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It’s Monday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational song of the week!
a light-hearted ditty that will put the twinkle back into your smile and the tapping back into your toes.
I dare you to listen to this song, sway back and forth, snap your fingers and sing along.
Go ahead
I double dog dare you.
See, now don’t you feel better!
Of course you do!
xoxoxoxo Pam
I originally received this in an e-mail and nothing said who the author was. It really struck a chord with me, and I have kept it in my things for over a year.
I’d like to share it with you because it is still so timely and beautiful. Enjoy.
“In music, a grace note is the pause between notes that is so important to the pacing of a song. Grace is the state we are in when we are doing nothing but just being who we are. When we accept that we always exist in a state of grace, we are able to live our lives more graciously. Knowing we are graced gives us hope, makes us more generous and allows us to trust that we are taken care of even when we are going through difficult times. Grace is our benevolence of heart, and our generosity of spirit. Grace is unconditional love and the beauty that is our humanity. When we know that we are blessed with grace, we can’t help but want to live our lives in harmony.”
Have a wonderful day 
Pam
It’s Monday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational song of the week!
(click the link above to go to YouTube to hear the song.)
The movie and the soundtrack both are a perfect example of inspiration. They were inspired by the life and music of Johnny Cash . Johnny was haunted his whole life by the voice of his disapproving father, and yet continued to pursue music. Even when his first wife begged him to get a “real” job, he stuck with his dream of writing music and performing. He made mistakes, and despite those mistakes his authentic voice touched millions of others. The realness of his mistakes and his ability to share them, made him a hero to normal folks. During his lifetime, he sold millions of records and inspired millions of people to write letters about how he was really telling their story.
Johnny Cash was a real person, who did exactly what he was put on this earth to do.
Even and especially when it was hard.
This song is a testament to the spirit that lived within him, his gift to himself for sticking to it.
And a gift to us who really do need it and appreciate it, still today!! xooxxo
That is inspiring!
Enjoy the song. Go rent the movie too if you get a chance.
xoxo P
I took my normal 4 mile walk today and as I was walking, I asked myself,
” What does inspiration feel like?”
Many different things came to mind. Songs, books, poetry. But nothing felt just right.
After I came home from my walk, I wrote down on my notepad
“What does inspiration feel like?”
I then made lunch, chatted with my son and opened my e-mail.
I noticed a note from the Communicatrix. I opened it, read the post “Feeling your way to Fabulosity”, and then followed a link to Danielle LaPorte’s post of today “11 slightly scary ways to become a better you.” There in the comments was the very word I had been sussing out along my walk. Read on….
“Someone asked me what the workshop was just yesterday; I hemmed and hawed and finally said “INSPIRING.” It was inspiring just hearing people tell their stories, and not a little humbling.”
I must now take a moment and be completely honest.
I do not know very much about the technical aspects of blogging.
I’m overwhelmed with the volume of knowedge I don’t have yet and I’m confused by the jargon.
I have decided to start blogging because I have been inspired to do it.
I am working on faith that I will become more comfortable with the technicalities in time, but mostly I am blogging because I know in my heart this is what I’m supposed to be doing.
I’m writing this blog because all of the signs I see and hear point to it. Lyrics to songs, such as “With Imagination” by Harry Connick, Jr., reading Havi Brooks, Naomi Dunford of Itty Biz, and Chris Guillebeau of the Art of Nonconformity, have all lead me to this very post.
Even more than just them, there is this sensation of needing to be more than what I am. A need to stretch out and “demonstrate gratitude, insight and inspiration”. (okay, add Seth Godin to the list up above).
I’m trying to focus on my long-term goal of being an inspiring artist, despite all of the distractions of everyday life i.e. home schooling my son, moving back to Michigan (end of July), cooking, cleaning, teaching English/Cooking/Art classes. Being inspired certainly does not guarantee rainbows and butterflies, but it sure does make life a lot sweeter along the way.
So in between all of the laundry, dishes and moving all over the world, inspiration keeps me going.
It’s hard work, and I get drag-ass tired sometimes.
But I sleep well knowing that I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing, despite the distractions.
What do you think?
What does inspiration feel like to you?
Pam
It’s Monday morning and time for the Inspirational song of the week!!!
Harry-Connick Jr.- With Imagination
This song is the epitome of inspiration.
Enjoy!
xoxo
Pam
Even though I currently live in Brasil, I still enjoy volunteering to help out with promoting my hometown farmers market, called Beets, Beats & Eats. We affectionately call it the BB&E and it is entering it’s fourth year. It is located in Crossman Park, right in the heart of downtown Ortonville, behind Glass with Class Bead store, and next to the Township offices. The park features play equipment for the kids, mature trees and a truly intimate atmosphere. There is organic produce vendors (beets), musicians(beats) are invited to attend and a dinner vendor (eats) provides a low cost meal. BB&E started June 12 and will run every Friday night from 6pm til 9pm until September 4th.
I ran the BB&E during the 2007 season. When I found out I was going to be moving to Brasil, I conned persuaded Debbie to become the market manager. Even though she had other projects going on, she had helped me tremendously during my time and so she knew what the job required.
I am thrilled to announce that Debbie has just kicked off the fourth BB&E. It was an AWESOME night with an Art contest (the third one), as well as bounce houses. Debbie said the park averaged 200 people from 6pm until 8pm when game 7 of the Stanley cup play-offs started.
Debbie has done an extraordinary job at keeping this event running. She has not only taken over for me, she has made it better, adding weekly theme nights, encouraging more volunteers to participate and then physically going door-to-door to promote and encourage local business to support the BB&E. Her dedication, tenacity and cheerfulness are impressive. It is because of this extraordinary woman that the BB&E continues to be something to look forward to in Ortonville. I am proud to call her my friend.
My son and I will be attending the BB&E next week on our visit home to Michigan. I can’t think of anywhere I would rather be on a Friday night.
p.s. In answer to my earlier posted question “If you expect the worst, what is the best you can get?” There is no right or wrong answer, but the one I got from my son (when he was only 6) is ” You get what you deserve”.
With that in mind, I think I deserve to have inspiring people in my life, as well as inspiring places to go. Debbie Baker. BB&E, Friday nights, Crossman park in Ortonville, MI. Check it out. 
I started home schooling my son halfway thru the second grade. I knew we would be moving to Brasil (btw, I spell it this way because that is how Brasilians spell it and of anyone on the planet, they would know the proper way to spell their countries name) in June of 2008. I wanted to make sure that we were prepared to handle the move and more importantly the day to day living outside of our home country. My head was reeling with all of the many lessons I was trying to teach my son, but I knew the most important lesson of all had to do with attitude.
I was taking my daily walk around the lake with my chocolate lab, Tootsie Roll and I got to thinking “attitude is like the rudder on a boat. If the rudder is stuck, the boat just goes in circles. It’s the same as with the attitude. If your attitude sucks, then your gonna have a really crappy time.”
I kept on walking and thinking about the metaphor of life and a boat.
I came home from my walk and immediately grabbed a piece of paper and colored pencils and drew a picture of “the boat”.
Later, while we were living here in Brasil, I re-drew the boat, made some modifications and then wrote out into words just what exactly the boat symbolized.
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is the standard I used when putting the writing together. I tried to be clear and concise, but leave room for individual interpretation as well.
Please give it a read, and then leave me a comment and tell me what you think of it.
You are the Boat
The boat is a representation of a person sailing through life. I don’t mean everything perfect, no problems, easy, breezy sailing. I mean progressing from now to later.
The body of the boat has three picture windows within it. Inside these windows you can see that the first says fortify, the second says relax and the third says recover. These windows signify three very important things to remember on your journey.
The first window shows provisions, stuff, supplies and the word fortify. These are all of the things you will need such as healthy food, clean clothes, games, music, art, educational supplies and a first aid kit. Anything and everything you will need in the future needs to be collected and brought on board to equip yourself for the journey ahead. (You may even want to think about adding a charming smile, thick skin and a large reserve of confidence.)
The second window shows chairs and a table with playing cards and beer on top of it. This window says relax and refers to the necessity for joviality and fun. Life is not just about work and ambition. Relaxation with friends and family is fundamental for living a complete and healthy life. The key is to feel rejuvenated and renewed after you are finished. Notice this window is placed within the center of the ship. This refers to the need for balance between work and relaxation.
The third window shows a hammock, blanket and pillow. This window says recover and it means to allow yourself complete rest and recovery. It would be fair to say that some events in life are going to be difficult. You will become stronger by facing these challenges. This recovery is learning and you will become smarter and wiser every time you seek out the opportunity hidden within the challenge.
Projecting from the center of the deck is the mast. Upon this is written the word strength. This represents your strength in everyday life. I am not talking about aggression or forcefulness, but the real strength that comes from holding up to the responsibilities and expectations of yourself. The sail is attached to this and it represents your soul. Your soul carries you through every single day. It wakes you up in the morning and it puts you to sleep at night. The mast supports the sail in the same way that your strength supports your soul.
The ropes attached to the mast and sail represent your self-control. The ropes direct the sail to expand and contract, to control the necessary maneuvers. Without this restraint, the sail would be flapping wildly, unable to harness the energy from the wind. The wind represents luck and the sea represents life.
At the top of the mast is the crows nest and flag. These represent forethought and influence. By looking from the crow’s nest, a sailor is able to look far ahead to help decide which way to go. The flag is one of the first things spotted by other people. This symbol will determine your future with everyone who sees it. If a pirate flag is flown, the fear generated from that impression could poison your prospective relationships. It is very difficult to know how scared people are going to react. Take a moment to think about what kind of an influence you want to have before you raise your flag.
Toward the back of the deck is the Captains Quarters. This symbolizes your intelligence. A peak in the window shows a map on the wall, a table with a compass, ships log and feather pen. The map refers to where you are going, where you’ve been and where you are now. It could be called your memory. The compass refers to your moral compass. This allows you to know what you should be doing. The ships log and pen refers to your thoughts and beliefs.
On the bottom of the ship is the keel. The keel of the ship is very, very heavy in order to balance the boat within rough seas and keep it upright. This refers to your responsibilities such as doing laundry, washing dishes, paying bills, cleaning the bathroom, reading with your children, asking your spouse about their day and taking the dog to the vet. All of these things help keep you balanced and focused throughout your life. The keel is heavy because it needs to be.
The rudder at the back of the ship represents your attitude. It is important to keep your attitude appropriate to the situation at hand. If your attitude gets stuck, like a rudder jammed to one side, your boat will only turn in circles, unable to move forward. The rudder itself is rarely seen but its influence is universal.
At the front of the boat is the masthead. This big, beautiful lady represents your esteem. As you go out into the world, the way you carry yourself will determine how people respond to you. Simply put, you will get what you give.
Up on the deck, you will see the crew. Honestly, there is no way you are going to be able to live a complete and satisfying life without support. Your crew refers to your friends and family. Treat them well, respect their abilities, and they will do the same with you. Always remember, to speak well of another is a blessing to all.
At the wheel of the ship is the captain. The wheel represents your heart. Your heart effects your attitude and directs you toward your destination.
The captain could be God, Allah, or the Universe. It is your spiritual guide. Whoever that is, is up to you.
There is an island in the distance, in front of the boat. It is called curiosity and refers to the need to look forward to a goal with eagerness and purpose.
Everyday is an opportunity to make our day into what we want it to be. The best life we can get is right in front of us.
Now that we are almost ready to go home, I can say that this boat has really helped us get thru the past year. We are happy, healthy and strong. I couldn’t ask for more than that, but I will.
It is my hope that this idea of the boat will touch other people. What I really want is the concept of it to kindle something important. I want it to save the world by inspiring people to be the change they want to see.
I know that’s a lot to ask. But if I don’t ask, then I won’t get it. I gotta start somewhere.
Tchau for now, P
Wahooo! I bought a car last night! A 2002 VW Jetta Wagon TDI with heated cloth seats, a power moon roof, silver with black interior and best of all 45 mpg. It is my dream that Garrett will one day over-haul this car to run on biodiesel (which shouldn’t be too hard, considering the model)!!!
So now, I have to fly with Garrett,( who is also excited about the new car but still only 9 years old so he knows he has some time to wait until it is his to play with) to Knoxville, Tennessee to pick it up and then drive it home to Michigan.
I LOVE taking a road trip, especially in a new (okay, new to me) car. It is a tradition of mine to take a really long trip in my new car to break it in get used to it! Now I get to share the joy with my dear son. What a treat!
Only a week left until we travel back home (to Michigan) for a visit.
We’ll be back to Brasil the first of July, in time for Steve and Allie’s wedding.
One more month of expatriate life in Brasil and then it’s back to Michigan for good. Or actually back until the next assignment.
Question of the day “If you expect the worst, what is the best you can get?”
Any answers? I’ll post mine next time.
Tchau for now, P
I have decided to “Do over” my website. I will be adding a blog, essays, recipes, music and many other inspiring elements to this site. I appreciate your patience while I work this all out.
Tchau, Pam
