Music Therapy with Miss Moon

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
~ Audrey Hepburn

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
~ Groucho Marx

" Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."
~ Omar Khayyam

In May, what was intended to be a routine check up with my new doctor turned into months of fear, worry, and anxiety. He called me and said that there was something wrong with my blood tests, and that my white blood cell count was unusually high. He couldn't say why, but that further tests was needed. In subsequent visits the doctor did very little to assure me or give me some idea what could be the problem. I did what most people (FOOLISHLY!) would do in that situation, and took to the internet to look into what could cause this abnormality. And I ended up scaring the hell out of myself in the process.

So for these past few months, I lived with this fear not far from my thoughts: Am I sick? Am I dying? What would my family do? Will I be a burden on them? And with the stress I gained twelve pounds, upped my cigarette smoking to a pack a day, and discovered two new gray hairs rest comfortably on Miss Mooch.

All of this worry was immediately alleviated when I went to see the Hematologist. He saw my fear, he saw the tension and spoke to me like I mattered. He said I did not have Leukemia (Which was the biggest fear, as I have a family history!) and whatever the cause... it was not life threatening! I wept with relief when I heard those words.

This journey is not over... there are still test results to look into, and I still have to figure out how I can get this resolved and fast. But in the meantime, I am going to express gratitude for each breath that I take, and each step that I make each day.

For this week's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon, I wanted to pick a happy, upbeat song that reflects the state of mind I am in... I am ready to get my life back on track! I am ready to get back to everything I had set out to do on my path before I got stuck in this fog of fear! With the lyrics included in the video, I hope you all will celebrate with me to "Coolin' in the Streets" by Andra Day with a bit of help by Ziggy Marley!!

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

" For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth."
~ Bo Bennett

" By a lie, a man... annihilates his dignity as a man."
~ Immanuel Kant

“ A half-truth is a whole lie.”
~ Yiddish Proverb

Recently I encountered something that put me in a place of panic and fear. Without getting into too much detail (Because I'm really trying to now dwell and to move beyond it), a customer told a lie about me at work and about our interaction over the telephone.

Now I've worked in Customer Support for almost 20 years now and I know with some certainty that there are are people out there that feel exaggeration and intimidation are great techniques to get what you want from a company. Knowing this intellectually, I still was quite upset and shaken by the experience, because I went through a similar situation before.

In that instance, my superiors did not believe me and I was reprimanded quite unfairly, I think. Still do, as a matter of fact. I could have argued and insisted my innocence, but I felt so weak and powerless that I gave up. It's frustrating to have your integrity and your professionalism doubted and called into question when you did everything within your power to ensure a positive outcome.

The blessing in what happened recently is that I was believed! Wholeheartedly! And I didn't feel like there was some silent notation being made on my record. I felt secure that I am in a good place professionally, and that my superiors have my back and recognize my efforts. That's an extraordinary feeling!

I am filled with a sense of gratitude that the people surrounding me in the workplace... see me. They see my humanity, they see my frailty, they see my excellence, and they see who I am and what I do everyday for the company I am so blessed to work for.

Lies have no power over you unless you give it power. Gratitude is the ultimate kryptonite for falsehood, and today's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon serves as a reminder to life your life a different way... the grateful way! I hope you all will enjoy "Lies" by En Vogue.



I'll live my life a different way
Refuse to let myself be called a victim

Lies, lies, using lies as alibis
Lie's, lies, just a devil in disguise

It's the same game
Played in so many ways
Everyone is the victim too
It's just a waste of time
Made for simple minds
So why do people insist on lies

I'll give my life a different way
Refuse to let myself become a victim
Getting caught you in a vicious web of lies

Lies, lies, using lies as alibis
Lie's, lies, just a devil in disguise

The nation's leaders as well as teachers
Practice lies as a way of life, yes they do
So think before you speak
Cause what you sow you reap
The truth will always come to light

Will we ever learn one day
That telling lies always bring to matters
Misery and sometimes pain

I'll live my life a different way
Refuse to let myself be called a victim
Lies, lies, using lies as alibis
Lie's, lies, just a devil in disguise
Lies, lies, using lies as alibis
Lie's, lies, just a devil in disguise
Lies, lies, using lies as alibis
Lie's, lies, just a devil in disguise

Lies and deceit
Yes it's running real rampant
Communities suffering, yo I can't stand it
When we think of lies we tend to think of politicians
But what about the husband who's on a mission
Lying to his wife so he can get it on and get some
Coming back home with a dumb expression
Written on a face that he's guilty as a criminal
It's time to change your attitude
People do you hear me, don't listen
To a funky rhyme that's kickin' knowledge that we need
We lie about our hair
And we know we got a weave
Politicians lie about the things they're gonna do
And everybody's tale affects me and you
A smoker lies about the money that he stole
And a dope dealer never tells you how he got his gold
I guess what Debbie T. is really trying to say
When you break it all down we're all the same

I'll live my life a different way
Refuse to let myself be called a victim
Caught up in a vicious web of lies

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“ When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
~ Alexander Graham Bell

" I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done. "
~ Lucille Ball

" A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams"
~ Yiddish Proverb

" I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end. "
~ Drew Barrymore

I admit it. I'm a girl that dwells on the "could-a... would-a... should-a's" in my life. I wonder what my life would be like today if I made different choices, listened to those red flags, said "NO!" when I really wanted to. And I guess it's something we all do from time to time... but I really do it a little too much. And I need to change it.

The first step in realizing that all of the choices I've made in my 35 years have lead me to where I am today. And more importantly, who I am today. And I'm... pretty kick ass, I think. I'm getting better with age, and that's due to my experiences. So instead of wringing my hands and shaking my head, I should express gratitude for where I have been, because I am now where I am, and that's someplace fabulous!

For today's Music Therapy with Miss Moon song choice, I share a great song by Darius "Not Hootie" Rucker. I hope you all will enjoy "This", and I hope it serves as a reminder to live your lives without regret, as you're wonderful and so is everything that is and everything's that to come!



Got a baby girl sleeping in my bedroom
And her mama laughing in my arms
There's the sound of rain on the rooftop
And the game's about to start

I don't really know how I got here
But I'm sure glad that I did
And it's crazy to think that one little thing
Could've changed all of it

Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart

All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
'Cause it led me here to this

Like the girl that I loved in high school
Who said she could do better
Or that college I wanted to go to
'Til I got that letter

All the fights and the tears and the heartache
I thought I'd never get through
And the moment I almost gave up
All lead me here to you

I didn't understand it way back when
But sitting here right now, it all makes perfect sense

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart

All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
'Cause it led me here to this

How I cried when my mama passed away
But now I've got an angel looking out for me today
So nothing's a mistake

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart

All the doors that I had to close
Everything I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
'Cause it led me here to this
It led me here to this

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

" Change your thoughts and you change your world. "
~ Norman Vincent Peale

" Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. "
~ Leo Tolstoy

" We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. "
~ Buddha

Of course I'm aware that our thoughts are very powerful in determining how we see the world around us. I know it intellectually and I've blogged about it quite a bit here. But somehow all of that knowledge goes far out the window, careening into the ether whenever I am riding the subway.

Every negative stereotype about New York and New Yorkers can be witnessed by simply hopping the A train during rush hour. People push, and shove and act like they are the only people in New York City with somewhere important to go. And since I'm working an earlier shift that I have worked in the past, I am smack dab in the midst of all of this. I can see now that I was really very spoiled working the late shift, because I didn't have to deal with the frantic and apathetic energy of early morning strap handlers.

A few days ago, I was on the F train heading to work. It was the end of the week, and the trains were still packed as usual. I was sharing the pole with several other people who were all trying to be respectful of each others space and trying to be as comfy as possible to be on a sardine-can packed train.

A woman gets on on East Broadway and instead of finding a pole, she chooses to just stand where she got on, essentially using ANOTHER HUMAN BEING as a wall, or a door, I don't know what the heck she was thinking. Now, I don't think I need to say this human being wasn't me, or else this blog post would've been written from prison.

The woman in question (lucky wall lady) was another person sharing the pole with me. Her and I exchanged glances and I made a bit of room (what I could) to see if she wanted to move closer to avoid this oblivious woman. And despite this not happening to me directly, I was furious that this woman could be so blind to the fact that she just walked into a crowded train and really overstepped boundaries purely for her convenience.

I left the train at Broadway Lafayette, seething. And I started thinking about all the miserable, horrible people I encountered on the train in the past month, which made me more angry. I decided that I must have all these a-holes in my life because I am putting focus on them. I decided to think about the other people sharing the pole on the F train with me that morning, and I decided to send some peace to that poor lady who was so rudely treated. I hope sincerely that our exchange made the moment a little brighter.

So from now on, I'm going to let the negative experiences of my morning and evening commutes roll off my shoulders. I am going to focus instead on the moments that made me happy to be a mammal... like the man giving his seat up to a pregnant lady, like the cute guy who let me get on the train first like a gentleman. I am going to express gratitude for these moments in the hopes that more of them happen. Especially the cute guy one! LOL

The world keeps spinning and its up to us to decided whether we want to spin with it, or fight the movement. To sing a little ditty about it, here's today's Music Therapy with Miss Moon song pick from The Brand New Heavies.


The World keeps on spinning
The World keeps on spinning yeah
World keeps on spinning
The worlds keeps on spinning yeah

Hey, now I know you're gonna be okay
Time keeps on changing but I know we're gonna win anyway
Oh how I've done you wrong
There ain't a thing that I can say
to you to make it better
Sometimes we must be strong
You know that life goes on for us
If we cannot be together

Don't cheat yourself
Happiness is 'round the corner
It will come to you
So have faith in future love
'Coz there's heaven up above
When we think we've reached the end
The World keeps on spinning

Hey, you know that time can be a healer
So they say
We mustn't be afraid to let our lonely nights
become a brand new day
Oh how I've done you wrong
I couldn't offer you a hope or find a better way
This time we must be strong,
our friendship lasts beyond all else
don't let it fade away
Don't let it fade away

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”
~ Seneca

Happy New Year, Everybody!!! The last week of 2011 was not the best and brightest for yours truly. To give you an example, check out my Twittascope from last Wednesday:

You're not overly thrilled with your plans for the future, but you're capable of balancing your fantasies with the reality of your current situation. Even if you're tempted to escape into your own illusions, you don't have to lose track of where you're standing now and where you want to go. Ironically, staying connected with the bigger picture will ultimately make navigation in the present moment easier to handle.

Little did I know I'd be losing my job that day, and facing the new year unemployed. Suffice to say, not being overly thrilled with my plans for the future was an understatement to how I felt that day. I felt like the biggest loser on the planet, and was very scared that this new setback would seriously hinder the plans I had begun to set in motion for my life.

I went home, cried a little (okay a lot!), had a good talk with my best friend Natasha, filed for unemployment, and submitted my resume to six companies looking for a new hiree. And it dawned on me... I was already on the road to starting over. And what better time to start over than the beginning of a whole new year?!? I have 365 to make use of the space the Universe has cleared out of my life... starting at that moment!

I went from feeling sad and defeated, to optimistic and very excited about the adventure I'm about to face. The start of a new year marks a new adventure for us all, ripe with opportunities, and I knew immediately what Music Therapy song choice I would pick as commencement on our journey that is the year 2012.... So I hope you all will enjoy Tracy Chapman's "New Beginning".

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over, make a new beginning
There's too much pain, too much suffering
Let's resolve to start all over make a new beginning

Now don't get me wrong - I love life and living
But when you wake up and look around at everything that's going down -
All wrong
You see we need to change it now, this world with too few happy endings
We can resolve to start all over make a new beginning

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

The world is broken into fragments and pieces
That once were joined together in a unified whole
But now too many stand alone - There's too much separation
We can resolve to come together in the new beginning

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

We can break the cycle - We can break the chain
We can start all over - In the new beginning
We can learn, we can teach
We can share the myths the dream the prayer
The notion that we can do better
Change our lives and paths
Create a new world and

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over, make a new beginning
There's too much fighting, too little understanding
It's time to stop and start all over
Make a new beginning

Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over

We need to make new symbols
Make new signs
Make a new language
With these we'll define the world

And start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over ...

Quest for *THE* Bag 2011: After a few CRUSHING defeats on Ebay..

I am kicking myself for missing an opportunity to get the Coach Peyton Bag for less than $300!!! I completely forgot that the auction was ending!!

I remain ever vigilant and I am confident that one day (cue the opening melody to "Someday We'll be Together" by Diana Ross and the Supremes...LOL), one day sooner or later, I am going to find this bag. This  baby will be mine!!!

In the meantime, to cheer myself up from the blunder of the day, I decided to get myself my first handbag in almost a year.



Another Coach Legacy bag, this is the Bleecker Leather Tote, which I got for almost NOTHING on Ebay! Yay, me!

I decided to send myself the message that I can get a Coach bag I like on Ebay for cheap, by getting one for cheap!! While it's not my beloved Peyton, it will fill the void. For now! LOL

A Little [BLESSID UNION OF SOULS] for a Saturday Night

Ladies, let me know if you feel me on this: Women, we have to be so strong sometimes. We have to be stoic and noble when all we want to do is stomp and cry and crawl into bed with a king size bag of M&M's (Okay, maybe that last part is just me! LOL)

The world is not always a gentle place. Throughout the week, we get pushed around commuting for work, cut off in traffic, ignored in front of the elevators, chastised by our bosses and ripped off by the girl in the checkout aisle. If you can grab a few minutes out of your day to have someone treat you gently, it's something you can really look forward to. If there's no one else around to do it, treat yourself gently.



This Saturday Night, let's let Blessid Union of Souls serve as the soundtrack to you being treated gently... by others and/or by yourself. I hope you all will enjoy "Hold Her Closer"!

Miss Moon's Musing About: Gratitude

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
- Kahlil Gibran

To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.
- Albert Schweitzer

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
- Henry Ward Beecher

Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating all of the things in our lives we're grateful for: health, success, family, friends, love, wisdom... all of the lessons and blessings we may encounter this year, the years behind us and the years ahead.

I am been tremendously blessed this year: I have a job that requires makes me think and utilizes my creativity on a daily basis, I have a sister-circle of phenomenal women in my life, I am in love with a terrific, passionate man that loves me ferociously, I have a family that fills my life with love and laughter.

I may not be exactly where I want to be right now, but I am alive and able: able to get there step-by-step, day-by-day. As Cree Summer sings, "It's a good journey... I'm in no hurry". Thank you all for walking with me, I am grateful for your company.

Happy Thanksgiving From Miss Moon's Musings!!!! Peace, Love and Gratitude from Brooklyn!!!!

A Little [JANELLE MONAE] for a Saturday Night

Happy Saturday, Everyone!!! This week was a tough one for this Brooklyn Geechee. I returned to work (despite not being 100% yet... I'm a trouper!) and have started to get caught up with all the work that I missed. Suffice to say, I've been coming home exhausted every single night, which explains the lack of blog posts.

This weekend is all about relaxation, kicking back, being quiet and just enjoying the stillness. My selection for this week's "for a Saturday Night" song is a PERFECT accompaniment for my mood, and it goes out with a very special shout out to my friend Marianne (Who celebrated a birthday this past week.. Scorpio Sister!!) who loves this song as much as I do. I hope that you all will love "Sir Greendown" by Janelle Monae....

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

I am feeling so much better, and am so excited to return to work tomorrow. I wanted to select a song that really encapsulates my feelings about my life. I may not have everything, but I am alive, and am blessed with an opportunity to shine. As we all are.... so I hope you will enjoy this week's Music Therapy with Miss Moon choice, "Star", courtesy of The Roots.

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

When I was much younger (We're talking late teens to early 20s)... I thought that the sign of someone being a good person was the number of friends you had. So I people pleased myself a group of folks, some who were genuine, some sadly, were not.

Around the time I turned 30, I recognized that I didn't want to enter the next decade of my existence with people who weren't go to me, and most importantly, good for me. And I actually gave many of the shady folks an opportunity to do right. They didn't (seeing as they were shady and all), so I let them go and my life has been better for it.

So this week's Music Therapy with Miss Moon is dedicated to the Spirit of Friendship, Jody Watley, "Friends". Because it sometimes takes a crappy friend to teach you who your true, ride-or-die friends are.... and I thank am thankful for learning that lesson!!!

Cruelty for Cruelty Sake...

So, I was walking down Fulton Street heading home, when I was verbally assaulted by a group of young men.

The ring leader announces upon looking at me to his friends, "You know what I hate more than anything in the world? Fat Bitches!!!!".

His friends didn't even respond to his callous comment and neither did I. I just kept walking as if his comment fell on deaf ears. As I turned the corner, I felt the tears fall down my cheek, which I attributed to the cold, but.... I know the truth.

I did nothing to this young man and his friends but exist. And my mere existence was the catalyst for his venom. I guess it's always so astonishing for me to see people being cruel for cruelty sake. I value life and even if I don't like a person, I would never deny or disrespect their humanity... and I would never intentionally hurt someone for sport.

I need to take a shower and wash that shit right out of my hair.

Peace (and Love) from Brooklyn!!

DOPE: "Elemental Chant" by Luisah Teish

These past few weeks have been tough, to say the least. Now my mother has been hospitalized and I myself am under the weather. All of this has left me feeling spiritually disconnected and in desperate need of a boost, like, yesterday!

This chant is one that I first discovered in my early twenties, and it came at the exact moment I needed it. I was picking the pieces of my life after leaving an abusive relationship, and I was feeling empty, scared and I was was nursing some serious wounds.

I thought about this chant a few moments ago while in the shower and I knew that this was to be a blog posts, because I am all about sharing good things. Enjoy!

Earth, Water, Fire and Air

Within me all things are there

Flesh on my bones is like the Earth

It's soft but strong and full of worth

The bood that flows within my veins

Is like the ocean, rivers and rain

My spirit soars and takes me higher

here is where I keep my fire

My breath and thoughts are like the air

I can do anything I can go anywhere

Earth, Water, Fire and Air

within me all things are there

And so I pledge unto myself

Power, Love, Health, and Wealth

By Luisah Teish

To read this chant and more, check out Luisah Teish's AMAZING book, Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals

I'm REALLY Diggin': Bubble Tea

Years ago, when I worked for an acupuncture school here in NYC, I would drink bubble tea AAAAAALLLLLLL the time. It got to the point that anytime students or faculty were trecking within a 2-block radius of the bubble tea shop, they immediately thought to ask me if I wanted one.

As the years progressed, I hadn't had the opportunity to have indulge in one of my favorite deliciousness. When I first came to my building for interviews, I was delighted to learn that there was a bubble tea cart outside. With the last $4 to my name, I decided to reacquaint myself with an old, much missed friend.

I've been at my new job for three days now, and I have had a bubble tea 5 times! LMAO Today, I forced myself to not have one just to prove (to myself) I'm not hooked (I can quit at anytime!)...

From Wikipedia: Bubble tea is a tea beverage shaken with cocktail shaker to produce bubbles, typically served cold. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, first spread to nearby East Asian countries, migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatown in New York City, then to various spots throughout the West Coast of the United States[1].
There are many variants of the drink, depending on types of tea used and ingredients added. The most popular kinds are "bubble black tea (traditional Chinese: 泡沫紅茶; pinyin: pào mò hóng chá; lit. bubble red tea)", "bubble green tea (traditional Chinese: 泡沫綠茶; pinyin: pào mò lyù chá)", and "pearl milk tea (traditional Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; pinyin: zhen zhu nǎi chá)".
In the most common English usage, the name "bubble tea" is often associated with pearl milk tea, as it is the most popular variant of the drink. Pearl milk tea, also known as "boba milk tea", is traditionally made by adding boba balls(made from a mixture of tapioca and carrageenan powder), large or small, to shaken milk black tea. Some tea houses used pre-mixed milk tea to simplify the steps and to reduce cost, thus remove the "shake" part from step and lessen its connection to the "bubble tea" name. This caused some confusion as to what "bubble" is referring to in pearl milk tea.

Bubble teas are generally of two distinct types: fruit-flavored teas, and milk teas. However, some shops offer a hybrid "fruit milk tea." Milk teas may use dairy or non-dairy creamers. Some healthier offers are 100% crushed fruit smoothies with pearls and signature ice cream shakes made from local ice cream sources. Some small cafes offer sweetener substitutes such as honey, agave, stevia, and aspartame upon special request.
The original bubble tea consisted of a hot mixture of Taiwanese black tea, brown large pearl tapioca, condensed milk, and honey. As this drink became more popular, variations were created. Iced versions appeared soon, and then came along green bubble tea which uses jasmine-infused green tea instead of black tea. Peach or plum flavoring began to appear, then more fruit flavors were added until, in some variations, the tea was removed entirely in favor of real fruit. These fruit versions usually contain colored pearls (and/or "jelly cubes" as in the related drink taho), the color chosen to match whatever fruit juice is used. Flavors may be added in the form of powder, fruit juice, pulp, or syrup to hot black or green tea, which is shaken in a cocktail shaker or mixed in a blender with ice until chilled. Cooked tapioca pearls and other mix-ins are added at the end.
Today one can find shops entirely devoted to bubble tea, similar to juice bars of the early 1990s. Bubble tea bars often serve bubble tea using a machine to seal the top of the cup with plastic cellophane. This allows the tea to be shaken in the serving cup. The cellophane is then pierced with a straw. The straw may be brightly colored, and is oversized, large enough for the pearls to pass through. Other cafés use plastic dome-shaped lids.

About Me: So What the Eff's a BROOKLYN GEECHEE!?!?!?

" to the surprise of the spry seafarers/ sassafrass announced/ "i'ma be a cunjah." they laughed credulously/ sayin/ "you awready a geechee / how much more magic you want?"

--Ntozake Shange, "Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo"

Gee·chee(gch)
n. Coastal South Carolina and Georgia
1.
a. The Gullah creole.
b. A speaker of Gullah.
2. Offensive Used as a disparaging term for a person who speaks a nonstandard local dialect, as in Savannah, Georgia, or Charleston, South Carolina.

I don't remember when I exactly came up with "Brooklyn Geechee". I just remember that from reading "Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo" and ultimately "Daughters of the Dust" that I resonated with these woman, called backward, ignorant, heathen and immoral when they were basically trying to honor their ancestors by keeping to the old ways and living the most genuine happy life they could live.

I related to that because walking around Brooklyn, I felt like the onliest little black girl that wasn't into rockin' a name brand, thinking about dating a brother with rims (or even a car for that matter!), and listening to some of the goddess-awful music spewing out of the radio. People would see me with my gig bag on my back and go "You play the guitar?" almost with this shock. So I decided to call myself a Brooklyn Geechee : Ridiculed for being different, weird, heathen and strange.... and loving themselves and their lives regardless!