Ram Dass tells of a student who went to a Zen master.
“What can you tell me about death?” the student asked.
“Nothing,” the other replied. “I’m a Zen master. Not a dead Zen master.”– Stephan Rechtschaffen –
Hello all and welcome to my weekly journal. A place for me to share with you five things that gave me some joy, hope, happiness or simply caught my eye. This week celebrating Brubeck, Schumacher, books and more…
1. Dave Brubeck, the west coast, cool jazz pianist celebrated a birthday this week. December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012, a life well-lived, I saw him perform in 2011 at the Toronto Jazz Festival. He sounded great at 91 years of age and he still had an amazing vitality. This week I celebrated his birthday by revisiting some wonderful concerts and great records. One of my favourites is Time Out – The Dave Brubeck Quartet.
That old saying about the apple and the tree holds true when it comes to the offspring of Dave Brubeck. His children carry on the musical legacy. I enjoyed listening to the Brubeck Brothers Quartet as they paid tribute to their father.
2. My eye candy this week, watching a documentary about one of the best Formula 1 race car drivers, Michael Schumacher. The film simply titled Schumacher is the only film endorsed by the Schumacher family.
3. My reading list for 2021 – The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell, Fight Night by Miriam Toews, The Pull of The Stars by Emma Donoghue, Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci and The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma. Just a few of the books that I have either read or am eager to read over the holidays.
4. Author Michael A. Singer puts it perfectly in his book The Untethered Soul: Let’s say you’re living life without the thought of death, and the Angel of Death comes to you and says, “Come, it’s time to go.” You say, “But no. You’re supposed to give me a warning so I can decide what I want to do with my last week.” How do you suppose the Angel of death would react. “What – I gave you 52 weeks and what did you do?”
So I agree that the Angel of Death is our best teacher – sharing, celebrating, giving thanks and having gratitude for the time that we have.
I mention this as a loved one is dealing with a pet who is on its last legs. There is never an easy way to deal with the pain associated with having to say goodbye to a beloved pet. There are some great resources to let you know when to let go.
5. People often ask me about writing. How do ideas come to you and how do you find creativity, they ask? The practice of writing takes practice.
The more you do it the better you get or at least the easier it becomes. And once you can get into a routine it’s just like any other routine. You set a time, make up a schedule and you practice. Be it martial arts, exercise, music, art as in sketching or writing.
I write 3 or 4 hundred words every day. Some of these words will turn into stories and some will just be for my journal. Journaling is what motivates creativity. So get writing!
Thank you for reading. If you think someone you know would enjoy my newsletter please share it with them. If you are looking for a great children’s book check out my new book, Samba in Brazil; Paperback version, on sale for a limited time. And the Portuguese version, Samba no Brasil, now available as a set.
Or one of my other books, Samba on a Snowy Day or the Brazilian/ Portuguese version Samba em um Dia de Neve.
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong and keep going.
Copyright © 2021 Paul Yanuziello, All rights reserved.