Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“With love and patience, nothing is impossible.”
~ Dr. Daisaku Ikeda

“With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.”
~ Chinese Proverb

"Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy."
~ Saadi

I saw a pin on Pinterest that said something to the effect of this. "Don't give up on your dreams because of the amount of time it will take to achieve them... the time will pass anyway.". And for such a simple statement, it really struck a chord for me.

Patience is not my strongest virtue I admit. I can be quite tenacious, but when I feel like I'm not budging after a certain period of time has elapsed, then I wonder if my energies should be better put to use on some other pursuit. I would tell myself that I'm not that young anymore, that I don't have the time to reap a long-term harvest. But in all honesty... that's fear talking.

For the very first time in my life, I have made the decision to stay put. I am going to work towards my goals for this year, despite the amount of time it takes to get it. And although the goal seems very very far away, I can see it on the horizon.

This week's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon is a song I've featured before, but I honestly feel that its the best song that captures the spirit of where I am at this moment. I hope that "Closer" by Goapele will remind you that no matter how far away your goals may seem, it's very worth the wait, and worth the effort it takes to pursue them. Keep going!



Closer to my dreams
It's coming over me

I'm gettin' higher
Closer to my dreams
I'm getting higher and higher
Feel it in my sleep

Some times it feels like I'll never go pass here
Some times it feels like I'm stuck forever and ever

But, I'm going higher
Closer to my dreams
I'm goin' higher and higher
I can almost reach

Some times you just have to let it go (Let it go, let it go)
Leaving all my fears to burn down
Push them all away so I can move on
Closer to my dreams
Feel it all over my being
Close your eyes and see what you believe

I'm happy as long as we're apart
Then I'm moving on to my dreams

I'll be moving higher (Moving higher)
Closer to my dreams
And higher and higher, higher
Feel it in my being (I can feel it flow around me)
I know that I could not go alone (No, no)

I'm moving higher (Higher), oh...
I'm going higher and higher and higher (Higher and
Higher)
Closer to my dreams (Higher and higher, oh...oh...)
I'm moving upward and onward and beyond all I can see
(Stretching out my arms so I can reach)

Feels so close it's like i can just reach
I can feel my dreams (Closer to my dreams)
I'm moving closer to my dreams
I'm moving (Higher and higher) higher and higher
(Higher and higher)
Moving higher, oh...

Some times it feels like you never gon' change (Never gon' change)
But you never choose to walk away

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

" Dreams are necessary to life."
~ Anais Nin

“ There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
~ Paulo Coelho

“ Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.”
~ Langston Hughes

One thing that will most likely never change about me is my propensity to daydream. Since childhood, I would spend hours deep in my mind, imagining my life - How it is, how it isn't, how I'd like it to be.

Fast forward to me today at 35, and not much has changed. I find myself on the train, listening to my iPod and daydreaming the same flights of fancy as in my childhood. I've been blessed to make many of my dreams come true, so I know that as the years progress I will continue to bring more from the world of my dreams to the world outside we all live in.

This week's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon is a song I've featured in a post last year, but I felt compelled to bring it back. I dedicate it to the dreamers out there: to you, to me, to all of us.



Have you ever heard
Of a dreamer girl
Living in a world
So far away
You might think that she
Is a bit naive
When she says that someday
She'll be your queen

Isn't it possible?
Is it a crime?
Or is it just a silver state of mind?
Baby baby
Close your eyes
Life's a dream
Maybe someday one day...

I dream of simple things every day
I dream that love will come my way
I dream of many lives
I cross the stage
I dream that in this world I can make a change

Is it possible?
Is it a crime?
Or is it just a silver state of mind?
Baby baby
Close your eyes
Life's a dream
Maybe someday one day...

Tell me that I could have it all
Tell me that I wouldn't change at all
Tell me this road is not too long
Will I give up a few years from now
Will I be strong someway somehow
Tell me that I should keep holding on

Baby baby
Close your eyes
Life's a dream
Maybe someday one day...

Baby baby
Close your eyes
Life's a dream
Maybe someday one day...

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

" I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires."
~ Khalil Gibran

" Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
~ Harriet Tubman

“ Your vision becomes clear when you look inside your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
~ Carl Jung

One personality trait of mine that has persisted since childhood is my ability to daydream. I'm still a woman who can be "in her own head" daily. While my daydreams are harmless and they don't prevent me from living my life, I sometimes fear that my dreams make me a bit too picky and adamant about what I want in my life. I wonder if I'm wasting time waiting for a dream to come true, because I'm not getting any younger, now is the time, blah blah blah...

Such were the thoughts in my head when my co-worker John handed me a fortune cookie from his lunch. I opened it and the fortune really knocked me off my feet:

"Hungry is the man that finds salvation in a cookie"

I took it as a sign that regardless of the time spent waiting (though patience is not my best virtue), it is better to actively seek out and wait for what you want in life to appear.

So I won't let fear of disappointment make me settle... not at all. I will expect the rest of my life to be the best of my life. Starting today! And to celebrate the first day of my fabulous future, here's this week's song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon, "Vision" by Alana Davis.



I don’t know what I really want in life
Well, of course, I want some love
And I may need something to keep me inspired,
So I don’t drive myself crazy

On the way, I tried to stay on my path
Glad for the things that I’ve learned in my past
And I try not to choose based on old decisions
And soon I’ll get stronger,
Without such divisions

And I want to know the future, yeah
But I can’t look over this day, no
I could work until I’m blue, from the mission
‘Til it’s more than just a vision in my head

More than just a vision in my head
More than just some ‘thing’ somebody said
More than just a lesson to be read
More like part of you and me, instead

I don’t know where to look for guarantees
Well of course, I want the truth
There are so many ways I could go, I think I..
Might just stay in the moment
All I know is I’ve got to make my way
‘Cause I don’t have time that I want to waste
And if I honestly look, I might find:
That I’m dumb in the heart
And out of my mind

And I want to know the future, yeah
But I can’t look over this day, no
I could work until I’m blue, from the mission
‘Til it’s more than just a vision in my head

More than just a vision in my head
More than just some ‘thing’ somebody said
More than just a lesson to be read
More like part of you and me, instead

Oh yeah
Is this a bridge, yeah?
It’s just a bridge, yeah…
It’s just a bridge, yeah…

And I want to know the future, yeah
But I can’t look over this day, no
I could work until I’m blue, from the mission
‘Til it’s more than just a vision in my head

More than just a vision in my head
More than just some ‘thing’ somebody said
More than just a lesson to be read
More like part of you and me, instead
More than just some Thing hanging over my bed!
Oh yeah
More like part of you and ME

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“You see things, and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were, and I say, 'Why not?'”
~ George Bernard Shaw

"If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it's pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting."
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go."
~ Dr. Seuss

I am on a journey, y'all!! I mean, we all are, that's what life is, and I know this. But for the first time in my life... I recognize myself moving along the path, dodging obstacles and keeping pace. And... this is SUCH a new feeling for me!! I've spent so much of my life crippled with fear and disgusted with myself at the stagnation that comes from staying still. So much of my past was wasted by not moving for fear of making a misstep. Now? Stillness is a much-welcomed pause in my life. Walking, meditating, job searching, blogging, day dreaming, laughing, learning, sharing, creating... I'm very blessed. We all are!!!

I've spent a lifetime reacting out of fear that things might end up sucky. I know now that there is NOTHING suckier than being deliberately stuck, hating it, but being scared to do anything about it. So I'm choosing to channel my inner Xena: Warrior Princess and fight for what I want.

Let me be clear: I'm not fighting anybody but my damn self. There is no enemy out there harder on me than that "Negative Nancy" voice in my head. I can't stand that heifer, y'all!! So nowadays, I hit her with a Xena yell and she shuts right the hell up! Wouldn't you?!? LOL

Obviously, my song choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon is not the Xena yell. I wanted to find a song that would serve as my own kind of battle cry. As always, Janelle Monáe is my go to girl. I swear, she's becoming my musical fairy godmother or something... She has a song for all my Music Therapy needs! I hope that "Without a Fight" will inspire you as much as it does me, and that it reminds you to fight like hell to achieve your dreams!



I kept thinkin' I could never see this day
It seemed so far away, hey
Da, dada, dadadada

It's so funny how quick things can change
Don't wanna make the same mistakes, hey
Over and over again

This time I'll be a little smarter
I'll push myself a little harder
'Cause my dreams ain't that much farther, hey

I won't give up without a fight
I'ma reach for the sky, try 'till I get it right
So I can see the day
When I can have things my way

I'ma start all over
Things are getting closer
I can see it, baby

Although I've had my highs and lows
I'ma push down that road, yeah
Da, dada, dadadada

My Lord keeps sending me the signs
I know this one is gonna be mine, yeah
It won't happen if I don't try, no

This time I'll be a little smarter
I'll push myself a little harder
'Cause my dreams ain't that much farther, hey

I won't give up without a fight
I'ma reach for the sky, try 'till I get it right
So I can see the day
When I can have things my way

I'ma start all over
Things are getting closer
I can see it, baby

I won't give up without a fight
I'ma reach for the sky, try 'till I get it right
So I can see the day
When I can have things my way

I'ma start all over
Things are getting closer, alright

I'ma be that one shining brighter than the sun
Da, dada, dadadoda
It's time to have some fun
Feels like I've already won
Don't give up without a fight

I won't give up without a fight
I'ma reach for the sky, try 'till I get it right
So I can see the day
When I can have things my way

I'ma start all over
Things are getting closer
I can see it, baby

I won't give up without a fight
I'ma reach for the sky, try 'till I get it right
So I can see the day
When I can have things my way

I'ma start all over
Things are getting closer
I can see it, baby

See it, see it

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

Another Monday, and with it a new week to grow, learn, laugh, love, and dream. This week's choice for Music Therapy with Miss Moon is a song I'd like you to use as the soundtrack of all your dreams in the days to come. From the lovely (and underrated) Lizz Wright, I hope you all will enjoy, "Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly".



Never be afraid to love
Never be afraid to just be
Catch the way & change the doubt
Have a courage to be free
Don't cloud your eyes with others lies
See only what you wanna see
Duplicate the simple truth
Have a courage to be free

Open your eyes, you can fly
Open your eyes, you can fly
You can fly...
You can fly.

Never be afraid to love
Never be afraid to just be
You've got to catch the way & change the doubt
Have a courage to be free
Don't cloud your eyes with others lies
See only what You want to see
Just duplicate the simple truth
And have a courage to be free

Open your eyes, you can fly
Open your eyes, you can fly
You can fly...
You can fly.

Open your eyes, you can fly
Open your eyes, you can fly
You can fly ,yeah...
You can fly ,yeah.

Never be afraid to love

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

Happy Monday, All!!! My post yesterday was all about conceptualizing your dreams into reality. One of the hardest hurdles in achieving that is that Negative Nancy voice in your head that tells you "No, girl.. you can't do that!!". I know that I have that voice inside and frankly... she's getting on my nerves! LOL

This week's pick for Music Therapy with Miss Moon is a song that I think is great to sing to yourself when in the midst of negative thoughts that may steer you in the wrong direction. I hope you all will enjoy "Dream On Dreamer" by The Brand New Heavies (featuring the beautiful N'Dea Davenport).



Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
Dream on dreamer life gets in your way

There you go day and night
Up in the clouds flying so high
You try your best to stretch your mind
Beyond reality and sense and rhyme
You see things that make you big heart sing
Like the flowers trees and birds and pretty things
Hate to put your two feet on the ground
You like to step aside
And release yourself and fly

Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If the life you live is a spinning top of pain then you can
Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If ya live to learn you'll be lucky one day

Now the paisley pages of your mind
Are so complete like seeing colours black and white
Do you realize that you look so spaced out
You've made your peace with the need to be free
Without a doubt
Yeah I frown 'cause something don't look right
It's the twinkly twinkle star that's in your eyes
Hate to put your two feet on the ground
So go on and step aside
And release yourself and fly

Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If the life you live is a spinning top of pain then you can
Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If ya live to learn you'll be lucky one day

You know you gotta
Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If the life you live is a spinning top of pain then you can
Dream on dreamer life gets in your way
If ya live you'll be lucky one day
Over over over and over
Over over over and over
Over over over and over
Over over over and over

Be Blessed: And EXPECT Your Dreams To Come True!!

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
~ Langston Hughes

"Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity."
~ Kahlil Gibran

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

"Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it.
Boldness has genius, magic and poser in it.
Begin it now."
~ Goethe

Have you ever felt so confident about a situation, that you knew EXACTLY how it was going to turn out?!?! Whether the end result was positive or negative, you felt instinctively that was going to happen? The phone rings and you KNOW that it's your Mother, or your Job, or your BFF?
I am starting to really understand and recognize that the people who have made their lives a success do the same thing with everything they encounter. And it's with that self assurance, they have built lives we can only dream about.

But... if we can dream about it, why can't we EXPECT our dreams will come true? Why can't we expect to achieve all of the goals we know will benefit our lives and the lives of our family and friends? I would this amazing lecture excerpt from Abraham on how to create positive expectation, that I knew I had to share! Something that truly resonated with me was the statement, "You cannot find something you believe is lost.... you don't have vibrational access to it." Anyone who has looked for something thinking to yourself, "I'll never find it!" can definitely relate!



This week, I am going to tune my vibration to everything and anything that brings me joy & thrills me!

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

Have my mentioned my unwavering love and admiration for Cree Summer in this blog before? Yes? No? Yes? Well, this may come as a surprise then, that I've been a HUGE Cree Summer fan for almost 20 years... shocking, I know! (Okay, I am putting the sarcasm away!) LOL



Picture it: Brooklyn, the 90s. Cree Summer is the opening act for Lenny Kravitz who's on tour. I read in the Village Voice that there will be a free performance at Coney Island!!! I am over the moon because I will have the opportunity to share physical space with a woman I've idolized for most of my life!

I never go. The man I was dating at the time gave me so much grief about daring to go someplace without him (and he didn't want to go), that he bullied me into staying home. I sold myself out and it's been one of the biggest regrets I've made in my life. At the time I convinced myself that there will be other concerts, other opportunities to see Cree perform live. Sadly, that was not the case.

I recognize that I created a reality where I allowed myself to miss an opportunity of a lifetime and I have forgiven myself for it. If the woman I am today could switch places with the young woman I was then, I would've scratched, clawed, and bitten my way to Coney Island that day!!!!



Fast-forward to this weekend. I'm 32, and have never seen Cree perform live. A part of me has given up on the dream. Imagine my joy when I stumbled across this video of a live Cree Summer concert on YouTube!!! Watching this video has rekindled my dream and I am wholeheartedly creating an opportunity to see Cree Summer perform LIVE and IN PERSON!!!

So this week's Music Therapy option is "Soul Sister" from the concert!!! I hope you all enjoy!!

Wedding Stuff: This Couple is My Inspiration

I really enjoy watching those Bridal Reality Shows ("Bridezillas", "Platinum Weddings", etc.) primarily because they can truly serve as an example of what NOT to do. And I am not talking about the hideously tacky dresses and wedding decor (Although...). Primarily I see what happens when people spend money they don't have on a wedding. Or in the case of Platinum Weddings what happens when they spend money they have that could REALLY go to something more useful to themselves (or the world)...

I want to have a beautiful wedding, but I am not willing to over extend myself, my honey or our families in order to have one that's ridiculously extravagant. Especially when there are so many people struggling to make ends meet (myself included).

I am grateful for couples like the one in this article (From the NY Daily News)- because I think that weddings are a celebration of the love between a couple and and the joining of families. Unless you are royalty, there needn't be all the glitz and hoopla....and more importantly, there needn't be stress and debt.

The $4,722 wedding: One Brooklyn bride proves it can be done

BY Tracy E. Hopkins
Sunday, September 21st 2008, 8:34 PM
I've never been a girly girl with visions of a princess gown and grand ballroom reception dancing in my head. So when it came to my wedding, I wanted a day that reflected my husband's and my classic and eclectic tastes, and our love of family, friends and good food in an intimate, nongeneric setting. Most importantly, we didn't want to spend a fortune.

According to The Knot, a leading wedding resource, the average cost of an American wedding is $28,000 - and $46,000 for a New York City love fest. Yet, John and I spent just under $5,000 for our 70-guest Brooklyn affair - a total that included my dress, our rings, the ceremony site, reception venue and food, flowers, photographer, violinist and wedding officiant. Sounds impossible, right? By channeling my Jedi-like knack for finding a bargain and bucking the bridal industry trend to overspend into debt, however, we orchestrated a budget wedding that looked like a million bucks (or at least $28,000).

HERE COMES THE BUDGET BRIDE

Out of curiosity, I went to the Filene's Basement's chaotic "Running of the Brides" sale, but none of the countless dresses tempted me to part with $250. It was a deal for some, but more than I wanted to spend. So I did the next best thing - I checked eBay. And there it was, a simple yet elegant, sleeveless, satiny, ivory sheath with only one bidder and 40 minutes left on the auction. I won the dress for $27. The seller said she'd purchased it from Saks' Off 5th outlet but didn't lose weight in time for her wedding. Fortunately, her diet disaster was my happy ending.

DO IT YOURSELF

We saved hundreds of dollars by printing our own invitations, a silver-and-flower embossed design from Party City ($30); recruiting friends to shoot video footage of the ceremony and reception, and having a photographer friend snap the wedding shots ($200). Flowers are also a huge expense - with bouquets priced at $100 and up - so my matron of honor fashioned my long-stem, white rose bouquet and the groom's boutonniere from a supermarket dozen. Another friend's aunt crafted the requisite Jordan almond favors, using a 5-pound bag I purchased online ($40, www.nutsonline.com), homemade keepsake tags and leftover tulle.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

A morning ceremony and early afternoon reception was a good fit for us. Between 9-10 a.m. on weekends, several sites at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden can be reserved for a private ceremony ($350 for up to 50 guests). Once we saw the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, with its covered viewing pavilion, manicured shrubs, orange Shinto shrine, wood bridges and colorful koi fish, we were sold.

The reception was at Madiba, a South African restaurant in bohemian, brownstone-lined Fort Greene. We loved the restaurant's sunny vibe and funky details: an old-Coke bottle chandelier, a huge portrait of Nelson Mandela (Madiba is the leader's nickname) fused with the African continent, and Mason jar water glasses.

Because of the early time, Madiba's charming owner didn't charge a rental fee for the five-hour reception (regular dinner service resumed at 5). By having a restaurant reception, we also skipped catering charges for table linens, flatware and flowers. With the bar's front tables removed, there was even room for a "Soul Train" line to an iPod mix of disco, new wave and contemporary favorites.

After several tastings, we refined the $40 per person menu that included pumpkin fritter and vegetable samosa appetizers; a guava juice and Champagne cocktail; ravioli topped with John's homemade marinara sauce, and a choice of salmon or Cornish hen entrée with veggie side dishes. Instead of splurging on a wedding cake that would cost about $350, in addition to Madiba's Jenny's Malva Pudding (a traditional South African dessert served with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream), we served a tiered assortment of red velvet, coconut and yellow cake cupcakes from One Girl Cookies in Cobble Hill ($184; onegirlcookies.com) topped with a mini-lemon and raspberry cake we happily devoured a week later.

Miss Moon's Musing About: New Year's Resolutions... What's Yours?

I used to be a HUGE journal writer... I would write about everything that was going on in my mind, make lists (I am a list-making fool!), and write down affirmations and/or tarot card readings that resonate for me. It was (as Chris always says) part of my spirituality. I always got excited come New Year's, as it was a time to reflect on what I was successful in achieving in the past year, and make a list of my plans and goals for the upcoming year.

For some reason, I have ceased the ritual. Rituals tend to wax and wane for me, depending on how much it's needed in my life, so I never worry if I go months without journaling or doing a tarot reading, because I know that once that connect with my inner self is lacking, the cards and the journal entries will make themselves available to be again.

I've been thinking these past few days about New Year's Resolutions. Goals I'd like to accomplish for 2010, from the spiritual to the superficial. Because one of my goals involves my blog, I thought that I would take advantage and get an early start by posting my....

2010 New Year's Resolutions

In the New Year, I will...


Get the hell up out of my Mama's house and find a fantastic Apartment in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn for Chris & I.

Spend more time with my homegirls.

Get a make over and learn how to best accentuate my features.

Reconnect with my spirit through writing, creating, meditating and divination

Drop at least two sizes by year's end

Be a better Blogger - give this blog a bit more of me: who I am, and more importantly: the rantings, ramblings and revelations I promise! LOL

So that is what I have for now. I usually keep adding to the list throughout the first week of the New Year. I would welcome suggestions and hear what goals you plan to achieve in 2010!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!