With feelings of gratitude

I search and find, sunshine

Describes my daily attitude

It’s like my sunny disposition

Takes hold of me,  the key

That starts up my ignition

Seeing the world through eyes

Mesmerized by happiness

Brightens the darkest skies

Pure expressions of delight

Bring bliss, a sense of joy

Changes everything in my sight

It is there

Suddenly….it will appear

Seemingly out of thin air

Inspiration is everywhere

<> <> <> <> <> <>

Always here

Whether far and near

See it in a smile or in a tear

Inspiration is everywhere

<> <> <> <> <> <>

It is clear

Moments disappear…

Memories become a year

Inspiration is everywhere

<> <> <> <> <> <>

Almost anywhere

With or without prepare

A time to share

Inspiration is everywhere

(For Stevie Nicks, Dave Stewart, and “In Your Dreams”)

For everything is not as simple as it seems

Inspiration fuels many fires and ignites all of our dreams

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

They had both come off one of their driest spells

They had to dig much deeper to get the water from their wells

But the beauty of their magic is like a painting that compels

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

He came with some simple chords and danced into her home

Together they created sweet music from many of her poems

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

She was reminded of how things were back in the day

She hoped her songs and her stories would show the world another way

For so many years she had danced across stages like an actress in a play

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

The way they worked together, she found her spirit suddenly awaking

For the passion that brought them together was magic in the making

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

Beauty in the giving

Magic in the making

Beauty in the living

Magic in the making

Ah ah ah…..sweet magic

Her dreams…sweet magic

I want to be a super hero so I can save the world.   I want to use my boundless powers to make wrong things right.  I want to fly and touch the sky.   I want to heal all the people suffering with pain.  I want to deliver food to the hungry.  I want comfort every child in need.  I want to cure those who are dying of disease.  I want to share love with the lonely.  I want touch the lives who need it so much.

I want to heal our hurting planet.  I want to bring peace on earth.  I want to discover what the world needs most.  I want to play like a child.  I want to make sad men happy.  I want to wipe your tears when you cry.   I want to bring light to the darkness.   I want to soar way up high.   I want to wash your pain away. 

I want to be more than human.  I want to give more than then I get.  I want to leave more then I take.  I want to make a brand new start.  I want to be a master of disguises.  I want to love with all my heart.   I want to be faster than the speed of sound.   I want to use my secret powers.   I want to feel my feet leave the ground.

 I want to be at the center of all things.  I want to be all that I can be.   I want to dance with the greatest of kings.  I want to feel my spirit take flight.  I want to soar up to the heavens.  I want to dive into the deepest seas.  I want to live like a dreamer.  I want to perform the miracle of miracles.   I want to live forever.

I want to know the wisest men.  I want to feel the face of god.   I want to wave my magic wand.  I want to rescue all the broken hearts.  I want to spend time undercover.  I want to make the Red Sea part.   I want to stay though I must go.   I want to rescue you from yourself.    I want to live a life I may never know.

In a world brimming with endless possibilities, I always wonder why most people choose to live such ordinary, routine lives?  Lives that ask for too little and are, therefore, not lived to their potential.  Sure it is easier to just go straight up the middle, making the least amount of waves, and settling for the things that happen to come into your path. 

Truth is, we deserve more! Life is such an extraordinary gift that it deserves to be an adventure that is explored from the mystique of our inner spirituality to the far reaches of outer space, and everything in between.  Life is amazing, and we are fortunate to be living it…NOW!

From Mother Teresa to Lady Gaga, we bare witness to the lives of people who have chosen to live in an extraordinary way.  Some people choose to serve others, living a humble life with the simplest path possible.  Others choose fortune and fame, living over the top with all kinds of eccentricities and creativity swirling about them.  The great artists and philosophers, who imprint their unique views of the world, god, and humanity upon us with their stirring works, were all ordinary people who found their extraordinary calling.

We need to ask for more form our lives.  We need to give more of ourselves, if we are to honor the life we have been given.  The world is waiting for us…each and every one of us.

By following your heart and listening to that voice inside, you will know.  Some call it intuition, while other say they have a feeling in their gut. Whatever you call it, listen to it. 

To know great success, we must take chances.  Failure is a great teacher, and one that we need learn from wisely.  To experience wealth, we must bare witness to poverty, and understand its cycle.  Just ask Oprah Winfrey, an extraordinary woman who has impacted so many around the world.  She has risen to extraordinary heights from less than promising childhood circumstances.

Why not make the best of the time we have been given.  It’s up to you and me, to live out our greatest possibilities.  Love til it hurts.  Laugh until you cry. Learn something new everyday. Honor people first.  Explore this wonderful world.  Adventure into the unknown every now and then.  Dream big dreams, then work smarter to make them happen.  Be thankful for what you have, or take action to change those things.  Show gratitude to everyone who touches your world in a positive way, even in the smallest way.

Treasure the gift of life you have been given…

by living an extraordinary life!!!

The world spins around herself each day.

Take a look inside for your heart knows the way.

Out of the darkness and into the light.

Like emerging from clouds to catch a golden ray.

It seems that life is filled with great mystery.

Yet we all write the pages of our own history.

Empower yourself to step outside.

Bringing challenge to the course of your destiny.

Remove the overcast layers of the past.

For the gift of time passes way too fast.

Come out of the shadows and into your prime.

Leave an amazing legacy that is meant to last.

In all the world you are the only one.

Who was born to be you, not just anyone.

Step up and take your place in the spotlight.

For you deserve a moment in the sun.

(Performed by Nancy Lamont/written by David Friedman)

I have always been completely moved by the original recording by Nancy, live performances by many gifted cabaret singers, and the songs lyrics, themselves. I aspire to write so honestly and clearly from my heart!  With love, CB

It was John Lennon who said, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  A more relevant quote could not sum up the truth about our lives more eloquently or emphatically.  Plans make excellent skeletons around which we can build the body of our work.  Plans need to have room for growth and the flexibility to accommodate change. 

Learning to expect the unexpected is crucial in a world that functions at warp speed, throwing us uncontrollable conditions constantly.  The only thing we can really rely on is that change is the one true constant.  Understanding how to work with these various deviations from the plan will actually make us more productive, leave us better prepared, and less stressed.  The old saying, “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”, rings so loud and clear in reference to our uncontrollable conditions here on planet earth.

When we allow life to present itself, it does, in full living color, like one gigantic stage show in progress.  Sometimes a good front row seat is far more interesting and enlightening than starring in the lead role.  Let life’s players, performers, and portrayers to present themselves in full character, uninterrupted by us.

In time, all things sorts themselves out, evolving to become either more or less important and influential in our lives than we originally believed.  Building our awareness skills, so that we can absorb and understand our immediate surroundings, is essential.  Environmental sensitivity is another key, that will unlock the doors to us knowing just what is required in each situation life places us.

While we work towards our goals, a clear picture of our intended destination will provide an excellent road map of which way to head.  The journey, however, will unfold as we travel, revealing the characters and events, that will tell the whole story.  Think of it like a trip across the country, where you have nothing but time and the open road.  And where the plan of not having a plan is the greatest freedom you ever hope to experience.

And so we start, by looking deeper inside our hearts.  There inside, you will find your greatest guide.  A guide to remain by your side, throughout life’s entire ride.  For honesty and truth come from inside. 

Stop!  Look around at yourself, your life, and the world around you.  Take it all in like a giant sponge, drinking in every drop.  Become a great observer, and life will reveal itself.  Sit back and watch it like a great big performance, full of it’s many performers and it’s players. 

Be a constant learner. One who dives into subjects with the burning desire to know more.  The desire to research for information.  The hunger for knowledge. The passion to be a deep thinker, filled with the wisdom of the great scholars and philosophers.

It starts with you. You take the lead, starring in your own life. 

Think with your heart, speak with your soul, following your passions.  Engage with people who make you feel whole. 

Be the person you want to see in others.

Do the unexpected. Expect greatness!  “And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance…..dance.  I hope you dance”.

And take the lead……….by following!

Our lives are like a blank canvases, waiting to be painted upon.  A canvas to be covered with our stories.  The magical moments that change the course of where we sail.  The details of days spent studying in school.  The great philosophy and wisdom of scholars, passed down to us, the next generation.  We will paint the canvas with the colorful history of our family and friends.  Our beliefs, both religious and spiritual, will create the scenic backdrop upon which layer after layer will be revealed.

Life will reveal an incredible parade when we learn to sit back and let the wonders of the world unfold before our very eyes. The unrivaled scenic beauty of our planet.  The cliffs and canyons.  The oceans, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. The mountains and prairies.  The deserts, islands, and volcanoes.  The astonishing array of animals.  Fascinating creatures.   The infinite diversity of  plants, trees, and flowers. The power of mother nature.  Observe it.   Witness the sheer splendor of it all.

Just like with nature…

Allow people to reveal themselves fully, like  blossoms bloom into flowers.   The complexity of their structure giving way to their inner beauty.  The protective outer layer contrasting  the vulnerable and colorful interior layers.  For to love, we must learn to be loved.  In order to grow, we must plant seeds.  The seeds need to be nurtured, day in and day out…

Each day offers us the opportunity to write a new chapter…. paint another picture…

Time will always be of the moment.  And we shall live in the moment. 

Our beliefs peacefully guiding life’s journey…

Our hearts effortlessly filling with the joy of love and having been loved…

The moments of our days will turn into the days of our lives…

Our lives will unfurl…like a flag.

And upon the canvas will be… our story.

Like a painting on…. the canvas of life.