Tag, You’re It… This was fun… you’re next…

 I’ve been tagged to do this survey so here goes.

My six favorite songs are as follows:

1. Big Sky Country by Chris Whitley

2. Have a Little Faith in Me by John Hiatt

3. Witchi Tai To by Jim Pepper (he is a Jazz Musician who is part Native American and

this is what is known as a Peyote Chant, but it is jazzed up.  It is a wonderful

piece of music that will make you glad to be alive if you hear it… I mean it!)

4.  Return to Innocence by Enigma (Yes, I like that New-Agey stuff… plus this has

that Native American sound to it that I like too :-))

5.  Mummer’s Dance by Loreena McKennitt

6.  Little Wing — Sting’s Version with Eric Clapton from his "Nothing Like the Sun

Album"

This was a REALLY TOUGH exercise for me; you have NO IDEA how tough! There are so

many songs I like and I generally think in terms of albums that I love. Also, when

I’ve thought about pieces I’ve loved lately it has been for my son’s radio show and

not just for my own pure pleasure, so there has been a different spin on it.  It took

me close to an hour to compile the above list of six songs!!! It’s not that I minded

doing it.  In fact it was just the opposite, I very much enjoyed it because, face it,

how often do we just kick back and think about something like that — only for our

own and nobody else’s enjoyment whatsoever.  Most often, it seems to me, we’re

thinking about what stuff do I like that so-and-so will enjoy too.

Anyway, I REALLY LOVE those songs and I hardly ever listen to them.  What’s worse is

that anytime anybody asked me what my favorite song was, I just always answered,

"Hurricane," by Neil Young because it was for so long that I never bothered to think

about it and update that piece of information.  As a matter of fact, that’s what I

wrote here, at first… then put "Mandolin Wind," by Rod Stewart as second, which

actually would have been seventh, if there was a seventh.  Hurricane just isn’t up

there anymore even though I still love it.

There are also some opera arias that I love and some gospel songs that lift my heart.

There are certain pieces of music that mean so much to me, but I never really seek

them out and I wish I would more often.  I just don’t. Hmmmm… maybe that’s

something to add below…. and with that segue….

Things I enjoy doing that help lower my stress/blood pressure/anxiety level:

1.  Write — both in Open Diary, my L***** diary and in my Muffet diary as well as

just writing on paper and other things that I don’t post… writing and writing and

writing.

2.  Listening to dyanmic preachers and teachers on Christian radio – there’s an

excellent one on at 4:30am when I’m on my way to work in the morning.  That 15 minute

drive sets the tone for the whole day and I thank God for that man’s ministry to me!

3.  Read — I love postsecret.blogspot.com — that is my favorite site on the web,

then OD, I also love books and, if I’m tired and just want something light, I love

magazines.  Last, but DEFINATELY NOT LEAST, I love the Bible — if I am really upset

about something and need to relieve stress, a Psalm will do it every time.  Psalms

seem to have a magic power over me.  If I find a good one, it will honestly make me

feel as if I am rising right out of my seat… my spirits will lift, my soul will

lift… it’s like all of me will be drawn up toward God and suddenly, no matter how

bad it is, I am targeted to God. MY problem is that sometimes I will ignore my own

advice to turn to the Psalms and I’ll just stay and wallow in my own anger,

bitterness, rage, and/or depression.

4.  Watch, talk to, pet or play with my dog or cats — or make fun of them, or cry on

them or even tell them they’re dumb (but in a nice voice).

5.  Call my mom and tell her my problems. When I was younger I couldn’t do that; she

was not a very good mom then. Now she is a WONDERFUL mom… strange how that happened

but it’s great that it DID finally happen (for both of us).  She no longer has to

carry the guilt of having been a dysfunctional parent and I no longer have to carry

the damage.

6.  Daydream & Watch People — This sort of goes with the writing thing, but I like

to dream up stuff that makes me feel good… this was especially helpful with the

Muffet book.  Each one of the Muffet scenerios I wrote I "lived" first.  That was

SSOOOOOOO wonderful.  That experience has given me a childhood with a father in some

ways. And each one of those scenerios I have re-lived too as one would re-live a

cherished memory. I love THAT father… that Muffet father.  I have just had some

struggles when that part of me rises up and bitterly reminds me that he’s not real.  

She’s a real snapdragon, that woman who likes to meanly tell me that he’s all a

figment of my imagination and give me little video tapes of my REAL dad’s

relationship with me, thank you. But I like to day dream and I like to watch people

interact, particularly Dads and Daughters… good ones, happy ones.  I LOVE to watch

special relationships, happy people together having special moments and special

conversations and then incorporate that into my dreams and/or into my writings.

So now I have to tag five other people to do this too:

1.  Amun Ra

2.  *hurt*

3.  The Cow Goes Mooooo

4.  laceNjeans

5.  Starbrignt

    On your mark…get set….Goooo!

They aren’t in much so I didn’t list them above, but I would SO like it if the

following people would do this one too:

Number6

UnHopeful1

TaintedDuckie

Determined Gal

Quis Ut Deus

Margaret

We’ll see if they read this and/or even take me up on it!!

(And, Number6, if you do it… maybe you could tag our son and he could do it 🙂 I’ll share mine w/him if he shares his with me LOL)