It Only Takes A Smile

In our times of adversity, watching this brings joy to my heart. Props to Amazon !

Tonight I was able to watch one of my favourite female singers perform at a sold out show in London: Rachael Yamagata. It was so comforting to be in her presence. I always find such joy and contentment being in the atmosphere of familiarity as an expat. I have listened to her for over a decade. She helped me through breakups, longings, love, and bonding time with my friends. This is what artists do for us. 
Things have been quite heated in the US, during the past week. Emotional turmoil, negativity , and frustration are running rampant in our conversations in person, on social media, and even within the quietness of our hearts . This has influenced much of the world and definitely impacted Rachael tonight. It was beautiful to see how she elegantly took the high road in not getting stuck in the political drama and encouraged us the audience to begin focusing on the possibilities . She discussed the importance of sharing kindness within our circles. 
After the concert I was able to meet her , and share this gratitude card with her . As I described to her what the card was about , she gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. It felt amazing to give at least some small token of gratitude to someone who has helped you for years throughout your life.

I feel so blessed to have met one of my favourite musicians and to be greeted with such warmth. 
Take the opportunity to share kindness with those in your realm . And if you ever have the opportunity to meet one of your heroes, take it , and tell them the impact it made.
Pass on the kindness 

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Sometimes we find inspiring things in Facebook . Today it was A beautiful short video on how we want to view and choose the 7 wonders of the world . We forget how amazing life can be.

Tonight we had the pleasure to meet Michael C Hall after an amazing performance in Lazarus. The show was stunning and inspirational. I didn’t know what to expect of this David Bowie co-written musical. It was one of the last creative projects David Bowie worked on prior to his death. I know I will be listening to the vinyl we bought and googling backstory lines to fill in the gaps I missed during the performance. As I am sure this could be dissected on a multitude of levels.
But the most amazing part was seeing my husband meet his favourite actor afterwards. I didn’t understand why he loved this particular actor who chose such intense dramatic dark roles , until recently . 
My husband began watching the show Six Feet Under when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. He took time off work to move to Texas to help care for her . Shortly after finishing this show, he immediately began watching Dexter. Having these intense dramas be part of his life during this trying time was cathartic. Anthony could relate to the intensity Michael C Hall portrayed in his characters. At the time , his emotions were unable to be expressed to the depth Hall did. And he kept on watching. 

At the same time Anthony’s mother had cancer , so did Michael. After six short months, Anthony’s mother passed away. He confined to watch Dexter, and root and pray for Hall as he underwent treatment . During the year of grieving , Anthony’s father visited us for several weeks in Hawaii (where we were living). They bonded through watching cooking shows and Dexter. Several years later, his father passed away as well. And Anthony continued to watch these dramas . 

Last week we saw Michael C Hall was playing the lead in London’s Lazarus. We immediately bought tickets, as we live a subway ride away from the venue. I asked Anthony what he would say if he met his favourite star . It was then I found out the significance of Hall to him. Anthony told me he would like to thank him for getting him through his grieving process. 

Tonight when Anthony met him, he was unable to relay this . There was a line of people asking for photos and autographs . But I knew , and somehow wanted to share this to the famous actor. The ability for Michael to breath life into these dark characters with intricate and intense pasts somehow shed light onto my husband’s path of loss. 

Thank you Michael C Hall and David Bowie and for all artists, musicians, actors, poets, songwriters, and creators for giving life and inspiration to that which we cannot always express. You help us feel and heal through your art, and we are forever grateful. 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowies-lazarus-musical-sets-london-production-w430709

#dexter

Watching this is such an inspiration . It’s never too late to try something new 

The inspiration of Amma
A beautiful simple reminder occurred yesterday after receiving darshan from Amma. I was at a table awaiting to buy a photo of Amma to give to a friend , and what did I see in the photo dish? A gratitude card I had given to someone earlier. At first I wondered if it was the card I gave to Amma Last year, but quickly realised it was a card I had given to a volunteer the day prior. The gratitude I had given to someone already bounced back to me. I don’t know why it was there in the pile of photos. Was it being sold ? Or was it being simply shared?
The impact of Amma on my life has been quite deep that I have yet to put it to words. And yet each time I see her , I try to not have expectations. I learn that the act of seeing her is what it is for that moment.  
Yesterday was the first time my husband received darshan from Amma, and us to receive darshan together. As we went up for our turn , someone was asking Amma questions via her interpreter. This person was Russell Brand. For a moment I didn’t know who to look at: Amma or Russell. I noticed the Ganesh tattoo on Russell’s arm, signifying remover of obstacles (in addition to many things). I was not surprised of this dilemma , as I seem to randomly be surrounded by celebrities. But then the question came , who do I worship? Stardom or spirituality , and here they are momentarily joined.

I inhaled the rose scent that Amma exuded , from the numerous flower offerings that had been bestowed upon her. And kept myself present ,listening to Amma , breathing in the moment. And then it was over.
My time with Amma is always an amazing blur, left for interpretations days and months later .

So much of my life has changed since first hearing about Amma six years ago. I’ve shifted to having a seva focus , serving others , versus attaining goals for myself. 
The irony is the more I offer my life and work to others , the more my goals and dreams have been realised .
For more on Amma visit her website at 
http://www.amma.org. For a brief look at Russell with Amma follow this link 

http://www.russellbrand.com/amma/

This weekend has been my fourth weekend away from home. I am not on a four week vacation , but have been combining work with travel. What I found is it’s exhausting . I am in Bath, a place I haven’t visited for ten years , and have been unable to enjoy it because I have gotten sick. This happens twice a year, I work and travel excessively , and my body can’t keep up. I fall ill.  Ironically it’s happening in Bath, a place known for it’s healing qualities . 

For years Romans believed the goddess Sulis Minerva lived in these healing waters. And maybe I came here to momentarily be healed. Although I did work this weekend here, all free moments were spent resting in my hotel room. This is odd for me, as I am generally on the go. Yet I realise the older I get how important it is to care for yourself on an ongoing basis, or you may be doomed to fall ill. 

(This is the public bathroom at my hotel)

This weekend has reminded me to not just be kind to strangers , but be kind to myself.  We can’t be of help to others if we are run down .

The hidden paths of Venice make it quite easy to lose one’s way.  Each twist and turn down another alley, or over another canal confuses my search for landmarks.  Admittedly I may have lost my way, because as I was earlier walking towards the original destination , I held my breath with sighs of beauty and wonder .  What charm this city held!

With each step to return towards the train station from San Marco plaza , I was unsure of myself.  There was no way to tell in the dimming light if I could reach my shuttle on time.  

But I continued to ask strangers.

I pointed to photos on my phone of the hotel we were dropped off at. I want to go here. Each time strangers were friendly enough to offer their assistance. Without it, I would have been lost in the dark, literally. I made it with time to spare, pride in myself and the kindness of strangers . 

Sometime all I can offer them is this gratitude card, hopefully they know that their assistance was deeply valued.

Grazie 

The boy who inspired all these gratitude cards :Puzo has gotten his stitches out. He had a health scare but now is doing amazingly well.

 Our 9 year old English Bulldog has lived everywhere from Ohio Amish country, Hawaii , LA, Santa Barbara, and back to his homeland England. Just looking at him makes me smile. Who cannot love  bully’s wrinkles? He is a living teddy bear. 

It’s such a relief to know your doggies are well and rested from their doggie vacation as well. Dog mommy guilt is relieved when you know they are in good hands .