, Dick, this guy has no idea what he's talking about. Let's pick up Peter and Willy from school and go get dinner.
A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children.
"You all have obsessions," he observed.
To the first mother, Mary, he said, "You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy."
He turned to the second mom, Ann: "Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny."
He turned to the third mom, Joyce: "Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy."
At this point, the fourth mother, Katie, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand, and whispered, "Come on, Dick, this guy has no idea what he's talking about. Let's pick up Peter and Willy from school and go get dinner.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
ATL-bound, man
Every time I leave
You say you won't be there.
And you're always there.
Every time I cry your name at night,
you pull close and say it's alright.
I look in your eyes, just like the rain.
Washing me, rain wash over me.
Touching your face, I feel the heat
of your heartbeat echo in my head like a scream.
What you do to me!
Waited so long I can't wait another day without you.
Jet City Woman.
It's a long way, home to my
Jet City Woman.
I see her face everywhere, can't get her out of my mind.
Whenever I'm alone I'm thinking,
there's a part missing from my life.
Wonder where I'd be without your love
holding me together now I'm
watching the time tick, tick away.
Face grows longer every day.
Fortunes are lost on the women I've seen
but without you I can't breathe.
You're the air to me!
Waited so long, I'm all alone thinking about you.
Jet City Woman.
Got to find my way home to her.
Jet City Woman.
I see her face everywhere I look!
Jet City Woman.
Just a thousand miles and I'll be there
Jet City Woman, to make the clouds go away.
Time for some blue sky!
Waited so long now the plane's delayed
and hour, reminds me of all our days apart.
Hold on, just a little longer.
Jet City Woman.
Wonder where I'd be, you're the air to me.
Jet City Woman.
Eyes like the rain, rain down on me
Jet City, Woman.
No more nights alone I'm almost home now.
Jet City Woman.
Close my eyes, I'm there in my Jet City.
--- written by Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate of Queensryche
I sang this at karaoke tonight. I and the peace Guy didn't actually make it home until the place closed, so the time is not quite true on this post, but that's okay.
We had both been at a going-away party for him earlier today. The party was a wonderful gathering of friends at a lovely condo overlooking the Bull River. Spectacular view! Excellent food! Lively conversation!
We even had a nice long dip in the saltwater pool to round out the evening, followed with more conversation and the opening of gifts and the reading of jokes on popsicle sticks.
It was quite a bittersweet time for both of us. Sweet to be with others who know and love him. So very sad that he is having to go away for his job.
We hardly got home before he was wanting to go for a nightcap.
I was ahead of him on that one, so he drove to the karaoke joint where The Lady sometimes struts her stuff.
I sang this song tonight. I needed to loose some intensity and "Jet City Woman" seemed entirely appropriate.
After all, he's moving to jet city.
I am so going to miss him.
You say you won't be there.
And you're always there.
Every time I cry your name at night,
you pull close and say it's alright.
I look in your eyes, just like the rain.
Washing me, rain wash over me.
Touching your face, I feel the heat
of your heartbeat echo in my head like a scream.
What you do to me!
Waited so long I can't wait another day without you.
Jet City Woman.
It's a long way, home to my
Jet City Woman.
I see her face everywhere, can't get her out of my mind.
Whenever I'm alone I'm thinking,
there's a part missing from my life.
Wonder where I'd be without your love
holding me together now I'm
watching the time tick, tick away.
Face grows longer every day.
Fortunes are lost on the women I've seen
but without you I can't breathe.
You're the air to me!
Waited so long, I'm all alone thinking about you.
Jet City Woman.
Got to find my way home to her.
Jet City Woman.
I see her face everywhere I look!
Jet City Woman.
Just a thousand miles and I'll be there
Jet City Woman, to make the clouds go away.
Time for some blue sky!
Waited so long now the plane's delayed
and hour, reminds me of all our days apart.
Hold on, just a little longer.
Jet City Woman.
Wonder where I'd be, you're the air to me.
Jet City Woman.
Eyes like the rain, rain down on me
Jet City, Woman.
No more nights alone I'm almost home now.
Jet City Woman.
Close my eyes, I'm there in my Jet City.
--- written by Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate of Queensryche
I sang this at karaoke tonight. I and the peace Guy didn't actually make it home until the place closed, so the time is not quite true on this post, but that's okay.
We had both been at a going-away party for him earlier today. The party was a wonderful gathering of friends at a lovely condo overlooking the Bull River. Spectacular view! Excellent food! Lively conversation!
We even had a nice long dip in the saltwater pool to round out the evening, followed with more conversation and the opening of gifts and the reading of jokes on popsicle sticks.
It was quite a bittersweet time for both of us. Sweet to be with others who know and love him. So very sad that he is having to go away for his job.
We hardly got home before he was wanting to go for a nightcap.
I was ahead of him on that one, so he drove to the karaoke joint where The Lady sometimes struts her stuff.
I sang this song tonight. I needed to loose some intensity and "Jet City Woman" seemed entirely appropriate.
After all, he's moving to jet city.
I am so going to miss him.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
thank u 4 lettin me be mice elf again
Every time the bfe and I talk these days, which, granted, isn't that often unless I seek his company, he ends up picking a fight with me. We'll be fine, then I'll say something about why someone might have done something and ... BAM! He's on me like white on rice, telling me I shouldn't be conjecturing, I should just go with what is known to be true. And he gets so vicious with his verbal warfare that I'm left on the verge of tears.
Really? Is that necessary???
No.
I'm not reporting the news, where truth is needed but is often in short supply.
I'm not teaching a fact-based course, where truth is easily confirmed in a textbook.
I'm having a simple conversation and should feel free to postulate at will.
Especially with someone who claims to be my friend.
Right?
So, after one such lambasting by him, I wrote the following.
*** *** ***
If i want to tell myself the moon is blue
it's my prerogative
If i choose to tell myself that i am over you
it's my prerogative
No one else can tell me what it is that i should do
No one else can tell me, not even you.
Sometimes i wonder why i don't open my eyes -
Take a quick moment to just realize -
but it's my prerogative
If i say the sky is purple in my world
it's my prerogative
If i say to you i'm not that kind of girl
that's my prerogative
I can choose to be however pleases me
I can choose what stories please me, too
that's my prerogative
Go find someone else to boss around
Go find someone else to drag to ground
I won't be there for that, i will not be around
that's MY prerogative.
*** *** ***
My thanks to Bobby Brown for the inspiration.
My thanks to the bfe, too.
Really? Is that necessary???
No.
I'm not reporting the news, where truth is needed but is often in short supply.
I'm not teaching a fact-based course, where truth is easily confirmed in a textbook.
I'm having a simple conversation and should feel free to postulate at will.
Especially with someone who claims to be my friend.
Right?
So, after one such lambasting by him, I wrote the following.
*** *** ***
If i want to tell myself the moon is blue
it's my prerogative
If i choose to tell myself that i am over you
it's my prerogative
No one else can tell me what it is that i should do
No one else can tell me, not even you.
Sometimes i wonder why i don't open my eyes -
Take a quick moment to just realize -
but it's my prerogative
If i say the sky is purple in my world
it's my prerogative
If i say to you i'm not that kind of girl
that's my prerogative
I can choose to be however pleases me
I can choose what stories please me, too
that's my prerogative
Go find someone else to boss around
Go find someone else to drag to ground
I won't be there for that, i will not be around
that's MY prerogative.
*** *** ***
My thanks to Bobby Brown for the inspiration.
My thanks to the bfe, too.
Monday, June 25, 2012
the trick is to keep breathing
I can't listen to Garbage any more.
Wha...? Why would anyone want to listen to garbage??
No, not garbage. Garbage, capital G.
Oh, yeah! But i'm confused. I thought you really liked that group.
I do. I did... maybe i still do, but i cannot listen to them right now. Hmmm.. Yeah, come to think of it, that's most likely the story. I think it is.
Waiting for you to get to the point...?
I just bet you are! Okay, here it is. You know i have this five-year mark of betrayal coming up, right?
Yes, i believe you went skittering along on that tight rope a bit earlier -
Well, Garbage, specifically their cd "Version 2.0", was part of my music therapy during the summer of 2007. Maybe even for the fall sessions, too, i'm not sure. Probably so.
I thought you had a bona fide counselor that summer. Yes?
Yes, i did. But it turns out she and her husband were comparing notes on me and mine at the time, so i dropped her like a hot rock. i think i was going solo for just a bit before Duke rode to my emotional rescue. He was most excellent! No doubt i would have never heard of him had i not been hanging out with the first city crowd, but i was and i did. Timing truly is everything.
Yeah, that old adage about being in the right place at the right time is solid. Timing makes all the difference in the world.
Yeah.
Yeah. So, what were we talking about this time?
Ha ha ha. I think i was talking about music therapy and how something that worked in the past may not be appropriate for the current situation.
Whoa there! I thought we were just looking at the one album!
Exactly so, but one thing does lead to another. In that summer five years in the past, i had raged and vented and lost my mind to the soundtrack of that cd and a couple of others. The complete soundtrack, mind you. When i used to put an album on the turntable, i would play it until the needle ran out of groove, so to speak. I still prefer to listen to albums, or cds, or cassettes, in that same fashion. Start with the first song and keep it going until the last notes have played out. As i'm sure you may have noticed from our conversations over the past few days.
Yes, i think you've made that fairly obvious, dear.
And i know i've listened to THIS particular cd in the interim 'twixt that time and this, i know i have. But this time, justthatfast, i was zipped backward through time and thrown back into that morass of rage and resentment. Justthatfast. And i just had to stay on the ride, let it run its course.
No, no, no! You most certainly did not. You could have popped that puppy right out of your player and put it away.
No, i could not. I needed to see it to the finish, let it take me from Point A to Point B, get that emotional wash-rinse-spin cycle completed. Don't you remember when i was overseas, when i was in Okinawa? How i used to kick out the jams with McVicar? You know, i think that may have been my first use of music therapy!
I never have seen the movie, though.
Oh, it's a soundtrack?
Yes, it is! And the reason i bought the album was this: it featured the music of Roger Daltrey. You know, the fellow from The Who?
Who? The Who? Hahaha! I sound like an owl!
Hoot hoot! Hahaha!
Back on topic, dearie, we have other things to do today.
Right. Right. You're bloody well right! As Supertramp would have put it! Wow, THAT was a great concert! That was the first time i ever saw a band performing with a giant screen to accompany them. That may have been in San Diego -
Please. P L E A S E !
Oh, yeah, sure. Let's see, where was i going with this... ? Oh, got it! Music therapy and needing to see a thing through to the end. Well, here's how it works. Rather, here's how it works for me, and try to keep in mind that i'm an analytical person and i notice trends and patterns.
Not that everything has a pattern to it. In fact, i haven't noticed that many albums with a story to tell, so it's pretty magical when one DOES. "McVicar" certainly does, and not just because it's a soundtrack. Not all soundtracks have a theme, some are just music that the director or writer liked and wanted to share with the audience. With "McVicar", you have a man wrongly jailed and planning his escape back to the reality he had known as a free man. Lots of rage, lots of longing, lots of emotion! Totally excellent!
In fact, it inspired me to make my own mix tape to take me from pissed off at the world to calm and sane again. I called it my "hate tape." True story!
And why were you in need of such a thing? You were only - what? Early twenties?
Damn straight! Or, as my lesbian friends would say, "Damn gently curving!"
Cute!
I know, it is, isn't it? But yeah, in the early twenties, there's a lot of emotion to burn off. Not that i've noticed a big difference in my early fifties, come to think of it, but i AM better at channeling those currents to minimize possible damage. Mostly. Right?
Yeah, whatever you say. Mama taught me to humor crazy people.
So did mine! How very cool!
And back we go to the topic. You still have that "hate tape"?
You bet. It's been years since i listened to it, though. I wonder if it'll still work?
You mean emotionally or mechanically?
Hmmmm...
Right! Get on with your bad self! You've got things to do and places to be and people to see, and none of that is happening while your butt's in the chair here. Out you go!
And leave that tape where it is!
Wha...? Why would anyone want to listen to garbage??
No, not garbage. Garbage, capital G.
Oh, yeah! But i'm confused. I thought you really liked that group.
I do. I did... maybe i still do, but i cannot listen to them right now. Hmmm.. Yeah, come to think of it, that's most likely the story. I think it is.
Waiting for you to get to the point...?
I just bet you are! Okay, here it is. You know i have this five-year mark of betrayal coming up, right?
Yes, i believe you went skittering along on that tight rope a bit earlier -
Well, Garbage, specifically their cd "Version 2.0", was part of my music therapy during the summer of 2007. Maybe even for the fall sessions, too, i'm not sure. Probably so.
I thought you had a bona fide counselor that summer. Yes?
Yes, i did. But it turns out she and her husband were comparing notes on me and mine at the time, so i dropped her like a hot rock. i think i was going solo for just a bit before Duke rode to my emotional rescue. He was most excellent! No doubt i would have never heard of him had i not been hanging out with the first city crowd, but i was and i did. Timing truly is everything.
Yeah, that old adage about being in the right place at the right time is solid. Timing makes all the difference in the world.
Yeah.
Yeah. So, what were we talking about this time?
Ha ha ha. I think i was talking about music therapy and how something that worked in the past may not be appropriate for the current situation.
Whoa there! I thought we were just looking at the one album!
Exactly so, but one thing does lead to another. In that summer five years in the past, i had raged and vented and lost my mind to the soundtrack of that cd and a couple of others. The complete soundtrack, mind you. When i used to put an album on the turntable, i would play it until the needle ran out of groove, so to speak. I still prefer to listen to albums, or cds, or cassettes, in that same fashion. Start with the first song and keep it going until the last notes have played out. As i'm sure you may have noticed from our conversations over the past few days.
Yes, i think you've made that fairly obvious, dear.
And i know i've listened to THIS particular cd in the interim 'twixt that time and this, i know i have. But this time, justthatfast, i was zipped backward through time and thrown back into that morass of rage and resentment. Justthatfast. And i just had to stay on the ride, let it run its course.
No, no, no! You most certainly did not. You could have popped that puppy right out of your player and put it away.
No, i could not. I needed to see it to the finish, let it take me from Point A to Point B, get that emotional wash-rinse-spin cycle completed. Don't you remember when i was overseas, when i was in Okinawa? How i used to kick out the jams with McVicar? You know, i think that may have been my first use of music therapy!
I never have seen the movie, though.
Oh, it's a soundtrack?
Yes, it is! And the reason i bought the album was this: it featured the music of Roger Daltrey. You know, the fellow from The Who?
Who? The Who? Hahaha! I sound like an owl!
Hoot hoot! Hahaha!
Back on topic, dearie, we have other things to do today.
Right. Right. You're bloody well right! As Supertramp would have put it! Wow, THAT was a great concert! That was the first time i ever saw a band performing with a giant screen to accompany them. That may have been in San Diego -
Please. P L E A S E !
Oh, yeah, sure. Let's see, where was i going with this... ? Oh, got it! Music therapy and needing to see a thing through to the end. Well, here's how it works. Rather, here's how it works for me, and try to keep in mind that i'm an analytical person and i notice trends and patterns.
Not that everything has a pattern to it. In fact, i haven't noticed that many albums with a story to tell, so it's pretty magical when one DOES. "McVicar" certainly does, and not just because it's a soundtrack. Not all soundtracks have a theme, some are just music that the director or writer liked and wanted to share with the audience. With "McVicar", you have a man wrongly jailed and planning his escape back to the reality he had known as a free man. Lots of rage, lots of longing, lots of emotion! Totally excellent!
In fact, it inspired me to make my own mix tape to take me from pissed off at the world to calm and sane again. I called it my "hate tape." True story!
And why were you in need of such a thing? You were only - what? Early twenties?
Damn straight! Or, as my lesbian friends would say, "Damn gently curving!"
Cute!
I know, it is, isn't it? But yeah, in the early twenties, there's a lot of emotion to burn off. Not that i've noticed a big difference in my early fifties, come to think of it, but i AM better at channeling those currents to minimize possible damage. Mostly. Right?
Yeah, whatever you say. Mama taught me to humor crazy people.
So did mine! How very cool!
And back we go to the topic. You still have that "hate tape"?
You bet. It's been years since i listened to it, though. I wonder if it'll still work?
You mean emotionally or mechanically?
Hmmmm...
Right! Get on with your bad self! You've got things to do and places to be and people to see, and none of that is happening while your butt's in the chair here. Out you go!
And leave that tape where it is!
Friday, June 15, 2012
figures on a beach
This is going to be a little different today, so please keep your comments to yourself, i beg of you. Or at least wait patiently while I do my thing here. If you'd rather, you can go occupy yourself elsewhere and i can let you know when i'm done, okay? Just this one time?
Please?
(A glare and pursed lips, giving way to a soft smile and a lifted right eyebrow. Then the door closes quietly behind.)
I'm on a kick to review some of my old music, see how it might still fit into my life, test its ability to ward off new monsters. This particular album/ cassette/ WHATEVER came into my world in the summer - or possibly early fall- of 1991. But more on that in a few minutes. Here are the ones i always sang along with as i went rocketing around Florida and Georgia.
-accidentally 4th street (gloria) -
well we're looking at the cover,
we're spending all our time
just staring at the magazine
well, look who's on the cover,
wasting all our time...
some pseudo-fascist hero-machine
well, that's no space for a human being
that man is not a hero or a saint.
when somewhere in deepest America,
grown men weep at the sound of his name
so it goes and it goes...
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key.
the sun rose in the west today,
accidents in the land of the free...
well i grew up where they showed you the body count
in color on your dinner TV
and i've been numbed so insensitive
that all i can think about is you and me
you know children from the best homes
they all have guns and butter
they have their share of murder blue
well it's not such a wiggy awesome good time
when the shopping mall militia point their cannons at you..
so it goes..
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key
the sun rose in the west today
accidents in the land of the free
i love this world harder in my imagination
than my conscience should allow
but accidents do happen
accidents will happen
don't you dare to ask me how.
now everyone believed in the stories 'bout the cadillacs
everybody's got enough to eat
and people always keep their eyes glued to the ground
when a desparate man he's gotta cling to the streets
and i swear to myself i will help them
i will be an upstanding man
well when i walk by and i hear them cry
that money just sticks to my hands
what's wrong with me?
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key
the sun rose in the west today
accidents in the land of the free
i love this world harder in my imagination
than my conscience should allow
but accidents do happen, accidents will happen
don't you dare to ask me how
----------------------- ---------------------------------
- flex-
Yeah yeah wooooohhhh yeah yeah
yeah yeah
yeah yeah
last night i had myself a dream that i was talking to the president
he said i don't know what i did or where i went but it's all gone now
all the money's spent
i said now what's the matter with you boy
thats no way to make ends meet
where did everybody go?
they're all livin' out on the street
he said
i need your help and right away
you better come out for a drive to the capitol
i said
Well i could walk there in the rain
but it would take forever in the sun
now I've got sex in my pocket
but i flex so much easier with a gun
oh yeah yo
yeah yeah oooh baby ooh
last night i had myself a life and i was talking to the one i love
i said i don't know what i did or where i went
but it's all gone now we can't pay our rent
she said now what's the matter with you boy
can''t you hold a steady job
that's no way to make ends meet and now we're livin' out on the street
i said
i need some help and yesterday
i'm gonna take myself a drive to the capitol
Well i could walk there in the rain
but it would take forever in the sun
now I've got sex in my pocket
but i flex so much easier with a gun
oh yeah yo
-----------------------------------------------------------
-(don't make me) nervous-
new turnpike a blur through telegraph wires
i'm movin' as fast as i can
i'm hungry restless and tired
but i don't need no medicine man
because i don't drink and i don't smoke
i lift weights and i live on pink hope
to take the town and wrap it 'round our fingers
come away with me darlin'...
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
i once had a good companion
fleshpot vegas beauty queen
she could disappear for weeks at a time
if you know what i mean
but you, you might be a different story
I could really fall for you
and tie you down and drown you in flowers
oh come away with me from ohio
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
now she came east to spend her time just lyin' on her motel bed
now she spends her afternoons just givin' what she doesn't have
she says pretty is as pretty does
and pretty don;t get much these days
when she went down she lost her youth in one fell swoop
check it
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
nanana nana now
---------------------------------------------------------
-clam diggin'-
i'm sittin' and i just don't care
taking in the salt sea air
my ship came in and i'm a-wastin' time
in a better world i'd be on an unemployment line
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato and i ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
went to the hamptons been to cape cod too
shot a nine at augusta went to peru
i do the things that rich folk do
i got some beach front down in malibu
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
i'm the kind of guy who likes his fun
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
dig
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
i'm the kind of guy who likes his fun
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
---------------------------------------------------------
-independence day-
this is the cruelest summer
everybody crazy with the heat
and who can keep their anger inside
i really want to reach you
could i be your brother
could i be your friend
well you just keep on pushing me harder
and i ain't gonna go to the wall for you any more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you talk too loud you give yourself away
some people want to fill your head
tell you all the stories that you want to hear
but you always hear the whispers when you leave the room
well i don't wanna listen to that kind of talk no more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you walk too proud you give the game away
get along yeah
woo ooh
sometimes you gotta listen to what the world is tellling you
and sometimes it hurts too much
there's a milllion ways to die and none of them look pretty
well i ain't gonna kill myself for no one any more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you talk too loud you give yourself away
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you walk too proud you give the game away
get along yeah
woo ooh
------------------------------------------
-mystified-
seems that others will remember
every time that i forget
well if it seems i've lost the art of conversation
well it seems you go right to my head
i fall over and over again
and when the world mistreats you
don't you feel so mystified
in the mediterranean sunset
speeding train through italy
i caught you sleeping like a baby
you look like paradise to me
i fall over and over again
and when the world mistreats us
don't you feel so mystified
i won't let he world mistreat you
don't you feel so mystified
i bless the day i met you
i will always stand right by your side
'cause i love you i love you i love you
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-get serious-
they're on my lawn
they're on my lawn
i got the pink flamingoes rockin' on my lawn
i'm goin' out of my mind in my mobile home
get serious
get serious
now i'm out on my own and i'm all alone
i'm watching reruns from the twilight zone
i got big floppy shoes and i need to roam
and get serious
get serious
so lets go throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well the news came down on my radio
we're gonna get attacked by a white tornado
time to hitch up the trailer and take ourselves a ride
and get serious
get serious
so come out of your closets
crawl off of your shelf
crawl under the table and express yourself
that twister's a-comin' down M-59
and it's time it's time to get serious
so let's throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well it's closing time and that's a time when a man should get serious
i get serious when i think i'm goin' out of my head
change!
i am a stranger here and
i want to go where the big boys go
won't you take me to a place where the man sings like the boy who came from tupelo
well it's the same old story
when my search for love and glory runs against the wall
well i will change that story
no more hope for love and glory
but when i pay my mastercard you will hear me squall
woooh!
so let's throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well it's closing time and that's a time when a man should get serious
i get serious when i think i'm goin' out of my head
whose head what head my head
baby
--------------------------------------------------------
-green-
here's a lesson i have learned
play with matches and watch them burn
see the trouble darkened skies
close to my heart the things i hide
seems i've wrecked the honeymoon
found my chance but played too soon
which one? this one? that one? mine?
i can't tell the truth from lies
it started out green but it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
and words that slither from the skies
have lost their power to mesmerize
well i was too on fire to know
did i strike some fatal blow
so this is how our story ends
well that's the way that you lose a friend
the room that spins when the loss sets in
what do i know? you gotta bite the hand that hits you every time
it started out green but then it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
and broken hearts can mend
it's a long way back from no where
willows don't break they bend
and some dreams they never end
it started out green but then it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
oh oh oh
-----------------------------------------------------------
Good tunes for fighting the demons which slither in and out of my psyche. My body needs something to groove on while my brain is trying to sort through the demons crouching in and around the invisible trees. I think i should just burn the damn forest down, get rid of those trees once and for all.. but that is not an option. First, there would be too much collateral damage, too much loss of that which i still love, too much. Second, the invisible forest is infinitely large, impossibly vast, too monumental to completely demolish. So it's track down the monsters, one by one, cut down the trees as they block my path, one by one, using music that isn't even mine, music i have only on a tape cassette.
Sigh. I had forgotten how much i enjoy this band.
As i said, I didn't ever hear of them until 1991, and by that time the figures had sought out different beaches and the band was defunct. The quintet was from Detroit and had a local following such that they put out two albums, but they only had one single that got any national airplay and the regional regional interest wasn't enough for a living. But the michigander i was dating introduced me to their music - as well as that of many others in the ensuing years - and i'm pretty sure he did so because he knew my musical tastes so well. Now, he has the album and i have the cassette and i'm sure i got the better deal, as neither of us have a turntable. Still, i would like to have it on cd, just for durability, you know?
(Door opens and a head peeks in.)
Ta da!!!
You've returned! Very good!
Even better! I come bearing you a gift. I have found a store that sells their tunes, both the album you know and the first album, of which you know naught.
Awesome! How very nice of you to do that for me!
(Holds up a hand.) And, for you, i have purchased the tunes from their self-titled second album, the one you have enjoyed so much over the years, the one which has "Accidentally 4th Street (Gloria)", their sole single.
Wow...thank you so very much....
Myself, i would have introduced them to the world with "Get Serious" or "(Don't Make Me) Nervous".
But, hey, no one asked and the point is fully moot.
Enjoy, dear. And time for some shut-eye.
Please?
(A glare and pursed lips, giving way to a soft smile and a lifted right eyebrow. Then the door closes quietly behind.)
I'm on a kick to review some of my old music, see how it might still fit into my life, test its ability to ward off new monsters. This particular album/ cassette/ WHATEVER came into my world in the summer - or possibly early fall- of 1991. But more on that in a few minutes. Here are the ones i always sang along with as i went rocketing around Florida and Georgia.
-accidentally 4th street (gloria) -
well we're looking at the cover,
we're spending all our time
just staring at the magazine
well, look who's on the cover,
wasting all our time...
some pseudo-fascist hero-machine
well, that's no space for a human being
that man is not a hero or a saint.
when somewhere in deepest America,
grown men weep at the sound of his name
so it goes and it goes...
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key.
the sun rose in the west today,
accidents in the land of the free...
well i grew up where they showed you the body count
in color on your dinner TV
and i've been numbed so insensitive
that all i can think about is you and me
you know children from the best homes
they all have guns and butter
they have their share of murder blue
well it's not such a wiggy awesome good time
when the shopping mall militia point their cannons at you..
so it goes..
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key
the sun rose in the west today
accidents in the land of the free
i love this world harder in my imagination
than my conscience should allow
but accidents do happen
accidents will happen
don't you dare to ask me how.
now everyone believed in the stories 'bout the cadillacs
everybody's got enough to eat
and people always keep their eyes glued to the ground
when a desparate man he's gotta cling to the streets
and i swear to myself i will help them
i will be an upstanding man
well when i walk by and i hear them cry
that money just sticks to my hands
what's wrong with me?
all the girls named gloria
sing sweetly out of key
the sun rose in the west today
accidents in the land of the free
i love this world harder in my imagination
than my conscience should allow
but accidents do happen, accidents will happen
don't you dare to ask me how
----------------------- ---------------------------------
- flex-
Yeah yeah wooooohhhh yeah yeah
yeah yeah
yeah yeah
last night i had myself a dream that i was talking to the president
he said i don't know what i did or where i went but it's all gone now
all the money's spent
i said now what's the matter with you boy
thats no way to make ends meet
where did everybody go?
they're all livin' out on the street
he said
i need your help and right away
you better come out for a drive to the capitol
i said
Well i could walk there in the rain
but it would take forever in the sun
now I've got sex in my pocket
but i flex so much easier with a gun
oh yeah yo
yeah yeah oooh baby ooh
last night i had myself a life and i was talking to the one i love
i said i don't know what i did or where i went
but it's all gone now we can't pay our rent
she said now what's the matter with you boy
can''t you hold a steady job
that's no way to make ends meet and now we're livin' out on the street
i said
i need some help and yesterday
i'm gonna take myself a drive to the capitol
Well i could walk there in the rain
but it would take forever in the sun
now I've got sex in my pocket
but i flex so much easier with a gun
oh yeah yo
-----------------------------------------------------------
-(don't make me) nervous-
new turnpike a blur through telegraph wires
i'm movin' as fast as i can
i'm hungry restless and tired
but i don't need no medicine man
because i don't drink and i don't smoke
i lift weights and i live on pink hope
to take the town and wrap it 'round our fingers
come away with me darlin'...
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
i once had a good companion
fleshpot vegas beauty queen
she could disappear for weeks at a time
if you know what i mean
but you, you might be a different story
I could really fall for you
and tie you down and drown you in flowers
oh come away with me from ohio
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
now she came east to spend her time just lyin' on her motel bed
now she spends her afternoons just givin' what she doesn't have
she says pretty is as pretty does
and pretty don;t get much these days
when she went down she lost her youth in one fell swoop
check it
you look like a friend to me
i will keep you sworn to secrecy
I'm gonna be somebody by the middle of the night
you can check your papers
check your t.v.
'cause i swagger like brando
dance like james brown
talk like john wayne
drive like james dean
gonna be somebody
dontcha gimme no lip
you just keep me happy
and don't make me nervous
nanana nana now
---------------------------------------------------------
-clam diggin'-
i'm sittin' and i just don't care
taking in the salt sea air
my ship came in and i'm a-wastin' time
in a better world i'd be on an unemployment line
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato and i ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
went to the hamptons been to cape cod too
shot a nine at augusta went to peru
i do the things that rich folk do
i got some beach front down in malibu
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
i'm the kind of guy who likes his fun
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
hey! i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
dig
i'm not the kind of man who gets things done
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
i'm the kind of guy who likes his fun
i lie like a tomato i just ripen in the sun
always late for the starting gun
but while you're running your errands
i'm on the beach and clam diggin'
---------------------------------------------------------
-independence day-
this is the cruelest summer
everybody crazy with the heat
and who can keep their anger inside
i really want to reach you
could i be your brother
could i be your friend
well you just keep on pushing me harder
and i ain't gonna go to the wall for you any more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you talk too loud you give yourself away
some people want to fill your head
tell you all the stories that you want to hear
but you always hear the whispers when you leave the room
well i don't wanna listen to that kind of talk no more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you walk too proud you give the game away
get along yeah
woo ooh
sometimes you gotta listen to what the world is tellling you
and sometimes it hurts too much
there's a milllion ways to die and none of them look pretty
well i ain't gonna kill myself for no one any more
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you talk too loud you give yourself away
cause we're on the road to independence day
when you walk too proud you give the game away
get along yeah
woo ooh
------------------------------------------
-mystified-
seems that others will remember
every time that i forget
well if it seems i've lost the art of conversation
well it seems you go right to my head
i fall over and over again
and when the world mistreats you
don't you feel so mystified
in the mediterranean sunset
speeding train through italy
i caught you sleeping like a baby
you look like paradise to me
i fall over and over again
and when the world mistreats us
don't you feel so mystified
i won't let he world mistreat you
don't you feel so mystified
i bless the day i met you
i will always stand right by your side
'cause i love you i love you i love you
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-get serious-
they're on my lawn
they're on my lawn
i got the pink flamingoes rockin' on my lawn
i'm goin' out of my mind in my mobile home
get serious
get serious
now i'm out on my own and i'm all alone
i'm watching reruns from the twilight zone
i got big floppy shoes and i need to roam
and get serious
get serious
so lets go throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well the news came down on my radio
we're gonna get attacked by a white tornado
time to hitch up the trailer and take ourselves a ride
and get serious
get serious
so come out of your closets
crawl off of your shelf
crawl under the table and express yourself
that twister's a-comin' down M-59
and it's time it's time to get serious
so let's throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well it's closing time and that's a time when a man should get serious
i get serious when i think i'm goin' out of my head
change!
i am a stranger here and
i want to go where the big boys go
won't you take me to a place where the man sings like the boy who came from tupelo
well it's the same old story
when my search for love and glory runs against the wall
well i will change that story
no more hope for love and glory
but when i pay my mastercard you will hear me squall
woooh!
so let's throw 'em down and won't you pour me a round
bartender?
and deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread
well it's closing time and that's a time when a man should get serious
i get serious when i think i'm goin' out of my head
whose head what head my head
baby
--------------------------------------------------------
-green-
here's a lesson i have learned
play with matches and watch them burn
see the trouble darkened skies
close to my heart the things i hide
seems i've wrecked the honeymoon
found my chance but played too soon
which one? this one? that one? mine?
i can't tell the truth from lies
it started out green but it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
and words that slither from the skies
have lost their power to mesmerize
well i was too on fire to know
did i strike some fatal blow
so this is how our story ends
well that's the way that you lose a friend
the room that spins when the loss sets in
what do i know? you gotta bite the hand that hits you every time
it started out green but then it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
and broken hearts can mend
it's a long way back from no where
willows don't break they bend
and some dreams they never end
it started out green but then it turned out blue
i can't do the things that love wants me to
i try my best to make it up to you
it started out green but it turned so
blue
oh oh oh
-----------------------------------------------------------
Good tunes for fighting the demons which slither in and out of my psyche. My body needs something to groove on while my brain is trying to sort through the demons crouching in and around the invisible trees. I think i should just burn the damn forest down, get rid of those trees once and for all.. but that is not an option. First, there would be too much collateral damage, too much loss of that which i still love, too much. Second, the invisible forest is infinitely large, impossibly vast, too monumental to completely demolish. So it's track down the monsters, one by one, cut down the trees as they block my path, one by one, using music that isn't even mine, music i have only on a tape cassette.
Sigh. I had forgotten how much i enjoy this band.
As i said, I didn't ever hear of them until 1991, and by that time the figures had sought out different beaches and the band was defunct. The quintet was from Detroit and had a local following such that they put out two albums, but they only had one single that got any national airplay and the regional regional interest wasn't enough for a living. But the michigander i was dating introduced me to their music - as well as that of many others in the ensuing years - and i'm pretty sure he did so because he knew my musical tastes so well. Now, he has the album and i have the cassette and i'm sure i got the better deal, as neither of us have a turntable. Still, i would like to have it on cd, just for durability, you know?
(Door opens and a head peeks in.)
Ta da!!!
You've returned! Very good!
Even better! I come bearing you a gift. I have found a store that sells their tunes, both the album you know and the first album, of which you know naught.
Awesome! How very nice of you to do that for me!
(Holds up a hand.) And, for you, i have purchased the tunes from their self-titled second album, the one you have enjoyed so much over the years, the one which has "Accidentally 4th Street (Gloria)", their sole single.
Wow...thank you so very much....
Myself, i would have introduced them to the world with "Get Serious" or "(Don't Make Me) Nervous".
But, hey, no one asked and the point is fully moot.
Enjoy, dear. And time for some shut-eye.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
cure for pain
I love Morphine. Once, i had quite a few of their compact discs, but now i only have the one. The last time the ex was in town for the holidays, i gave him all save one: Cure For Pain. That one has some lyrics i can really get behind, lyrics that let me know that not only am i not alone in my madness but that others have trod this path. Actually, i've just realized as i was typing that madness is not IN my head so much as a state of being, another space in time which anyone may occupy on occasion, but hopefully not forever. Right?
Girl, you're NOT quite right, are you?
No, but i'm getting better, i swear i am. And we all know how well i can swear! :)
:)
The music on this album - as is my default designation for solid matter on which music is deposited (and that's as far as THIs digression into the woods is allowed) - really speaks my language. Lots of brass, lots of dirty guitar, a drumline built for my hips! "Scuse me while I dance to Thursday.
Say what? Today just happens to be Tuesday, or did your lack of work cause you to forget days of the week?
Ha ha. You are sooo funny. No, the song is titled "Thursday" and talks about the weekly trysts between a guy and a married chick. Yes, it does violate my Second Law, but those Laws cannot be applied to others, only myself. Clearly. Else i would not even be writing this as i would not be living in my AD, i would most likely never have started this blog, and would not know all these new folks in my life. Yeah. But i digress yet again, as so often is the case of late...
Hello? Are you there? You seem to have drifted away?
Yeah, maybe a little. The lyrics on this particular song are all over me. "Let's take a trip together, headlong into the irresistible orbit." I so need to wake up somewhere different.
Well, hang in there, sunshine. You do have that trip coming up at the end of the month.
Yeah, you're right, i do, but you know very well that's a business trip and not the same thing as what i mean.
Well, it won't be all business, all the time. There will be plenty of time for play, too, in the evening.
If i say "sure" will you just drop it?
I don't know. If i drop it, will you kindly step out of your head and back into the real world? Off the nebulous turf of Madness and onto the solid surface of Reality?
"Solid surface of Reality"? Do you jest?? You, off all people, speaking of Reality as some fixed concept, state of being, frame of reference, when it is at least as ethereal as Madness? You, who have ranted time and time again about perspective and its effect on personal Reality? Spare me your inference that Reality is a firmer "place" to be than is the other.
Okay, i can see i've hit a sore spot, so allow me to rephrase and reiterate. While the weather is clear, perhaps you should get outside, do something constructive. Perhaps, just perhaps, you should take a step back from your emotional and mental states and concentrate on something in the physical world, something your hands can touch? Better?
My hands ARE touching something physical. Or at least my fingers are. My white-tipped fingers.
And thanks to high school, i'm actually typing this with my figners over the keyboard in the proper location, rather than hunt and peck, as was my Grandpa's style. You'd think that with his constant writing, he would have found it helpful to have learned typing strategy, so as to minimize his time spent with the typewriter, but he was pretty quick, probably quicker than i am. Hell's belles, THAT is probably true!
Yes, i do feel better. Thanks for asking.
And out i go! But next time, i AM going to finish this topic of me and my relationship with music. Oh, yes, i am.
Girl, you're NOT quite right, are you?
No, but i'm getting better, i swear i am. And we all know how well i can swear! :)
:)
The music on this album - as is my default designation for solid matter on which music is deposited (and that's as far as THIs digression into the woods is allowed) - really speaks my language. Lots of brass, lots of dirty guitar, a drumline built for my hips! "Scuse me while I dance to Thursday.
Say what? Today just happens to be Tuesday, or did your lack of work cause you to forget days of the week?
Ha ha. You are sooo funny. No, the song is titled "Thursday" and talks about the weekly trysts between a guy and a married chick. Yes, it does violate my Second Law, but those Laws cannot be applied to others, only myself. Clearly. Else i would not even be writing this as i would not be living in my AD, i would most likely never have started this blog, and would not know all these new folks in my life. Yeah. But i digress yet again, as so often is the case of late...
Hello? Are you there? You seem to have drifted away?
Yeah, maybe a little. The lyrics on this particular song are all over me. "Let's take a trip together, headlong into the irresistible orbit." I so need to wake up somewhere different.
Well, hang in there, sunshine. You do have that trip coming up at the end of the month.
Yeah, you're right, i do, but you know very well that's a business trip and not the same thing as what i mean.
Well, it won't be all business, all the time. There will be plenty of time for play, too, in the evening.
If i say "sure" will you just drop it?
I don't know. If i drop it, will you kindly step out of your head and back into the real world? Off the nebulous turf of Madness and onto the solid surface of Reality?
"Solid surface of Reality"? Do you jest?? You, off all people, speaking of Reality as some fixed concept, state of being, frame of reference, when it is at least as ethereal as Madness? You, who have ranted time and time again about perspective and its effect on personal Reality? Spare me your inference that Reality is a firmer "place" to be than is the other.
Okay, i can see i've hit a sore spot, so allow me to rephrase and reiterate. While the weather is clear, perhaps you should get outside, do something constructive. Perhaps, just perhaps, you should take a step back from your emotional and mental states and concentrate on something in the physical world, something your hands can touch? Better?
My hands ARE touching something physical. Or at least my fingers are. My white-tipped fingers.
And thanks to high school, i'm actually typing this with my figners over the keyboard in the proper location, rather than hunt and peck, as was my Grandpa's style. You'd think that with his constant writing, he would have found it helpful to have learned typing strategy, so as to minimize his time spent with the typewriter, but he was pretty quick, probably quicker than i am. Hell's belles, THAT is probably true!
Yes, i do feel better. Thanks for asking.
And out i go! But next time, i AM going to finish this topic of me and my relationship with music. Oh, yes, i am.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
therapy
All of it was therapy for my body, my mind, and my spirit.
I almost missed every bit of it, too.
I had worked all morning on updating my gradebooks, even posting the grades online for my students. I had graded post-lab reports, odious things that they are. I had a rough draft written of the final exams for next week and was waiting on 2 PM, a time promised to a student who needed an early exam. I was feeling rather wrung out from too much time in my cold office.
It was just past noon so I headed into the sunshine, toward the proposed site of an early Cinco de Mayo festivity. I had already missed the first dance, but I caught the next one. Then there was a slight break and I took advantage of the time to go grab a drink.
On my way, I was distracted by a stunningly beautiful dog. Yes, indeed, a dog in the building, along with others, there to provide an opportunity for relaxation during this stressful week. She was mostly snow white, but with tiny dark splashes, like freckles. Her cheeks, ears, and part of her throat were encased in mottled butterly wings of dark brown, black, and gray, with the butterly body represented by a midpoint mottled circle between strips of the snow white fur. Her brown eyes blended into the wings, maintaining the imagery. She graciously allowed me to caress her ears and head and back for several moments, allowing me to relax and breathe again. Then another in need of her warmth and giving spirit arrived, freeing me from her spell.
I resumed my mission for liquid nourishment and found the lemonade I enjoyed. I also grabbed a package of pretzels, then headed for the register. The cashier rang up the tab and, when I reached into my pocket, I found my school ID, my driver's license, and... my blood donor card. No credit card, though. The woman behind me announced "Let this be my treat as a random act of kindness." W o w. Just that fast, my spirit again lifted. I thanked her and put the pretzels back on the shelf, as the beverage was all I had originally wanted. After thanking her again, I walked back toward the dance area; my therapy dog had left the building and it was time for me to do the same.
The dancer was giving us a background talk on his upcoming homage to the sunlight. He encouraged crowd participation, asking for us to hold the ancient words in our mouths and offer them anew to the air. The dance was graceful and colorful and rather serene. Afterward, the dancer (John from aztecatlanta.com) invited us to come dance with him, in front of the Student Union, and I could swear he was talking directly to ME. Why not!!! I had been tapping my bare feet to the music already and this WAS a celebration and I was feeling rather rejuvenated ... so I came on up to join him. And as soon as I did, several young folks joined in! And so we all danced, kicking our feet, holding hands, shouting!!!
Afterward, I thanked the dancer and he admitted that he had, deliberately, been looking at me when he issued the invitaion to dance. He had done so because he could tell I wanted to dance and he thought it very likely that I would come up, opening the door for others to join in. Nice compliment for me!
Therapy dance, therapy dog, therapy drink. Therapy.
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