Monday, February 23, 2015

The Trouble with Twenty

I found twenty bucks!



Who would've thought that walking the dogs one frigid morning would bring me twenty dollars?  There it was in the snow.  Bentley almost peed on it.  I looked around instinctively to see if anyone was in the immediate vicinity who may have dropped it.  Nope.  I thought of leaving it there for whoever dropped it to find when they went looking for it.  That was silly.  No one was around.  The wind would blow it away.  Snow would fall and cover it and then a plow could come rip it up.  The decision was made.  I picked it up and brought it home.  Then the question became, what do I DO with the money?  I placed it on my desk and contemplated the possibilities.

As the bill stared back at me over the next couple of days, I made a mental list of all the things I could do with the extra money.  The church bulletin I picked up on Ash Wednesday contained some opportunities for donation.  They were even giving out coin boxes to use for collecting money to benefit children in India.  I thought of many different excellent organizations to give to.  The bulletin also contained "Service Opportunities" and I remembered the priest speaking about donating time.  He also spoke of self sacrifice (for Lent) and reminded us that we could spend a little less time online and call a relative instead.  To use our time in service of others is a great sacrifice for Lent, as opposed to giving up chocolate, he said.  I wondered where the money would really make an impact.  The trouble was that in the grand scheme of things, twenty dollars didn't really seem like it could change the world.  Then I thought about THAT.  I asked myself what would I want to change.

I realized something.  I was actually making a mental list of various ways I could make a difference, or effect positive change if I could.  Then it hit me.  I could do all of those things anyway - I didn't actually need the money to do any of them!

A few big things occurred to me.  One is that we can easily use money (or lack thereof) as an excuse.  I mean, if I wanted to make a difference in young people's lives, I could volunteer somewhere or help someone with their homework.  I could babysit and help a child learn their alphabet.  Did I really need to find twenty bucks on the street to remind me of that?  And what about that Easter candy drive that the church is having to make Easter baskets for children in local hospitals?  Did I really need to find money before I donated a bag of candy for a basket?  And what about ourselves?  Why not invest in ourselves?  Why not buy a book and learn something?  Then pass it on?  And in what creative way could this money grow?  Is there some way to make it multiply?

The possibilities were endless.  I continued contemplating as I drove to Bridgeport, CT on Saturday to see a show that friends of mine were hosting at the Bijou Theater there.  It was called "Your Time to Shine."

BiJou Theater stage, pre-show 

Band member, Apollo Joe, Matt

Show Flyer - with Joe Gray, Capone and Matt

From the show flyer


There they were - Apollo Joe, Capone and Matt along with a band, a panel of judges, a dedicated theater manager and a bunch of bright eyed kids and adults sharing their time and talents.  It was simply beautiful.  It was a living example of all the things I had been thinking about!  Nervous contestants went up and performed while a house full of supporters showed their love and appreciation with applause, admiration and the purchase of their twenty (or twenty-five) dollar ticket.  I had a great time and met some very nice and interesting people (how about that lovely woman next to me who was both a body builder and an opera singer?).  Being there warmed my heart as I remembered being a nervous contestant myself at the Apollo Theater, where I met first Joe (with whom I went on to perform countless shows and who first introduced my husband Russ to Mr. Ray Chew).  I was called up on the Bijou stage as a guest performer and was happy to sing a duet with Joe.  Then there was the popcorn bucket...


Toward the end of the show, someone from the theater presented Joe with an empty popcorn bucket in which to collect donations to help maintain the theater.  Here was a perfect example of people working together to make a difference in a community, in the performing arts, and in children.  He placed it at the front of the stage and people filed forward to cast their bills inside it.  A broad smile spread across my face as I realized where my extra twenty was destined.



Before I had left the house that evening, I wrote a draft of this blog.  Part of it said, "I will find a way to pay this forward in hopes that someone else will be inspired to pay it forward too."

Twenty bucks.  In the grand scheme of life, it's not that much.  It won't make anyone rich or poor by itself, but think of all WE can DO!  What if I matched the twenty I found?  What if I left it somewhere with a note saying:

Dear whoever finds this: 
Please use this to help someone in need.  

What if we started a trend called "Give a Twenty"?  What if we all showed someone else a random act of kindness with twenty bucks (or a twenty minute chunk of our time)?  "Twenty Buck Tuesday"?  Feel free to post your ideas, or just smile and know that you did something in your own way (not to be shared), but let's #GiveATwenty (or #GiveTwenty) and spread some love. #WayToBe

Thank you to everyone who inspired me this week.  Much love...

Namaste,
T

Monday, February 16, 2015

Nurturing the Self

This week was absolutely crazy hectic.  I don't know how it all fit into one week.

I pushed to the limit again with regard to lack of sleep.  I got very little sleep when I flew out of NYC to Buffalo and back, then stayed up all night (again) to go to Nile Rodgers' video shoot - all within a 70 hour window.

Here's the thing though... I recognized the end of the line and took a couple of days to recuperate.  I ate healthy and rested most of the day on Friday, and took it easy on Saturday too.  I needed to.

Louise Hay's calendar for Saturday (Valentine's Day) said this:

Louise Hay's calendar - Feb. 14, 2015

I took it to heart.  ;)

Nurturing myself became a real part of making it all possible and staying healthy.  I exercised, took rest when I needed it, did the things I really wanted to do, eliminated those tasks that could wait and didn't feel guilty about it.  I ate well, drank plenty of water and managed to do four workouts.  I smiled, laughed and enjoyed the beautiful company of good friends.  There's always much to be grateful for.

I Googled "nurture yourself" and found some nice articles on the subject:



I'll keep self-nurturing in mind this week.  I'll keep busy, take good care of myself and be grateful for everything I can think of.


I encourage everyone here to do something - anything - just for yourself.  There are so many suggestions in the links above.

#love #loveyourself #takecare #nurture #nurtureyourself

Namaste,

T

P.S.
Scenes from this past week:

Welcome to Buffalo...


Remembering our friend Lance Diamond Wednesday
at the African American Cultural Center in Buffalo
with Joyce, and Denny and Mike of the 24K Diamond Band


with Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls
(Lance Diamond's photo in the background)


with my cousin Paul
at Club Pacha
for the Chic video shoot performance, NYC


Nile Rodgers, Folami, Fonzi Thornton, Russell Graham
Chic performance, Club Pacha

Nile Rodgers

with Russ - after the show

Chic's performance was a party!


Frosting birthday cookies at daycare center

Dinner with Russ, Apollo Joe, Matt

Monday, February 9, 2015

Well, Which is It?

Is it THIS...

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

- Emily Dickinson

Or THIS...

Hope - that slippery creature of temptation
Shall I let him in?
Is it I, by myself
who allows that slithering beast?

That devil is already inside of me
Waiting...
For any crack in the door
To creep, undetected
Into the deepest recesses of me
And from there
Like a cancer grow.

- T.G. 

Which perception is Truth? Are they both true?  Does it depend on mood?

I have been considering perception and its powerful influence - how we, with the power of our mind, can choose to view any circumstance with a different perspective and create our future with it.

This week, I challenge my perspective of everything.  I encourage myself to see everything from a positive viewpoint.  With faith and gratitude, I know that all is well.  There is really never anything to fear.


Hope can be a beautiful, angelic creature or we can paint it with fear.  Is there something that we are afraid to hope, for fear that it will never be?  What dream is so important?  What idea do we have to guard so fiercely?  What holds that much power over us - that we would choose to kill hope instead of even trying?

This week, I want to figure that out - and make a change.  I want to dare to hope anything!  Isn't imagining something the first step towards creating it?  I don't want to be afraid to imagine anything!  I want to welcome hope and its sweet song!



LET'S DO IT!  

#fearless #daretodream

Namaste,
T

Monday, February 2, 2015

Get Up and GO!


It was a great week!  I finally had the energy to get up and get things done – and I did a lot.  There was a healthy balance of work-related and personal paperwork with creative projects.  Working off of a fluid sort of list, I just kept cranking through and checking things off.

The plan for this week is to keep it moving.  I am keenly aware that follow-through is everything.  I’ve got my new calendar, my lists, my mound of tasks to complete – and I am off!




Here’s wishing you all a productively satisfying week! xoxo

Namaste,

T