"Life is either a darling adventure, or it is nothing."
-- Helen Keller
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
How to Handle Tough Times: Learning to Master Life
This essay by Norman Vincent Peale appeared in Guideposts magazine.
Every person has a unique problem, and it’s a rather tough one. The problem is life. If you don’t know what you’re going to do with life, life will do something to you.
Either you master life or life masters you. It’s just that simple.
Whatever problems you may be facing, you can solve them if you trust yourself and believe in your abilities. If you don’t have the know-how, you can get it. If you lack the insight, you can find it. If you don’t have the wisdom, you can obtain it. As long as you are alive, you can do something about your problems.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once told the story about the day that crowds on the streets of an English cathedral town were going about their daily business when suddenly someone spotted a young woman standing on a narrow ledge high above, on one of the towers of the cathedral. A great crowd gathered below, hushed and horrified.
Policemen climbed the tower and attempted to bring her down. A minister came and talked with her. But, after some 30 minutes, she flung herself from the tower down to the street. No one ever found out what problems had driven her to that desperate act. But there is one thing she either didn't know, or couldn't comprehend, and that is the powerful truth that, for every problem, there is an answer.
"That's great," you may say, "but how do you get it?" Here are three positive action steps you can take to tackle tough problems.
1. Think deep thoughts.
How long has it been since you've really thought deeply? Deep thinking is one of the most painful exertions known to man. We shrink from it. We like to be relieved of it so we think off the top of our heads.
But the trouble with those thoughts is that they remain superficial. John Burroughs, one of our great naturalists, once said that there were just two classes of people. He wasn’t referring to men and women, young and old or rich and poor. The two classes he saw were the "quick" and the "dead."
By the "quick," he meant people who look at the world and see it; people who listen to the world and hear it. The quick are people who are sensitized to the world around them; they get the meaning of the world. They are alive, alert and vibrant.
As for the "dead, while they aren't dead physically, they are insensitive. They never grapple with ideas or try new ways of doing things. They are dead in the spirit, living only superficially.
Thus, one step towards learning to solve your problems is to take the time to think about it, contemplate it and “feel out” various possible solutions.
2. Clear your mind.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once related a story that happened during the Korean War. An American destroyer lay at anchor in Wonsan Harbor, Korea, on a still, moonlit night. The tide was ebbing and it was around midnight.
The quartermaster was making his routine rounds of the ship, when he suddenly noticed a cylindrical black object in the water. He immediately realized that it was a live contact mine that must have broken loose from a mine field. And it was slowly drifting toward midship. The quartermaster seized the intercom and called the duty officer, who came dashing to the scene with the captain.
A general alarm was sounded, and the whole ship burst into action. The officers and men viewed the mine that was approaching ever closer. Quickly, they considered what could be done. Could they pull up anchor? No, they didn't have time. Could they start the engines and swing the ship around? No, because the propeller wash would only suck the mine in faster. Could they explode it by gunfire? No, that would not work because of the proximity to the ship's magazine. Could they launch a boat and push it away? That was ruled out, for it was a contact mine. Seemingly, there was nothing to do but to alert the officers and men to brace themselves for a catastrophe.
However, among the men on deck was an ordinary seaman who outthought all his superiors. "Get the fire hoses!" he cried. What a simple, practical idea. They played a stream of water between the ship and the mine so that it created a current that moved the mine out a safe distance, where they then could destroy it with gunfire.
So what did that seaman have that none of the others had? First, it was clarity of mind. Nothing was confusing his thought processes. No tension or inner conflict inhibited his mental powers. As a result, he was able to think in a crisis, and he produced a creative solution to a tough problem.
The human mind is so constituted that if you focus your attention on a problem, keeping yourself calm and your mind unruffled, and if you maintain faith in God and firmly believe that you’re going to get an answer, the answer will appear.
3. Use creative silence.
The eminent industrialist Robert G. LeTourneau, manufacturer of earthmoving machinery, once received a wartime order from the government for a very complicated large machine to lift airplanes. No machine of the kind had ever been designed.
LeTourneau and his engineers went to work on the problem, but it stumped them. They worked at it for several days, but weren't getting anywhere. They became tense and nervous. Finally, as Wednesday night came around LeTourneau said, "Well, boys, I'm knocking off. I'm going to a prayer meeting."
"You can't do that, boss,” his workers said. ”We've got a deadline to meet."
"But," he said, "I've got a deadline with God."
He went to the prayer meeting, dropping the problem into the deep well of his unconscious mind. He sang hymns and prayed. He got himself into harmony with God. What happened after the meeting? LeTourneau reported that as he was walking along the street, there in his mind, in complete detail, was the design of the machine. It had been there all the while, of course, he just needed creative silence to bring it forth.
If your problem is related to your health, your business, your children—it makes no difference what it is—don’t get agitated or depressed. Don’t try so hard. Don’t panic. Whatever your problem, when you lift your spirits, clear your mind, believe in your potential, take the worry and fear out of your thoughts, and have faith in God, you can do the impossible. You surely can.
Positive Affirmation
As long as I am alive, I can do something about my problems.
Every person has a unique problem, and it’s a rather tough one. The problem is life. If you don’t know what you’re going to do with life, life will do something to you.
Either you master life or life masters you. It’s just that simple.
Whatever problems you may be facing, you can solve them if you trust yourself and believe in your abilities. If you don’t have the know-how, you can get it. If you lack the insight, you can find it. If you don’t have the wisdom, you can obtain it. As long as you are alive, you can do something about your problems.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once told the story about the day that crowds on the streets of an English cathedral town were going about their daily business when suddenly someone spotted a young woman standing on a narrow ledge high above, on one of the towers of the cathedral. A great crowd gathered below, hushed and horrified.
Policemen climbed the tower and attempted to bring her down. A minister came and talked with her. But, after some 30 minutes, she flung herself from the tower down to the street. No one ever found out what problems had driven her to that desperate act. But there is one thing she either didn't know, or couldn't comprehend, and that is the powerful truth that, for every problem, there is an answer.
"That's great," you may say, "but how do you get it?" Here are three positive action steps you can take to tackle tough problems.
1. Think deep thoughts.
How long has it been since you've really thought deeply? Deep thinking is one of the most painful exertions known to man. We shrink from it. We like to be relieved of it so we think off the top of our heads.
But the trouble with those thoughts is that they remain superficial. John Burroughs, one of our great naturalists, once said that there were just two classes of people. He wasn’t referring to men and women, young and old or rich and poor. The two classes he saw were the "quick" and the "dead."
By the "quick," he meant people who look at the world and see it; people who listen to the world and hear it. The quick are people who are sensitized to the world around them; they get the meaning of the world. They are alive, alert and vibrant.
As for the "dead, while they aren't dead physically, they are insensitive. They never grapple with ideas or try new ways of doing things. They are dead in the spirit, living only superficially.
Thus, one step towards learning to solve your problems is to take the time to think about it, contemplate it and “feel out” various possible solutions.
2. Clear your mind.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once related a story that happened during the Korean War. An American destroyer lay at anchor in Wonsan Harbor, Korea, on a still, moonlit night. The tide was ebbing and it was around midnight.
The quartermaster was making his routine rounds of the ship, when he suddenly noticed a cylindrical black object in the water. He immediately realized that it was a live contact mine that must have broken loose from a mine field. And it was slowly drifting toward midship. The quartermaster seized the intercom and called the duty officer, who came dashing to the scene with the captain.
A general alarm was sounded, and the whole ship burst into action. The officers and men viewed the mine that was approaching ever closer. Quickly, they considered what could be done. Could they pull up anchor? No, they didn't have time. Could they start the engines and swing the ship around? No, because the propeller wash would only suck the mine in faster. Could they explode it by gunfire? No, that would not work because of the proximity to the ship's magazine. Could they launch a boat and push it away? That was ruled out, for it was a contact mine. Seemingly, there was nothing to do but to alert the officers and men to brace themselves for a catastrophe.
However, among the men on deck was an ordinary seaman who outthought all his superiors. "Get the fire hoses!" he cried. What a simple, practical idea. They played a stream of water between the ship and the mine so that it created a current that moved the mine out a safe distance, where they then could destroy it with gunfire.
So what did that seaman have that none of the others had? First, it was clarity of mind. Nothing was confusing his thought processes. No tension or inner conflict inhibited his mental powers. As a result, he was able to think in a crisis, and he produced a creative solution to a tough problem.
The human mind is so constituted that if you focus your attention on a problem, keeping yourself calm and your mind unruffled, and if you maintain faith in God and firmly believe that you’re going to get an answer, the answer will appear.
3. Use creative silence.
The eminent industrialist Robert G. LeTourneau, manufacturer of earthmoving machinery, once received a wartime order from the government for a very complicated large machine to lift airplanes. No machine of the kind had ever been designed.
LeTourneau and his engineers went to work on the problem, but it stumped them. They worked at it for several days, but weren't getting anywhere. They became tense and nervous. Finally, as Wednesday night came around LeTourneau said, "Well, boys, I'm knocking off. I'm going to a prayer meeting."
"You can't do that, boss,” his workers said. ”We've got a deadline to meet."
"But," he said, "I've got a deadline with God."
He went to the prayer meeting, dropping the problem into the deep well of his unconscious mind. He sang hymns and prayed. He got himself into harmony with God. What happened after the meeting? LeTourneau reported that as he was walking along the street, there in his mind, in complete detail, was the design of the machine. It had been there all the while, of course, he just needed creative silence to bring it forth.
If your problem is related to your health, your business, your children—it makes no difference what it is—don’t get agitated or depressed. Don’t try so hard. Don’t panic. Whatever your problem, when you lift your spirits, clear your mind, believe in your potential, take the worry and fear out of your thoughts, and have faith in God, you can do the impossible. You surely can.
Positive Affirmation
As long as I am alive, I can do something about my problems.
Monday, December 29, 2008
A Child's Christmas in Wales
I first encountered A Child’s Christmas in Wales as a sixth grader at Shrine of the Sacred Heart elementary school in Baltimore. Our teacher, Miss Casey, in her first year of teaching, decided we would recite it as our contribution to the annual school Christmas show. My best friend, Terry, and I were rather flighty, so Miss Casey gave us each only one line to memorize, which was fine with us. I’ve never forgotten mine -- “And once I had a little crocheted nosebag from an aunt, now alas, no longer whinnying with us” -- or Terry’s -- “Our has got a black knocker.”
That was it for us, but brainier, more serious students like Leslie Morrow got long sections, including the famous six days and six nights when I was 12 or 12 days and 12 nights when I was 6 passage. While some of it seemed a bit antiquated to me, I was enchanted by other parts, such as the uncles who loosen their buttons, having eaten too much, napping by the fire and startling awake when the boys burst balloons in the room; or the children in the yard with their snowballs waiting to target the cats, who were smart enough not to appear, and then making use of the snowballs when a fire broken out in Mrs. Prothero’s house -- they hurled them into the smoke while waiting for the fire brigade to come. I also had loved that term -- fire brigade. It sounded so much more exciting than fire engines or fire trucks.
All of this and much more came back to me Saturday afternoon as I watched the Irish Rep’s charming production of Dylan Thomas’s classic. Director Charlotte Moore has the cast sing nearly 20 traditional and original carols, effectively interspersing the music between the storytelling.
The mood is established even before the show begins with Moore’s tasteful and cozy set -- four trees with nothing on them but white lights, a fireplace with a gas fire and a mantle covered with greens and candles. Five chairs for the singer/storytellers, an upright piano and an Oriental rug complete the scene. It’s a perfect way to unfold the magical memories of Thomas’s Welsh childhood, from his early morning waking to his falling asleep after an adventure-packed day of eating, entertaining relatives and playing in the snow with the other children.
“One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep,…” From those opening words through the final carol, Victoria Mallory, Jon Fletcher, Edwin Cahill, Ashley Robinson and Kerry Conte hit just the right notes, vocally as well as narratively. Music director Mark Hartman accompanies them on piano and harp. (All shown in photo, left to right.)
Costume designer David Toser adds to the simple elegance of the set by clothing the women in velvet dresses -- one green, the other a burgundy red -- and giving the men festive touches such as red socks or cummerbund. Michael Gottlieb’s lighting is just right for evoking the nostalgic tapestry of the tale. All together, it is a wonderful gift of a show.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales runs at the Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 W. 22nd St., through Sunday. Tickets, which are $60, $55 and a special 16 and under price of $20, can be purchased by calling 212.727.2737 or at the box office prior to the show. Visit Irishrep.org for more information.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Be Vigilant Only for God and His Kingdom
“Remember, however, that what the Holy Spirit rejects the ego accepts. This is because they are in fundamental disagreement about everything, being in fundamental disagreement about what you are. The ego’s beliefs on this crucial issue vary, and that is why it promotes different moods. The Holy Spirit never varies on this point, and so the one mood He engenders is joy. He protects it by rejecting everything that does not foster joy, and so He alone can keep you wholly joyous. . .
“Choosing through the Holy Spirit will lead you to the Kingdom. You create by your true being, but what you are you must learn to remember. . . Your vigilance is the sign you want Him to guide you.”
--A Course in Miracles, Foundation for Inner Peace
Friday, December 26, 2008
James Barbour
James Barbour has impressed me once again. He wowed me this fall with his powerful performance as Sydney Carton in the exciting, but unfortunately short-lived, Broadway musical of A Tale of Two Cities. On Tuesday night I was charmed in a different way by the warmth and intimacy of his holiday concert at the cabaret at Sardi’s.
With music director Jeremy Roberts on piano, Barbour sang classics like “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “White Christmas” and shared stories of his life in a way that made me feel I was with a close friend enjoying the holiday at his home. He spoke frequently about his mother, with whom he had been close until her death in 2005, his wife and child, and the need of “always living in a sense of hope.” The spirit of his in-laws also was present as he told how his father-in-law, a retired Marine Corp officer in Hawaii, and mother-in-law invite all service people who were away from family to their home each Christmas. Barbour and Sardi’s were continuing that tradition by inviting any military people in New York to attend the Christmas Eve matinee for free and have drinks and food on the house. I was really touched by that.
Joining Barbour at each concert will be a special guest artist. The night we were there it was Natalie Toro who played Madame DeFarge in Two Cities. I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled about hearing her because I hadn’t cared for her performance in the musical. She has one of those Broadway shouting voices that are so popular, but that’s just not a style of singing I like. At Sardi’s, however, she offered a pleasant surprise.
“Since a lot of you know how I usually sing, I’m going to do something a little different,” she said before offering an “Ave Maria” that was heartfelt and reverent, operatic but not shouting. It was a blessing.
The evening held an additional surprise. Michael Hayward-Jones, who played Jarvis Lorry in Two Cities, was a unscheduled visitor who sang a lovely “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” adding to the warmth of the evening.
Other scheduled guests are Jodi Graham, tonight; Deborah Gibson tomorrow; Marla Schaffel on Dec. 30; Marc Kudisch on Jan. 2; Toro again, with Kevin Earley, on Jan. 3 and Jack Noseworthy on Jan. 4. Derek Keeling and Kate Shindle were set for the Christmas Eve show.
In addition to the carols, Barbour sang Broadway songs, which would certainly be expected from a veteran of the Great White Way. Beside Two Cities (see my Sept. 27 review), Barbour has appeared in Assassins, Urinetown, Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast, Carousel and Cyrano — The Musical. He included “great Broadway songs you’ve never heard,” one of which, “The Measure of a Man,” I especially liked. It’s by Frank Wildhorn from a show I had never heard of called Rudolph: The Last Kiss.
Barbour concluded with a moving “O Holy Night” before an encore of “I Can’t Recall” from Two Cities. The 90 minutes flew by and I left feeling uplifted and full of holiday glow. It was a highlight of my Christmas season. I strongly urge you to get there if you can.
Tickets are $25, $45, and $60; there is also a $25 food-drink minimum per person. Sardi's is located in Manhattan at 234 W. 44th St. For reservations call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Forgiveness
“You must give up pain, anger, resentment and fear in order to experience goodness, joy, peace and love. . . Offering another the forgiveness they need strengthens the spiritual nature in you. . . When you withhold forgiveness or love from anyone, for any reason, it diminishes your awareness of the abundance of good in life. You are stuck in so much old stuff, new stuff has no way of getting to you. In essence, the good that you withhold from others will be withheld from you.
“Sometimes, we make the mistake of thinking that other people have the power to control or alter our destiny. It is our beliefs, mistaken or otherwise, that ultimately determine what we will do or be in life, not another person. . . We believe our experiences make us who we are in life, and then we blame the players in our experiences. The biggest mistake we all make is believing that other people can hurt us. . . Forgive yourself for believing that anyone who occupies the flesh form as a human being could in any way alter the truth of your being.”
from One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Shrek: The Musical
I’ve heard the movie is cute. The musical is not. In fact, it’s so dreadful it makes bombs like Tarzan, Young Frankenstein and The Little Mermaid look good by comparison.
SKIP IT!!!
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