Art, The Great Inner Bridge

   February hangs on by a day, reminding me, that mother earth is in control. The day is cold and full of sunshine, so it finds me only a little melancholy. So I decide to write. ( There is a cake in the oven, so my sense of smell should take care of the blues!) ( I never let them win!!)
   Coming to the close of another month, I like to share what I have been reading. Usually it is a mountain of books, but this frigid month, I stayed with one read. This is so unlike me, that I have had to stop and think about this phenomenon. One book, in one month, this may be a first! I have always liked first, so this may be a new trend. ( Don't bet on it!) ( You know how fast I read!!)
   The book title is Seven Thousand Ways To Listen by Mark Nero.
Some may say, I am a good listener, some would say not. I feel that it is an important quality that could use some tweaking . I have mastered tuning out, in the midst of chaos so well, that listening can also be lost.
  So this choice was educational, and entertaining. This book should probably be taught in school, and all adults should revisit this book often. It is a beautiful piece of....I don't know how to say it. A discussion, a conversation, a metaphor, a piece of memoir, a poem, a story about listening. To me it is a piece of art, that connects the dots.
    I surround myself with art, for its healing powers. The art of cooking, the art of writing, painting, photography, reading, decorating, gardening, music. These many art forms, make me a better person. This piece of art that I just finished reading, will forever touch me.
  Below are a few lines from the book, that hold my heart with its words.
We will not perish for want of information; but one want for appreciation
At every turn in every day we are presented with angels in a thousand guises, each calling us to follow their song
When we lose our map, our real knowledge of the path begins
An old woodsman told me that the reason most people get lost is because they don't go far enough
I went inside to another place, searching for him in the remnants I carry in the back of my heart
we still must guard against becoming intoxicated by the sediment of life
Taste everything and be surprised
When we can stop talking, stop mapping, stop the chatter in our minds, we listen
Art Is the great inner bridge that lets the song of inwardness sing us
Joy is the hum of oneness
My first teacher on how to listen was the sea
( know I should stop, but the entire book is highlighted!!) (Jimmy Fallon would say, "Its the Best")


Try not to impose your human speech on everything you meet ( this is hard ! my words)


We often wear so many opinions that wonder has very little chance of touching our skin

Just because someone has invented the clock, does not mean you have to hurry through life

Iam sixty (really 61) and entering what the Chinese call the fifth season

OK, there is more, so much more, it took me a month to read!!! This is a book about listening to yourself, others, the earth, your God or whomever your spiritual guide is.  Mr. Writer of this book, said that this is the challenge to living: to take what we hear, despite our diminishments and make whatever music we can for as long as we can.

Listening is a great art, I hear you.

Uma, Why?

    February, you beat me down, and pull me back up. What are you doing?
    My mother being gravely ill, has consumed my thoughts this February. She has been ill since August and February has not shown her any thing but sickness. Pneumonia took its toll, on her fragile body. We all have been living hour to hour. My cousins and brothers, dad have had the physical job of taking care of her, or visiting her in many hospitals. This morning she called me, and we talked for about 20 minutes. She had a good night, and we grab that and hold on. Heaven to me, is hearing my mothers voice. I will be down soon mom. I thank the above for my mom knowing how to text, and my family for keeping me in the loop. Especially my brothers, who make me laugh daily, at the most inappropriate times. Cousin Mel has also been under the Blackman Umbrella of hysterical laughter, we are funny people.

    In fact just this week, my grandson Adrian, or maybe it was Finn, asked me, " Uma, why do you laugh so much?" We were at the circus, and you would have thought I had never been. It was so much fun, watching them laugh at the silly gags of clowns, that I got tickled and could not stop. Then they laughed harder at me, and you know how that goes. People around us were laughing at us.
   Then came the horses, I was yelling and screaming, " Oh My, Look At Those Horses!" These beast were in our laps, and you know Iam a horse whisperer!! Our eyes connected, I love horses, and one of the boys said, " Uma, why do you love animals so much?"
 "Oh Adrian or Finn, can't you feel the love from the horse, and their little boy heads confirmed YES!
   Then there were the little twin girls. They were young and not circus ready, so I decided to play with them. Patty cake, and touch their sweet hair, ( Their mom was happy anyone was not throwing them in the arena) when Adrian ( I know it was him this time!) said, " Uma, why do you touch people?" Emma chimed in, " She does it to everyone, even strangers!" Well....I love people Adrian, I love Animals and I love to laugh. He smiled, all 8years old smile and asked for his popcorn! One day he will get it, a life lesson at the Big Apple Circus, for all of us.
   February has been full of love, near and far. Colder then a well diggers ass, or a witches tit, but filled with love.
   That's why!

   

The LONG and Winding Road

   I have had this blog in my head for weeks, looking for the right words to describe The Beatles, and I may come up short.
   Fifty years ago, these four boys, changed, shifted the atmosphere of so many. Adults and kids paid attention.
   That Sunday night, I remember getting to stay home from church, to watch this thing? we were not sure what to expect. Our families knew, that it must be big, there was a buzz in the air.
   My cousins came over to our house, because my daddy ALWAYS had the best TV in the Jacksonville area! We were all crammed into our dinning room, I think they had turned it into a TV room by then. My cousin Becky and I held hands, screaming and looking at others watch us. I can not say for sure, who was there, and what people were saying, I just know that after that night I was different. My eleven year old mind and body ( which was going on 18 !!) was forever knowing a different kind of love.
  I loved the Beatles, down to my toes. I felt funny inside, I was in love with Paul and I was going to marry him. So, without hesitation, I wrote him a letter.
   Me and hundreds of other little girls, and maybe guys too. We all loved them, we loved their music, we were allowed to twist and shout! We collected Beatles trading cards, we took the bus to the Florida Theater to watch A Hard Days Night. We played records, albums, on big ass stereo players. I would lay on the floor with my ear right up to the speakers, the music was inside of me. It still is.
  It is playing on my CD player right now.
  Yesterday, I watched a documentary on George Harrison, on HBO. I spoke into the Ipad, " You changed my very thought pattern!"  Each song he had written, during and after the Beatles sent me to Nirvana.
  When John died, my sweet husband, took me to New York to mourn, I still think about what he left us and think what else he could have done.
   Paul and Ringo are around and occasionally sing. Ringo, not so good and My Paul, not so bad.
   I think Abbey Road is my favorite album, then I hear the early stuff, and my heart sinks. Their words without the music, is food for my soul.
   That Sunday night we did not know what was coming, but I think my generation was ready. We were born for change, and we had a Ticket To Ride.
    There are no words, I have looked, all on this page come from my heart.
    I love with Beatles, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Chaos

  As I sit down to type, there are men upstairs putting down hardwood flooring in the hall and stairs. Lucy, the lab, is under me, the noise freaks us all out!! I, at least, have ear plugs in. The cats are jumping off the walls crazy. Lainey is under the couch in our bedroom, wheezing away and Diana is, god only know where. I did wake up to cat urine on the new couch at five am! Chaos in the Baron household.
   Each year we try and do something, what I call, house repairs. Usually I wait until summer, so I can somewhat escape, but with travel lined up, we moved up the fix this stage, a few months.
   Our home is probably about 28 years old, a huge brick, typical Atlanta house.
   Lovely, and needs some love.
   Last year or the year before, I have lost track, new kitchen, two new baths. Year before, new back deck. This year flooring upstairs and two more baths to do. Out door fence, and some bulkheads to work on, and re do driveway. Those things are on a very long list. Now all of upstairs needs new paint, blah, blah,blah.
   I love this house, it is lived in, and welcoming. Big home repairs, send me, to .....not a happy place. ( I have a mouth guard in, because last big project, I got lock jaw from gritting my teeth so much!) I have to laugh, this is not a big deal. I am blessed to be able to afford all these things, and I appreciate the fact, that it takes very little to please me. Just a moment ago, the main man, brought me, broken spindles from the stairs, I told him to go to home depot and buy whatever he wanted. How bad could it be? Its a spindle for the love of Jesus. He asked me if we had some paint, I did not ask why, I told him that conversation would have to come later. Iam in the middle of a blog, I have to get things down, before they flee my attention span of thirty seconds! ( I wish I had shot a picture of Lucy breaking through the plastic on the door, it look like The Shinning, instead of Jack it was Black! Lucy!) You have to laugh, or the tears will drown you. The two men working, are Mexican or Latin, whatever you choose to say, but yesterday I thought they were speaking Iranian, I think I may be on the edge of crazyville!!
  Well, I just had to share, as my mom said, " It will look so nice." Thanks mom, " I may be a little concerned about how it will look, when your eldest best daughter in the world, is in a straight jacket, with Lucy and the cats with Diamonds! with me!"
  Whats a little Chaos? I got this!

Good Seats

     I think a glass half full or empty is never the right question. What is in the glass, determines if you care or not!
     That too goes for good seats. If the concert , play or movie is bad, the seat is not an issue.
     This past weekend, I had good seats( perfect season tickets for The Fox, thanks for listening to me Bill)
a good date ( son Hart) and a banging musical, fantastic play. ( The Book of Mormon)
      Yes, The Book of Mormon ( mom you can skip this one!) was off the charts, hilarious and blasphemous! Right up my alley.
As soon as I saw Jesus in his white robe with rope lights for the trim, I knew I was in for a ride. This irreverent, cheeky, sacrilegious piece of heaven, played to a full house. The music, each song and dance, was memory making. The stage was a hodge-podge of design perfection. I was transported to hell and Uganda with a turn of a door. Nine Tony awards, was not near enough, for this South Park writers masterpiece.
 It left you roaring with laughter or covering your mouth, with " Did they just say that?"
 I asked Hart, in between screaming with hoots, " Do Mormons come see this play?" It was rough around the edges and pure raw in the middle, all godly people were included in the party.
  I know at some point there must have been people in a tizzy, not knowing what they were in for, surely you would not have gone. I knew what to look forward to, and I was a happy girl.
  I love humor in my life, and if it has music to go with it! Thank you Jesus!( even the light up Jesus!)
 This obscene jewel is now on my list with, Rent, Wicked, Billy Elliot as another one of my favorites.
   Good Seats and a Good Play, my glass was full!
Amen and Amen

February, Be Nice

   Not in my wildest dreams, can I believe it is February. Nor can I believe the ice, minimal snow, storm that blanketed Atlanta last week.
  January, good-bye and I will make other arrangements for next year. Key West get ready, this girl is over this mess.
  I could not even blog last week, due to weather anxiety and clothes claustrophobia!! I don't do coats!
  This Saturday, there is a glimpse of weather fit for humans, and it reminded of something I had to tell you.

  The book, Humans Of New York, is a must have for all. Not the Kindle version, the turn the page, and smell it, touch it, lick it , if needed.I had been seeing some pictures on Facebook about this hoopla, and my friend BA/Bird/Brooks Anne turned me on to the fact that  it was indeed a book.
   I only download books, so how can I do that with a picture book? I think that will not work, so I ordered it.
  Hubs has a birthday soon, and was born in New York, so it seemed like a good gift. A gift that I can also share, is always a good choice!
  It had been hidden in the laundry room for a couple of weeks, and I did not think anything about it. That was until Bill said, " I didn't like this Humans of New York on Facebook, how did it get on my page!" My eyes may have become large like, " WHAT!" I just let it ride. Then several hours later, he continues, " Here it is again, what is this Humans of New York, How can I delete it?"
  I replied, " Just look at the pictures, I think they are nice." ( This was his present, and he was going to like it, right??) One more time, he mentioned it, three was the straw. I walked, with a purpose! ( maybe hard!) and found the jewel, and said, " Here is your early birthday present, and maybe it will help you understand."
  He was a little red in the face, but laughed at the irony.
   After a few pages, and no noise, I asked him if he liked it. True to Dr. Bill's fashion, " Yes it is very nice."
  It is not nice, it is life altering. I have not seen a book like this, ever, in my 61 years. People in all there humanness!! ( Not sure if that is a word?) People jumping off the page at you, with little neat captions, thoughts, snippets of pure, grit your teeth, joy!
   I beg of the human race, to go buy this book, and not only see New York, in her glory, but look at people uncovered and shinning.
  Brandon Stanton, studied at The University of Georgia, was a bond trader in Chicago and had an epiphany! Got a camera in 2010, and the rest is history. What a grand story, people, go online this minute.
  We all have a story to tell, with words or pictures, or both.
 I love this book, so much and I know Bill does too, in his way. ( I know you are all smiling!) ( We all have our own ways!)
 Tell your story to someone, share this book with others.
 Celebrate all the people in every city, color, size, religion, We are the Humans of New York, all of us!