Liz Longley - Moondance

A twisted and turned around week!

 I've got no mid-week confession for you this week..... unless me telling you that I love this song is a shocking reveal!!  Nope, didn't think so!  It has everything I need in a song....a voice that slips in and catches your attention, an innocently sexy groove, an acoustic sound, and words; you know how I adore words. 
  I'm a Van Morrison fan.  But this tune combined with this lovely voice had me needing to share this with you!
  It's a good one!  Head over to your music site and buy this tune!

FAVORITE THINGS

  I had such a fantastic weekend!  Running in to so many women in my life that I have been blessed to know has recharged me.  It's going to be a good week!  But first let me tell you a bit of a story.

  Have you ever had a pure and perfect moment of complete, and potentially, soul baring understanding with an absolute stranger? Where everything you're feeling in that single instant is mirrored back to you in another's sparkling eyes?  Where your feeling of joy is reciprocated completely and perfectly?
  Well.
  I absolutely love the idea of this, let's call it a PURE MOMENT.
  I was driving home from the most exhilarating place in town this past Saturday morning.  Can you guess? yep, you got it.....the grocery store.
  I was, for possibly the first time this week, driving all on my own.  I was cruising through traffic, enjoying a song as I waited for the lights to turn green, and as I pulled slowly through the intersection the moment fell on me.
  Oddly enough I have no recollection of what song was on the radio, though I do know it was a good one, because my knee was up, my head was bobbing, and I had the beginnings of a smile on my face.
  Traffic was light, there were very few vehicles around, so I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings.  There were hanging flowers on the light posts in the boulevard, there was a drive thru window to my right that had vehicles slowly trickling through, and on the sidewalk on my left was a biker.  
  The biker was an interesting looking person.  I will describe the look as carefree, spontaneous, easy-living, meandering-to-their-destination-with-lazy-joy.  You get the picture; that biker was getting nowhere quickly, pushing the pedals and loving every hazy, sun-filled, hot-summer-morning moment!
  Well our eyes connected.  There was distance between us, a one way street and a boulevard.  Yet across that space I'm certain our eyes connected.  Those ultra fast, lightning-flash seconds were magic.  Eyes connected, locked fast, we shared a toothy grin; wide and free!  I felt joy passed my way from such a simple response.  It was pure.  Innocent. Intentional.  Encouraging.  Understanding.
  Corny, trust me, I know!
  I have no idea who this person was, nor will we likely cross paths again, but did it matter?
  That brief moment of connection felt deeper than so many of the interactions I've shared over the past few weeks.
  Could that instantaneous connection have felt the same for that biker?  I hope so, because it's was a great feeling.  
  I think the easiest way to explain it is that I feel like that person got everything about me even I didn't understand in that all-to-brief moment.
  
  Well, corny, I just may be!  Over-analyzing, all too likely!  Turning something into something it surely is not.....you tell me!
  
  Have you ever felt that same sort of connection that is gone too quickly but likely difficult to forget quickly?  The sort of connection that takes no effort and is perfect for the time it lasts, for whatever it means in that moment.
  In the very least, though it was so much more than these simple words, that moment gave me something to think about.  It changed my day.  It stirred up something I needed to be reminded of at exactly that moment in time.  
  I bet you want to know what I was reminded of, but you know what? I'm going to keep it to myself this time!
  Think back to your own moment, because surely you have all felt it at some point, too!  What did it mean to you?  Where did it take you?  What did it remind you of, or challenge you to grow into?
  Too much?  Too deep, to romanticized or altogether to ridiculous a thought for you to engage in?  Hmmm, well, get used to it!  It's Simply Me!


  
  

Avicii - Avicii - Wake Me Up (Lyric Video)

  Let's start the weekend with this!  It's got so many things I love, guitar, a fantastic voice, and the juxtaposition of a country sound mixed with a dance-like beat.
  Take what you will out of it!  It's catchy, happy, bouncy, and there are still good solid words to speak to you.  The lyrics, for me, make it a dreamers song; and you must know by now, or at least if I've established anything after a year of opening up my heart to you all, that I am one BIG dreamer!  I feel absolutely no shame in that confession!
  It's time to roll down your windows or take a dance timeout! 

Happy Friday everyone!  Enjoy

Never Had Nobody Like You - M. Ward (HQ)

Hello, Monday!

  What's goin on with y'all this fine Monday morning?  Was your weekend one for the record books?  Epic on a previously unimaginable level?  Hmm?  Were you able to kick your feet up for a few hours and reacquaint yourself with that beauty we call Summer?  I wish that for you all!

  So this song puts a very strong visual picture in my mind.  (I'm actually working on a small piece with my imaginary friend involving this fantastic tune, but that's for another time.)  Stick with me a moment and I'll try to give you a vague sample glimpse at what I see, or maybe more what I feel.
  It starts with the beat of a drum.  I think I know where the song is going, yet when the guitar comes in I'm turned in a completely different direction. A much better direction!
  Its got a sway; I like the sway.  It makes me see dancing, the hip swinging, arms raised sort of oblivious to the outside world dancing; like you could watch said dancer through a fully lit window and remain unseen in the shadows.  (Not in a creepy way though, if that's possible!)
  Then the voice; earthy yet sincere,  forcefully revealing and openly honest.  It pours in and beckons me to join the journey, and I'll all too willing.
  Then it's over.  It's too short and I feel left hanging.  I want more.  So, "why not", I say with an easy shrug of my shoulders.  I hit repeat....several times!
  You get the idea.  I have a very clear picture, but to share the whole thing would steal something from a story that's not yet ready to be told.   
  Needless to say, it's a great tune for any time of day.  The best bit, which all good art incites, it inspires me.
  Add that sway to your step, break out your oblivious-to-the-world dance moves!  Take a listen, if you like it, buy the tune!  

Enjoy

Favorite Things

Here's What I Know

  It's Hot!  Yes, indeed!  Summer has arrived and she's showing off!  

  I'm thankful for so many things this week, but as I adjust to this new and even more crazy than before summer schedule, I feel I have squandered most of the opportunities placed in my path to enjoy.

  I'm not complaining, trust me.  I am, however, feeling slightly remorseful that I can't take it all in and savor it.  You know what I'm saying, right?  I want the time to hit pause, take a mental picture, to make every moment of this summer count.

  So in the spirit of slowing down, here's this week's Top....

Top....

~I was stopped at a train crossing yesterday morning.  It was the most peaceful moment of 

  the day, crazy right?  Usually when you're stopped by those flashing lights your first 

  thought is hurry, hurry, hurry, how long could these winding cars actually be.  Well, I 

  wanted those stacked cars to go on for miles.  I wanted to spin tales of where all those filled 

  containers would finally come to rest and to whom they belonged and from where they 

  began their journey.  

  Forced moments of complete stillness are equally as effective at recharging us as those 

  we choose on our own, we only have to allow the moment to take us away!

~my strawberry plant is in bloom and turning those fanciful berries into jewel toned 

   juiciness!  So pleasing to the eye and the tongue!

~impromptu dinner with friends!  Any reason to get out of town is fantastic, but meeting 

   friends, eating tasty summer fare and indulging in a movie to cap off the night....love it!

~I dragged my poor and accommodating princes to work with me this week.  I wasn't sure 

  how it was all going to work out, but you know what?  It couldn't have been fun, in fact, I 

  know for certain it wasn't.  But they didn't grumble, they chipped in to help, and they had 

  smiles on their faces and an eagerness in their eyes when they knew we had to do it all over 

  again the next day.  Truly thankful!! So much so, I've got the best babysitters ever lined up 

  to hang out with them next week!  But the best bit is that they learned something, they 

  gave of themselves selflessly, they were patient, and it will, fingers crossed, teach them the 

  value of hard work in the future!

~Wimbledon....it's been upset central this year.  I'm always one to cheer on the underdog, 

  even if they are playing my favorite, so obviously, in spite of disappointment, this suits me 

  just fine! I promised last week I wouldn't go on and on so I'll simply say, this tournament, to  

  me, is purely a magical delight!

~I take crap pictures.  It's a truth, not a personal slam.  

  This was the view from my back deck last night.  Pretty ridiculous, right?  Something 

  magical happens at that time of night.  Indulge me a minute, please!! but I almost expect 

  the tree fairies to come out, rest on my knee and share a lazy, liquid, inspiring, conversation  

  about all mine and their favorite things.  (I did ask for your indulgence!) 

  It has always been my favorite time of day; the hour before night when day is clinging 

  to the clouds that hang above her.  It does something to me: it calms, refreshes, enables 

  reflection, and reminds me I'm not alone in this world.  It turns my mind to liquid thought 

  and I almost believe I could fly.  I think that feeling is called HOPE and who doesn't love 

  that feeling?

  It was a good week in my small corner.  How about yours?  Can you make a list of all those things you're thankful for? Even in the midst of tragedy and unfortunate circumstance, like my friends and family battling to clean up the mess the Alberta flood waters left behind, there is something to be thankful for.  A helpful neighbor.  A cool drink of clean water.  A smile to encourage a weary spirit.  A clean bill of health.  Or a simple sunset that reveals the promise of tomorrow.

  

  Happy Friday, all you beautiful folks!  I'm thankful for you, that for some reason you tune in here each week and inspire me to do my best to inspire you!  

Bastille - Pompeii, Laura Palmer, Bad Blood - Tenement TV

  Hello and Happy Long, Canada Day weekend to all you beauties, wherever you are!

  Here's what I couldn't get enough of this weekend!  I wish I was one of those "cool" kids that headed out to the rolling hills of the English countryside over this weekend to set up camp and see these guys in all their best festival glory.  
  I wish 
I wish
  I wish!
  Well, it wasn't in the cards for me, or if I had to guess, every single one of you who will read these words.....alas, life isn't so bad in having missed it.  It is, however, unfortunate that I will not get much closer in proximity to any of their shows throughout the remainder of the year, c'est la vie!
  Instead I had this album on repeat and I watched the recap of their live performance, or at least the bit I could get in my viewing area....(which sadly is always small).
  
  I like the sound these fellows make, I enjoy the words that tell their tale, and I love, love, love that they play their instruments with intention and pour themselves into what they love.
  Take a listen to these guys, then head over to your music site and buy this album!  It's a good one!
  Enjoy!

Here's To The Ridiculous

  Ever wonder why no matter where you go in the world you always see abandoned shoes strewn lifeless at the side of the curb? 
  It has always fascinated me; like who's shoes are they?  Do they know one is missing?  Are they distraught because they can't find it?  Was the pair of them perhaps their favorites and now they are searching everywhere to no avail for the missing match?
  What about that tied together pair dancing on air, draped over a power line? Could they not bear to be separated? Who would throw their shoes up there?  How did their owner get home after, and do they always carry an extra pair with them just in case shenanigans of this nature ensue?
  Strange and bizarre.
  For a while I chose to believe that they were worn out shoes that had just somehow fallen from the garbage truck; simple, no harm done.  But now I've elaborated my thoughts on this, because seriously, you can't go anywhere without noticing the shoes once you really start paying attention.
  
  The What If's
  
~maybe the shoe got lost while it was seeking out that far away place where all the lost socks go?  I mean socks and shoes have to have some sort of connection, right?

~maybe shoes, like the creatures from Toy Story, have an ultimate purpose, like a quest to find their originator, only come to life when no one is watching, which would be tricky as we are always wearing shoes.

~maybe the "Lost World" has a quota to fill and shoes are small enough and easy enough, like socks and keys, to go unnoticed and are transported easily by the "Lost World" fairies.

~maybe shoes can teleport, and as we walk miles in them daily, want desperately to see a different part of the world.

~or speaking of teleporting, perhaps, it really is a thing and those special people teleport with such power that their shoes are ripped from their bodies and left behind or transported somewhere different all together.

~I like to keep my favorite shoes in the box in which they were purchased (they're safe there).  I would actually like to build a shelf strictly for those beauties, because I Love Shoes, but here is something, (and I find teleporting much more realisitic in comparison to this one!)  Maybe people simply don't care about their shoes.......GASP!

  I warned you this was all ridiculous, and truly it is, but it makes you stop and wonder a minute doesn't it?
  Maybe you dismiss the shoes without a second thought or glance.  
  Maybe you, like me, try to picture their owner.
  Maybe you create a magical parallel universe where bizarre stuff happens.
  Maybe 
  Maybe
  Maybe
  Maybe
  Sometimes maybe is better than the reality!

  I like the ridiculous. I think everyone needs a bit for themselves! 
  It's as simple as that!

Happy Friday, folks!  
Cheers to the weekend and the end of another fantastic school year!!