Happy MLK Day!

This is still one of my favorite quotes.  - SDF

New Year's Resolutions

I have not posted in a long time, but I felt like starting again. This year, I have some goals in mind. 

1. To connect more with people. For the past few years I have been more of a loner, which is out of character for me. I think I will join some meetups, maybe join a congregation, and possibly look into joining a choir. I have thoughts of starting up my random acts of kindness group again too. 

2. To get back more into my music. I am a trained musicians that has not played music seriously for a long time now. I have a French horn, a piano, and a ukulele that is collecting dust. Let's dust off our instruments and create and play music again! 

3. To save as much money as possible for the next two years. I have financial goals to reach. Part of my blog this year will be to find as many free to cheap options in my area as possible. 

4. Read more books, listen to more podcasts, and enjoy more music. 

5. Create spiritual daily rituals and stick with them. Meditating twice a day comes to mind as well as a morning yoga practice. The goal is to become centered and peaceful again to be part of the positive movement for a better world. 

6. Get healthy and stay healthy. We all know the drill: workout, take walks, eat more fruits and vegetables. Detox once in a while. Cut out processed sugar, breads and pastas. We know what to do to get healthy. I would add to this that adding education about health is part of getting healthy too. 

Feel free to join me as I start on my journey. I will be posting from time to time about projects I am doing to work on one of these 6 goals for the year. 

What are you aspiring to do this year? 

-SDF

Life Lessons

I decided to start a new type of blog post: Life Lessons. These are the lessons that are "whispered" to us in life, if we decide to listen. We each get different messages, although some have the same meaning. Today, I learned a great deal by listening.  Don't be surprised if I start tweeting these with the appropriate hashtag #lifelessons.

In random order, because this is how it comes to us:

• We all are on individual paths.
• We all have life lessons to learn, and we learn in our own time, at our own pace.
• We see other people's challenges so easily, but we have to learn that it is not our path.
• We cannot control other people's journeys.
• We can understand that we all have our own issues and time frames to deal with these issues.
• People need to understand more to cause less conflict.
• Our experiences in life are different so our perspectives are different.
• We can agree, and we can agree to disagree.
• It is out of love that we can understand and help when the other person wants our help.
• We can't force our perspective and ideas on someone else.
• People can choose to listen and learn from us, but they may not choose to, and we can be okay with this.
• We can love and pray for someone else, to support them.
• Conflict arises when we are not allowing freedom. 
• Freedom of perspective is important. 
• Each of us have our own blueprint in life, going against this blueprint will harm ourselves.
• Happiness comes from living our own truths.
• Attempting to make someone else happy by disowning your own truth makes everyone miserable.
• Expecting other people to act a certain way only makes everyone miserable.
• Hoping and praying for the best is part of supporting other people.
• Visualizing the best is the best.
• Positive energy does help.
• Negative energy does not help.
• You may mean well, but that is all it will be, meaning well, not doing well.
• People need to take action when they are ready to take action.
• People have different paces for action. 
• Positive baby steps are to be celebrated! It means someone is headed in the right direction.
• Teach by means of example, but know that your example might not bring meaning to someone else.
• You have a say when enough is enough. Sometimes we have to move away from negative people to be a positive, happy person.
• Jesus wanted peace and love. To follow Jesus (and/or the other main religions) is to follow peace and love.
• Jesus does not want war.
• Jesus would help the poor, any way possible.
• War comes out of hate and intolerance of other people.
• War does not come out of love.
• Any war in the name of a religion is a false belief. 
• Religion does not cause war, bad, misguided people cause war.
• If we all followed peace and love, which is what is taught from the main religions, we would not have war.
• Following false people in power is like following false idols. 
• We all want to belong. We can belong to the side of good and doing the right thing! 
• Growing peace and love will diminish fear and hate.
• Our world is imbalanced. The greed for power and money has dangerously taken over.
• These greedy people have bought our media, our religions, our beliefs.
• Beware of the information that you receive if it comes from greed.
• Many people at the top are not doing the right thing (out of peace and love). 
• Many people at the top are not paying fair wages, equal wages, and instead are hoarding the profits for their own greed. 
• The people at the top who are doing the right thing are prospering and helping other people prosper too.
• We need to vote again, all of us, it is our right.
• We need to vote with our money and stop investing in the greed. 
• If you see a company doing greedy, harmful things, you don't have to buy from this company. 
• We have the power to understand, tolerate, and take positive action.
• If people are focused too much on other people, it means you are ignoring something that needs to be focused on in yourself.
• You have to make yourself happy. Do not expect other people to do this work for you.
• Substances in life are good for temporary solutions, but not for life solutions.
• Let other people do what they want unless it truly is harming someone else. 
• Laws are made to keep us from harming other people (and sometimes ourselves).
• Laws made out of beliefs to force other people to your way of life are not good laws.
• Tolerance of other people's perspectives is the only way we can have true freedom.
• It's best to not challenge unless it is truly harmful.
• We create conflict by not being tolerant.
• Is their lifestyle choice really harming you? It may not be what you want to see, but does it affect your every day life? 
• What if they said that your lifestyle was bad? It's about perspective. Other people have different views. 
• Your attempts to force other people into your box is harming other people.
• You cannot save someone who does not want to be "saved."
• Creating more poverty and bad life situations is not a good solution. 
• If you want positive change, become a positive solution.
• Forcing other people to bow to your perspective creates conflict, and ultimately war.
• Cast no stone unless you are free from sin. Most of us, especially politicians, should not be casting stones at one another.
• Stop and see if it is a part of you before preaching what is right or wrong.
• If right is part of you, go ahead and preach, but people still have the choice to listen.
• If wrong is part of you, quit preaching.
• Defending yourself is different than causing conflict.
• In a best world, defending yourself without violence is best. 
• Violence does not have to be a choice. It is a choice, but we do not have to choose it.
• Being greedy does not have to be a choice. It is a choice, but we do not have to choose it.
• We can choose to help our fellow man and still have enough for ourselves.
• Maybe it is time for us to figure out what is enough. 
• Maybe growing as a person is more important than growing your bank account.
• When keeping money that you don't really need harms other people, that is greed.
• You can't take it with you. Doing good for other people will transfer since good will live on.
• Creating a power gap, pushing and forcing people into a state of poorness can only cause more conflict.
• Do the right thing! Act out of peace and love. WWJD? 
• If you are not acting out of peace and love or WJWD, then you are causing conflict, and you are part of the problem, not the solution.
• Be a positive force in this world. We all have the choices in front of us. Choose well. 

Sitting is the new smoking

I have been doing some research on "sitting too much." Our way of life has changed to the point that we are all sitting more each day. Some of us sit all day for our jobs, and/or have longer commutes sitting in the car, and then we go home to sit in front of the television, computer or game system.

Here is a list of why sitting so much is not good for us:

• Greater risk of developing cancer
• Increases risk of obesity
• Susceptible to muscle issues
• Higher risk of developing depression
• Hypertension
• Great risk of heart disease
• More likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes
• Raises the risk of disability
• Interferes with LDL levels, the enzyme that breaks down fat
• Poor circulation
• Assorted aches and pains

The list can keep going on and on, but I think you get the point. You might be saying, "but I exercise at least 30 minutes a day." They have proven that all that sitting will negate the benefits of the workout. It is almost like you haven't worked out at all.

I am living proof of this. My life became more sedentary when I started working from home. I am constantly on my computer, like now. I did gain some weight even though I have been working out 30-90 minutes 6 days per week. I do some fairly tough workouts too, more advanced. The one time it was easy to lose weight was when I was at a conference for a 3-day weekend, and I was walking constantly around the city and conference center.

So, what can we do if we have to sit for our work? Well, maybe we don't have to all the time. Here is a list of advice:

• Get a standing desk
• Get the app Stand Up! for your iPhone which will alert you to stand up every 35-45 minutes
• Create a YouTube playlist for mini workouts (under 15 minutes) and do these throughout the day
• Take a walk on your lunch break
• Exercise while watching television or at least get up during commercial breaks which can add up
• Buy video games that make you move
• Put on some tunes and take a dance break
• Talk on the phone standing up
• Have a phone meeting during a walk
• Have a live meeting during a walk

In any case, we can do something active throughout the day to get the blood flowing.  Our bodies were made to move, not sit for hours at a time. 

Consider joining me for the rest of this month to take the stand up challenge. For the month of March, I will be using the Stand Up! app. I will weigh myself before and after, and also take my inches. We shall see if moving throughout the day makes the difference needed. 

Let's do this! 

Articles:

Ways Sitting is Shortening Your Life
Don't just sit there. Really.
Here's Just How Bad Sitting Around Is For You

Google "sitting is the new smoking" for more. 

Vote with your money this holiday season!

This free Christmas gift clip art is brought to you courtesy of Vladimir Zuñiga of Foca.tk.

Each year I post about F.A.C.E. values:

• Fair trade (employees treated well)
• Artist made (originally American made)
• Charities paid 
• Environment saved

You can choose to purchase gifts that will give back, that are in line with your values, and that will help our world (and the people) to thrive.

This means that it is best to seek alternatives to the big boxes that carry cheap products and treat their employees badly.  There are many, many alternatives.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. 10 Ways to Shop for Good 
2. Etsy - gifts by artists, real people
3. CD Baby - music gifts by musicians
4. 29 online gift stores that benefit nonprofits
5. 19 holiday gift programs that benefit nonprofits
6. Shop at a nonprofit thrift store in your area
7. Go to local arts & crafts festivals to shop direct from local artists
8. Buy tickets to a local event
9. Make sure your gift is green 
10. Create your own gifts using one of your talents.  I am knitting some gifts this year.
11. Skip buying from the 10 companies that pay their employees the least

I hope you have a fabulous holiday season, and happy shopping for good! 

SDF

Easy to hide behind a smile and an avatar

Sometimes life isn't the greatest.  There may be reasons why your heart is broken even if on the surface everything appears to be just fine.  It is easy to hide behind a smile and an avatar and just say, "I'm fine" or "I'm okay" if anyone does ask.

There is a movement to becoming our more authentic selves, yet it takes bravery to be the one to claim in that moment, "No, I'm not okay right now."  What would people do?  Would they flee from you?  Would they not want you around?  Is everyone so happy with the way things are, hiding behind a fake smile and an avatar online?

I bet there are people in your life right now that could use some help, but they are afraid to appear to be not okay.   Society has drilled into us to appear just fine, even if you are not.  It only seems okay to have a breakdown if you are an actor in one of those real dramatic movies.

There are people in your life that it will be okay to tell the truth. Sometimes, though, it is hard to tell who they are.  Even some people's parents rather you hide behind that smile and avatar just like they were taught. Or maybe they taught you...

Or perhaps you are hiding behind alcohol or drugs.  It can get super serious, all this hiding to appear to be okay.  The problem with all this hiding is the fact that you are likely to push more people away due to these vices if they get out of control.  Your vices can bring you to take advantage of the best people in your life. 

I am not judging.  I'm rather discussing the fact that maybe if we were a society that could be more real, we wouldn't resort to some of the vices we use to appear okay.  It would be okay to state, "I'm not okay." And, we can all be okay with this.

Of course we need to evaluate how much detail to expose.  We don't want a perfect stranger knowing our entire life story, or do we?  What would happen if we all dropped the masks?

The one challenge to being real would be dealing with the emotional vampires who love to soak up this depressed energy. They would not be the ones that would want to cheer you up or help you to find solutions.  They rather have you drenched in self-pity to feed on. At least we would know how to fake it around these people.  Maybe this is why we needed to learn how to hide?  

Until we can figure it out, it is easy to hide behind a smile and an avatar.  Everything is just fine.

We can become aware...

I'm hoping 2014 is the year of awareness.

We can become aware that we can vote with our money and shop at stores that actually care about their employees (fair wages and benefits), where their products come from (fair trade), and how safe the products are for us.

We can become aware that we are beautiful regardless of how ugly the media, fashion world, and diet companies want us to feel for their own greed, and we can vote with our money again and say enough of this body/mental image abuse. 

We can become aware that the food we put into our mouths can make us healthy or make us sick, it is our choice. 

We can be aware that our differences on the outside are less than 1% of our DNA and that our more than 99% similarities are what matters most.

We can become aware that if our country (our world) is truly to be free, as long as the choices of others do not hurt us personally where we can continue to live our own lives as we wish, it is freedom that allows other people to choose their own direction for happiness, just as this same freedom allows us to choose our own direction for happiness. Call it a "No Judgement Day." 

We can become aware that our actions on this earth can either harm or nurture the earth. Many of us have felt the wrath of global weirding this year. 

We can become aware that spending all the resources on war is only going to produce more war and bankrupt countries and the people of countries. What you focus on is what you get. Let's focus on peace. 

Our resources, time, money, energy, thoughts, actions, can be spent making the world a better place for all, not just for the few that want to control all. 

Yes, I'm hoping 2014 is the year of awareness, and that we become aware that we have the power to do something to create a positive outcome (instead of all the 2013 crap we went through). 

Happy New Year!

Heightening awareness

I am encouraged to see the heightened awareness that is happening.  I can't wait to see more!

We can no longer stay asleep to what is happening behind the scenes.  There are shiny looking corporations that are treating their employees badly and forcing their suppliers to work overseas.  There are governments that do not have the best interests for their people and instead cater to their own greed of power and money.   There are decisions being made everyday that are supporting this careless behavior, but it is getting better.

Why does it take a disaster to wake us up to human kindness again?  Can't we function this way everyday in every day life?

This means that we take more care in where we purchase from and who we back for a government seat.

With awareness, the hypocrisy will stop.  All the shiny objects that have been diverting our attention will be seen for what they really are, a big front that was paid for by big money, instead of doing the right thing in the first place.

I definitely see a shift happening when certain generations take over or start companies on the right foot and remain steady on their course.  Allowing employees to share in the wealth and buying from companies that supply American and/or Fair Trade jobs.

So, how can you heighten your awareness?  Keep your eyes open and start researching before you buy, and then purchase from companies and elect officials that truly care about others (instead of just themselves).

I don't care what side of the fence you are on politically.  Humans are in trouble everywhere when we do not love thy neighbor and help our fellow man.  We can turn this around whenever we want to.  It's our choice!

-SDF

The power to change

This morning someone said to me something that I interpreted as mean.  They said, "You think you have the power to change people, but you don't!"

I instantly became upset.  This statement hit me to the core.  I always thought my mission, my life's purpose was to be a change agent, someone that helps people change for the better.

At first my thought was if I don't have the power than why am I alive?  I should just die.

I had to take time out to think about this.  I have created my life to be in a position that is available to help people and an industry change to what I feel would be a more positive path.

I came to a conclusion that people do have the power to change other's lives, if we let them.  It can be our choice to go with the change or not.  Also, not doing anything can allow others to create changes, good and bad.  Just look at our political system.  People in political power change our lives, sometimes in horrible ways, especially if we remain silent.

I also realize that sometimes people are afraid of change, so they do nothing, only to find that change is happening all around them without their consent.  Change will happen.  Change is the only constant.

As someone who feels they are here to help bring positive change, I know I may not be able to help people directly, but I can help people indirectly.  In this way, we all have the power to help bring about change and help change people's lives in positive ways.

The best scenario is if we choose to change in a positive way and ultimately have the power to see a positive change through, despite any fear we may have to move forward in a new direction.  

In the end,  that person's statement is true and false.  It has to be.  Otherwise, we would all be powerless in this world to make a difference.

-SDF

Education for adults with experience?

I'm finding myself in a situation that is rather uncomfortable.  I have the desire to continue my education, but I seem to be a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.  I am the adult with years of experience looking for the right Master's degree program.

Currently I have over 20+ years of experiences in the realm of arts administration.  I signed up for a qualifying course in an arts administration program, and I was bored.  I felt like it was a waste of time and money, and my fellow students kept commenting, "Boy, you really know what you are talking about!"

The course was about perspectives on art.  What is art?  We had to find good examples such as articles for various views on art and comment about our findings.  I do this type of work almost everyday, and have been doing this frequency for about 6 years.  If you follow me on Twitter, you know what I mean.  I post ARTicles for my fellow colleagues to read and learn from and to start discussions on these types of topics.

The point to this rambling is, there seems to be no educational options for the adult learner who already has experience.  If I want the "title," then I either have to waste the time and money or in some cases pay for credits that represent my experience.  Yes, there are a few schools that will evaluate your experiences and allow you to pay a certain amount for a certain number of credits.  Pay for my experiences which I already paid for through hard work?  Seems ridiculous to me!

I have seen a few build your own degrees, which are attractive to me, yet, they are few and far between and many are not online, and some are not offering Masters degrees.

So, what am I to do?  I fell upon a few articles for "creating your own private degree."  There is a small movement where people design their own "degrees" and find the books, online courses, and continuing education classes to form their own personal degree.  Some of these posts even suggest that learning in this fashion could be the wave of the future.  After all, when you think about it, the degrees and stamp of approval from institutions are simply creations of people.  Couldn't I read the same books and write my own papers and get peer reviewed approval?  In this world of social media sharing, many of us are doing this to some extent.

Don't get me wrong, I view education as extremely important and something to value.  However, who is to say you are an expert simply based on a program of someone else's creation?  Couldn't someone create their own path of learning and becoming equally expert?  There are many people in this world that do not have a college education, but they have learned what they needed to know and took this type of education into the real world for real life experiences.  Some have built empires, and some have written books.  Society values this type of entrepreneurial spirit too!

It has been a constant roller coaster thinking about getting a Master's degree.  I do not fit neatly into the box that the majority of educational institutions have designed.  I guess I will keep looking for a program that values my experience and allows me to design my own future.  If you have any suggestions, please do reply and let me know.  And, if the right program is not out there, perhaps designing my own private degree is the way to go. 

Thoughts?  

-Shoshana

Day 29 - 29 Gifts Complete!

Well, it is not all bells, whistles, streamers, etc, but I did finish the 29 Gifts challenge.  For the last day, I ended up making dinner when I was going out with my handy dandy crock pot.  What a surprise to have dinner ready when he got home! 

Today I am listening to Star Trek, The Next Generation.  I am a proud TNG fan, and the music for this series was incredible!

Now that the 29 days are over, I am considering a new and different challenge.  Perhaps a month of gratitude.  Or, maybe a month of movies. 

Any suggestions?  :O)

Happy gifting and thank you for the company on this special 29 day journey!

Day 24 - 28 of 29 Gifts, May 18 - 22

Wow, tomorrow is the last day.  I will save that to be a post all its own.  Here is the next few days for me on my 29 Gifts journey:

 Day 23, May 17: I changed my gift to be offering to drive during a hectic time.  He needed to relax so I gave him the gift of being able to stare out the window, look at his iPhone and relax after a really tough day.

Day 24, May 18: A morning bike ride!  I don't bike ride with him as often as he wants, so this morning, we went on a ride that we both would enjoy.  I had a good time too.

Day 25, May 19: Time with my mom and sister on a conference call.  It is good to give time to family, especially when so far away.  I also gave a book to another book club member that I thought she would enjoy.

Day 26, May 20:  This was the one day I gave to myself.  A day to myself, retreat like, and much needed, but I also gave my cats tons of my time too.   

Day 27, May 21: A donation to the Red Cross to help the people in Oklahoma; I only gave $10, but every little bit helps.

Day 28, May 22:  Today I purchased my last punch on one of my coffee cards and then gave it to the person at the counter to give to the next person in line for a free drink. 

I am listening to Marcus Roberts Portraits in Blue.  This is a fantastic jazz snapshot of Gershwin with touches of his own personality. 

Happy Giving, and time to celebrate tomorrow!

Day 17 - 23 (May 11-17): Catch up time

I have been missing in action for posting, but I have been continuing to gift for the 29 Gifts month.  Here is the complete catch up.

Day 17: Mother's Day Gift received.  I sent my mom a gift on Wednesday, but wanted to count it when it was received.  Today she called and left a message that she loved her 2 gifts!


Day 18:  1 hour of uncomplicated conversation with my mom.  Despite having an interesting, complicated time in my life right now, I decided not to talk about me and spent the hour focused completely on her and shooting the breeze about anything and everything.  We laughed and had a great time.  Cherish the moments!


Day 19:  Email to a friend in need.  I found out that my friend is still having thoughts about his wife having cancer, even though she is in remission.  I sent a message acknowledging how he feels and letting him know that it is okay to own his feelings and to cherish each moment with her.  We never know when someone will be taken from us.  The gift of the present moment is all that matters.

Day 20: A few more promotional posts to help others.


Day 21:  Gift to my sister for a coffee gift card.  She is having a challenging time and mentioned that she is not sure she can even afford the luxury of her morning cup of coffee she so enjoys each morning.  I hope the 5 coffees on me will help a bit to lift her spirits.


Day 22: Compromise for television night.  We both wanted to watch something, so I gave the gift of compromise instead of simply leaving or being stubborn.  We had a nice evening together.

I also gave the gift of letting someone go ahead of me in line at the grocery store.  He was an unassuming man.  He was only buying milk.  He was very surprised and had a great smile.

Day 23: Today I am going to go to my favorite coffee shop and get the last punch in my coffee card, and then, I will give the gift of my one free coffee after 10 purchases to someone else.  If I see a friend, I will give it to them.  If not, I will tell the person to gift the next person in line. I hope they will be okay with transferring the card to someone else.


I am listening to a CD I recently purchased.  I am getting into World Music via the lable Real World, which is Peter Gabriel's label.  Shelia Chandra's  The Zen Kiss is the CD of the moment.  It is all vocal chants and/or prayers and/or stories.  Exactly what I need to listen to today. 

Day 15 & 16 of 29 Gifts - May 9 & 10: Promotional Information & Breakfast

Yesterday and today, I ended up sending out a bunch of informational posts and tweets for various causes and events.  Two of the events I was invited to, but I am not able to attend.  I wanted to at least show appreciation for their thoughtful invite.

This morning I got up early and made breakfast.  This is a big gift since I am rarely up before him during the week.  Eggs, toast and coffee were made before he came downstairs.  You should have seen the surprised look on his face.  

I am receiving during this process and thought I would notate here. 

• A colleague called me out of the blue to give me some needed advice.  

• I received a free dumping fee (yes, a free dump) at the waste disposal depot when they forgot to weigh us at the station.
• A free plant was gifted to me at my favorite plant nursery. 
• Someone today offered me free tickets to a concert.
• My mom called me at the moment I could use an ear.
• I received virtual hugs when I needed them (although I asked for a hug).
• As well as the many gifts my honey and the cats give me each day! 

I am still listening to The Chicago Principal.  So many wonderful concertos!

Happy gifting and Fabulous Friday and weekend to you! 

Day 12, 13, 14 of 29 Gifts - May 6 -8: Full attention, quiet time and book gifts

I am a little behind in my posting, so please forgive as I catch up.  On May 6, Day 12, I gave my cat my full attention.  It is so easy for us to not give our pets our full attention.  We pet them while reading a book or watching television.  We are almost always thinking about other things when we feed them or walk them. 

I have a cat that is 18 years old this year.  I definitely want to cherish the moments with her now before she leaves me for the rainbow bridge.  So, I stopped doing what I was doing and gave her my complete attention.  She has one of the best kitty smiles, and she enjoyed our time together by sharing her best purrs.  It was time worth spent and a gift to me as well as to her!

On May 7, my honey came home a little frazzled.  I decided to let him have the big TV and gave him some quiet time to himself yesterday.  He definitely was more cheerful later in the evening having that time to himself.

Today, I am mailing a book that I found for one of my college friends.  I found this book at a thrift store that reminded me so much of him, I had to buy it.  Thank goodness for Facebook since I was able to reconnect with him after many years.  He sent me his address, and I am happy to mail out his surprise, fun gift.  It's not something huge, but I know it will make him smile.

As I write this, I am listening to The Chicago Principal: First chair soloists play famous concertos, specifically Schumann's Konzertstuck in F Major for Four Horns and Orchestra. I adore this piece.  Very rich horn sound!

Happy gifting and Wonderful Wednesday to you!

Day 10 & 11 of 29 Gifts - May 4 & 5: Tea and spree

I hope you had a nice weekend!  Over the weekend for Day 10, I bought our group leader's pot of tea at our tea meetup.  I did not tell him I was going to do this, so it was a surprise.  Another member of the group helped me to make this possible (since I had to sneak in line ahead of her to do this).

For Day 11, I did the shopping at Target that neither one of us wanted to do.  A little gift to him so he could stay home and watch his NASCAR race.  I'm glad I could free up his time so he could relax on the weekend.

I ended up listening to the radio this weekend as I gardened and drove around to do my errands, so no CDs to report.

Today, I am not sure what I want to do.  Stay tuned for a later post to catch up.

Day 9 - May 3: Volunteer Time

I had a little time this morning and volunteered for a local nonprofit for almost 4 hours.  I know this organization needs all the help it can get, so I was glad I could help on a project they wouldn't be able to get into.  I probably will add some more hours later. 

I am listening to Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin's Hush.  What a great collaboration!  The music varies: folk, jazz, classical, new music.  On some of these tracks McFerrin sounds like a woodwind.  Incredible!

Happy Gifting and have a Fabulous Friday!

Day 8 - May 2: A charm of a gift

I was looking at my necklaces, and I found a charm that I haven't gifted after I bought it a couple of years ago.  Sometimes I buy things that are "charming" for a later gift, and I find them much, much later.  It had me thinking how it would make a nice gift for a friend that I was scheduled to see today.

I found a gift box and placed the charm carefully in a small plastic bag to put in the box.

She really liked it.  I think the color and the spirit of that charm was perfect for her.  It was a half moon with eyes closed and smiling.  The color was a pink quartz. I hope to see her wearing it soon.  She had put it with her little shrine in front of her computer.

I'm still listening to the Kathleen Battle CD today so no new music to report until tomorrow.

Have a wonderful evening!

Day 7 - May 1: Promotional gift

I have been attempting to think of more ways to give without financial ties.  I decided to give the gift of one of my talents - promotion. 

I am considered to be one of the mavens of the world, meaning I enjoy sharing information, especially if it is for a good cause.

I found out that there were a couple of fundraisers for musicians that could use a little extra boost.  One of the campaigns was just getting started and one was for a musician that was wrapping it up.

I have no idea if my extra boost helped, but I did make an effort to get the campaigns out on various social media channels. 

This is a task that I normally give freely during my days, and I have never consciously thought about it being a gift to another person.  It's just something I do.  I am fairly well connected and generally send the information to people that would be interested.   I am realizing now that it is a gift I am giving them.

Also, I had a conversation with a colleague, and after I told him about the 29 Gifts program, he piped up to say that our conversation was a gift to him since it was helping him to organize his priorities further.  This is another talent of mine, brainstorming, and I enjoy working with people to help them through the thought process for making improvements. 

Giving of yourself by using your natural talents is a gift to the world!

While writing this, I am listening to Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall.  Yes, she is a diva, but her voice is so incredible, and the emotion she elicits is breathtaking.

I will be back later for Day 8 posting.  Happy giving until then.

Day 6 - April 30: Art gift

I bought a few original drawings from an artist a few years ago.  One of them I had a feeling I would give to someone that would enjoy it in the future.

Today was the day I gave that original drawing a great home.  It was my last meeting with a client. Since my business is changing directions, I would no longer be providing the same services.  I wanted to give her something special as a closing gift after working together for about 4 years.

It was a drawing from Boulder, CO artist, Nyla Witmore. Nyla loves to travel, and she uses these drawings to sketch ideas for her landscape paintings.  She decided to sell these drawings after receiving great feedback.  They are absolutely charming!  This particular drawing was of a moment of Champs, Elysees in Paris, France.  My client also enjoys traveling and has wonderful memories of France.  I thought it was the best home for this drawing!

As I write, I am listening to Sky Cries Mary's This Timeless Turning.  I like the ethereal sound of this group. I was introduced to this band by my long-term boyfriend in college.  I realize that although the relationship didn't last forever, there were gifts, like discovering new music, that did. 

The other gift from this relationship, my cat of 18 years.  If it wasn't for him wanting a cat, I may have never come to love cats as much as I love dogs. 



I have already decided on my gift for tomorrow.   I have something in mind for someone from my past...stay tuned!

Happy gifting and Terrific Tuesday to all!