First and foremost, dancing is FUN!

But, if you need convincing, it’s also good for you!

Good for your body:
Increases aerobic capacity: as good or better than brisk walking for heart
Strengthens bones and reduces risk of osteoporosis
Improves balance, coordination, and strength

Good for your brain:
Enhances brain neuroplasticity, strengthens connections between brain hemispheres
Develops new neural connections in executive functioning, long-term memory, spatial recognition
Dance was the only one of exercise activities studied that lowered risk of dementia
Engages cognitive skills, such as visual recognition and decision-making

Good for your emotional health:
Dance reduces stress
Increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin
Dance can reduce feelings of loneliness and improve social skills
Leads to greater self-confidence and self-esteem
Source: https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/dancing-brain

Here’s something to get you started. Get up and dance!

Martha & The Vandellas "Dancing in the Streets"

Observe International Mother Earth Day

Whether we recognize it or not, each one of us lives within ecosystems. We are not isolated.

As full as this image is, there is more. Within our human bodies, there are trillions of microorganisms. Beyond the boundary of our skin there are subtle energies reaching out to the cosmos and overlapping all living things, including other humans.

Isolation, purity, exceptionalism are all illusions that increase suffering, not just for humanity, but for all of existence.

There are so many actions we can take toward reparation, within ourselves, with each other, with all of nature.

One action toward restoration

Disconnect for 60 minutes

Take Part

Why?

The Earth made you

The Earth generously feeds you, air, water, food, light, energy, beauty, awe

Honor the Earth

It’s like a Cosmic Mother’s Day

One Hour

#MyHourForEarth

“All the world’s a stage and all the men and women, many players, they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…”—William Shakespeare, As You Like It (Act II, Scene VII)

As a conscious observer of our own lives, we mimic the story within a story structure of theater. Our identities are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. This is one reason why we are so enamored of storytelling.

Research also shows that: “Attending live theatre improves empathy, changes attitudes, and leads to pro-social behavior.”*

Goodness knows, we need more of all this in the world!

Use today to seek out local performances. Bring friends and family!

Live theater will also stimulate your own creativity as an artist.

Reach out. Get involved! American Association of Community Theater

*(Source)

Buy me a coffee? Thanks!

For many decades, the Dalai Lama has been explaining that the purpose of life is to be happy.* I admit I was a bit shocked when I saw him say this in an interview years ago. It sounded so decadent coming from a holy man. Of course, I’ve come around to his way of thinking, believing, and existing; but, why do we not listen to begin with?

The United Nations declares that: “Happiness is a fundamental human goal.” International Day of Happiness

Let’s get on board. Find joy in whatever you are creating today, even if the process is challenging.

Happy creating!

* See: “The Art of Happiness,” Riverhead, 1998.

Thanks for buying me a coffee!

The Mayo Clinic offers some tips and info on health and napping: Do's and don'ts for healthy adults

As an artist, it depends on what feeds your creativity. I firmly believe that relaxation and mindfulness feed my creative juices. I must confess, I’m not much of a napper, but if I’m feeling a slump during the day, a 20-minute meditation session will usually perk me up. I imagine a nap will do the same for those who are nappers.

National Napping Day presents an opportunity to check if napping nurtures your artistic activities.

Sweet dreams!

Happy Creating!

Thanks for buying me a coffee!

Thanks for buying me a coffee!

[Sculpture from La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina]

How do you define your mother tongue? For me, it was Spanish spoken before the age of five.

But there are so many other types of mother tongues: The language of family, kin, neighborhood, class, region, dialects, so much code-switching and cultural subtleties that are not fully captured by the conventional term “mother tongue.”

And sometimes, mother languages die.

How is the broader definition of your own mother tongue reflected in your work? Do your characters speak in patois? Do they create their own languages? Do you write in your mother tongue or in your other adopted languages?

International Mother Language Day

Whether you plan a romantic tryst among the stacks or stay at home cuddled with a library book, take time out today to honor the spaces that have stored knowledge for us across millennia. From the original stone tablets through the monastic spaces to the creation of the modern lending library and on to our electronic tablets, these containers protect and disseminate human knowledge.

Support them. Contribute. Show them love!

They were described as “"wise men from the East." The term “Magi” comes from the Old Persian and refers to a learned priestly class, possibly Zoroastrian. As wise men, priests, and astrologers, they were attuned to the heavens, spotted the Star of Bethlehem and interpreted the prophesy of a new king. And they come from cultures that honor the tradition of not showing up empty-handed when visiting.

Melchor, the oldest, wore a white beard and brought the gift of gold. Gaspar was younger, hence the dark beard, and brought frankincense. Baltasar was a black man and brought the gift of myrrh.

January 6th is celebrated in Spanish-speaking cultures. We get to enjoy double gifts, once at Christmas and again on Three Kings’ Day. I used to write a letter to them addressed “Queridos Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar,” assuring them that I had behaved well throughout the year and requesting the desired gifts.

So, it’s not too late for you. Write your note to the Magi and ask that your deepest desires be fulfilled.

On this day, we humbly ask that you work your magic and bring us world peace, an awakening to universal love, and an end to world hunger.

It may feel a bit unromantic to start the year addressing copyright, but after singing Auld Lang Syne and drinking the bubbly, what is more fitting than a consideration of value?

For artists, copyright and public domain are about sovereignty, respect for our work, and the value of our contribution to society. It’s no coincidence that the word “sovereign” also signifies a gold coin that was historically used as currency.

How do we want our creations to be disseminated? How do we attain a balance between protecting our livelihood and generously sharing with others?

The term “livelihood” itself resonates with self-respect, amor propio, and maintaining beauty, pleasure, and abundance in circulation.

These are Venus and Ochun values: Love, beauty, sensuality, and prosperity all circulate together in one stream through life. Isolating these threads unravels our worth.

Enjoy the confluence. Stand in your natural right to sovereignty and prosperity, however you choose to express these in your artistic life.

Do you self-identify as an Artist? Do your artistic activities potentiate you?

Good time for soul-searching and self-exploration.

We harvest the Earth Mother’s generosity, her unconditional, unwavering giving. Her unique acceptance is our birthright.

With every breath, with every sip of water, with every meal that nourishes us, we share our share.

Some definitions:

Intercultural dialogue=a respectful cultural encounter, mutual understanding and constructive exchange of perspectives [UNESCO]

Low versus High intercultural dialogue=Terms coined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall that categorize the communication styles in different cultures.

Groups with low intercultural dialogue tend toward individualism, value efficient and concise communication, logic and analysis, favor written communication, and are action-oriented.
Groups with high intercultural dialogue privilege collectivism, favor more intuitive and non-verbal communication, building relationships, value context over words, and tend more toward formality and observing traditional rituals.

While these are not hard-and-fast definitions, research has shown they have an important impact on world peace.

Cultural expression is more important than ever

It is no surprise that engaging in the arts and creativity are key to increasing intercultural understanding and dialogue.

Learn! Participate!

To bee or not to bee. Honey, we’re at that precipice.

This year’s theme, “Inspired by nature to nourish us all,” resonates deeply.

World Bee Day

It’s an opportunity to examine our own human nature and how it compares to nature’s generosity and abundance.

How do we nourish ourselves, in every sense of the word? How do we share? How solipsistic have we allowed ourselves to become? Can we embrace the idea that there is enough for all? Can we “imagine there’s no hunger”? Are we willing to reciprocate nature for her unwavering big-heartedness by taking care of the world around us?

The English language is rich with idiomatic phrases involving noses and smelling. That’s no surprise, since the sense of smell is intimately entwined with emotions and memory.

“Smell and emotion are stored as one memory.”

This has deep consequences for making art. I know someone who lost her sense of smell due to an accident and has to intentionally remind herself to include descriptions of odors and the act of smelling in her fiction. These can have a powerful impact on the reader.

Exercise your nosiness daily—for your brain, for your art, for the sheer joy of relishing a sensuous life.

The ultimate Mother, the Earth gave birth to us, provides us with all we need to survive, and continues to give unremittingly. Like Life Force itself, Mother Earth is our source of constant creativity and growth.

Mother Earth grounds us, reminds us of our inherent worth. We are made from Earth. She created us intentionally so that we should know that we belong here.

Mother Earth sends a message

One small example of the depth of our connectedness:

How trees secretly talk to each other

Your roots go deep into the Earth. Seek her love there. Earth Mother supports you.

Speak up! Loud and proud! Step up and let it ring!

The Voice Foundation

A haiku can follow a 5-7-5 pattern of three lines: five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line—but there are other choices.

Haiku poems often use simple language to paint an image

Often convey a relationship between nature and humanity

Written in the present tense. It’s about the NOW moment.

May contain a surprising idea.

Try it!

For a daily dose of Haiku and lots more: The Haiku Foundation