On Tuesday, this blog's viewership reached over 17,000 and I was psyched! Then, my "Congratulations!" tweet to the creator of a musical that just moved to Off-Broadway and is getting rave reviews was retweeted by him, to my surprise and delight.
I was having a great time! I thought, "I am going to look for more things to celebrate. Maybe I'll create more things to celebrate!" I fully expected this blog to be titled "Happy Dance" or "Celebrate Good Times Come On!" or something like that.
I soon found this Dr. Wayne Dyer quote and it served as confirmation for me that positivity and celebration could be found everywhere if we choose to see it...
"Everything that happens to you
is either an opportunity to grow
or an obstacle to keep you from growing.
You get to choose."
- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
After that, I heard a radio segment about Amazon's new version of the assembly line, which utilizes robots to bring the shelves to the workers, instead of the workers having to go to the shelves. The newscaster mentioned a Yale professor who strongly advocates the idea of flipping things around (as Amazon had done with the robots). There it was again - the same message...
"It
turns out there are potential symmetries all around us – ways of flipping
things around that might be just as good or better – if we just look for them."
- Barry Nalebuff & Ian Ayres
"Did you ever
store a ketchup bottle upside down? How
long did it take for Hunts and H.J. Heinz to figure out that they could turn
the label upside down?"
- Barry Nalebuff & Ian Ayres
(Barry Nalebuff is Milton Steinbach Professor of Management at Yale School of Management)
When "one of the worst storms in recent memory" (www.nytimes.com) dumped over seven feet of snow on some areas of Buffalo and its suburbs in three days, it wasn't exactly time to celebrate. When a relative attending Florida State University texted me to inform me of a shooting in the school's library, stunned disbelief and concern seemed the more appropriate response.
When my relative at F.S.U. immediately informed me that she was alright and perfectly safe and sound at home that evening, though, I was naturally overwhelmed with gratitude for that. While the events of that day were undeniably tragic, and our prayers continue to be with the student in critical condition and with the family of the troubled, there is also much to be grateful for. So many students, teachers, parents, relatives and law enforcement officials are surely grateful to be safe and for the safety of their loved ones. We can all be reminded of how precious life is and to appreciate and celebrate every moment of it.
I was scheduled to drive to Buffalo on Thursday and was watching the weather forecast very carefully. As I saw the terrible conditions and even heard the death toll rise, I was also hearing that relatives and many people I know were out of harm's way and doing well. While we prayed for those in need and for the families of those lost, we were also grateful for the health and well being of so many others.
Families all over Western New York were making the most of their situations, and stellar examples of neighbors helping neighbors were everywhere. (Buffalo is called "The City of Good Neighbors" for good reason!) Miracles were taking place when a little "Lucy Grace" came into the world at a firehouse. Just prior to her parents being unable to make it to the hospital for her delivery, her dad just "happened" to meet up with a stranded woman who was a labor and delivery nurse. Shortly after their meeting, another stranded nurse (this time a maternity nurse) found her way to the same firehouse where little Lucy was born.
Social media was flooded with the humor and good spirit of Western New Yorkers flipping their predicaments around into seeing the bright side of things.
We only delayed our trip to Western New York by one day, making it through cleared roads on Friday. On Saturday, we attended an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL middle school performance of Seussical Jr. Those kids were fantastic to see!!! Two of my cousins were among the performers and I was so happy and proud to see them up there on stage. I loved every minute of that show. I smiled the whole time and when it was done I told Russ, "THAT was the best show I've seen in a long time!" As the kids hurried off to their cast party to celebrate their accomplishment, I smiled for them. They deserved a good celebration for an outstanding job well done.
As we begin another week, we'll celebrate our dear friends as we record new songs in the studio. We'll all celebrate Thanksgiving and family and a whole host of other things that we remember to be grateful for this time of year. We'll celebrate the fact that there's ALWAYS SOMETHING to be grateful for. I will be looking forward to all of the wonderful experiences that await. When challenges come, I'll look for a way to flip them into opportunities of growth. I'll flip out.
:) :) :)
Here's wishing you all a most joyous holiday!
Namaste!
T
"Choose to be in close proximity to people who are
empowering,
who appeal to your sense of connection to intention,
who see the
greatness in you,
and who live a life that gives evidence
that Spirit has found
celebration through them."
– Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Kool and the Gang - live performance of "Celebration"
featuring Buffalo's own (Lackawanna native) Shawn McQuiller,
who has been a member of Kool and the Gang for the last 23 years!
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