We’re in the middle of a heatwave where I live. Yesterday was the hottest day ever (and Alan and I moved a walk-in fridge – but that’s a story for another time)!
And while most of my contemporaries have responded by cranking the AC up as high as it will go and moaning about global warming (see, there’s a correlation between…. oh, nevermind!) we’ve resisted the siren call. We have a fan to lull us to sleep. We drink a lot of water. And we take frequent breaks.
Which might sound like endless suffering. Or preaching. Which it isn’t. I’m not going to tell you to give up the AC. It wouldn’t work. But here are a few little joys that might just help you if you’ve been thinking of giving it a try.
This morning I went to a local coffee shop to meet a friend. And it was air-conditioned. And it was bliss. And I’m not sure it would have been quite so blissful if I’d come from my air-conditioned home.
There’s a point in the night when the sweat dries and the air being blown over you actually cools you off. And if you haven’t gone through the total sweatball phase, you’d likely miss it.
You can sit outside, catching errant breezes and enjoying a scrap of shade and not be knocked sideways when your air conditioning system fires up.
You can hear birdsong at 5:00 AM because all your windows are open.
Announcing that you have no AC garners you offers of swims in pools and chilled drinks.
Procrastinating? You’re not procrastinating! You’re looking after your health and avoiding heat stroke.
When my hydro bill arrives, I won’t be afraid to open it.
Not to brag or anything, but I’ve actually had kind of a sweet week here. Hope you have, too.
I haven’t posted any Monday links in awhile. So here’s a treat for those of you who aren’t already hooked. Pinterest is a great site where you can store, sort and share all those amazing and wonderful images that you find on a daily basis all over the internet. A bit like Flickr, which lets you post your own original photos, only for other peoples’ cool stuff.
Even better, when you click on a photo that catches your eye, you’ll be taken to a page which has a link to where the picture originally came from (usually someone’s blog). So you can find all kinds of great blogs that you would never have known about otherwise.
The most popular categories of pins are DIY, crafting and recipes. I’ve been finding all kinds of great, useable ideas to go along with all the eye candy.
I want to thank all of you for your open-hearted and generous response to my last post. Your comments, emails, messages and cups of tea have made me feel so loved, supported and uplifted. I love that you’re talking about your own experiences, sharing with the other readers of this blog. Some of you are even sharing with your own circles. One of my friends on Twitter suggested that the more light we shine on depression, the less damage it can do. I agree whole-heartedly and I hope that, as you feel ready (it is a little scary turning on the light) you will let me cheer you on as you have cheered me.
I’ve always taken a fairly gothic view of life. When we were little, my sister would be all “Puppies! And unicorns! And rainbows!!!” And I’d be all “Death.”
It should be no surprise then, that I am occasionally depressed. I’ve had the therapy. I’ve tried the herbs. That went so spectacularly badly that I’m not gonna try the drugs, thank you.
The Reiki’s been a huge help. Massive. To the point where I thought I’d beat it for good.
So I was a little surprised when it finally dawned on me the other day that it’s not actually the heat. OR the humidity. Nope. It’s my old friend depression, slowing my steps and making me tired beyond all reason.
It’s not really that bothersome anymore. I’m really, really lucky. My run-ins are minor. And fairly manageable. But they do make it difficult to form sustained, coherent thought. Or, once formed to get them down in writing. Like, in a blog post.
There’s no reason for this latest bout. No one’s died. I haven’t lost my job. Exciting things are happening. Life is great. But still I am depressed.
It will pass.
I know a lot of you understand this.
I read your blogs. I see your comments. I am not alone in this struggle. And neither are you.
Sometimes we need to take a break. To cut ourselves some slack. To rest.
And to admit that this time, the beast wins the round.
I’ve mentioned my friend Anna Atkinson before (here), but now she gets a whole post to herself because, yes, her CD “Mooniture” is launched and it is fabulous! Just watch this video of “Cinnamon” to see for yourself:
Anna graciously answered a few questions for me. I hope you’re as inspired as I am!
1) What inspired you to make this CD?
I’ve been writing songs for about as long as I can remember, but they always seemed to reside kind of in the background, behind my schooling, my classical training, my freelance work, all that…
I used to listen to albums by artists that I really love (Christine Fellows, Randy Newman, Feist, Patrick Watson, Jolie Holland, and many more…), but I didn’t make the connection between their work and mine for a really long time. From personal necessity, I started to take my writing a lot more seriously about four years ago. At the encouragement of one of my teachers, a really good friend, I started playing my songs for audiences on a regular basis. It was around that time that I began to clue in that this was something special – something that I found immensely fulfilling (and, quite frankly, absolutely necessary), and that other people seemed to connect to. And then the big “When are you going to make a record” question started to pop up more and more frequently… I think it was the combination of feeling so deeply satisfied with the songs and the wholehearted (sometimes nagging) encouragement from people around me that really inspired me to make this album.
2) Was it a scary process?
I found the whole process very challenging, and often scary. I’d been involved in countless recording projects, but had never been in charge of my own. It’s a whole new piece of territory, and I had no idea how to proceed. All of the sudden there would be people that I hired waiting for my direction, my decisions, etc.
Another scary element, and quite possibly the greatest learning experience I had in the process of making the album WAS the involvement of other people’s ideas in my music. Although I often didn’t know exactly how I wanted to treat all of my songs, I was very protective of them at first, fearful that other people’s input might somehow harm my music. Another factor was my ego, not wanting to ask for help from ANYONE, even if I really needed it. Learning when and how to relax control and let other people step in and help was a challenge, but ultimately one that I overcame and the album is richer for it.
Finally, I think the scariest part was the thought that people may not like it. Especially if you really want EVERYONE to hear it, you’re liable to get reviews of all sorts, from positive to scathing… There is a safety in not having an album, because although you’re not going to enjoy all the benefits of having one, you’re not risking the negative bits too. At some point, I came to the liberating realization that there’s absolutely no way that I can get everyone to like it. Regardless of whatever anyone does, there will always be critics. That was helpful to keep in mind.
3) How excited are you now that it’s out?
Very. Lots. Extremely.
4) Any words of encouragement for anyone else who wants to follow their dream?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I’ve had to ask for advice and input from countless people every step of the way for this project, and everyone was extremely helpful – from making me a cup of tea and giving me a pep talk, to suggesting ideas for orchestration, publicity, touring, etc. This can be hugely difficult, because society has a collective image of “the artist” being the sole culprit of his/her art, toiling away at a desk with nothing but a candle and a cup of coffee/whiskey for company… It’s romanticized but pretty inaccurate. The idea that you need to do it (“it” being anything – not just art or music) all YOURSELF is a construction of ego, and chances are that you will end up doing about 99% of the work yourself anyway.
Friends, colleagues, people who inspire you (even if you don’t know them personally) can be huge resources of knowledge and encouragement.
…and anything else you’d want people to know.
errr… “Mooniture” is my made up word for furniture made out of the moon.
The album is available on Zunior for a high quality mp3 download. It will be available on iTunes shortly too!
OR — if you live in Stratford – physical copies are on sale at Revel Caffe!
You can also order one through Anna’s website (send her an email and she’ll make arrangements to send you a disc.)
Even better, I HAVE a copy of the CD to GIVE to one of you lovely readers! If you’d like to be entered in the draw, leave me a comment and you could win! And please spread the word far and wide – I want everyone possible to hear Anna’s music!
Thanks so much for this Anna!
I hope you all have a lovely weekend, maybe asking someone to help you get a little closer to one of your dreams…
It’s been a while since I did a book review, hasn’t it?
When How to Be Rich and Happy by Tim Brownson and John P. Strelecky first came out, I thought it probably wasn’t for me. Not that I was rich or particularly happy. In fact, I was between jobs and slightly miserable. In hindsight, I should have bought the damn book the instant it came out. Stubborn, I think, is the word we’re looking for here.
Let’s get clear on the boys’ definition of rich. It’s brilliant. We’re not talking Donald Trumpesque investment advice. They don’t even assign a dollar value to it. Their definition of rich? Having the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Now that’s a richness I can totally live with.
From there, you work with the book to figure out what’s most important to you. I was surprised to find that my TOP priority was happiness. If asked, I would have said freedom. But, see, there’s this exercise where you make a list and then use a formula to figure it out. It’s kinda wacky, but it’s fun. And then you know. There’s also a list of attributes to avoid at all costs. Because they will make you miserable, no matter how much you think you need the job. Yup, coulda used that knowledge a whole lot sooner, too.
There are practical tips for figuring out how to maximize your happy richness for time spent. A real, practical formula for living your ideal life.
And I think that’s what I like best about this book – it’s not about what the authors think will make you happy. They don’t actually care what makes you happy. I think they’re quite busy spending their time on their own happiness. As you work through the exercises, you will figure out what gets your own heart beating faster and how to incorporate more of it into your life right now, no matter what your situation (see, it’s all about getting more rich and happy minutes into your day…)
I don’t want to oversell it. It’s never good to make an author blush. But it’s definitely worth the price of admission. And there’s a bonus. For every copy of How to be Rich and Happy they sell, Tim and John are donating a copy to someone who really needs it. How cool is that? Plus, if you head on over right now, Tim’s having a bit of a sale.
Thanks guys! Sorry to take so long to fall in love!
