Hi Folks!
Mo basting the Turkey!!! Num-num!
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times to gather and celebrate. I love everything about it! From the amazing food, to the gathering of people and to the sentiments of gratitude from which we give thanks!
Gratitude truly is a medicine of the mind. It remedies our “stinkin’ thinkin’” and sets us right again. It puts us back in touch with the larger picture. I am always grateful I can hit the reset button when I am feeling not so fortunate or when sour circumstances arrive. I can take stock in the things I AM grateful for and it refreshes my perspective. While attending Center for Spritual Living (CSL) a few weeks ago our beloved Rev. Jackie said something that really struck home. She said, “if you are not finding your gratitude, see where your sense of entitlement is coming in”…basically (and I’m way paraphrasing here) entitlement strips us of gratitude. This was a powerful “food for thought”. I walked away thinking, “that is so right”. When we feel entitled or “owed”, we are not living in gratitude. I rolled around with this thought in my mind for a long time. How can you be in gratitude when you are expectant. Expectant of a certain standard or outcome? How do you appreciate? That message has turned me around in some positive ways.
It’s been a busy month this past month. We zoom around quite a bit and the month of November was all about staying home, saying no and getting organized. I feel like I need another 3 months of this actually. Of course I said “yes” to things, but I also kept plugging away at the kitchen cupboards which bled over to another room and yet another room. Throwing things away, giving things away, wondering WHY was I hanging on to this or that? In some senses, I’ve been purging and going through a “Spring” cleaning in the Winter.
Why not? This is the time for us to do these things? Our Spring/Summer is a run, so when we have the time and inclination, then we organize, right? I have LOT I am wanting to get done this next year. I have a desire to know where everything IS in this house and I believe this will bleed over into songwriting.
See, when we are cluttered and feeling disheveled, writing is sometimes the last thing we do…or could be the first thing we do. I reach for pen and paper always, yet…can I FIND the creations I just wrote on that napkin somewhere in that box or file? Ha! If I can find my special pen and it’s not drowned down deep in a drawer, chances are…I can move on the muse. When the muse happens I can be ready for it. And with less clutter I won’t have the distraction and can get right to it! Make sense?
I’m also back on an exercise program. That’s been pretty intense and my body has been somewhat sore, but…I’m feeling stronger. The other thing I did last week was give a talk at CSL. This took a lot of time and preparation in my mind.
I wanted it to be relative to all who were listening. The hardest part was trying to nail down the subject of the matter. I wanted to include my songs on gratitude, which I did with “All about Me” and “Thankful”. I also wanted to impart some insights on stepping up and also overcoming aspects that might be considered “set backs”.
I am including the talk for you on the Mp3 download section so feel free to give a listen. Now, know this…I am NOT a public speaker…but I wouldn’t mind getting better at this. I do love to share stories and talk to crowds, but it also scares the begeebees out of me too. But it’s fun! I feel alive, connected and all the things I speak about in the talk. So check it out if you would like. Here’s a little clip of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRdTrJIDpYg
Mostly…I just wish to say how grateful I am for all of you! I appreciate your constant support. Mo and I are organizing and planning our Spring/Summer schedule during these winter months. We are also playing, not as much but still keeping our “chops up”, and we are not traveling anywhere for a while. This feels good. I wish to work up a good bit of cabin fever so I am ready to take to the road! Ha!
We are going over new material too and checking into songs that may need refreshing. Those poor “babies” that have fallen off of our set list for months on end.
Also, this month we will meet with our friends Sundea + Mr Goesll as they come through and play at a venue we’ve connected them with. They will be having a new CD released in March and they are covering a song I wrote called, “I Love My Baby Better”. So stay tune!!!!
As the holiday rolls out, my the warmth of gratitude be ever present, illuminating like the light that you are!!!
Thank you friends!
Niccole, Mo and Juno
