Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“ Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!”
~ Bob Marley

“ Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
~ Maya Angelou

" Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."
~ Marianne Williamson

For someone who is a big advocate of expressing gratitude in the daily life, I have to be honest. Until recently I hadn't been keeping up with my daily gratitude list. It happens. I don't beat myself up for it, but I do realize what happens when I don't take the time to reflect on the good moments of each day.

I noticed that negativity became all I thought about: I was constantly angry, constantly annoyed, constantly disappointed, constantly uncomfortable, and constantly insecure. Even the positive things that entered my life seemed lackluster. It ended with me having a super case of the blues on one lousy, lousy day.

When faced with a sadness that felt thick enough to choke me, I challenged myself to find 10 things I was grateful for that day. And I did it... With facing that challenge and finding gratitude in what I thought was the shittiest day imaginable, my spirit felt lighter. I felt like that awful bad day wasn't so awful and wasn't so bad. And like that... my gratitude list ritual resumed.

I won't lie to you or myself and say I learned my lesson and will never ignore my gratitude lists. But I do know that if I do, I will try to get back into the attitude of gratitude much, much faster.

For this week's song choice for Music Therapy, I decided to use a modern take on a old school message of gratitude. I hope you all will enjoy Omar and Erykah Badu's version of the William DeVaughn hit, "Be Thankful". And I hope that it will remind you to appreciate everything in your life, starting with the fact that you're alive!!



Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac
Gangsta whitewalls
TV antennas in the back
You may not have a car at all
But remember brothers and sisters
You can still stand tall

Just be thankful for what you've got
Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac
Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin' the scene
With a gangsta lean
Gangsta whitewalls
TV antennas in the back

You may not have a car at all
But remember brothers and sisters
You can still stand tall
Just be thankful for what you've got

Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin the scene
With a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh
Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin the scene
With a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh
Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin' the scene
With a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh

Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac
Gangsta whitewalls
TV antennas in the back
You may not have a car at all
But remember brothers and sisters
You can still stand tall

Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin' the scene
With a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh
Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin' the scene
With a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh

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

" Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

" We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."
~ Thornton Wilder

" 'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding."
~ Alice Walker

Happy Monday!! Today I'm going to share a secret that has fueled my Creative Visualization Challenge..... Gratitude! How can you expect to receive more in your life without first recognizing the beauty that's already around you? When you focus on the great things in your life... and express gratitude for them every single day... you are bound to get more of it.

This is why I start the day... EVERY day, by writing down 10 things I'm grateful for. It could be something that happened the day before, or something I'm excited about in the day to come, but I make a point to recognize the goodness and be thankful for it!

My actual gratitude journal.. complete with the sloppy handwriting of someone who just woke up! LOL

Once I've completed the list, I read aloud what I've written, and repeat "Thank you... thank you... thank you....", a practice I've learned from reading Rhonda Byrne's book, The Magic, which has really helped to shift my attitude from negative to positive.

So for this week, I encourage you to join me in this practice. Take time out every day to think of 10 things you have been blessed with, feel fabulous about them, and express gratitude for them. Write them down in a journal, if you have one. If not, send yourself an email with your list. Read over what you've written and repeat "Thank you... thank you.. thank you...".  And for today's Music Therapy with Miss Moon song choice, I've picked a fabulous song to get us all in the attitude of gratitude. I hope you all will enjoy "Thank U" by Alanis Morissette.


How bout getting off these antibiotics?
How bout stopping eating when I'm full up?
How bout them transparent dangling carrots?
How bout that ever elusive kudo?

Thank you, India
Thank you, terror
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
Thank you, thank you, silence

How bout me not blaming you for everything?
How bout me enjoying the moment for once?
How bout how good it feels to finally forgive you?
How bout grieving it all one at a time?

Thank you, India
Thank you, terror
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
Thank you, thank you, silence

The moment I let go of it was the moment
I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it
Was the moment I touched down

How bout no longer being masochistic?
How bout remembering your divinity?
How bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out?
How bout not equating death with stopping?

Thank you, India
Thank you, terror
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
Thank you, thank you, silence.

Miss Moon Gets Healthy: By Walking...With Gratitude!!!

I wish I was one of those women who are GUNG-HO about working out. While I find my walks tremendously gratifying, and I love the fact that I am doing something beneficial to my body... I'm not at the place where I can say honestly, "Yes!! I'm about to workout and sweat!!!" Perhaps one day I will be 24/7/365, but for now... it's a struggle to get motivated to take my walks sometime.

What's proven to be helpful in the process is GRATITUDE. Surely, gratitude is something that makes life better 100% of the time, but I hadn't thought about how gratitude can help me in my work outs before until recently. I set out to find three things to be grateful for at the beginning of my walks, which made the trek seem less like a workout and more like a walking meditation of sorts.

And I've found that during my walks I find something to be grateful about ALL the time!!! From the beautiful murals I've spotted around my neighborhood (Photos courtesy of my Instagram)...

To the beauty that only Spring in Bed-Stuy can bring....

And how can I not mention the bounty of EYE CANDY spotted at the local basketball courts?!?!? Whoooooo! Bless those menfolks!!! LOL

The moment I started finding things to be grateful for, I've started to be excited for each of my walks... if only for the opportunity to express gratitude! And I am a firm believer that gratitude=happiness and happiness=health... And since that is what the objective is, I believe I'm on the right path!!!

Miss Moon's Musing About: Gratitude and Giving Thanks...

"Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you."
~ Eileen Caddy

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

Despite all of the challenges that have entered my life in the past couple of weeks, I remain very appreciative and grateful for the lessons and blessings that come with them. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on everything and everyone that has helped make me the woman I am today.

To everyone in my life, to everyone who has yet to present themselves, to everyone who has made me laugh, to everyone who has made me cry, to every single person who reads these words, I say simply...

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

We've all had instances where we've taken blessings that have entered our lives for granted: whether its in the form of people, lessons or opportunities. This week's Music Therapy with Miss Moon comes with the reminder to appreciate what you have if it's valuable to you because (Joni Mitchell never lies) you don't know what you've Got 'til It's Gone.

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!!!!

Be Blessed: In the Attitude of Gratitude

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

" There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it."
- Seneca

Finding something to be grateful for each and everyday is not difficult at all. In fact, it's probably as easy as breathing out and breathing in... because we can be grateful for THAT! LOL

I live in Brooklyn. New York City, Baby! Home of the Yankees, Junior's Cheesecake and "Right here, putz!"... Don't quote me on this, but I actually believe giving the finger might've been PERFECTED here!

What can I possibly be grateful for walking around a city full of selfish, inconsiderate, rude, loud, ignorant, messy, belligerent assholes? Simple - I am grateful I am not one! LOL

This week - reflect on every single person you encounter... and recognize that, good or bad, they have given you something to express gratitude for. That dude who didn't hold the elevator door for you? That's a lesson to not let your hurried nature prevent you from considering others. That old couple you see walking down the street holding hands? You've been blessed with a reminder that love endures.

That is how I consider everything in my life, a lesson and/or a blessing.Think of your encounters and express gratitude for the lessons and blessings they have given you, major or small!