February Playlist
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent” ~ Victor Hugo
1. Need You Now ~ Lady Antebellum
2. God of Mercy ~ Nneka
3. 10,000 Mother****ers (Live) ~ Jason Mraz
4. Be That Easy ~ Sade
5. Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit) ~ The Noisettes
6. Hand on your Heart ~ Jose Gonzalez
7. One Day ~ Matisyahu
8. Shelter ~ Ray LaMontagne
9. Sugar Town (500 Days of Summer soundtrack) ~ Zooey Deschanel
10. 21 Guns ~ Green Day featuring the Broadway cast of American Idiot
11. Meddle ~ Little Boots
12. A Case of You~ Diana Krall
13. All you Need is Love ~ Brandi Carlile
14. I want a Little Sugar in my Bowl ~ Nina Simone
15. I’ll Never Smile Again ~ Priscilla Ahn
I am listening..
At an early age I had come to realize that I had a special “gift” but it wasn’t until I was much older that I really understood what it all meant. I always had a certain way of knowing things. A gut instinct you could say. It started with knowing when I was going into a dangerous or negative situation. I would get this feeling in the pit of my stomach and I would just know something bad was going to happen that day. I was about 12 years old when this began and I did not understand where it was coming from. The older I got the worse the “feelings” would be. Sometimes in the middle of the night I would wake up from a dream (or vision) of an event that was going to take place. These “events” would take place months or maybe even years later and they always did. I don’t consider myself psychic by any means nor do I care to tap into that at all. This wonderful gift of Intuition was given to me by God.
The dictionary definition of intuition is “quick and ready insight;” and “the act or process of coming to direct knowledge without reasoning or inferring.” It is derived from the Latin word “intueri” which means “to see within.” It is a way of knowing, of sensing the truth without explanations.
Some days it is quite frustrating because I am getting the message but not quite GETTING what the message means. That is the downfall of intuition or at least my personal gripe with it. There are days I just wish I could turn it off and give it away to someone else. Then there are other days I am beyond grateful that God has given me this gift because it has brought me such divine wisdom and helped answer so many questions. Once I learned how to tap into it and how to control it my intuition has helped me in amazing ways.
It all comes down to knowing how to listen. You know the old saying just follow your heart? It is true listen to that voice, listen to your heart it will never steer you wrong. Listening to your intuition is the essence of creativity and spirituality. Once you awaken your inner guide by unlocking the wisdom of your subconscious mind, you already know what to do.
Lately I have been receiving more gut feelings and messages. I realize this is God speaking to me and nudging me (or what feels like almost dragging me along kicking and screaming) in the direction that I need to go in. Sometimes my intuition has a way of making me sick. I may not like the message but its truth and I just need to listen and trust in God’s plan for me.
“The Intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind a faithful servant.” ~ Albert Einstein
January Playlist
1. Heartbeat- Nneka ~ She is a fairly new artist that recently discovered I am really feelin’ her sound.
2. Sade- Soldier of Love ~ She’s back!! I have waited a long time for a new single from Sade. I am not disappointed with this one.
3. Just Choose Right- Andrew Kober (Reach the Sky- Bobby Cronin Live at the Beechman) ~ Unless you are a theatre geek like myself you have no idea who Andrew Kober is. He plays Dad/Margaret Mead in Hair. He may just be my favorite tweeter on twitter and he has the voice of an angel. This song is always on repeat. It will make you smile, guaranteed!
4. Speechless- Lady Gaga ~ I have not always been the biggest fan of Lady Gaga but I respect her art and she really won me over with her support for marriage equality. I adore this song.
5. She’s Got You High- Mumm-Ra ~I discovered this song on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. Love the movie and the soundtrack is amazing.
6. You Make My Dreams- Hall & Oats ~ I have always loved this song it makes me want to twirl around like a little girl. It is also on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. Seriously, do yourself a favor.. see the movie and get the soundtrack.
7. Remedy- Little Boots ~ This is another rather new artist that I discovered recently. She is different and her music is fun. I love music I can shake my booty too.
8. I and Love and You- The Avett Brother ~ Simply beautiful. That is all. Breaks my heart in a good way..
9. Empire State of Mind Part 2- Alicia Keys ~ Need I say more?
10. Sunshine Song- Jason Mraz ~ Jason Mraz is on every playlist I make. I have a hard time choosing one song I love. He is amazing. One of my favorite artists.
11. Never Forget You- Noisettes ~I loooooove the Noisettes. They are from the UK I can’t get enough of their Motown/r&b/pop sound. They are just different and I love it.
12. Gravity- Lucy Schwartz ~ This song speaks to my soul.
13. These Four Walls- Gavin Creel ~ Gavin is another theatre actor who I just adore. He plays Claude in Hair currently. Gavin can sing his grocery list to me and I would melt. I can relate to this song all too well…
Gratitude
I pride myself in the fact that I am a generally happy, grateful and positive person. I try not to dwell on the things I have no control over. But like everyone else I am human and sometimes I allow the little things to take over me and bother me. I wake up tired and cranky and find fault with everything around me. This morning I was in one of those moods. The water in my shower wasn’t as hot as I wanted it to be, I didn’t like how my clothes were fitting me, my bangs were falling all wrong. Then it dawned on me. I have no reason to complain.
There is so much I have to be grateful for. I should be grateful that I have running water. I have a roof over my head and I am surrounded by four walls that keep me safe and protected. I have clothes on my back. I have my health. I have a refrigerator and pantry full of food. I have a job to wake up to and go to every morning. No matter how stressed out the job makes me. I am grateful that I have one. I am blessed with a beautiful, healthy family who loves and supports me, no matter what. I have amazing friends who accept me and love me for whom I am. It is silly to complain because my problems could be worse. We tend to lose perspective sometimes. Turn on the news or open a newspaper the next time you think your life is so terrible. Look at the unimaginable situation in Haiti. Think of all those people who may have lost their homes, their jobs or worse, lost their lives. Think of all the orphans in Haiti and around the world. This world is in so much peril that it is important to keep things in perspective and realize how lucky and blessed we are.
This is only a small portion of the things that I am grateful for. My list can go on for pages. Today I ask… what are you grateful for?
Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melodie Beattie
Resolutions… or consistant changes?
At the end of each year we make resolutions for the new year. This year I had a different take on an old tradition. What if I didn’t make any resolutions, resolutions I would most likely forget all about well into January? What if I resolved everyday to be better or do better than I did the day before? What if I set goals for myself to say accomplish within this year or in the next two years? Each new day should be a resolution. Every single day our lives is changed in some way, whether by circumstance or by a new person God has brought into our lives. And we must adjust to those changes.
“I want to be forever the me that greets change with open arms and heart.” ~Casey Haymes
A couple years ago I compiled a list of convictions that I believe strongly in. I have since added a few things to that list. My newest convictions are in bold. The older convictions still ring as true today and they did when I first wrote them
A belief isn’t known to be true. It’s a hope for the truth.
I believe in the power of prayer.
I believe that there is nothing wrong with feeling comfort in solitude and having no desire to be held.
I believe that it is okay not to follow what society tells you is the right path. I believe in being your own person, finding love, happiness and comfort in yourself and not depending on another.
I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe that whatever has happened to me in the past is not happening to me right now.
I believe everything will be fine and that nothing is ever final.
I believe that certain things, thoughts, or actions make us who we are and sometimes we become addicted to those thoughts or behaviors and then become too afraid to let them go.
I believe it is necessary to have many experiences for the sake of feeling something; for the sake of being challenged, and for the sake of being expressive, to offer something to someone else, and to learn what we are capable of.
No doesn’t mean forever. It simply means, “Not right now.”
I believe I will be safe behind my honest decisions.
I believe it is okay to change my mind.
I believe in passion. Passion for things we love and passion for things we may not be able to control.
I believe in being open minded and accepting of others even if you fear change, don’t be afraid to open yourself up to something or someone new and exciting.
I believe art and culture are the canvas of life.
I believe in living your life before starting a new one. Experience different cultures, travel as much as possible, see the world and have significant life experiences. Make sure you learn something from every person you meet or place you visit and keep those lessons in a special place in your heart.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself, be different, eccentric, expressive just be true to yourself at all times.
I believe that God will never throw something at me that I cannot handle. I believe he is continuing to test me every single day.
I believe I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for.
I believe that after a long day a cup of green tea and honey is sure to make me feel at peace and can cure whatever has been ailing me that day.
Don’t ever allow someone to dictate to you how to live your life, this is your journey not their’s. Opinions are just that, an opinion and sometimes people should keep them to themselves.
Find your own destination, a place where you belong and that is when you will find true happiness.
Don’t ever settle for anything less than you deserve. Life is too short to live it half hearted and unhappy.
I believe God has blessed me with the most amazing family. Those that he has taken from me were taken for a reason but what I am left with is a blessing and they keep me strong and stand behind me at all times. Friends may let you down or prove to be untrustworthy, my family never will.
I believe in hope, without hope what do you have?
I believe we must never stop dreaming.
I believe in finding the beauty in everything even in something that may seen ugly on the exterior is beautiful on the inside. Life is so startling and moves so quickly if we don’t stop and slow down and look around we may miss something extraordinary and beautiful.
I Believe in the transformative healing power of time.
I Believe that we really do get by with a little help from our friends.
I Believe in something between fate and coincidence.
I Believe in perfect chance encounters.
I Believe in abandonment within structure.
I Believe.
Love and Light.
The Four Agreements
Closing Too Soon..
When I was 12 years old my mother took me to see my first Broadway show. The Will Rogers Follies. Most people will shrug is say huh? Never heard of that one. But to a 12 year old girl sitting 5 feet from the stage it was the most marvelous sight to see. From then on my mother continued taking me to see shows until I was old enough to take the train into NYC and see shows on my own. I have taken quite a liking to rock musicals over the years. Again, I have to thank my mother for taking me to see my first rock musical- The Who’s Tommy, which really started it all for me. Through my 16 years of going to the theatre I have seen all types of productions. Some amazing and some not so great. It has been a long time since I was truly moved to tears, not even tears I will be honest I was sobbing by the end of the production. That production is Ragtime.
Seeing as though I now live 1200 miles away from the Great White Way when I visit a few times a year I try to fit in as much theatre as possible. I make my selections very carefully. I somehow missed the original production of Ragtime in 1998 but I was familiar with the music. For weeks before my arrival in NY last week I still had not narrowed down which shows to see but Ragtime stayed in my head. I knew it was something special I just didn’t realize the magnitude of how special it would be.
The night before I had planned on getting my ticket I had gone to see Finians Rainbow. As I was leaving the theatre I had gotten word that Ragtime was closing only months after its opening. The next morning I was at the theatre when the box office opened and purchased my ticket for Wednesday afternoon.
Ragtime takes place is 1906 the turn-of-the-century New York, The story weaves together three distinctly American tales – that of a rich upper class white family, a determined Jewish immigrant hoping to make a better life for his young daughter and a daring young Harlem musician and the love of his life they are all brought together by their courage and determination for a better life. It is a show about hope and the notion that anything is possible.
In many ways the shows is very relevant to the world we live in today. We still deal with racism and separation, inequality and hate in 2010 not much has changed since 1906 has it? We may have come a long way but we still have so far to go. The story line is heavy with a few laughs here and there the story takes you an emotional journey that I was not prepared to take on that day. But boy am I glad that I did. It is sad that this revival was not able to find its audience. I feel it may have something to do with the heavy storyline. People want to go to the theatre and laugh they don’t want to be reminded of the things we all deal with on a daily basis. They want to go to the theatre to forget. Me, I want to go to the theatre to be moved. Ragtime did just that for me. With a wonderfully, moving and important plot. Superb orchestrations and some of the best acting and singing you will see on a New York City stage. My perception of great Theatre as been changed forever.
Sadly tonight on January 10, 2010 Ragtime will be closing. Closing too soon I say, I will always keep its message of hope with me.
New music is one of my favorite songs from the musical… this song breaks my heart in a good way…
His fingers stoke those keys, and every note says ‘Please’, and every chord says’ Turn my way’. I thought I knew what love was but these lovers play.
New music! Haunting me, and somehow taunting me- my love was never half as true. Sarah, my life has changed. Sarah, you’ve got to see. Sarah, we got a son! Sarah, come down to me…
You and your music singing deep in me, making nice to me, Saying something so new-
Changing everything, Meaning everything, Music calling my heart to you… Play that melody, Your sweet melody, Calling my heart to you. Just like that tune Simple and clear, I’ve come to hear. New music breaking my heart, Opening a door, changing the world!
Below is a video of the 1998 Original Broadway Cast performing the opening number on the 1998 Tony Awards. Enjoy!
Welcome to my world.
For quite some time now I have tossed around the idea in my head to start a blog. I wanted a forum where I could express my feelings or opinions (often times unpopular) and overall ramble on about the things that interest me. A little bit about me. I am a wee bit of a modern-day hippie. I believe that we are all one. I love to spread peace and love and joy to everyone I come into contact with. However cliché that may sound. I am a total bookworm. I look to cook and bake (I may even share recipes). I tend to get a little political at times (this may be where the unpopular opinions come in). I love Theatre and will touch on that subject a lot as well. I enjoy philosophy and am very spiritual. I am extremely open-minded and not easily offended. I love all kinds of music and would be lost without music in my life.
This blog doesn’t have a theme so you never know what topics I will talk about on a given day. I just hope that whoever reads and comes across my blog takes something away from it. Bottom line is I am just a simple girl who loves to love and make people laugh. And so begins my blogging journey…
