Not so traditional

Might not seem so traditional to be enjoying Christmas music still, but I love it! Stumbled across this non-traditional version of a good old tune and love it - The Wayfarers performing The Holly and The Ivy.

A Taste of Bitter

A beautiful photo of Guilin, from another friend.

A story shared with me by a friend:

An aging master grew tired of his apprentice’s complaints. One morning, he sent him to get some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.
“How does it taste?” the master asked.
“Bitter,” said the apprentice.
The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”
As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”
“Fresh,” remarked the apprentice.
“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.
“No,” said the young man. At this the master sat beside this serious young man, and explained softly,
“The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

Like footprints in the snow

Snow waves in the sunset. - Photo by YY Gardener

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,

compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving,

and tolerant of the weak and strong because

someday in your life

you will have been all of these.”

George Washington Carver

An Earthly Venus

Aphrodite of Milos (Venus De Milo). Greek,  ~1130-100 BC

Will Rogers, an actor/cowboy/humourist/1920s+30s American celebrity, was with his niece when he saw the Venus De Milo. Will turned to his niece and said, "See what will happen if you don't stop biting your fingernails?"

That's funny, but this may seem even funnier. Obsessive nail biting, the kind that feels good when you're doing it, is actually a sign of Liver Qi Stagnation. The Liver is responsible for the sinews and the nails are considered part of the sinews. Without realizing it, the nail biter is trying to open up the Liver channels.

The Wonder that is Natalie Merchant

With so much wonderful music in the world, sometimes I forget about a really great musician. I just chanced to hear this song while I was out and about today...and remembered how very much I loved it back in the day. It's aged well, like all good music. I like the start of this video too, where Natalie talks about her experience with special needs people and how the song "describes their strengths, in spite of what others would see as deficiencies."

WONDER

Natalie Merchant / Indian Love Bride ©1995

Doctors have come from distant cities
just to see me
stand over my bed
disbelieving what they're seeing

They say I must be one of the wonders
of god's own creation
and as far as they can see they can offer
no explanation

Newspapers ask intimate questions
want confessions
they reach into my head
to steal the glory of my story

They say I must be one of the wonders
of god's own creation
and as far as they can see they can offer
no explanation

O, I believe
fate smiled and destiny
laughed as she came to my cradle
know this child will be able
laughed as my body she lifted
know this child will be gifted
with love, with patience and with faith
she'll make her way

People see me
I'm a challenge to your balance
I'm over your heads
how I confound you and astound you
to know I must be one of the wonders
of god's own creation
and as far as you can see you can offer me
no explanation

O, I believe
fate smiled and destiny
laughed as she came to my cradle
know this child will be able
laughed as she came to my mother
know this child will not suffer
laughed as my body she lifted
know this child will be gifted
with love, with patience and with faith
she'll make her way