Today, on Twitter, @bytera shared a video link with me. I agree with Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo.com – it is the best version of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me I’ve ever heard. Listening to it now for the 10^th time, I am no less impacted by the raw emotion, the passion, the humanity of the song. I am uplifted and encouraged and hopeful that perhaps this small planet of ours has a chance to overcome greed and malice and hate and bigotry.

It affects me on many levels. Personally, it reminds me I am not alone. There are things I face now and have faced unknown to even my family. Things I don’t write here because it’s not time and I’m not comfortable with that level of sharing. Also – It reminds me of why I love to sing and how, if I were offered the choice, I would rather sing with these artists than Beyonce or Etta James or even Aretha Franklin. And I would be supremely honored for the chance.
 

There’s a thread that runs through us all. As it passes from soul to soul, the thread becomes a cord. The cord becomes a rope and, whether we know it or realize it, we are all connected. We are bound. It is the thread of humanity. It’s deeper and richer than the cars we drive, the money we waste or the money we need. It surpasses the beauty of a Degas or the sound of Mozart, though both reflect our need and hunger to reach and touch and feel this connection.

Some of us are numb to this. Some of us have forgotten. But the connection is there and when we put down our weapons and our words and our hate, we find we have more in common than the things that divide us. We find that vegan and carnivore, black and white or brown, rich or poor – these are only labels. They are things that do not give true value or meaning to a soul. (more…)

Welcome back!

For whatever reason, my 10 for Tuesday lists seem to be popular. I thought I’d take advantage of that and post one for Wednesday. (It’s my blog, I can change the rules whenever and however I want.) So with no idea what I’ll put on the list, let’s see what I come up with. (more…)

Life is strange. And unexpected. It is mysterious and stranger than fiction. And all the other little cliches people assign to it. 

Life is full of dips and dives, mountaintops and valleys. In the midst of great heartache, one can find joy so ecstatic it overwhelms.

Today, I got a couch. And talked with a friend. And heard my child laugh. 

Today, I smiled. I smiled bigger than I have in a long while.  

Today, I found courage.

And I realized my life isn’t quite over yet. I realized the pain that envelops will dull over time and the thought that, if I allow it, happiness does not have to be a stranger to me.

Today I saw one intention come to pass and it gave me hope that if I dared to dream it, bigger, deeper, more hidden dreams could expand and unfold, if I let go and let myself dream them.

Today I found, in the smile of a friend, the courage to face what I must and the hope of better things to come.

Monday was my regular session with life coach, Jennifer Priest. (If you’ve missed the conversation, please catch up here.) It was a tough session. I had to face a major personal decision I made recently. Jennifer, with her questions, dissected each answer I gave and forced me to analyze my actions to see if I’d really made the right decision for me. Even days later, I am still thinking of her questions. (Can you hear the doubts?) (more…)

So, I’m still planning my $4 a day budget diet and ramen noodles seem like such an obvious choice. One pack is 15 cents! How can you go wrong? BUT – the flavor packets are SO friggin high in sodium, I think a whole week of Ramen noodles, prepared as directed, would bloat me fatter than a puffer fish at a Freddy Cougar movie fest.

Plus – I get bored easily and really need some creative ways to use Ramen. I did a quick search and turned up, believe it or not, blogs devoted to the preparation of Ramen Noodles. (Whodathunkit?)

Here’s some of the more extensive blogs I found. I’m sure I’ll be pulling recipes from the pages of these bad boys.

• http://ramenblog.com/
• http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVU4IkzMNIo

You have to check out that link, and stick around for the boy to get a second chance…..