Tyler Henry's Brain Scan
This is truly fascinating in my opinion! Tyler Henry is one of the most well kmown mediums of our day and Dr. Drew set out to have a look at his brain while Tyler was doing a reading of someone to see what kinds of activity were present in his brain. The results are truly amazing and indicate something highly unusual is going on in his brain...
Watch this video to see Tyler Henry in action reading Steve-O and what the activity in his brain indicates.
Tyler is the star of a reality show entitled Life After Death. If you are interested, here is an episode from that Netflix show
Pádraig Ó Tuama Poems
How did I miss this guy? Pádraig O’Tuama. Wow, what a beautiful person, a poet, an Irish theologian, a reconciliation mediator. Poetry and storytelling in in his blood, as it is to many Irish people who grew up with exposure to poetry from an early age. Here is a beautiful poem that just struck me...
THE FACTS OF LIFE
That you were born
and you will die.
That you will sometimes love enough
and sometimes not.
That you will lie
if only to yourself.
That you will get tired.
That you will learn most from the situations
you did not choose.
That there will be some things that move you
more than you can say.
That you will live
that you must be loved.
That you will avoid questions most urgently in
need of
your attention.
That you began as the fusion of a sperm and an egg
of two people who once were strangers
and may well still be.
That life isn’t fair.
That life is sometimes good
and sometimes better than good.
That life is often not so good.
That life is real
and if you can survive it, well,
survive it well
with love
and art
and meaning given
where meaning’s scarce.
That you will learn to live with regret.
That you will learn to live with respect.
That the structures that constrict you
may not be permanently constraining.
That you will probably be okay.
That you must accept change
before you die
but you will die anyway.
So you might as well live
and you might as well love.
You might as well love.
You might as well love
— Pádraig Ó Tuama, from Sorry For Your Troubles
HOW TO BELONG/BE ALONE
Written by Pádraig Ó Tuama
Listen
It all begins with knowing
nothing lasts forever,
so you might as well start packing now.
In the meantime,
practice being alive.
There will be a party
where you’ll feel like
nobody’s paying you attention.
And there will be a party
where attention’s all you’ll get.
What you need to do
is to remember
to talk to yourself
between these parties.
And,
again,
there will be a day,
— a decade —
where you won’t
fit in with your body
even though you’re in
the only body you’re in.
You need to control
your habit of forgetting
to breathe.
Remember when you were younger
and you practiced kissing on your arm?
You were on to something then.
Sometimes harm knows its own healing
Comfort knows its own intelligence.
Kindness too.
It needs no reason.
There is a you
telling you another story of you.
Listen to her.
Where do you feel
anxiety in your body?
The chest? The fist? The dream before waking?
The head that feels like it’s at the top of the
swing
or the clutch of gut like falling
& falling & falling and falling
It knows something: you’re dying.
Try to stay alive.
For now, touch yourself.
I’m serious.
Touch your
self.
Take your hand
and place your hand
some place
upon your body.
And listen
to the community of madness
that
you are.
You are
such an
interesting conversation.
You belong
here.
Krista Tippett had a gentle conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama in 2017. Amazingly apropos to this day about conflict resolution...
Tom DiMenna & Eddie Holm: Gordon Lightfoot Tribute
Tom DiMenna
Eddie Holm
Gordon Lightfoot died this past year—perhaps the biggest Canadian folksinger of all time (Leonard Cohen is his only serious competition in my opinion). I have always been a big fan of Lightfoot and his music brings me back to my teenage years and youth in general.
I spent last weekend being a groupie and going to a concert of my friends Tom DiMenna and Eddie Holm in New Hampshire, who have joined forces as a Lightfoot tribute band. Tom is a wonderful guitar player and singer and Eddie accompanies him beautifully on bass guitar.
Their sounds meld so well as they perform much of Lightfoot's catalogue, including all our favorites.
Below are a few short clips of the concert at the St. Kieran Community Center in Berlin, NH for your enjoyment. Please check them out and help them grow their circle by following them on instagram, youtube, facebook and on Tom DiMenna's website too… If you like what you hear, please feel free to share with friends too. I always try to help people get more exposure for what they do well…
Tom and Eddie will be performing again on January 19th in Belfast, Maine at the Basil Burwell Community Theater and on January 20th at the Rex Theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire, if you happen to be in the vicinity.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, probably the most well-known song of Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot’s Race Among the Ruins
Love this Gordon Lightfoot song Steel Rail Blues
Sundown written by Gordon Lightfoot
Foot tapping to Gordon Lightfoot’s Rainy Day People
Painting of the Week
Quote of the Week
"Most of our lives we live closed up in ourselves, with a longing not to be alone, to include others in that life that is invisible and intangible. To make it visible and tangible, we need light and material, any material."
--Anni Albers
Charity of the Week:
Doctor's Without Borders
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 the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.