(not necessarily in that order)
I was in a craft store the other day and just had to take a picture when I saw this.
“Life Is Beautiful” is one of my favorites of Swami Kriyananda’s children’s songs.
Here’s a recording from a live performance (don’t know who, when, or where) and the lyrics are below. Enjoy!
Life is beautiful, life is gay,
When I give myself away;
When I live to please Thee, Lord,
Dancing in Thy ray.
Let me see Thee everywhere
Hear Thy melodies in the air.
Let me feel Thy strength in me.
Give me joy to share.
Where did this day go, I wonder?!?
Hmmm…
Music meeting; emails; radiation appointment; lunch; a couple of errands; water the garden; sit on the patio; do the dishes; eat dinner; watch a show; wash more dishes; evening affirmations and gratitude time; a few more emails…
Ah, that’s where the day went!
Since I don’t live on a desert island, I of course saw headlines and read comments about something unusual that happened during the Oscars involving actor Will Smith.
I went online and read just enough to understand the basics, then made the conscious decision not to read any further.
After all, there’s no way in the world I could possibly understand the personalities, subtleties, and complexities that are involved — especially since I don’t personally know any of these people!
(Of course, in our culture of celebrity it’s not considered necessary to know people in order to have, and be passionately attached to, a strong opinion about what they should do or shouldn’t have done and why. 🤦♀️)
Though I don’t know enough to have an opinion, I will make a few observations.
Unhappy, imbalanced, reactive people are found in every race, nationality, and creed; in every income bracket; and in every type of work or career — from clerk in a grocery store to President of the United States to Will Smith.
I can’t know the specifics of what makes a person unhappy, imbalanced, and reactive, but I do know that Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars were not the actions of a happy, balanced, proactive individual.
I find it sad that an evening which should have been about celebrating an Oscar-winning performance, will instead be remembered as the time he lost it and slapped Chris Rock on live television.
Bottom line? I see it as an all too perfect example of duality — from the heights to the depths in one glamourous evening.
I was kind of tired this morning because I didn’t have a full “slug day” this past weekend (there was special event Saturday and we sang for service on Sunday).
Plus today was the start of my radiation therapy.
So I was very ready to break out my new zero gravity chair and chill out on the patio in the late afternoon. It was a little cloudy from the earlier rain, but still worth it!
This afternoon I planted more Shasta Daisies in the garden.
Checking on them afterwards, I was struck by how happy I felt looking at them.
There’s something about this perky little flower that lifts my spirits every time!
A reassuring thought for the day.
Just found this photo from my time living in Lugano — feels like eons ago!
This was our meditation group choir preparing to perform at an event at which Shivani (one of the main teachers from Ananda Assisi) was speaking.
Amazing to realize this was almost twenty years ago now.
Today I received an injection of Evusheld, a preventative medication for those who have significant immune disorders or, like me, are undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments that suppress the immune system.
The medication keeps the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 from entering the cells of the body, preventing illness.
I feel a lot more comfortable about interacting in the world having taken this step.
Also feeling very grateful.
I didn’t sleep quite as much as I would have liked, due to needing to do lots of prep for today.
However, I still managed to attend an early morning Zoom meeting, then head straight into presenting our monthly music satsang for the Ananda Virtual Community.
Afterward there were follow-up tasks for the satsang, after which time was spent unexpectedly connecting with other music team members.
Then I got in the flow of writing long overdue emails and next thing I know it’s the end of the day. Go figure!
So no, I didn’t cut firewood, but the photo reflects how I feel about my day. 💪
Tomorrow is our second “Exploring Ananda Music” monthly music satsang for Ananda’s Virtual Community and we’re looking forward to focusing on the Oratorio.
Starting with Swami Kriyananda’s original inspiration, we’ll also share how he went about writing it, the way it’s been received in performances around the world, and our personal experiences with this powerful and sacred music.
Of course, there will be a little bit of singing too.
It should be both fun and inspiring.
And, of course, it’s a great lead up to our LIVE Oratorio performance on Good Friday, April 15 at 7:00pm in the Temple of Light (yep, a shameless plug!). 😉