MJB

We live in a world of acronyms, don't we?  Why is so much emphasis placed on random letters put together, without meaning for most people, to represent something meaningful?  At work, I've witnessed an overuse of acronyms.  Governments over use them and most definitely, the medical sector uses them way too much.  I guess I’m also guilty of using too many acronyms.   I go shopping at SDM (Shoppers Drug Mart) or CT (Canadian Tire) or GT (Giant Tiger) or AE (American Eagle...for Sarah!) or YIGS (Your Independent Grocery Store).  I refer to one of Sarah's chores as emptying the SSD (Space Saving Drainer... for dishes).  I go to the ATM (bank machine).  I'm almost out of TP (toilet paper).  I listen to CDs (compact discs) and watch DVDs (no clue!).   When I text, I often use LOL (laugh out loud) and TTYL (talk to you later).  One of my favourite songs right now, "Sexy and I Know It", is by the group LMFAO.  See what I mean? 

So all of this has lead me to wonder, is there a difference between acronyms and initials?  Isn’t an acronym simply a string of initials?  Why such a fancy name?  Well, you know what that means?  I need to pull out my dic (in case you're wondering, that's my abbreviation for the word dictionary!). 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, an acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word.  While an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately is called an initialism.  Oh my bad!  I’ve been using the term acronym incorrectly.  An example of an acronym would be CRASSH which stands for Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Services and Humanities.  The acronym is pronounced as a word!  The examples I used as acronyms, SDM for example, are initialisms because it’s pronounced using the letters; it does not form a word. 

So now I know....a string of initials that aren’t pronounced as a word is simply called an “initialism”.  My world has just changed!  I’m no longer going to throw the word “acronym” around as if I know what I’m talking about!  Hmmmm….makes me wonder how many other words in my vocabulary are being used incorrectly???   I’m also wondering if maybe we should simply change the definition of initialism to “when you’re too lazy to say the entire set of words, only the initials are pronounced”.    Is it too difficult to say "I'm going to Shoppers Drug Mart, does anyone need anything?" instead of "I'm going to SDM, does anyone need anything?" because the reality is that I'll probably end up having to say "Shoppers Drug Mart" when people look at me strangely and say "huh?".  Why do we feel the need to talk in code?   

I don’t think we could use laziness as a reason for using acronyms though because I think it’s kind of fun (yes, I said fun!), that we can take the first letter from each word, in a set of words, to form another word.  It’s kind of like one of those poems that uses the letters of your name or a word to tell a different story.  What is that called again?  Geez, if only Sarah or BFF or Bro were here to help me out with this one.  I guess I’ll have to search the internet for my answer.  Albeit courage remains  often stagnate to internet chases.  Okay, so after an extensive search,  I believe it’s called an acrostic poem.  Imagine that?  The answer was in front of me the entire time….did you catch that?   Anyways, if I’m wrong about the name of the poem, please correct me since this blog post is already turning out to be full of humiliation learnings for me.   Hmmmm....maybe the acrostic poem should have simply been called an “initialism poem”.   Just sayin’...

All of this talk has lead me to wondering (surprise!) if we are creating isolation or exclusion when using acronyms or initialisms?  Should they be banned?  Could eliminating acronyms and initialisms heal the world?  For those of you who didn’t catch my acrostic poem within the blog post, you’re probably feeling stupid isolated right now (uh, right?).  Well, in case you missed it, here’s the brilliant acrostic poem that I wrote:

Albeit

Courage

Remains

Often

Stagnate

To

Internet

Chases

Okay, it’s not really a poem but I was trying to be creative, brilliant and a little cheeky (failure!).  Geez, can’t a girl try???   

For fear of making people feel excluded or isolated with my blog post, I guess I should say don't worry if you don't know the meaning of my blog post title: MJB.  When I first decided to write this blog post, I thought the title was an acronym but now I know better;  it’s an initialism.  I’m somewhat disappointed because blogging about initialisms doesn’t sound as exciting as blogging about acronyms, right?   Well, if you don't recognize the acronym initials MJB, you're probably not going to be interested in this blog post (sorry!).  You’ll be happy to know that it's not a campaign to get Justin Timberlake to “Marry Jessica Biel” and it’s not a promotion so you’ll buy “More Jamaican Beer” and it’s not about a “Movement for Justice in Brazil” and it’s definitely not a campaign because I want to “Marry Justin Bieber”.  I guess you'll just have to read on to find out. 

This week, I bought myself an early Christmas gift (ahem!).  No, it wasn't a new book!  I purchased a new CD (yes, I actually bought a compact disc vs. downloading the music from iTunes!) and I'm really excited to share it with you.  Don't worry, it's not another Christmas CD!

So this is your last chance...any guesses??? 

Well, today is your lucky day because this week's blog post is an ode to MJB - Mary J. Blige!!!   WOOHOO!!!  (I can feel your excitement!!!)

Now those of you who know me well will know that I have been a huge fan of three female artists for a long time.  Obviously one is MJB and the other two are....any guesses?  Geez, I hope at least Sarah and Bro are shouting out the answers.  It's Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand!!!  I’ve already shared my love of Barbra with you in Ode to Barbra so I won’t start ranting about my love for Barbra.  As for MC (Mariah Carey!), Sarah and I had the great pleasure of seeing her in concert (at least it was a great pleasure for me!), and I'm sure I will have a blog post dedicated to her very soon.   Today, it’s all about MJB though!  One day, I hope to see MJB in concert (I wonder if Sarah would come with me?) but until that time, I will gush about her in my blog. 

You know how everything happens for a reason?  Well, last year I discovered Private Practice which is now one of my favourite television shows (yes, this is going to lead to MJB, don’t worry!).  So last weekend, I watched the two hour special of PP which was one of the best episodes (EVER!).  Not surprising, I shed quite a few tears  during that two-hour episode (well, it’s actually only 84 minutes when you fast forward through commercials!).  Halfway through the episode, I realized something that would change the course of my life week.  Let me set the scene for you.  In the middle of a tear-inducing scene where Dr. Jake Riley (played by Benjamin Bratt) is sitting in a cemetery, talking to a tombstone while eating crullers, I found myself transfixed on the crullers he was eating music playing in the background during that scene.  I tried to Shazam (an app on iPhone that "listens" to a song then provides you with the name and artist) the song but it came out "unrecognized".   Since I’m not one to give up, I did a quick Google search to find out if someone had posted information regarding the music in the episode.  What I found out was shocking and elating!  Before I tell you about my discovery, I must tell you that PP has the best music!  So much so that the show has its own music lounge on the ABC website.  Now what I found out was that MJB provided the soundtrack for the entire two-hour PP episode!!!  Not only that but the music was from her upcoming new album My Life II…The Journey Continues (Act I).  Holy crap!   I didn’t even know she was coming out with a new album (yes, I’m a horrible fan!).   I could hardly contain my excitement…and my disappointment….how could I not recognize her voice in the song that had me transfixed during Benjamin's scene?  Based on the lyrics from the song during that scene "need someone, blah, blah, blah" I was able to identify one of MJB's songs from her new album (which hit stores on Nov 21!).  Here's MJB singing "Need Someone":

Amazing....she's so beautiful and so talented!!!  Do you understand why I ran out and bought her new CD My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act I) on November 21st?  Well actually, my ass never left the house because I ordered it from Amazon :)

You should know that the difference between MC, BS and MJB is that I seem to really connect emotionally with MJB's music, and since this is an ode to MJB, I'm going to share my favourite MJB songs with you (you're so lucky!). 

Her career took flight in 1992 with the release of her first album What’s the 411? which was produced by Puff Daddy.  Her hit singles included “Real Love” and “You Remind Me” but my favourite song on the album is a cover of a popular Chaka Khan song (she’s also one of my favourite female artists!).  Here are two legends singing one of my favourite songs, “Sweet Thing”:

WOW!!!  At some point, I need to dedicate a blog post to Chaka Khan.  I almost forgot how much I love her. 

MJB’s next album My Life came out in 1994 and was produced by Sean Combs (previously known as Puff Daddy!).   Hits included “Be Happy” and “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” and “I’m Goin’ Down” but my favourite was “You Gotta Believe”. 

The next album was Share my World (1997) which was produced without Puffy.   The most popular song on that album was probably “Not Gon’ Cry” which was featured in the movie “Waiting to Exhale” (one of my favourite movies and based on a book by one of my favourite authors, Terry MacMillan!).   I love the line "I should have left your ass long ago" :)

In 1999 came the album Mary which included collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Eric Clapton, Elton John, K-Ci, and George Michael.  Pretty impressive!  I honestly don’t remember this album (maybe I was too busy drooling over John Cusack?) but I must say that the MJB and George Michael collaboration (which I'm discovering today for the first time...thank you blog!) on “As” is pretty cool.  I enjoyed the video so I’m sharing it with you (you’re welcome!).   

I think she became a superstar with her next album No More Drama in 2001.  There were many hits from this album including “Steal Away” and “Dance for Me” but my two favourites are “Family Affair” which was always on my workout playlist (oh the good ol’ days when I worked out!), and the title song “No More Drama” which was so raw.   It still brings tears to my eyes when I listen to it.  

He’s baaaaaaacccckkkkk!!!  Sean “Diddy” Combs is back in 2003 to produce her next album, Love & Life.   Again, I must admit that I don’t really remember this album (shameful, I know!).   The hit singles included “Ooh!”, “Not Today” and “Whenever I Say Your Name”.  I’m sorry to say that as I listen to these songs for the first time (I think!), I'm not really feeling any of them.  I guess the rift between MJB and Puffy came through in this album because (yo diggity!) I’m not digging it. 

Thankfully, Diddy and MJB parted ways because what followed is my favourite MJB album, The Breakthrough (2005)!  I’ve always been able to relate to MJB’s music but this album managed to empower me after a difficult breakup (thank you MJB!).   Hit singles on this album included “Be Without You”, “Take Me As I Am”, "Enough Cryin’” and “One” (with U2!) but I must say that I loved every song on this album (that’s a rarity!).   My favourite MJB song is probably “Be Without You” and it has nothing to do with the fact that (yummy!) Terrence Howard is in the video!  Fun fact:  Terrence Howard also appeared in Ashanti’s “Foolish” video in 2002. 

In 2007, MJB came out with her next album Growing Pains just in time to help me through another heart-breaking relationship.  Hits included “Just Fine” (one of my favourite MJB songs!), “Work That”, “Stay Down” and “Shake Down” (featuring Usher!).  Fun fact:  Blige won "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the Chaka Khan duet "Disrespectful" (featured on Khan's album Funk This) which Blige wrote.  I dare you to not get up and dance when you hear one of my fave MJB songs, “Just Fine”.

That was a well-deserved dance break!  :)

In 2009, she released her ninth album Stronger With Each Tear.  Interestingly, this album got me through a difficult relationship and subsequently, another breakup (am I seeing a pattern here?).  Hits included “The One” (with Canadian rapper Drake!), “Stronger”, “I Am”, “Each Tear”, “We Got Hood Love” but again, I loved every song on this album.  My two favourites from this album are probably “I Feel Good” and “I Am”.   I believe “I Am” might be one of my all-time favourite MJB songs (there are so many!).   

We have come full circle and are back in 2011 with the release of her newest album My Life II…The Journey Continues (Act I).   Shockingly, this album is not helping me get through another break-up but I can so relate to her journey!   On this album, she worked with Swizz Beatz, Kanye West,  Jay-Z, Timbaland, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Nas, and Beyonce on this album (just to name a few!).   So I have spent the last few days listening to it, and my favourite songs are “Need Someone”, “Ain’t Nobody” (another cover of a brilliant Chaka Khan song!), “25/8”, “Don’t Mind”, “No Condition”, “Mr. Wrong”, “Love A Woman” with Beyonce, “Empty Prayers”, and “The Living Proof”.  Okay, so that’s most of the album so if I had to choose my top 3 right now, I’d say “Need Someone”, “Empty Prayers” and one of my favourite songs of all time “Ain’t Nobody”.   First up is the song "Empty Prayers":

I know I said that "Ain't Nobody" is one of my favourite songs on the album (possibly my fave!) so I have to be honest and say that I prefer Chaka Khan’s version (oh dear!) but I'll let you be the judge!   Now get on up and dance because you’re finally at the end of this blog post there “Ain’t Nobody” like MJB (and Chaka Khan!). 

Oops....I guess it's not the end of my blog post yet.  There's one more thing I want to share with you which I accidentally discovered while searching for MJB videos:  a video of MJB and JB singing "Mistletoe".  It's a little creepy seeing Mary J. Blige sing "under the mistletoe with you" to Justin Bieber but nonetheless, some of my younger readers might enjoy seeing their boy "JB" singing his latest hit with my girl "MJB". 



TTFN :)

Patience Sailor!

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.”  ~ St. Francis de Sales

Some of you may be thinking that the blog post title is directed at you (you know who you are!) because some of my hostile dedicated readers hound me (in a loving way, of course) about being too slow to post on my blog.  Sometimes it's published on Friday night, sometimes on Saturday and more recently, on Sunday.  Well, I'm not here to apologize!  I'm here to teach you a little something about P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E.

As I do every week, I've been waiting for a blog idea to pop into my head for this week's blog post.  I've had many ideas pop into my head all week but nothing seemed to stick.  This morning I woke up with the feeling of "patience" and I thought "okay, I'm being patient awaiting the blog post idea" then it hit me…I need to write about patience.  Should be a fun and exciting blog post, eh?

As you know, I fell sick with Bell's palsy on September 25th.  Well, the right side of my face is still partially paralyzed. It's not as bad as it was but nonetheless, I'm still emotionless on the right side of my face (you only get a half smile from me but nonetheless, it's a smile!).  On a positive note, temporary paralysis means temporarily having no wrinkles!!!  I know that family and friends are frustrated by the slow progress and are probably thinking that drugs (the prescribed type!) would have been the best remedy but I  truly believe that I need to go through this exactly the way I'm going through it (without poisoning my body with steroids!) by learning to be patient as my facial muscles slowly return to normal.  Yes, I need acupuncture and I need to massage my face often and I have to make funny faces to work the muscles but I'm also stretching a new muscle with the hope that it will get stronger...patience!

This week, I read Shirley MacLaine's "Dancing in the light".  What a fascinating woman with a fascinating life.  Her open-mindedness is so refreshing to me.  Actually, yesterday I told BFF that whenever the time is right to be in a relationship again, the man has to be, above all else, open-minded.  Shirley opened my eyes to the importance of having an open mind and an open heart.  Anyways, I'm not going to discuss the depth of the book because it's somewhat controversial (the believers vs. the non-believers!) and for some, it’s a sensitive subject matter but I wanted to share with you something that hit me hard about creativity (I learned a lot about myself by reading this book!).   Here’s the conversation between two people in her book: 

Kevin:  “That is the struggle.  Struggle is the struggle.  We are on this earth, in my opinion, to learn that we don’t need to struggle.  That is the real enlightenment.  The process of learning that there is no struggle takes struggle, but life itself is not struggle.” 

Vassy:  “But I’m trying to write a script and it is a struggle.  Or when I make a movie, it is a permanent struggle.” 

Kevin:  “Yes but if you relaxed more and just let the creativity flow, you would find your need to struggle decrease.  But if you believe that creative struggle is necessary to a good script then you will create struggle instead of a good script.  Or maybe you will create struggle and a good script – but you will never know whether it could have been better if you had not struggled.”

The creative process (i.e. writing a blog) shouldn't be a struggle.  As soon as it becomes difficult (a struggle!),  you're trying too hard and are no longer being authentic to your true self.  What a lesson:  just be!   It's not just about writing a blog because when you think about it, most processes in life are creative.   I think it's okay to look at situations and say "if it doesn't happen, it wasn't meant to be".   That's certainly how I've looked at my love life!  Sure, at work, it's a little different because I could never say to my manager: "Sorry I couldn't meet the deadline.  I guess it just wasn’t meant to be!"  I don't think it would go over very well.   It's simply the realization that life doesn't have to be a struggle.   Something I've been pondering all week is "do we create our own suffering?"   Since I'm still pondering that thought, I really have nothing to share but I'm sure that will be the subject of an upcoming blog post!  I'm discovering that the more I meditate, the less I struggle.  I haven't been able to prove there's a correlation between the two but all I know is that it feels like I'm not trying so hard to be me.   When I say "meditate", I simply mean being still.  Stop.   Silence.   Quiet the mind.  Stillness.  All you need is 10 minutes to get started.  Try it!

Silent reflection has also lead to the discovery that whenever I feel myself get agitated, the source is often impatience.  I've always wanted things NOW!!!  Whether it's a thought, a thing, a relationship or weight loss (ugh!), the immediacy of it or better yet, the lack of immediacy made me anxious.  Whether it's seeing a  movie preview (I want to see it now!) or reading a book review (I want  to read it now!) or seeing an ad for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (I want to eat it now!) or thinking about John Cusack (I want to marry him now!) or writing a blog post (I want to post it now!) or smelling freshly baked bread (I want to eat it now!) or waiting for the computer to start in the morning (I need to log in now!) or doing yoga (I want to be able to put my legs over my head now!) or planning a trip to Italy (I want to go now!) or laying awake in bed (I want to sleep now!) or stopped at a red light (I want it to turn green now!) or going on a diet (I want to be skinny now!) or watching the kettle (I want my tea now!) or standing in line at the bank machine (I want my money now!),  I'm recognizing that I was very much lacking in the patience department (and still am...I’m a work in progress!). Getting sick has taught me a lesson which I may not have learned if I had popped pills for 4 weeks!  Not  that there's anything wrong with taking medication (my disclaimer!) but it wasn't the route I wanted to take this time and I'm glad I had support from Dr. Acupuncture and the neurologist at the hospital.    Taking the time to find the lessons in the events of our lives also takes patience.  The next time you’re feeling agitated or impatient, stop and reflect on what’s happening.  You might be blessed with insight without having to get sick to learn the lesson! 

“He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of patience. “ ~     William Golding

Last week, I rediscovered the song "Sailing".  I’m not sure how it popped into my head but it did so I downloaded the song and have been listening to it pretty much every day (not all day long!).  As I type this blog post, I was reminded of the song but in particular, sailing as a recreational activity.  I’ve never been sailing but I can’t help but wonder how much patience is required to sail.  As the thought pops into my head, I’m wondering if patience, or the lack thereof, is directly related to my need to control (shocking, I know!).  Am I impatient simply because I'm not in control?  Well, let's review my examples of impatience.   On that list, the only thing I seem to have control over is the food I choose to eat (see the ad, eat the Reese’s peanut butter cup or smell the freshly baked bread, eat it!!) yet my relationship with food was completely out of control.  Well, I must say that since getting sick, my food intake is completely under control.  I no longer crave sweets, and I eat in moderation…when I’m hungry!  I’ve discovered the difference between eating because my stomach needs food and eating to fill the emptiness inside.  I know it sounds sad but it’s not really…we all have the emptiness inside…it’s learning to love yourself that fills the emptiness.  Blah, blah, blah…I’ll save that for another blog post :) 

But back to the sailing….if you’re an impatient sailor (is that an oxymoron?), the impatience would result from not being able to control the wind, right?  Unless you’ve been able to master weather control, you have no choice but to be patient and enjoy your time sailing.  Isn’t that the point of sailing…to relax and enjoy your time on the water?   I guess I could use sailing as a metaphor for my life.  I just need to relax and see where the wind takes me!   So I guess that's enough psychoanalysis for one day.  Geez...writing this blog post has actually been enlightening!  Imagine that  :P

On a lighter, but equally important note, I'm curious to know what you think of the song "Sailing".  Have you been humming the song ever since I mentioned it a few paragraphs ago?   So I've been remise to tell you about my past obsession but here goes...in my early 20s, I developed a real obsession love for…wait for it… ‘N Sync (shocking, I know!).  I think I recorded every one of their videos and performances on VHS, and played them back over and over and over again.  At the time, my heart belonged to band member, JC Chasez (I’m just noticing something…JC = John Cusack.  Coincidence?)   I even wrote a “fan” letter to JC (which many years later, probably resembles the message that I sent to George Stroumboulopoulos!) but I never got a response.  He could have at leat sent me an autographed photo!  Geez…maybe JC and George are in cahoots? 

One of my favourite performances, that I watched over and over again, was a concert at Disney World.  My favourite song was "Sailing" so I downloaded that song from iTunes last week.   You probably thought that I had downloaded the original song by Christopher Cross but I didn't....I was only 8 years old when the song came out!  I did, however, discover a new version, which I also downloaded, by Florence K (she's Canadian!).   My conflict is that I'm not sure which one I prefer so I thought I'd put it out there for your input.  What do you think...'N Sync vs. Christopher Cross vs. Florence K?

P.S.  I couldn't find a video of Florence K's version of "Sailing" so I just recorded the audio with my camera on my bed - don't mind the shots of my comforter (so happy that I found my battery charger!!!).  Wow...uploading this video was definitely a lesson in patience!  I patiently waited 45 minutes to load it but nothing happened so I cancelled the upload then tried again.  The next time, I waited 1 hour then cancelled.  Then I decided to upload the video to You Tube (my first attempt at uploading a video to You Tube...ahem!) so after 30 minutes, the video is now on my blog.  Argh...patience sailor! 

I must say that Florence K's version of "Sailing" is currently my favourite.  I love her voice!   Doesn't the song feel like a duet...Florence K and The Piano?  The song has actually inspired me to get back to playing  the piano (I haven't played since getting sick).  I hope to learn how to play "Sailing" (I will post a clip as soon as I learn it…that should be by 2013!).  Now that I'm learning patience, I will try to be more patient with myself as I learn to play the piano.  That will probably make learning that much more enjoyable!  As a side note, a few years ago, my uncle gave me a Florence K CD for Christmas.  I had listened to it once but at the time, I didn’t really enjoy it.  I found it the other day and am happy to say that I’m now enjoying her English and French music.    You should check her out because Florence K is a real talent (go Canada!).

As I was searching for the videos, I came across this video of 'N Sync and Christopher Cross singing "Sailing".    I thought it was pretty cool so I'm sharing (yes, I'm a dork!). 

Seeing those videos of 'N Sync made me excited for Christmas.  I guess I was already excited about Christmas since I watched “The Holiday” yesterday but that’s a blog post for another day!  I can't wait to put up the Christmas tree and all of the decorations, to start watching Christmas movies (already did!) and playing Christmas music.   I'm learning to be patient though so I will be waiting for Sarah to get home so we can do the decorating together (even though she won’t admit it, I know that deep down she loves decorating the house for Christmas!).  So how did ‘N Sync get me excited for Christmas?  I'm so happy you asked :)

That might be my favourite song of all time (yes, I'm pathetic!).  It brings back so many memories!  I remember watching the ‘N Sync Holiday Special over and over again.  I believe we (I won't mention who the "we" includes!) even learned the 'N Sync choreography for this song.  If I still had that VHS tape, I’d probably watch it again right now (I wonder if I still remember all of the moves?).  How disappointing that I no longer have a VCR!  Oh wait, I can probably find the video on YouTube.  Sadly, I couldn't find the live version of Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays with the choreography but I did find this:

Oh JC, how I love thee (that sounded biblical!)!  I’m not afraid to admit that every Christmas, I still listen to the ‘N Sync Christmas CD (it’s really good, okay!).   The other Christmas CD that is a staple in our home (because of me…not Sarah!) is the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Christmas CD.  I love every song on that CD but for whatever reason, I end up buying a new copy of the CD every other year because it disappears.  I wonder why it always disappears?

OMG…I’m just realizing that Once Upon a Christmas was a movie or TV special!  I searched for it on Amazon but no luck :(

The third CD in my holy trinity of Christmas CDs is the 98 Degrees Christmas CD.  I found this video of my favourite song on the CD.  I actually had this performance on a VHS tape too and watched it over and over again (Jeff was my fave...just sayin').

You’re welcome!  I guess that’s just a little taste of what’s to come on my blog because I love Christmas!  The lights, the snow, the decorations, the cookies, the music, the movies, the Santa Claus parade (and Santa!), the spirit of giving, the eggnog, the time spent with family and friends, the board games (get ready because I’m going to kick some ass!), and all of the love (not the shopping!). 

Before I sign off, I should take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience.  Special thanks to my family and friends who put up with me, and thanks to all of my blog readers...especially if you made it through this blog post :)

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”  ~  Saint Augustine

Joy Rising

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~ Thich Nhat Hahn

This morning, I woke up happy.  Now if I was a man, that sentence would have meant something entirely different so thankfully, this blog post will remain PG or as my brother says when referring to me "PG but mostly G" so please no awkward giggling when I refer to "joy rising" :)

So why is today different than any other day (not that I usually wake up a complete grump!)?   Did I dream of John Cusack?  Sadly, no.  Did I dream of kissing a man?   No, but I have been having lots of kissing dreams lately...what could that mean?  Did I wake up happy simply because I slept in until 9:51am?  Just a side note to say that I freakily discovered while getting my Facebook updates this morning that BFF posted "Waiting on my favourite blogger to post!" around 9:51am.  Coincidence?!?   I can’t help but wonder if her favourite blogger posted yet?    Oh well, I don't have time to worry about that because I have to post on my own blog  :P 

It’s also important to note (okay, it's actually not that important!) that BFF sent me the following text at 10:04am "Are you busy blooging? :P" but at that point I was still in bed basking in the glory of having slept in until 9:51am (I went to bed at 9:30pm!) and having the sun shine into my room through the blinds, hitting the crystal hanging in my window which illuminated my bedroom beautifully. So did I wake up feeling happy because of the sun shining in my bedroom or was it because I had over 12 hours of sleep?  The truth is that I have no idea and happiness without rhyme or reason is a beautiful thing :)

I must admit that I only got out of bed at 10:29 am which made me panic a little bit (just a little…it wasn’t a full-blown panic attack!) because I started thinking that I’ve lost 25% of my waking hours (that's ¼ of my day!) since I normally wake up at 7am and go to bed at 9pm (last night was a late night for me!).  So waking up at 9:51am then only getting my ass out of bed at 10:29am was definitely not a joy rising moment (although if my name was Joy, it would be!).

Well, if I'm being honest, the joy rising this morning may have been due to the fact that I had a wonderful day yesterday.  I spent the day with…wait for it…my brother!  I know what you're thinking "Oh how sweet of a sister to say that about her brother" but I urge you to hold that thought!  Okay, so the happiness may not be due entirely to the fact that I spent the day with my brother but could be because we got to spend the day shopping!!!  Yes, that’s right…a day of traffic jams in parking lots, pushy people with their carts, and line ups at the cash.  A day of shopping most definitely makes my joy rise...not!!!  So if it wasn't the shopping that made me happy, maybe my purchases made me happy?  I bought a new winter jacket, a new toque and 14 pairs of socks (I must live in Canada, eh?).  I also bought a new Roots bag for travelling to and from my office and as a carry-on for the plane.  Papers, books, pashmina, purse can all fit in there (and an extra pair of underwear which my mom taught me I should bring with me when travelling in case my luggage gets lost...don't ask!).  But they're just material possessions, after all, so I doubt that was the source of joy rising.  So if it wasn't the shopping or the purchases, maybe it was my brother? Then again, it could be the fact that I got to see my parents yesterday or maybe it was lunch at The Works, a yummy, burger joint, that brought on so much happiness that it oozed (like the cheese on my burger!) into today?  It might not have been the simple act of having lunch with my brother but rather the veggie burger topped with avocado, caramelized onions and Havarti cheese?  Yes, that must be it!  Actually, I think I finally figured it out...I woke up happy knowing that half of my veggie burger is sitting in my fridge waiting to be consumed :)

Wait a minute, I really need to think about this…maybe it was because of my brother?  All of the happiness from car dancing with him may have left an imprint on my heart resulting in joy rising this morning.  Then again, when I think about car dancing, I also think about the singing that occurs whilst car dancing, and it's not all happiness!  Sadly, I end up thinking about Sarah's pet peeve which has somehow turned into my very own pet peeve:  people who sing along with the music but don't know the words to the song!   Now I don't want to embarrass my brother publicly (especially since this blog post is dedicated to joy!) so let me start by saying that I believe Sarah’s pet peeve was born as a result of my inability to sing the correct lyrics to all of my favourite songs.  Since I’m all about bringing joy into people’s lives, and because I love my brother so much, I'm going to post the lyrics to his favourite song along with the video so he can learn the actual words (you're welcome, Bro!).

Rihanna - ‘We Found Love’ Lyrics

Yellow diamonds in the light

And we’re standing side by side

As your shadow crosses mine

What it takes to come alive

It’s the way I’m feeling I just can’t deny

But I’ve gotta let it go

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

Shine a light through an open door

Love and life I will divide [JustJared.com]

Turn away cause I need you more

Feel the heartbeat in my mind

It’s the way I’m feeling I just can’t deny

But I’ve gotta let it go

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

We found love in a hopeless place

Dancing to that tune is joy rising!  Actually, dancing always makes me happy so I hope you took a break from reading my blog to dance and make your joy rise :)

Now I’m also wondering if maybe I woke up happy today because of today's plans.  Don't get too excited!  No, I don't have a hot date planned.  No, I'm not going to try to solve the Rubik's cube in under one minute.  No, I don't plan on publishing 3 blog posts today (sorry!).   No, I didn't plan on reading "War and Peace" from cover to cover.  I simply planned on catching up on Oprah’s Lifeclass  (I’m way behind!) but since I somehow chose to sleep my day away (!!!), I’m not sure how many episodes I’ll be able to watch especially since I have a blog post to write, a half of a veggie burger to eat and since it’s going up to 15 degrees Celsius today, I also have some fresh air to breathe!  Not to mention the loads of laundry that need to be done, the vacuuming, the dusting, the window washing, the raking….oh how quickly the joy dissipates!   Now for those of you who love Oprah as much as I do, you’ll know that I stole borrowed the term  “joy rising” from Oprah but it’s okay because she actually  stole borrowed it from a guest on her show who was describing the experience of being part of the mob flash flash mob on Oprah with Black Eyed Peas:

I remember watching this episode and thinking "what the hell is wrong with the woman dressed in blue in the front row?" because she was the only person dancing then I started thinking "what the hell is wrong with the rest of the people for not dancing...are they that stiff in Chicago?".  Eventually, I figured out that it was all planned. Sadly, that was probably 3 minutes into the song :P

So the guest who coined the term "joy rising" described his experience as a mob flasher flash mobber as joy rising (I know it makes me happy watching it!) so Oprah has continued to use that term on Oprah’s Lifeclass (Fridays are “joy rising” day so she talks about the moments on The Oprah Show that allowed her and the audience to experience joy rising) and now I’m using it in my blog post.   By the way, if you’re interested, you can still view all of the webcast components of Lifeclass (there’s a one-hour LIfeclass on television, which have all been recorded on the PVR, followed by a one-hour webcast on Facebook or Oprah’s website).  The webcasts have all been archived on her website for those of us who didn’t have the time to view them live.

Seeing that mob flash flash mob made me think of another mob flash flash mob that also resulted in joy rising for me (and tears!): 

I'm not sure why but I can't add it as a video so I'm sharing the link to the website "I believe she's amazing".  It's for a good cause so scroll down on that site to see the video.   It's a moving flash mob (no pun intended!). 

Not surprisingly, that video made me think of yet another "joy rising" video....Sophia Grace singing Super Bass:

And even better than that is Sophia Grace meeting Nicki Minaj on Ellen:

What about the joy that rises when you watch these two twin babies have a conversation?

I always love watching the reunion between these two men and Christian the lion which I think really captures joy rising between man and animal (I love my cats!).  Have you seen this video yet (don't mind the music...you might want to press mute!)?  Makes me cry every time...tears of joy!

What about the video of the "mini Warbler" singing the Glee version of "Teenage Dreams"?

Speaking of joy rising (ahem!)....here's Taye Diggs on Ellen:

And while I’m on the subject of joy rising (double ahem!)....

Photo credit

“One joy shatters a hundred griefs.” ~ Chinese proverb
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I found my camera battery charger in BFF's car.  Now that's joy rising!  So much for cleaning out my closet :P

So what makes you smile or your joy rise (in a non-explicit way!)?  Do you have a favourite video you'd like to share with us?   Or maybe joy rising is simply receiving a text message or call from your daughter who is away at university?  Oh wait, that’s me :)

Today I dare you to find something that makes you smile, and while you’re at it, remember to pay that smile forward so someone else can experience joy rising! 

“Joy delights in joy.” ~ William Shakespeare


P.S.  After reading this blog post, Sarah kindly sent me the following text message: "Flash mob not mob flash".   The errors have since been corrected...thanks Sarah!  Now that I know better, mob flasher does sound pretty funny so the lesson is that you can find joy in your errors too :)