organzie, smorganize

02July06 - Hey, I am getting organized. I got all kinds of paper spread out on my coffee table in little piles, and envelopes set up to put them in, and I got the recycle bag right here so I can put the endless papers that I don't need but seem to keep around in there and get rid of them.

I thought we were supposed to be the paperless society, but when I look around, all I see IS paper. Music (on paper). Bills (on paper). Diary (made of paper). That ever-changing schedule that I print off every two days - which invariably changes as soon as I print it off :lol:

And lists. I've got lists right here in front of me as I type. A list of songs for my summer album. A list of listings to submit songs to. A list of names that are on my newsletter list twice. Lists of co-writes to work on.

But I have to list things. I can be really bad at prioritizing and I will forget something important if I don't write it on a list. Lists are good. Doing something that is on the list is even better. And hey 'update your blog' is on the list, for Sunday. And today's Sunday and I'm doing it even though I feel like a nap... and the little piles of receipts are feeling lonely without me shuffling through them and trying to remember what I did on March 11th.

Today I signed up for "50 songs in 90 days" = sort of a personal challenge. I did something similar a couple of years ago, which was to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. I think I came up to about half that total. Anyway, 50 songs in 90 days starts on July 4th.... so stay tuned, I will let you know how I am doing. I'll be away for some of the time, but I can write and travel.

Yesterday I found out my entry into the made it to the second round of the Just Plain Folks Lyric Contest. I made the top 50 out of 500. I'm really pleased about that. There's some really great lyrics in the top 50, so we'll wait and who moves to the next round of 20.

Hope you are enjoying your Canada Day long weekend, or your July 4th long weekend.... or if you live elsewhere, just have a great weekend!!!!

Summer Solstice

24Jun06 - As the summer solstice began I felt a shift in energy. Even tho the sun is shining, something in me feels very low. Sometimes the struggle feels like an impossible one. I know we all feel this from time to time. I comfort myself with the knowledge that it is the *act* of creating, of playing, of singing that is meaningful to the spirit - not the validation of others. Still sometimes this journey of ours feels very lonely. You put out your CDs and post your music and play your gigs... and the money you get never covers the bills. You start to read the want ads as your heart drops through the floor.

And you wonder if you'll ever get good enough to get some real recognition or some real money. But the next day you wake up and you do it all again, because it took you so long, it took so many years to finally find your passion and live it... you just can't give up on it, no matter what. It is life to you. It's who you are and what you do all wrapped up into one. It's as vital to you as your heart and lungs.
So you weep a little, and watch dreadful re-runs on tv... and after a couple of hours, you get out the guitar and write a sad song. Somehow, you feel better.

Seasons change, pulse with fluid movement, flow softly over our consciousness... beat on our foreheads or dance on our pillows as we dream our dreams. And, from time to time, we are awake enough to acknowledge that there's something undeniably magical about being alive.

:) I don't know if any of that makes sense, but it's what came to me as I sat here clickin' on the keyboard.