Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I Have a Song in My Heart
Sorry for the long break in posting, but I've been going through a blogger's version of writer's block. Anyways, I felt myself become unstuck tonight at yoga. We were lying there, listening to a chant, when I began to think, "This is music for every mood." It was happy and wistful and passionate and mellow, all at the same time.
Now, normally, I don't get too excited about New-Age music, but this chant vibrated my joints and made my fingers tingle. Maybe music affects me more than it does other people, but I doubt it. While most people get annoyed at the question, "What kind of music do you like?", almost everyone I know has at least a few songs that stir something deep inside, like this chant did for me.
Personally, besides random yoga music, I am liking Civil Wars, the Kinks, and Bobby Womack lately. Also, I have a special place in my heart for Karen Carpenter's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (don't laugh until you listen to it - it captures the myriad of feelings, including longing, that come up this time of year - yeah, I know I'm a nerd). So, what songs capture your feelings this year? I would love to find even more songs for my iPod and, maybe, feel that tingle again.
Now, normally, I don't get too excited about New-Age music, but this chant vibrated my joints and made my fingers tingle. Maybe music affects me more than it does other people, but I doubt it. While most people get annoyed at the question, "What kind of music do you like?", almost everyone I know has at least a few songs that stir something deep inside, like this chant did for me.
Personally, besides random yoga music, I am liking Civil Wars, the Kinks, and Bobby Womack lately. Also, I have a special place in my heart for Karen Carpenter's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (don't laugh until you listen to it - it captures the myriad of feelings, including longing, that come up this time of year - yeah, I know I'm a nerd). So, what songs capture your feelings this year? I would love to find even more songs for my iPod and, maybe, feel that tingle again.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
My Resolutions to Make the New Year Bright
It's the most wonderful time of the year - right? I promised myself that when I decided to make this blog more personal, it wouldn't just be me ranting endlessly about personal insecurities. Today, however, I am going to take exception to that rule. While I have been busy running around doing my holiday shopping, something has been on my mind. I feel like I am in a state of inertia. I need a challenge. So, in the spirit of the season, I have decided to make my New Year's resolutions. I hope you will feel free you post your own here:
1. I WILL quit smoking. (for those of you who follow this blog, you know I tried to quit a few weeks ago. Despite my resolve, it didn't happen because I noticed I was getting a little depressed every time I went an extended period of time without smoking. Hopefully, this is just a temporary hurdle. My solution (among the many I could choose from) is to try to slowly ween myself off so I don't have a nicotine-withdrawal-induced breakdown.
2. Find new challenges. I am not sure what this is going to look like yet. I have been playing around with the guitar a little bit, but I'm not sure that I want to concentrate my energy on just one thing. There are so many challenges I could take on that I get overwhelmed by the choices. As a result, I stay home and watch tv (probably not the plan I want to go with). So I'm torn between finding one area to really focus on challenging myself or to find little things to challenge me everyday. Maybe I'll go with both choices.
3. Try to find time to meditate consistently. I swear it really does make a difference. It's like brushing my teeth. I know it's good for me and sometimes I even enjoy the sparkly fresh clean feeling, but it's a challenge to make myself do it after every meal. I hope to make meditation a consistent practice, so I can enjoy a multitude of benefits.
4. Volunteer. I think the best way to get rid of that underutilized feeling is to give back to others, so starting in January, I will be volunteering at a local mental health center.
I could go on and on, but these are my top resolutions. I hope to explore the idea of taking on new challenges, as well as hearing some of your resolutions in the coming days.
1. I WILL quit smoking. (for those of you who follow this blog, you know I tried to quit a few weeks ago. Despite my resolve, it didn't happen because I noticed I was getting a little depressed every time I went an extended period of time without smoking. Hopefully, this is just a temporary hurdle. My solution (among the many I could choose from) is to try to slowly ween myself off so I don't have a nicotine-withdrawal-induced breakdown.
2. Find new challenges. I am not sure what this is going to look like yet. I have been playing around with the guitar a little bit, but I'm not sure that I want to concentrate my energy on just one thing. There are so many challenges I could take on that I get overwhelmed by the choices. As a result, I stay home and watch tv (probably not the plan I want to go with). So I'm torn between finding one area to really focus on challenging myself or to find little things to challenge me everyday. Maybe I'll go with both choices.
3. Try to find time to meditate consistently. I swear it really does make a difference. It's like brushing my teeth. I know it's good for me and sometimes I even enjoy the sparkly fresh clean feeling, but it's a challenge to make myself do it after every meal. I hope to make meditation a consistent practice, so I can enjoy a multitude of benefits.
4. Volunteer. I think the best way to get rid of that underutilized feeling is to give back to others, so starting in January, I will be volunteering at a local mental health center.
I could go on and on, but these are my top resolutions. I hope to explore the idea of taking on new challenges, as well as hearing some of your resolutions in the coming days.
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