Soul Runnings

Today is day 4 of making it to the gym daily! I like keeping track of days. It tends to keep me on track!  Otherwise, the sands in the hourglass keep trickling down... I am sore.  Quite sore. But it is a good pain. Not like a stiff joint, sore muscle, middle aged woman who eats too much, sleeps too little and worries a lot. Muscle soreness from use!  And this from a measly 15 minute workout a day! I might add that I am continuing to start my day with a short, 5 minute Qi Gong Breathing and Weight Hooping workout. Then I add a little ballet with my granddaughter mid morning. I am heading into Portland now, where upon debussing, I shall head immediately up the block for a brief gym workout. I am feeling really good about this! I must be having a good day. My fingers are flying across this keyboard.  People are staring. I am in the library.  I think they are jealous of my typing speed. Or perhaps annoyed at the racket my clacking on the keys is maki...

I hit the gym immediately upon landing in Portland yesterday! I have selfies to prove it! Not that I would deceive you, my dear readers! Just want to make myself be unaccountable. And about that.. I was only there for a total of 15 minutes. In, dropped off stuff on locker room, treadmill 5 minutes, one set of 12 reps on overhead press, a dash of stretching, pick up stuff from locker room. apply deodorant, dash across street to catch bus to choir practice. And I was early to choir practice. No more excuses! For me, just getting there is more than half the battle. I"d say a good 79% of the battle is won by simply walking in the door! This morning I began with Qi Gong breathing exercises and a short weighted hoop workout.  Day 74 Then when my granddaughter woke up, we did a ballet workout. I am focusing on movement at this point.  I know a big component of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is what I put in my mouth. I have known this for a long time. But ...

I am feeling most rested today! I played the piano in a little church that I love on Sunday. Their regular pianist was on vacation. The funny thing is that this church meets every Sunday in the same music center where I teach several days a week. Where I have been teaching for over 20 years. But when I attend this church, it feels like a church. Even though it meets in the auditorium. Of the music center where I hold piano student recital 2 to 3 times a year. And the piano I played on - a splendid Steinway - is the same piano I play on weekly when I accompany the adult choir. But it still felt like church. And it felt like home. Most everyone came up to greet me and inquire about my health, about my son and about the granddaughter, the most precious addition to my life ever! The woman who normally plays the piano every Sunday is amazing. I wish her the best. But if she ever decided to retire, I would jump on that job! In the meantime, I have two churches I am applying for....

I am having a good day. A very balanced day.  A happy to be alive day. A thankful for my life, my family, my friends, my work day. I made sure to thank God for today. Which I do every day. But today I really mean it! Maybe it's the warm drizzly rain. I feel like I can breathe deeper than usual. I don't have much time to blog today. I am at the library, printing some sheet music for a student before I teach.  But I just wanted to check in. I made a crockpot full of kofta kebab last night when I came home. I've been craving Middle Eastern food.  And I find when I focus on basic Middle Eastern ingredients:  lemon juice, garlic, parsley, etc., I feel better. I woke up feeling well rested and lighter.  My pants are loose around my waist (I can't find my belt, so I am walking around like a gangster, with one hand on my waistband!) My granddaughter, Grace was in a wonderful mood too.  She loved the kafta kebob. Her mom suggest I put it on a skewer fo...

I had a good night's sleep last night.  I cherish these. I feel rather balanced today.  Not too high, not too low. I actually inquired about counseling yesterday. I was feeling a pressing weight on my chest, tears behind my eyes, and a cloud of gloom over my head. It helped to blog.  It helped to stop at Starbucks and get a free grande black coffee that I used my rewards for.  I must thank Starbucks for giving me incentive on low days. I was walking to a student's house. I was early. I felt like I needed to talk to someone. But I don't really have anyone in my life that I choose to burden. I have burdened all of my family members to the point that they not only get a glazed look in their eyes, but they actually tell me to stop because I'm "being weird again".  And I know I'm begin weird. But there is something to be said for venting. I suppose that is the purpose of this blog.  Venting without inflicting pain. I should provide a disclaimer: No pers...

I have been obsessed with Anthony Bourdain lately. I have borrowed several seasons of "No Reservations" from the library. I am eating them up, pun intended! I like what Wikipedia had to say about him:  " Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition." The human condition. Is that what you call this thing called life?   But he did delve into many aspects of humanity. Not just food. That is just one of the subjects. A subject that connected him to the people in the different countries he visited.  I am fascinated by his approach.  It reminds me a bit of my teaching. I had an incident in piano class last Friday. I had just heard the news about the football coach who had tackled the would be shooter at Parkrose.  I was eager to find out the whole story, but had to rush to teach my class....

"I'm not here to tell you that the world is actually fabulous, and you'll just have to damn well learn to appreciate it...Sure, there might be some nice things in the world. I guess. But there's also a lot of ugliness. And, even worse than that, is all the mundanity...The answer to getting better, and to not killing yourself, isn't in the kittens and puppies, it isn't in the clouds, it isn't in the orangutans in the rainforests or the fireworks in the night sky. The core rea son, the truest, most sincere reason to stay alive isn't really out there at all. It's in you. You are the key and the lock...It's a terribly sad state of affairs, but as long as you stay mute and withdrawn, the world just won't care about you. That's because it doesn't know you." ~" How Not To Kill Yourself: A Survival Guide For Imaginative Pessimists " by Set Sytes I am still reading Shakespeare.  But the above book caught my eye at...

I did a search on  my blog site using the word "cough". It came up 133 times. Unfortunately it is still with me. For better or for worse. Perhaps I should  marry my cough. Make it official. Snort. I don't have time to go into much detail about anything right now.  Library is closing soon. I need to get to bed early tonight. I do have a new inhaler. And some tricks up my sleeve. Perhaps I will share them with you tomorrow. But what I am really excited about is Shakespeare! I attempted to read several plays and sonnets of his when I was a mere lass of maybe 12. I didn't really understand what I was reading, but I loved how the words sounded. And that my friends is key to understanding poetry. I am a fast reader. I read for meaning. But in poetry, you need to be present in the moment. And let go of any need for meaning. I am reading an incredible book right now called Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard  by Laura Bates. This ...

Sorry for my lengthy absence. I have been under the weather.  Deeply.  I feel as if I have been to Gehenna and back.  "In  rabbinic literature  Gehenna is a destination of the wicked. [3]  This is different from the more neutral  Sheol / Hades , the  abode of the dead , although the  King James Version  of the Bible usually translates both with the Anglo-Saxo n word  Hell ."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna I still have one foot in.  I am not completely healed. My cough has returned. With a vengeance. I am extremely weak and wheezy. Wheezy.  Sounds like one of the Seven Dwarves.  I guess that would make me the 8th Dwarf! I will not be able to blog much, but I have missed talking to you about my life.  I feel pent up without this outlet.  So I am just checking in. I have spoken with my Pulmonary Physician's Assistant. She believes it is time to go to the next level.  As if my asthma ...

Yesterday I had performance hangover.  I slept late, skipped church and then went to the mall with my daughter and granddaughter.  It happens every time. I have come to expect it.  I feel much better today.  But my wheezy cough has returned with a vengeance. I might as well just embrace my wheezy cough.  It seems to be with me for life. Speaking of which, I've seen a number of posts recently about people who live to be over 100 years old. Centenarians. Such a wonderful word. I shall have to add it to my word journal. I am collecting words to use in poems. None of them have morphed into a poem at this point, but I am hoping to be inspired by the Muse soon! O.K. Back to Centenarians.  When asked their secret to their longevity, they all had an amusing list: "Stay away from men". "I ate lots of KFC and Twinkies".  "I drink a shot of whiskey every night". But a few things most of them have in common is to have a sense of humor, a purpose an...

  I don't have much time to chat. I am playing the piano in a fundraiser concert tonight. It is for the music center where I teach.  Where I taught all morning, in fact.  I taught, practiced on my break, taught and then practiced some more. Then I stepped out for a bit of lunch. I plan on going back to warm up shortly.  It is a difficult piece, but as usual, now that I am about to perform, I have a giddy sense of excitement. I am eager to share this with the audience. I can hear the entire piece in my head. My memory, that I have often been concerned about, seems to be strengthening with age.  And hard work.  I find if I attempt to memorize a piece that I am performing, the music will come through me. As if I am a vessel. I was quite nervous the past few weeks. My allergies symptoms have been excruciating. And I have been tired to my very bones. I have discovered something that has helped. Just a few days ago, I tried a smoothie bowl at "Mighty Bo...