Good Things on the Horizon

I started my day around 5:30 am after going to "sleep" around 2:30? I think maybe even 2 I woke up around3 :30 with the keen awareness of how much sleep I was going to have. Isn't it amazing the calculations one can do while unconscious? As I walked to Starbucks, which may be my God, I know thou shall not worship false god's and what not but I believe God created coffee. I feel it is the nectar of the God's, the elixir of life, the wind beneath my wings...I think you get that I love coffee and believe in it, much how I believe in Ice Cream. And yes these are things to believe in and I am very serious about both of them. So I walked to my shrine I listened to the "O, What a Beautiful Mornin' " from the album Oklahoma! Let me tell you that is how everyone should start their day. It put me in such a great mood. I was happy and (fairly) unaware of my lack of sleep. Through most of my first session I was humming random parts of songs either, with a fringe on the top or intermittently genuine leather, said gen-ui-ine leather, from the song "The Surrey With the Fringe On top".

Now if you are not familiar with the musical Oklahoma! get familiar and get back to me. It is not acceptable that you are not, you are doing yourself a disservice and frankly I want to know what you have to say for yourself? (My hands are appropriately on my hips, okay they're not but let's pretend they are since I am trying to chastise you.) It is probably appropriate at this time to let you know I am half Oklahoman. Half Oklahoman you say? And I say yes half Oklahoman. Now I think I may let you wonder what the other half is because one, I love the suspense and two, it will come out eventually why not enjoy the discovery phase of this love affair? I am a born and raised New Yorker but my parents are not they met here and my father is from Oklahoma. That is he's from Okahoma City, Oklahoma just so you know and yes I love to say that and yes I have seen that musical numerous times and I love it and get misty eyed and the whole bit.

One of the reasons I get misty eyed is I think about all the hopes and dreams people had when they settled there. "It was called the sooner state because in 1889, the Indian Territory was opened to settlers. Thousands of people lined up on the border and, when the signal was given, they raced into the territory to claim their land. Some people went in early to claim their land. They became known as the Sooner's. Hence, Oklahoma's name today is "The Sooner State"." That is an excerpt from the site http://www.50states.com/bio/nickname4.htm, I like to give credit where credit is due (a pet peeve of mine are people who steal ideas, work etc so to be in integrity...plus plagiarism isn't a good thing). I think about how they were thinking about changing their lives and making a better life for themselves and creating opportunity and their children to come and their grand children. I can really relate to that as I'm striving to forge my own life. I am also part Choctaw Indian so empathize on both sides. It was their land first to some degree.

I find myself releasing judgment when I start realizing that all of us are just trying to make a better life for ourselves. Sometimes we mistakenly believe we have to lie or hurt someone or take something from another, that there is only enough for some of us and not all of us. Or we don't realize that the person we think we need to take from or is taking from us is simply mistaken and blinded by the their need. They are or we are forgetting we all ultimately have the same needs and desires; to have enough to eat, love and be loved, live our dreams, create, be respected, provide for our children, ourselves and our generations to come. It's so simple and we just get so caught up in our own view, our own story of how we deserve this and they don't or any variation therein. Somehow when I listen to these songs I am able to tap into how they felt and I realize that the dreams of my parents and grandparents and onward led to me right here right now forging and settling my own land figuratively, in my heart and in my life.

It makes me feel so connected with my ancestors of any race or heritage on my Oklahoman side. All those dreams live within me. On both sides of my family that desire to have a better life, to dream big enough to encompass now only your life but your descendants as well. Those are big dreams, I feel them in my soul and I know that I can endure, tolerate all obstacles. I can surpass and succeed and my dreams will encompass my children's children. I will get into my other side, my mother's side another time where I am definitely connected as well, at the root of my being. That is an entire posting in and unto itself.

So tomorrow the debut of the show airs at 6pm on Channel 56 and then again at 8pm on the website http://www.temptingjoanna.com . So we'll see, I am really excited and a little nervous. I believe it is going to be the introduction to the characters etc and the first actual episode will be the following week. Also I am very happy to announce my Fitness blog is up! Fit Chic, the address is http://fitchicnyc.blogspot.com so please check it out. Till tomorrow, ciao.