Wednesday 30 January 2013

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals "Low Road"

   I can't get enough of this incredible woman lately.  I've devoured hours of time
listening, watching, and loving her video footage and tunes.
   This song especially has a hold on me the past few weeks.  My 'friend' Tate has come 
alive as I soak myself in the music-filled moments Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have given me!  (For that, and this song especially, I offer my humble thanks)
   Take a listen.  Her gift is undeniable, her voice flows from that mouth with an
otherworldly ease, and she feels it, every note, every word, and everything in between!
   Seriously, take a listen, you'll love it, I almost guarantee.  

Friday 25 January 2013

  Ah, Friday, you burst forth on the wings of a frosted sun....

   I've been doing research lately.  Reading old collections of poetry to be more exact.  I've always been an admirer of the poet.  The neat, succinct, and eloquent words chosen for the line; it catches hold of me and refuses to let go.  I've never fancied myself gifted in this area, but oh how I've longed and chased that dream.

   Here's a little something that I'm going to call Today's Truth.  It will likely mean something very different to each of you faithful readers, but that is what it's about.  You will never fully understand my truth as I could never feel yours.  Enjoy these words, this truth, sit on it for a while, let it filter in, resonate, and find home in your heart.

  It is absurd to think that the only way to tell if a poem is lasting is to wait and see if it lasts.  The right reader of a good poem can tell the moment it strikes him that he has taken an immortal wound-that he will never get over it.  That is to say, permanence in poetry, as in love, is perceived instantly.  It hasn't to await the test of time.  The proof of a poem is not that we have never forgotten it, but we knew at sight we never could forget it.

                                                                                                      -Robert Frost


Happy inspired Friday!
   
   

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Gabrielle Aplin - Please Don't Say You Love Me



   Hey, all!
  I thought you all might like to know in spite of my positive attitude, I am human!

I failed miserably at my challenge to myself yesterday.  I hid the day away from the 
cold and nursed this cold that is stubbornly refusing to release its claws from my throat
and sinuses, (if I'm completely honest with myself and all you beauties, I walked around in a state of complete zombie-like vacancy). 

  I'm loving this sweet song these past few weeks, and today I was feeling that I needed something sweet, loving, and encouraging to wrap itself around me weary bones.
   Take a listen and check out the rest of her musical offerings on your favorite music purchasing site!  This one isn't released yet in Canada, but it will be available soon!
  Enjoy, stay warm folks!

Monday 21 January 2013

   Hey, Monday!

  You're here again, what's there to say but welcome, come on in, kick your feet up for a while and enjoy the offerings of a new day.
  In a way Monday's are a breath of fresh air to me.  The weekend is always a bit too busy and social for my liking, and as we race from one place to the next it's often hard to find the time to recharge myself.  Enter just in time - Monday morning.
   The hours before the bus are always frantic, but the moment the door swings shut and the stop sign and bar arm are pulled back and the bus continues down the road, I sigh heavily and take a moment to myself.
   What does the week hold?  I don't look.  Where do I need to be, what do I need to do, who needs this, that, or the next thing?  I wipe it temporarily from my compartmentalized mind.
   Though my coffee has long gone cold, and I have a long list of To Do's, I allow myself a small window where I force myself to remember I'm more than mom, I'm more than chauffeur, I'm more than laundry queen, chef extraordinaire, housekeeper, special teams, gracious hostess, and peace keeper.  (That doesn't even touch on the needs of my husband!)
  I guess what I'm trying to say is I matter.  Me - Jodie.  So I'll take a few minutes to remember me, my goals, desires, longings, gifts, purposes, and aspirations.  I'll tend to Jodie for a few minutes.  I've learned I need that time to be excel and be efficient at all my other tasks.  So I won't apologize for taking that time.  No one wants to be around a miserable woman....right?!
   So here's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to hit publish on this little page, (though this wasn't written Monday morning), I'm going to throw on some clothes and go for a run to clear my head.  I'm going to look around and be thankful for a fresh canopy of snow that sparkles in the sun's light.  I'm going to inhale a harshly cold breath of air and be cleansed from the inside out.  I'm going to sweat the past out of me and start this day new. (Or because it's viciously cold out this morning, I'll hop on the treadmill and be thankful I'm warm and have this handy machine!)
   And when I've done that I'll be ready to take on another week, another hectic schedule, and everything else the week can throw at me.
   Taking care of yourself doesn't have to look the way it does for me.  Maybe all you need is a cup of tea, a friendly smile, a hot bath, or the encouraging glance from the co-worker in the cubicle next to you.
   I guess this is my way of saying small things are important in the big picture.  You are important.  Take care of yourself - not in the big ways that cause more stress, but in the small spots where the greatest difference rests.
   Have that cup of tea.  Claim that song, verse, or encouragement as your day's mantra and sing like the world needs to hear you!  Dance with your arms flailing, run like the wind, throw your entire being into what it is that you do!  
   Simple things can help you be a better you!
   Enjoy this beautiful, (and terribly cold) Monday!

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Friendly Fires - Hawaiian Air

   Have you, like me, hit the time of year where all you can think of is beaches, palm trees, fruity drinks and warm air?  Oh boy...I'm not gonna lie, it's on my mind more than is likely healthy.
  I've had this song rolling through my distracted mind for the past week at least.  It says a lot about what I'd like right about now....!
   Have a good old listen, and if you're one of those lucky ones who will be sitting in a cramped seat for a few hours in the next few days...Lucky You!!  I wish you happy travels, warm air, and all the relaxation your location of choice can provide you!  If you fancy putting this on your holiday playlist think of me, I'll be bundled up tight and likely wielding a shovel!
   Happy Hawaiian Air!

Sunday 13 January 2013

   The holidays are now fully in the past and only a memory.  Have you all weathered your first days of 2013 with all the joy and anticipation imaginable?!  Ha, well it's early days!

   I've fought a power packed fight the past few months and I was surprisingly coming out on top of each and every bacteria and germ brought into our home.....my fight is over, I've succumbed.  I tried everything and I thought I was the stronger combatant; Oil of oregano was my friend, honey and cinnamon was choked back, extra vitamin C anyone?  Well I tried it all and was feeling rather smug about my cold-less streak......
   I've now had to set that smugness aside.  My throat is on fire, my head is pounding, I'm pretty sure sinuses are not made to harbor whatever is going on in there for any amount of time, and I would absolutely love for the elephant sitting on my chest to vacate the premises.  That's right!!!  Oh yeah, and I'm blaming my chicklets for this nasty cold bug that's got me down.  Who else would share with me such a delightful little treat?!

   Anyway enough of my melodrama!  I hope you all are enjoying your weekend.  Over in my neck of the woods we were treated to one serious snow storm; the sort that had all events cancelled, forcing us to hide inside instead of racing and chasing the day away.  The drifts were a few feet deep and made for some serious snow-fort creations.....
   And now that the clean up is done, I'm skippin town!  That's right! I'm packing up and heading to destinations new and exciting....not really, just a quick over night road trip with my Mom!
   I'm looking forward to it!  It's been a while since she and I have had an adventure without the chicklets and it is well past time!  So we will kick our feet up together and enjoy some serious luxury...any morning the coffee comes to me is a luxury!!  And who doesn't love a road trip soundtrack!
  Enjoy the start of a new week folks!!
  
  

   

Wednesday 9 January 2013

The Power Of A Song  

   Inspiration usually strikes me at the most inopportune moments; I've come to believe that is just typical; for me anyway.  It likes to creep up on me most frequently when I'm running, driving, or in bed trying to sleep.  (I could probably just generalize by saying - any moment when paper isn't at hand)  That's not to say those are the only instances in which the big "ta da" moments happen for me, but more often than not, it's then.

   Let me tell you a story.

   It was a regular Monday night.  The evening was chilly, the stars were out, and a group of six sweaty, giggling, victorious 30-somethingish girls had just stumbled out onto the streets of your average small town.  Their volleyball game ended well and there would be a big W in the column next to their name in the league standings the next day.  It was a good night.
   The local watering hole, and I do say HOLE, was just a street over so all six of us, feeling elated from the win, cruised on over.  Going out after the game had been a forgotten tradition and bringing it back to life had everyone energized.  
   The exterior of the building was new and with anticipation of what the inside of the place would be like we swaggered in.  It was startling.  The outside was made to look like a sleek sort of martini bar but the inside remained untouched.
   Bare thread brown and beige carpet from the seventies set the scene and the brown continued.  You get the idea...I could go on and on about the decor, but seriously, what is a disgustingly sweaty, loud, sweat pant clad group of ponytail wearing women going to complain about?  And besides, due to their lack of decor budget, the drinks were cheap!
   We took over the place, as any loud group of athletes would, and conversations flew around the table.  My mind began to drift, (I know it's sad, but my mind was elsewhere, and I had been searching for clarity in my writing for days).
   We were loud, and the TV's were loud, and on top of that there was music.  It was that which drew my attention.  I recognized the voice, I knew I had heard the song, but I couldn't pinpoint or put a name on either, but one line of that specific song in that specific moment flipped a switch in me.
   I felt a stirring in my chest as I listened to the words....then I felt the spark grab hold of my mind and my mouth couldn't hold back the smile.
   I stopped the conversation, I remember it being very dramatic, like waving arms, pounding chests, hammering my fists on the table yelling STOP....LISTEN...DOES ANYBODY KNOW THIS SONG, but in reality it was probably just me bumping shoulders with the girl next to me asking her if she'd heard it before.
   That's where a colossal wave of inspiration hit me, and those beautiful words ran through my mind like a circling banner.

   "...when your heart won't tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say..."
                                                                                                   zac brown band

   Those words still get me every time, and I will remember the moment I heard them and what they did to me, forever.  They make me smile, they make me want to shuffle my feet, they make me want to hug myself and spin in delighted circles...cheesy, I know.  
   What may be coolest of all in that moment was not how it sparked a story in my heart and had my fingers flying over the keys, but rather how those words changed something in me.
  
   A song can do that.  It can change things; it can help you see things in a different light, from a different perspective, through different eyes; it can change your path completely.  That's the power of a song!

   

Monday 7 January 2013

Jessie Ware - Sweet Talk

   Hello and good morning to you!
  
   I have so much to say, and I feel as though these past few weeks of lazing about have done wonders to recoup my weary mind.
  Are you back into the swing of post-holiday life?  I hope so and I hope it hasn't been tough to have that alarm startle you awake this morning!
  Here's a smooth tune to ease you into a new week, a new year, and for many, that first day back at it!
  This video is super cute and sent me reeling back to the days where I would cruelly force my cousins to sit and be my audience for hours, (And though my props and backdrop were not nearly as cool, I apologize for never sharing the "spotlight"!)

  Anyway, enjoy! It's great to be back!