Tell Me What They Were

#451 - "High-Tech Births Vs. Nature's Way" - I am very impressed with the cover story in the Star Tribune (Minneapolis Paper) today and I highly recommend it (though I don't think it is online unfortunately). They list the C-section rates at all the local hospitals, many of which are twice what the World Health Organization recommends. It seemed like this information was so hard to find when I was researching it for a friend's pregnancy. I am so happy this is being covered! Tomorrow they are going to have a story on how a St. Paul hospital (I'm sure St. Joe's) keeps the C-section rate low.

#452 - I saw this article in a newstand and wanted to read it, and then got it from my Neighbor.

#453 - Caring Enough to try and Figure out Bill Tracker - I guess I've never expected a bill to affect me personally as much as MN House File 3046/Senate File 2702. I decided ten years ago (when I learned about birth centers) that I wanted to live in a state that had them if/when I became pregnant. Until a few months ago that did not include MN. But now, by some apparent miracle they have opened here! I am very hopeful they will thrive as one of many options for pregnant families. Anyway, I have been following a bill related to birth centers licensure in the MN legislature this year. The basics of the MN bill tracker are simple, but today I was trying to figure out how the bill was amended in the house in a way the author in the senate disliked. I haven't figured that out, but I did learn that in both houses - most of the members, both Republican and Democrat voted for it. YEAH!!!

#454 - It's hard to think about the oil spill because while we all might like to think BP is responsible, we are all responsible. It's not just getting in our cars. Nearly everything we use is either made with oil, or produced on machinery that uses oil, or transported with oil. It is hard to live this lifestyle and have any remorse we may feel for wildlife, ecosystems or people mean anything.



Thank God for not only my favorite power source, but possibly my favorite human invention - when I pass by a Windmill (or lots of Windmills), My Breath Deepens and I feel Peaceful. That in itself is impressive, not to mention how awesome they are for their clean energy!

#455 - I spent the last couple nights with my cousins. On Friday I slept in Ashley's room and as we were falling asleep I asked her what five things she was grateful for that day. I had never asked her this before, but she enthusiastically responded and then asked me mine.

This morning before I left, Ashley said to me, "You didn't do your gratitudes yesterday!"

"I did I just wrote them in my journal."

"Tell Me what They Were."

Switching Gratitude Locale

After three months of daily posts, I'm going to start alternating between writing them here and in my journal. There are advantages to both, so starting tomorrow...

#441 - The Energy I feel in Some Writing of Jill's - there are all these pieces we don't know how will fit together or where it will go, but I trust it because I feel it

#442 - Leftover Black Bean Polenta Pie

#443 - Eating Black Bean Polenta Pie outside

#444 - Energy in Music which allows me to do things I otherwise wouldn't, like Push-Ups

#445 - That I Keep Doing Push-ups (once a week), even though it is probably my least favorite exercise, because Laura got me in the habit

High School Entertainment

#436 - High School Students that had constructed boats (out of cardboard wrapped in plastics... etc.) for physics(?) and were taking turns attempting to paddle them around a marker and back. It was highly entertaining.

#437- Laughter from the students as their boats tipped and they struggled to stay afloat.

#438 - Feeling how much more Comfortable in my Skin I am than when I was Younger

#439 - Having Too Much Energy to Sit Here at the Computer

#440 - My favorite (?) Elizabeth Gilbert quote (from Oprah Oct 5, 2007) - I'm going to make sure it's in my journal


"GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO "NOT KNOW"
And I never knew at that age, in my 20s, that "I don't know" is actually a legitimate answer that you're allowed to say. You're allowed to say, I don't know, and you're allowed to ask for as much time as you need until you do know. And if somebody doesn't wanna give you that time, they're allowed to leave. But you're allowed to sit with your I don't know. And I never sat with it because it was uncomfortable. Nobody likes that place. And so I always said yes. Oh, sure. Let's move in together, let's get married, let's buy a house, let's do all this stuff that I was sort of half yes, half no."

Stop Thinking So Hard

#431 - Wearing a Dress with Bare Feet

#432 - My friend Laura Sleeping through the Night

#433 - Laura feeling drawn to read Eat, Pray, Love - it makes me happy when anyone who doesn't usually read for pleasure takes the time to do it (well I feel grateful when anyone enjoys reading I guess)

#434 - When I played Laura my ukulele songs on the phone, her Baby was Dancing to it

#435 - Sometimes I sit here and don't know what to write. Then I have to "Stop Thinking so Hard" and gratitudes come

Last Thing That Scared You

#426 - "I could have a cookie but I'd rather have some fruit" - a thought

#427 - Talking to my Dad about when he lived in NYC - I forget sometimes, since I've known my Dad all my life, that there are things about his life I don't know.

#428 - My Friend Stacie said She'll Be Visiting Soon

#429 - New Questions - "The first conversation we have with somebody can be awkward. We don’t know them, so the first thing we do is make connections, how do you know so and so...If we are both married with kids, we might ask about that, too. We just find common ground... From there we tend to ask what they do, where they work. That’s not a bad question, because work often encompasses our passions and even our education, but it also rings of you are your work." Don Miller

Jill recommended this post. I definitely appreciate anyone who leans into their creativity and comes up with new questions. I think my current favorite question is,

"What was the Last Thing You Did that Scared You?"

Some people have a really narrow focus on the word "fear." They only think of something that threatens their safety. That is not what I am talking about (though that is a valid answer of course).

In my experience trying anything new usually involves a little bit of fear (sometimes a lot). So"how long has it been since you tried something new?" is the underlying question, but "that scared you" makes it interesting.


#430 - I Put Chords to a Poem - when my friend's baby first starting pulling himself up to stand, he would look around so proud, "I did it" written all over his face. That is what I felt like when I created a song today. "I did something I had no idea I could!"

Vulnerable Beauty

I wondered when I started writing this blog how often I would edit my gratitudes. There has been at least one that I hesitated in sharing (but did anyway). Otherwise I haven't had any debate- until today. It is unseasonably warm, so I pulled out my swimsuit and tried it on. I felt happy with what I saw in the mirror. I instantly felt grateful for this feeling, and knew it would be one of my gratitudes... Well, it would be if I was writing this privately, in my journal. For some reason saying I was grateful for how I felt seeing myself in a swimsuit felt the hardest to share out of 420 gratitudes.

This got me thinking, "Why?"

"Why does it feel like I am breaking some taboo or barrier to state I felt content in my swimsuit...?" Maybe then I wouldn't be marketable. There is a lot of money invested to insure that I am not content with my body. If I were - I wouldn't have to fix everything - coloring, straightening, conditioning my hair, removing it from all the places it does not belong, make-up for my face, tanning for my skin, paint for my nails, ab busters, tread mills, slim fast, weight watchers... (not even mentioning plastic surgery)... If I was happy with the way I looked now, what would I buy?

I see why we can't let this happen.

I have heard plenty of times about supermodels who don't think they are beautiful or find things wrong with their bodies - Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Shakira... I know the fact that I felt happy only partially relates to what I saw in the mirror - a greater part of it is simply how I felt about who I am. The happiness was a indicator.

"It's not easy to accept satisfaction. It still feels like something abnormal. I think in our society, it's forbidden because it's so powerful"
- Tara

Aphrodite's Daughters: Women's Sexual Stories and the Journey of The Soul
by Jalaja Bonheim

So today I am grateful for:

#421 - Trying on my Swimsuit and Feeling Happy With How I Looked

#422 - The Debate that I had with Myself about whether to Share that and the Writing that Came Out of It

#423 - The Fact That I am Sharing It Anyway

#424 - As I am writing this I am debating whether to just state "swimsuit" or "bikini." Is it relevant? It feels more vulnerable to say bikini. This is probably why I didn't own one until I was 31 years old, it felt too vulnerable. Well, I guess I will be grateful to step into this vulnerability. Hey, that will make a good title for today too :)

#425 - One of my poems about beauty




Ordinary Beauty

It was in her ordinariness
that lay her beauty

Her lack of circumstance
that made her shine

It was the way she tucked her hair
tasted her tears
tickled

Her looks never remarkable
yet extraordinary
like lupine walked by
but never seen

Her path never commendable
yet once it crossed yours
forks appeared
and a curve around a bend

She wasn't outdoing anyone
or anything
she simply asked to be someone
who deeply listened
and still could sing

Toad

#416 - Living in a place where I can go without shaving 1/2 the year without being socially ostracized

#417 - A Child Sprinting Across a Ball Field

#418 - Fletcher's Enthusiasm/Support During Our Conversation

#419 - Seeing a Toad in The Yard - I've never seen that before. There isn't any standing water, so I don't know where it came from. Toads eat lots of insects.

#420 - Simple Words Full Of Good Energy

Nuns Who Are Kickin It

#411 - The Whole Mentality Sourounding Clare's Well - from the gardens, to the geothermal, to the chakra stones, to the rain barrels, to the federal budget breakdown (clarifying military spending), to the silence, the sacred path, the restored prairie, the "Want Peace Work for Justice," bumper sticker, the simplicity....all run by some kickin it sisters from the Catholic Church. (Okay I was informed that nuns and sisters are not equivalent - so my title is incorrect, but "Sisters who Are Kickin It" doesn't have the same ring.)

#412 - The Example these Sisters Set. They are full of Vibrancy and Life.





#413 - "What Do You Think the Purpose of Wind Is?" - Jill

#414 - "I'm Seeing How Far I Can Kick Water." Jill sitting on the dock with her feet dangling in

#415 - Spending the day with a friend doing tasks I enjoyed in support of a place that inspires me.

Frantzich

#406 - Apparently I can Rollerblade

#407 - Smiling with A Toddler at the Library

#408 - Connie's Encouragement/Phone Call Suggestion

#409 - Reading Paul Frantzich's Vision - Clearly he is a man on a mission.

#410 - Dangerous Weapon - Storyhill

Big Leaf Maple Seed Shower

#401 - A Cascade of Helicopter Seed Pods

#402 - Braiding My Hair

#403 - The Man Brave Enough to Come to a Yoga Class Full of Women

#404 - The Plant in my Bedroom Flowering

#405 - Allowing Myself to Feel Sad - so it Could Move Through and Move On

"Development"

or

These photos were all taken within one mile of each other - the last two were across the street.

#396-400 - This simple story and each of the photos that helped tell it.

When This Song Becomes Famous

#391 - Being Creative With Kids - I played my cousin one of my poem/songs. First she just listened, then she started making helpful suggestions and singing, and then she found some make-shift percussion to join along. It was so fun to enjoy the creativity flowing through her. "When this song becomes famous I will have been a part of it!" - Ashley

#392 - It's an hour drive to my cousins'. I got really into this make-believe, out-loud conversation I was having in the car (I was alone). That might sound strange, but really what was I doing? Storytelling. I was telling a story to myself and it completely captivated me.

#393 - My cousins' mother seemed happy

#394 - Driving home later it was dark and a beautiful evening. When traffic started backing up because two lanes were closed I stayed completely relaxed.

#395 - The Wailin' Jennys Calling All Angels - (Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House) - this was the last song I listened to as I pulled in the driveway, a beautiful bed-time (or anytime) prayer

Assume Positive Intent

#386 - Assuming Positive Intent - (This is a phrase I learned from my friend Laura.) After making multiple attempts to contact someone and getting no response, I could easily create all kinds of negative possibilities...they don't want to talk to me, I am annoying them, this is not important to them, maybe I should just leave them alone etc. I did not have any evidence to support these negative possibilities though, so I continued trying to make contact and assumed positive intent. (This did take a bit of effort.)

#387 - The Person I've Been Trying to Contact Finally Called Me

#388 - Playing My Two Poems that are now Songs - I can't stop

#389 - Baby Birds Outside My Bedroom Window - I don't know where the nest is exactly, but I can tell when mom or dad is dropping by with food - squawking commotion

#390 - Inspiration to Run - I went on a long walk that I take sometimes and I ended up jogging half of it

Which to Buzz?

#381 - the flowers

#382 - People who are Available, When You Unexpectedly Show Up at Their Home, to Listen to Your Song - More specifically in this case - Geoffrey

#383 - That I Guessed the Right Apartment to Buzz - there were no names listed

#384 - Improvising Words about my friend's kid as I played ukulele while she ate.

#385 - Finishing The Alchemist - so satisfying.

Follow It

#376 - "Put Your Phone Away Sweetheart" - This is the thought that rolled through my mind as I saw someone driving by texting/looking down at their phone.

#377 - There was this Art-A-Whirl open studios in NE Mpls today. I brought my bike and I realized I am always biking to get somewhere or to get exercise. Today I was just leisurely pedaling and it felt so nice.


#378 - Make Something Cool Every Day - This artist created a piece of art every day for a year! I've done this gratitude blog every day for 2 1/2 months, and I can begin to visualize the dedication it would take to create something daily a whole year. I'm sure he had plenty of days when he didn't feel like being creative, but again and again he did it anyway. Inspiring.

#379 - On top of the inspiration I enjoyed Davis' Art and it was really Funny too!

#380 - Reading a few pages about Paulo Coelho (one of my favorite authors)... When I look at people who have "achieved" so much, I often don't remember that they faced hurtles too. It seems like they were always successful.

Coelho's The Alchemist originally sold only 900 copies. As far as the publisher was concerned that was it, that was the end of that book. And I'm sure it wasn't just that book. I'm sure there was pressure for Coelho to give up on writing overall.

Now, 20 years later, The Alchemist is one of the best selling books in history and has been translated into 56 languages. It is the most widely translated book by a living author.

How many times do we, do I, need to read things like this to know/to remember? No one outside of us can possibly know what is best or what the world most needs. Because what the world most needs is our heart. Follow it. Follow it. Follow it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_%28novel%29

Doing Something Right

Superior National Forest (Northern MN)

#371 - Feeling struck by the Wind Blowing through Tall Grasses at a stoplight at the end of a freeway exit ramp

#372 - Realizing I must be Doing Something Right in my life if I am struck by beauty on a freeway exit ramp

#373 - Forgetting Socks - I've been meaning to try rollerblading. Well, I have a couple times, but that was over 10 years ago and I wasn't any good. My sister-in-law has roller blades in my size, and I brought them to a park this evening. I had a helmet, wrist, elbow, knee pads, the roller blades...but when I got there I realized I didn't have socks (I was wearing sandals). I was actually a little relieved. I played the ukulele instead.

#374 - A Man Finding Amusement With My Ukulele. (It was the first time I'd played in a park, and I picked a spot where no one else was around. This man and woman walked by with their dogs and he smiled at the ukulele.)

#375 - Another man came by after a run and started doing sit-ups behind me. I had stopped playing the ukulele long ago at this point and was reading. After a while I got up to leave. As I walked by the man said, "I was hoping to hear something." It is interesting because I had been impressed, that he was doing ab work outside, but hadn't thought more about him than that. I said I was just a beginner, but played him a little.

Distinct Quality of Light

#366 - How Bright Almost Fluorescent Green it is with the new leaves and the recent rains

#367 - Noticing the Distinct Quality of the Light, which drew me to the open the front door and see mist, which led me to suspect a Rainbow, so I investigated and there one was.

#368 - Cesar Millan - The Dog Whisperer guy

#369 - Another (4th person) just emailed that I had a good radio voice. This a sign for a kind of secret ambition that I haven't taken very seriously. I love to read and I love reading to other people, so if I have a good radio voice, maybe I could be the voice on audio books...

#370 - Thank You Fletcher, Chris, Jill, Laura, Anthony, Scott, Mayu, Vinnie, Connie, Jed, Donna, Stacie, Lisa and anyone else who listened to that radio show. It means a lot to me.

Burning

#361 - Being Prepared When I Sneeze

#362 - Recognizing My Crabbiness - after three emails annoyed me, I realized I was the annoying one.

#363 - Realizing - "I haven't been this crabby in a long time."

#364 - My One Breath Habit - which I needed when I drove today. (This year I've practiced making it a habit that before I drive, I stop and take a deep breath. During that breath I cannot - start the car, put on my seat belt, turn on the radio, adjust the mirror, talk etc. - I can only breathe.)

#365 - on the news today - A neighbor's cat came scratching at a woman's door until she let it in. Then it kept scratching at her. Someone in the upstairs of the apartment building poured gasoline and was going to set the building on fire. The woman said, "I think the cat was trying to tell me to leave, that cat never comes in the downstairs apartment."


[Today was one of the days I least wanted to write this, and today is also one of the days that it helped me the most.]

El Alquimista

#356 - That I've paid enough attention to trees this year to learn the Ash are among the last to Green (the photo is not an Ash).

#357 - Knowing it will Go Away - I have a cold and I have 100% trust that it will pass.

#358 - Rereading El Alquimista by Paulo Coelho - For some reason I can remember what all of his books are about except for this one.

#359 - Believing that my Mother's Spirit led me to it in the library on Mother's Day.

#360 - I have a favorite quote from the Alchemist that I memorized, but reading it this time, it is not the quote that most hit me.
This won't make sense out of context (or for people that don't read Spanish), but anyway...

"'Por que hablas de estas cosas conmigo?'

'Porque tu tratas de vivir tu Historia Personal. Y estas a punto de desisitir de ella.'"

El Alquimistia
Paulo Coelho

Where We're Best Off Anyway

#351 - It looks like we will have Rain the Next Few Days.

#352 - The Rain thus far has been Light and Steady, the kind that gives it time to infiltrate.

#353 - The Fire Danger in NE MN is no Longer Severe

#354 - The Spider I just watched Descend on an Invisible String. Beautiful. ( It went onto my plant - yeah go spider eat any bugs that may live there!)

#355 -

We've all made mistakes that seemed to lead us astray
but every time they helped to get us where we are today
and it's as good of place as any
and it's probably where we're best off anyway

It's a long and rugged road
and we don't know where it's headed
but we know it's going to get us where we're going

The Wailin' Jennys - Heaven When We're Home

Challenged to Grow

#346 - How Deeply I Examined this Today


#347 - How Beautiful I Found It

#348 - Negotiating the waters between being assertive/persistent and being annoying - these are not waters I like to tread, but I obviously have something to learn.

#349 - Self-worth. After contemplating #348 I think the lesson I'm learning is my self-worth.

#350 - Stephanie - writing about the oil spill through her own truth.

Calle Cerrada

#341


#342


#343

Young Men Confident Enough in Their Masculinity to be into Traditional Folk Dance

#344 - Knowing enough about plants to rub this one in between my fingers and then smell as I walked by

#345 - After the Cinco de Mayo Festival, I planned on attending a spoken work event. I had a couple hours in between though. I decided to stop at one of two friends places on the way to relax and fuel up my energy. Friend #1 - not home. Friend #2 - not home either. Hmmm.

I felt tired and a bit cold so I wasn't going to eat the food I packed outside in a park, and I didn't have anywhere else to go until the show. I decided to stop at Fletcher's instead of going straight home. I was frustrated that none of my previous options had worked, but I still was open enough to pray, "I am willing to see the reason for this."

Fletcher believes in signs and things happening for a reason, so the first thing I was going to ask him was, "Do you know why I am here?" (There were other places I wanted to be!) When I pulled into his driveway it didn't look like he was home either. I started backing out, and then he came home. I opened my car door and before I could speak Fletcher said,"I know exactly why you are here."

Inspired Videos

#336 - My Favorite Music Video


#337 - Taking a Walk in the Rain

#338 - Improvise Singing with Connie on that Walk

#339 - Today I not only thought it, but I felt it while I cooked, "Thank you to the ocean for supporting the life of this fish, which will now support my life providing nourishment and energy."




#340 - Four Years. Go A Video Jason Mraz's blog highlighted

Vegan Pumpkin Scones

#331 - I don't Bake often, but when I do it usually means I'm Relaxed.

#332 - "My followers are called Jedheads."
(I discovered that my friend Jed put some of his music on- line.)

#333 - Observing like-minded geese. Canadian geese are a little like humans in that their population #'s are a bit out of whack, but these two geese were thinking. Instead of having the typical 5-7, they only had two goslings.

#334 - Patty Griffin - Flaming Red - It makes me realize how narrow most CD's are - 10 slightly different versions of the same topic. This CD includes songs about Mother Mary, Suicide, Love, Missing Someone, Growing Up, Abusive Relationships...

#335 -

Cause you can't make somebody see
With the simple words you say
All the beauty from within
Sometimes they just look away

Patty Griffin
Goodbye

Giving In

#326 - The wind blows ferociously at times today and the trees just go with it. They move and Sway and Bend but stay Strong in the Center. On the top they are all Movement at the bottom complete Stability.

#327 - At the beginning of Yoga class today I thought, "I wish it was the end of Yoga class."

I have exercised regularly throughout my adult life and I usually enjoy it. This thought in Yoga however, reminded me of a time when I didn't, a six month time span when I stopped exercising, or doing much of anything. I had lost anything resembling passion and was walking through the motions of life. I knew exercise was good for me and always helped in the past, so I would start, and try to push through it, but I just couldn't make myself do it. For once I gave up and gave in. Right now I feel grateful for that Giving In.

#328 - I am grateful for the Compassion being pulled under by a Force I couldn't Name or Describe gave me. I don't think I look at pain, myself or others, as simplistically.

#329 - "Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear I had lived in, which must mean that in the interval I had succeeded in a very important undertaking: I must have made my escape from it." A Separate Peace John Knowles

#330 - Caponi Art Park - it has trails, sculptures and a theatre in the woods - what a great combination. A friend just brought this to my attention. I've never heard of the place...but I plan on checking it out.

Poems Worth Memorizing

#321 - Direct Sun in My Bedroom Window - For a short time during the year, the Earth tilts far enough so that early morning sun shines in my bedroom window which faces North. Maybe my window isn't directly North, maybe the house tilts slightly East and that is why it happens? It doesn't matter, I love it. Today was the first day I noticed it had reached this point.

#322 - The Smell of Lilacs in the Breeze - a couple times today it washed over me, without me even being aware lilacs were nearby.

#323 - Touching Simple Pieces of Nature - I spent some time with a 9 month old today exploring different touches in the yard - raspberry leaves, the bark of a tree, dandelion flowers and the dried flowers of some plant that bounced back up when swatted.

#324 - At the state DFL convention a man told me a goal he had for the year was to memorize 10 poems. (He did not know I read or wrote poetry when he said this!) Anyway, he has asked me for some Suggestions of Poems Worth Memorizing and I will be happy to supply them - Naomi Shihab Nye, Wendell Berry, Rumi, Khalil Gibran...

#325 - Returning to My Authentic Self - I don't know if anyone noticed, but my post yesterday felt hollow. It bothered me this morning. It wasn't that anything I wrote was untrue, it just wasn't my deepest truth. I decided I don't need to figure out how to fix it, I can just acknowledge it and today try again.

The Experiment Continues

Lake Superior

#316 - Listening to the Poems From the Radio Yesterday - I enjoyed everyone's poems more. I'd heard them all before, but I still just stopped and listened.

#317 - When the Nervousness Arrived - I am grateful that I became nervous when I was about to hear my poem rather than when I was about to read it yesterday.

#318 - Jason Mraz's Thank You Video - I felt nourished, inspired, and I laughed.

#319 - My friend Jill is at a point in her life where I just see her shining. The beautiful thing about it, to me, is that nothing really has changed in her outer circumstances. Her shining is not the type that can be faked, It Comes From the Inside.

#320 - I Tracked Down My Book - I've had one poem published in a book (an anthology). I wanted to share this with friends who don't live nearby (and who have semi-permanent addresses), so I designed an experiment. I put their names and addresses in the back of a book and then mailed it to one of them with instructions. I asked that after they read whatever they wanted to in it, that they would send it on to someone else listed on the back of the book, and cross off their names.

The first person I sent it to I knew it would not get stuck there (that he would send it on) and he did. The second person did too because she wrote an email saying she was excited about the idea. That was almost 1 1/2 yrs ago, and I haven't heard anything about it since. So today I sent an email to these friends asking if any of them had seen the book... and I have located it, and it will be sent on! So the experiment continues...

Radio - Me and K'Naan

#311 - This wasn't scary at all, and I felt more than capable. (This photo was taken in an empty studio beforehand.)

#312 - Hearing two teenage boys argue about whose juice drink was healthier (while reading the ingredients) in the co-op parking lot

#313 - My Friend Enjoying A New Non-Motorized Lawn Mower


#314 - These Books


#315 - "...But lesser known is the nature of art in this country. Somalia is known as the nation of poets...Almost every household in the country produces some kind of poet. So its an entire country made up of critics of poetry and producers of poetry. We grew up in this kind of like eloquent world, very different from the Mogadishu today." K'Naan

As I was driving home this evening I listened to Sound Opinions on NPR. They talk about music and the music industry. Recently I've found it fascinating. Today they were interviewing K'naan. I'm familiar with him because he opened for Jason Mraz last summer. I was instantly impressed at the concert because his music was the opposite of superficial. He left Somalia when he was 13 around the time the Civil War began and...I don't know enough to tell his story, but his music is full of truth we don't often hear. Then in this interview, he starts talking about poetry and obviously I'm loving him even more and then...I pulled my car over and tried to write what he said

K'naan got a lot of interest and quick success when he performed at a UN gathering in 2001, but he didn't make an album until 2005. He said during that gap he was deciding if,

"I had a relevant position in music, if what I was doing was missing." He was looking for, "My own internal justification for producing sound into the world. I think it is very selfish for people who just make things, that are unnecessary to be made. I think it takes up space. And I don't want to ever take up space. I just thought, 'Why am I here? Like what is the point of me creating something, and is it necessary? Is it absolutely necessary?' And at some point the answer was for me personally it was, because I actually was surviving my own memories and past through the melodies and songs I was making. So if it was necessary for me it might be necessary for someone else." K'Naan

Amen.

I'm Becoming A Musician :)

(you'll have to click on it to read it)

#306 - Expressing Myself - I was feeling frustrated by something, I expressed my opinion which made me feel better. Then the woman wrote back explaining the situation and that she understood. Communication success.

#307 - Cleaning the Bathroom - it was bugging me

#308 - Learning My First Song on a Guitar!

#309 - Playing Music with Friends - another first

#310 - Playing One of My Poems! - I had forgotten that a few years ago my friend Peter took a couple of my poems and put chords/melodies to them. Tonight after we played Dixie Chicks etc he pulled out his book and there were my poems. I played on the ukulele while he and Kaydee played guitar and we sang. I have no idea how to turn poems into songs, but three months ago I had no idea how to play the ukulele either.