MD Motivator Revisited
MD Motivator
His real name is Zachery Dereniowski, he is Canadian (of course) and he gets his money from online crowdfunding, a registered nonprofit, and corporate sponsorships. He started off small--on tiktok posting daily videos where he got people to donate small sums of money which he immediately gave away to people in need. He slowly built up, now teaming up with such corporations as Expedia, Air Canada and Hyundai and musicians including Billie Eilish and Chris Brown to mention a few.
If ever anyone deserved to go viral, he is it. With 9.7 million followers on instagram and 28 million on tiktok, he has made human decency and kindness cool again. Let's hope his mission of spreading love and wealth is contagious...
Mon Rovîa on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts
Obviously I wasn't the only one who noticed his talent. This past week he was invited on the Tiny Desk Concert series on NPR and is in the middle of an extensive tour across the United States and Europe. To see the schedule and purchase tickets, click here.
John Roedel Poet and Comedian
John Roedel in his words: Poet. Writer. Comic. Storyteller. Terrible Dancer.
heart divorced
a decade ago
over who was
to blame about
how big of a mess
I have become
eventually
they couldn't be
in the same room
with each other
now my head and heart
share custody of me
I stay with my brain
during the week
and my heart gets me on weekends
they never speak to one another
--instead, they give me
the same note to pass
to each other every week
and their notes they
they sent to one another always
says the same thing:
"This is all your fault"
on Sundays
my heart complains about how my
head has let me down
in the past
and on Wednesday
my head lists all
of the times my
heart has screwed
things up for me
in the future
they blame each
other for the
state of my life
there's been a lot
of yelling--and crying
so,
lately, I've been
spending a lot of
tie with my gut
who serves as my
unofficial therapist
most nights, I sneak out of the
windown in my ribcage
and slide down my spine
and collapse on my
gut's plush leather chairthat's always open for me
--and I just sit sit sit sit
until the sun comes up
last evening,
my gut asked me
if I was having a hard
time being caught
between my heart
and my head
I nodded
I said I didn't know
if I could live with
either of them anymore
"my heart is always sad about
something that happened yesterday
while my head is always worried
about something that may happen tomorrow"
I lamented
my gut squeezed my hand
"I just can't live with
my mistakes of the past
or my anxiety about the future,"I signed
my gut smiled and said:
"in that case,
you should
go stay with your
lungs for a while,"
I was confused
--the look on my face gave it away
"if you are exhausted about
your heart's obsession with
the fixed past and your mind's focus
on the uncertain future
your lungs are the perfect place for you
there is no yesterday in your lungs
there is no tomorrow there either
there is only now
there is only inhale
there is only exhale
there is only this moment
there is only breath
and in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work
their relationship out."
this morning
whle my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves
and while my heart was staring at old photographs
I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of
my lungs
before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said
"what took you so long?"
Photo of the Week
Flower Power Series I - VI, mixed media on paper, 30” x 22” $8500
Charities of the Week:
Book of the Week
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.