Time to Play!

"Put all your soul into it, play the way you feel!"
- Frédéric Chopin

At this point, I'm uncertain who is able to read Smiling Heart, who is unable to comment, who is having trouble loading it, or who simply doesn't care anymore.

It's nearly time for my vacation, and so all these blog bugaboos actually come at the perfect time. Finding the silver lining again? Playing the glad game again? Oh, yeah.

I am Pollyanna, hear me roar.

Blogger and the universe have conspired to give to me the gift of a little time off, and I plan on using it to play around. This will be the last post from me for three weeks or so, or until I get the blog problems solved. I'll play around with things while I'm on vacation, and maybe revamp the whole blog (I'm kind of fond of the way it looks, now, though, so maybe not...what do you think?)

Who knows what the future holds?  I'm ready to play, and I'm planning on pouring my soul into it!

Of course, I leave you with my very favorite piece of music by my very favorite composer played by my very favorite pianist.

I recommend that you take ten minutes out of your day, sit with your eyes closed, turn the volume up so far that your bones vibrate along with the piano chords, breathe deeply, and absorb this melody into your soul.  Once each day while I'm away, please.  

I guarantee you will feel the passion.

Here is Vladimir Ashkenazy playing Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in B flat Minor, Op. 31. It's long, it's passionate, and it's just perfect for the rest and relaxation that will soon come my way.

I hope you have some of that coming your way this summer, too. We all need a break now and then to just play. Pour your smiling heart and soul into it and enjoy!

The Glad Game

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."
- Buddha




"Pollyanna" by Eleanor Porter

  
 
Things are tough right now. Tough for most of us, terribly tough for some of us, and downright tragic for more than a few.It's easy to get stuck in the quagmire of the sturm and drang of recent events.
 
Okay, let's face it. It's time to pull out the big guns today. This is a job for Pollyanna.


I always loved Pollyanna. Did you know that the character in the book (I'm not sure it was mentioned in the films) was from the Ozarks? Well, the Ozark Mountains are located well south of my hometown of Kansas City, but I always found it inspiring that a girl from the rural hills of my state could end up on a plantation in New England. So intriguing!
 
According to the story, Pollyanna's late father was a minister, but he shows signs of being a Buddhist to me. He taught his daughter The Glad Game, how to find something to be glad about in each moment, and how to share that perspective with others.
 
It's not a big lesson, and doesn't usually involve great mental gymnastics. It's just a little thing, one little thing that might just affect the way we experience our day.
 
With that little lesson in mind, allow me to share just a few things with you that make me glad right now;
 
- First of all, I'm planning to meet up soon with a friend I've not seen since sixth grade! We've had a bit of trouble sorting out our crazy schedules, but we will soon spend the day together, and just the thought of that fills me with gladness.
 
- Secondly, a wonderful blog friend, Cheryl, (or 'Jojo' to her two lovely granddaughters), from JOJO's JOYS has most generously offered to help The Graceful One as she makes her transition to the Atlanta area to begin her new job with The Georgia Ballet. How gracious is that?
 
We have some arrangements yet to make over the next few weeks, but I certainly hope to see Cheryl, introduce her to my daughter, and share a glass of sweet tea or lemonade.  I also look forward to telling her how glad she's made me feel with her warm, southern hospitality.
 
- The Graceful One began her career with two wonderful years in the beautiful city of Portland, Maine, and I'll be sad not to visit that charming city, which quickly became my favorite vacation spot...
 
but wait...this is the Glad Game. Nevermind. The silver lining to the imminent move means that we will be able to spend a few precious weeks with The Graceful One this summer, a treat we rarely get, so I'm very glad for that.
 
- Something else that makes very excited is coming up in just two weeks. I'm set to reunite with fellow graduates of Ruskin High School for our fortieth...yes, 40th! class reunion! Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I've become reaquainted (and in many cases, finally aquainted) with many friends, and have so much to look forward to that weekend, I can't help but feel glad. 
 
 
- Lastly, The Coach and The Fashionista in Las Vegas have gotten an adorable new puppy. I'm receiving regular updates, lots of photos, and I'm sort of hoping they'll love the experience enough to start a real family! (No pressure, Kids.)  Here is a photo of my new 'granddogger' Lily...



Lily

  
                              Awww. What's not to feel glad about?
 
Today, I hope you share some happiness.
 
 
The music choice today makes me feel happy all over. It's Chopin's "Étude Op. 10, No. 5 (Chopin)" or the "Black Key Étude." The entire right hand (and most of the left)is played only on the black keys of the piano. Who would think to compose a piece like that? Well, Chopin, of course!
 
This is performed by the outstanding Valentina Lisitsa. Watching her happy expression as her fingers fly across the black keys is delightful, and it does, indeed, make me feel glad. Enjoy.
 

The Heroic

" A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." 
- Christopher Reeve

Intervention of the Sabine Women, Jacques-Louis David
Oil on canvas, 1799, The Louvre, Paris, France

Not much time to write this morning, as I'm heading over to the ICU for a visit with Our Young Man.


It occurs to me this morning how heroic the families of those waiting for transplants must be. Today alone, 110,586 people are waiting for an organ transplant. 


They, the hundreds of thousands around the world, are ordinary people, after all. Yet they find the strength to endure and persevere in spite of overwhelming odds. That's heroic in my book.


If you're interested in finding out more about Cystic Fibrosis, please click HERE. 

If you're interested in finding out more about organ donation, please click HERE.


To these ordinary people displaying extraordinary courage, I salute you today. 


This is the master himself, Vladimir Horowitz, playing Chopin's "Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53".  


It's more often called by it's popular name, "L'Héroïque" or "The Heroic". 


Listen and enjoy. ♥

Never too old

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
- C.S. Lewis

Moving Day on the Farm, Anna Mary Robertson, 1951

Having raised four children, volunteered in scores of classrooms over the last thirty years, chaperoned dozens of field trips, ballet festivals and road trips, and now having the privilege of sharing our home with my two grandchildren and their parents, I consider myself  'experienced,' if not an 'expert,' regarding children.

For heaven's sake, my very first paying job was babysitting for the children of friends from church when I was just twelve. That job (at fifty cents an hour) morphed into a consistent source of income until I left home for college, and eventually included babysitting jobs for children of Kansas City Chiefs football players (they paid much more than fifty cents an hour). I was destined to be a 'professional' mother.

Most times, that doesn't seem to count for much, but observing infants, children, adolescents, and young adults through all the phases of growth has certainly has given me great insight into the aging process. What I have come to realize, is that we are never too old to do...well, anything!

The painting above was done by America's iconic primitive artist, Anna Mary Robertson. Oh, you've never heard of her? Maybe you know her by her nickname...

Grandma Moses, age ??

Grandma Moses. This petite, anonymous elder (with a case of arthritis that forced her to give up her beloved needlework) took up painting at the age of seventy-six and the rest, as they say, is history.

Is something so trivial as a number holding you back from doing something?  Our society has come a long way in addressing the issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and freedom of (and from) religion. Many of us still struggle with ageism. Why is this the last bastion of free thinking?

Here's my list of things we're Never Too Old To Do:

• Try new foods: C'mon, try it, you'll like it. We encourage the little ones to try new foods, but have you become stuck in a cycle of pizza, hamburgers, and tacos? Have a gastronomic adventure once in a while...sushi? vegan chili? calamari? Choose something just for the 'newness' factor once in a while. Your tummy will thank you for it!
• Make a new friend: "Go over and say hello" we tell our children, encouraging them to form bonds of friendship. As we age, our busy schedules (and often-narrowing attitudes) sometimes prevent us from widening our circle of friends. I say, take the time and take the chance on continuing to "go over and say hello." You know you won't regret it! [Hi, Robin, a 'now friend' I met yesterday through our mutual friend, Tess of Life at Willow Manor. Robin and I discovered a mutual love of movie quotes, British humor, and the arts. We also both think that Vladimir Ashkenazy walks on water. If he can put up with an effusive American woman, we should be fast friends. You should check out his clever blog, The Eton Mess. It's a delight.]
• Pick out your own clothes: A big rite of passage for me was in third grade, when my mother, who had dressed My Twin and me in matching outfits, allowed us to choose our own clothes. Of course, being the 'younger twin', I chose to wear the same thing My Twin wore, until she admonished me for it, forcing me to go my own way. I still sort of resent her for that. [I actually thought that being a twin was more unique than being and individual...but that was then and this is now.] Are you buying clothing that marketers have deemed "age appropriate"? Pish-tosh. Wear whatever you like, just not one of those ghastly red hats, please.
• Explore new ideas: Learning new things is not confined to the classroom. That's not to say it can't be done there...I'm a huge proponent of continuing education...but it doesn't have to be done there. "Google it" is a favorite phrase in our house, and it's always a great place to start when you're feeling curious about something. You are still curious, right?
• Raise a little hell once in a while: Remember how much fun that was? Well, some of you do. When I was younger, I was never much one for the party scene. Now that I'm a little older, though, I've come to the conclusion that I deserve to take off that  earnest Virgo hat  I usually wear and replace it once in a while with a tiara and "dance it out". Who cares if I can't dance? I want to dance!
• Try a new career: Oooh, you say, and here's where you stop reading my blog. Hang on. I know there is much to be said for security and status and trivial things like, oh...money to pay the bills. But if you have a burning desire to change course in your life, then good for you. Yoo-hoo. We're not getting any younger, are we? If not today, then when? And most certainly, if a roadblock has been put in the path of your current career (have you become unable to physically or emotionally continue your current job?), then see the roadblock as that which will of necessity veer you off into a new (and possibly, better) career. After all, look at Grandma Moses. She lived to be 101 years old, and if, at the age of 76 she had said, "I'm too old to start this," she would have missed a twenty-five year career!
• Fall madly, deeply, truly in love: Nope. We are never to old to fall in love. We are a species who seeks connection, and most of us never outgrow that need to be connected to another. As relationships change, transitions occur, and we grow in maturity, it becomes increasingly important to forget about the number we've assigned ourselves as our age. After all, how many "young" people have you known that are much older than their years...stodgy,even, in some cases? And how many "older" people have you known who can run rings around the rest of us? [My friend, Lorene, met the "love of her life" at the age of 80-something. She and her new husband, Clarence, went white-water rafting in Colorado for their honeymoon. Now well into their nineties, they aren't spry enough to go rafting anymore, but they still laugh and flirt and hold hands, and are the envy of everyone in their senior living center. I want to be like Lorene when I grow up.] Don't listen to anyone (including yourself) who tells you that you can't fall in love with whomever you choose at your age. More importantly, learn to accept the possibility that someone else can fall in love with you!

That's my list. What's on your list of things you're never too old to do?

Today, I hope you accept your age, but reject the labels that other have put on it. 


Today's music selection comes via my newfound friend, Robin, who sent this to me yesterday. What a gift I can share with you...something I've not been able to do before now. Here is video of a live performance of Vladimir Ashkenazy (my not-so-secret crush) playing Chopin's " Etude op.10-1".

Watch Ashkenazy play, and you will see why I have a not-so-secret crush on the man. Such passion and power, such love for his art, such handsome features...oops, going too far. His hair is a thick shock of white these days, and he is in his 80's, I think, but I tell you without hesitation that it's NOT about the number! Enjoy!

L'Adieu to the Arts?

"But something touched me deep inside,
         The day the music died..."
- Don McLean, "American Pie"




Frédéric Chopin


I'm immersed in thought over what is happening up on Captitol Hill today. The issue of a looming government shutdown is complex and wide reaching, yet how many of us truly realize what that means?

Most of us think it means simply that government offices will close (so what?), politicians will take a break (so what's new?), and maybe a few services will be curtailed (so what's a little more trash on the curb?). 

It seems so much more dire than that to me.

Deep cuts are being proposed to the national budget, many of which are essential to our economic recovery. No matter which side of the aisle your perspective comes from, we all see the need to monitor the ongoing escpades of lobbyists, special interests, and corporate potentates. Everything is up for debate, right?

Everything but the arts, please.

We're locked in struggle, a desperate uphill battle to restore some balance in our society, and this fight cannot be won unless and until we recognize that it cannot be restricted to commerce alone. It is also a battle for the very spirit of our nation...our ethos.

Enter the arts.

I spent a magnificent few days in our nation's capitol recently, and was astounded at the wealth of artistic treasures it contains. The National Gallery of Art is comprised of two beautiful buildings, one historic, the other of new, modern design.  Much of our nation's and world's art is preserved and displayed here.

"The" Smithsonian is not, as we know, one building, but a complex of the world's largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, 9 research centers (and more than 140 affiliate museums around the world). A shutdown of this facility alone would affect thousands of individuals.

Symphony orchestras, dance companies, and theater groups would be on furlough along with the trash collectors. Is this really what we want for our country?

A free society can not legislate culture, but we can vow to protect it. We can acknowledge the purpose of art, to transcend the mundane and lift us up to the cerebral and ethereal nature of our souls. It fills a void and nourishes us. When we are most desperate, we find sustenance in art. The arts reflect our sadness and struggles, as well as our joys and triumphs. They are a mirror to our national soul.

We cannot live by politics alone. We can and must aspire to sustain beauty in our civilization, to replace noise with music, to insert poetry where there is debate, and to look bravely into a future filled with the beautiful, magificent, myriad reflections of our souls.

Please join me in sending messages of peaceful cooperation to Congress today.

Although I might have selected any number of American composers for this post, of course my favorite composer comes to mind. Chopin wrote this lovely waltz, "Waltz Opus 69 No. 1" in 1835 as a farewell gift to Maria Wodzińska, to whom he was engaged. Although Maria's parents agreed in principal to their engagement, her mother felt Chopin's health to be too frail, and they never married. Chopin died at the age of thirty-nine.

[Nearly half of Chopin's works are alive today because his sister disobeyed his deathbed request to burn his manuscripts which had not yet been published. Hooray for rebellious sisters!]

This melancholy waltz was one of those pieces published posthumously. Its nickname is "L'Adieu" or "The Farewell Waltz" and it is my very favorite piece of music. Ever. Not even Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" can compare. This version is played by the brilliant technician, Tzvi Erez. Enjoy.

Cherry Amour Therapy

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer." -  Leonardo Da Vinci
 

 

Fleurs De Cerise (Cherry Blossom) - Oil on canvasEmile Vernon, 1916, private collection

I'm heading to Washington, D.C. this morning to catch up with two friends, Reya and Linda, and fill a prescription for a little Cherry Amour therapy. That's Reya's way of describing the effects of the Cherry Blossom Festival this time of year in her corner of the world.

The Japanese cherry trees were given as a gift to the city of Washington, D.C. by the mayor of Tokyo, Mr. Yukio Ozaki exactly 99 years and two days ago, March 27, 1912.

That is so cool.

This trip has been in the works for several weeks now, and I thought it would be a fun frolic with a couple of girlfriends, laughing and walking in the warm D.C. sunshine, and taking hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures of the annaul spectacle of spring.

I had no idea what was in store for me.

I see now that it is no coincidence that these two trips, one to see The Graceful One perform last weekend, and one to dance among the cherry blossoms with my friends, were perfectly arranged to follow the death of my mother.

What was to be a celebration of a great performance turned into a chance to hold my child and grieve with her for the loss of her dear grandmother. To be able to be with her, see her for myself, and share tears and hugs and memories with her was healing therapy for myself as well.

And now, to have the chance to be among the trees and friends and art and music and all that is a part of Reya's city is healing beyond belief. Cherry Amour therapy, it certainly is.

In truth, the weather forecast calls for rain, but that's of little consequence to me. I feel that the three of us will be given all that is needed for our time together, be it rain, or snow, or sun.  I'm extremely grateful to Reya for coordinating this.

I'm not bringing my laptop, and I won't be posting until I get home late Saturday. Instead, I'll spend my time marveling at the wonders of nature (in whatever form), the wonders of friendship, and the wonders of these great synchronicities we all get to experience every so often.

Today, I wish you your own version of Cherry Amour therapy.

The music selection today was very difficult. Should I go with something Japanese? (Truthfully, most of it grates on my nerves.) Something about cherry blossoms? (There are a few, but they're mostly love songs...too trite.) I finally decided to stop wrestling and choose something from my go-to guy, Chopin.

In honor of the predicted rain, I have chosen Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude in D flat Major, Op.28 No.15. It's the longest of all his preludes, and is a lovely study on the comfort of rain. 


Chopin wrote this while he was staying at a monastery, convalescing from what we now believe was most likely tuberculosis. Chopin worried constantly about his wife and son, but playing the piano offered relief from the anxiety.

He was reportedly hypnotized by the sound of the rain on the roof one day, and wrote this prelude as a result. It's quite beautiful...listen for the repeating constant A-flat eighth notes pitter-pattering in the bass, sounding like the rain on Chopin's roof tiles and downspouts.

This version is played by my favorite pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy. I love his tempo, his expression, and the way he allows the rain to wash over us all. Enjoy. 

Study on Winter Wind

"Come, ye cold winds, at January's call,
On whistling wings, and with white flakes bestrew
The earth."
John Ruskin

The Road to Giverny, Winter
Claude Monet, Oil on canvas, 1885

 I've never been fond of Brother Wind. To me he feels sort of like that annoying brother who finds pleasure in tormenting you. I'm not referring to Li'l Brother Breeze, who can brush your arm or cheek and tease you in a fun-loving way. No. Not him. I'm talking about his big brawny brother, who seems to enjoy running into me at full force and knocking the air right out of my lungs. He's hard enough to tolerate in the fall when the weather begins to agitate him, but he's downright unbearable in the winter.

I miss my outdoor walks. I've tried regularly to venture out to the park on my usual path, scarf around my neck, ear muffs securely in place, jacket hood up,  but inevitably I've had to give up and admit defeat. Occasionally it's because of snow or ice on the path, but most often it's due to the jarring wind.  Is it just my imagination that the wind is more fierce than usual this winter?

When we think of the work of Claude Monet, for most of us it brings to mind his beloved gardens at Giverny in France. Water lilies, the garden's footbridge,  mother and children at repose and on picnics...all made with the softly placed strokes of a genuis of impressionism. Most of them carry a palette of the vibrant hues of life.

Many of us forget that he lived and painted in all four seasons, and his winter scenes are just as beautiful, but carry in them the more muted hues of the season.  I especially love this piece, The Road to Giverny, Winter, where we are able to walk with the artist as he approaches his beloved gardens in  the cold and snowy "season of blues".

In studying the winter wind, I hope to achieve a more amiable coexistance with it. Brother Wind and I may not ever be the best of friends in winter, but I hope some day we can walk together and enjoy the scenery.

Today I wish you a calm Monday.


Frédéric Chopin is my favorite composer. (Get used to it.) This piece, Étude,  Opus 25, No. 11, in A minor, is a devilishly technical study composed in 1836.  Aptly named "Winter Wind Étude, it's a dynamic whirlwind filled with speed and unconventional fingering.  Only the best of the best can perform this one. It also makes me feel that I'm standing on the road to Giverny as the winter wind picks up and turns into a blizzard as we walk.

I've chosen the Russian pianist Adam Gyorgy for this presentation for two reasons; first, the camera work is excellent, giving us the requisite view of his brilliant finger work; and secondly, it gives you a lovely example of differing cultures at the end of the performance as the audience begins to applaud in unison. This is the Russian equivalent of a standing ovation, and is coveted among concert, ballet, and theater performers. Enjoy!