"You Don't Know Crazy"

In this podcast I'm talking about some of my first jobs and some of the many other jobs I've had. Every now and then I'll be somewhere -- at a store, in a restaurant, or just walking around the city and I'll see something or someone that reminds me of a job I used to have. Of course, some jobs I liked more than others. My acting jobs -- those were great jobs!! My dream jobs!! I LOVE performing! Right now, however, I'm thinking about some of my first jobs. I'm also thinking about some of those jobs I took in between the theater gigs when my kids were little and money was tight. [With the exception of that BurgerKing thing -- I don't talk about that in this video. But, I'll get to that in a later one.] With the exception of that BurgerKing thing, I learned to enjoy every job I had. I learned to play a mind game where no matter what job I had or where I worked; I acted as if the company belonged to me. No I never told this to the person who the company actually belong to. However, thinking like this helped me feel good about being there and I took pride in what I did. I must say that every job I've ever had, I always treated the client or customers the way I wanted to be treated. I saw my jobs as just practice for when I would be doing my own thing.

I am not a doctor. However, I do know that what we put in and on our bodies do affect how we feel, how we think, and how we look. This just a little talk about food.

Every now and then, I get an email from someone, usually a woman, asking me, basically, the same question: "How do you stay motivated?They are asking me this question because they are familiar with my 'back' story. They know that I was that woman who was told at the age of 44 that I would spend the rest of my life in and out of mental institutions. They know that I was that woman who was on so many medications I could barely keep up with all of them. They know that I was that woman who was about to lose her children for ever. They know that I was that woman who people would look at, shake their head, throw up their hands and say, "Honey, your life is over!" I was that woman. But, I am no longer that woman. So, today, some people ask me, 'How do you stay motivated?" I would like to answer that question via this video.

I was going to present a book review today. However, thinking about a book review, got me thinking about book clubs -- in particular, book clubs that I have belonged to. As an adult I have been a member of two clubs. All book clubs are not created equal. I loved both clubs. However, I really L-O-O-O-O-VED the second book club I belonged to! In fact, I miss it. At my first book club, one was expected to read the book. At my second book club, the only requirement was that everyone brought a dish of food. The second club was made up of, predominately, single mothers with who worked and had very small children. This club provided an escape for us. It was adult time - relaxation time. Asking someone to watch your children carried more weight when we would say we needed to attend a literary event rather than a party with our girlfriends.

When my daughters were about eighteen and twenty-ish years old, they told me I must see this movie called 'Napoleon Dynamite'. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. My daughters generally have good -- or at least fun taste in movies (by my standards). But, 'Napoleon Dynamite' sounded like a movie for the younger generation. My children were born in '82 and '84 and grew up when the first music videos were being rolled out. They assisted me during the years when programing a VCR was still a challenge for the average adult. The first video I actually owned was the two-video set of 'Gone With the Wind'. I was concerned that my children enjoyed watching 'Gone With the Wind' over and over and over. I assumed that it did have something to do with the fact that it was the only video we owned for a while. Sometimes, we did rent other videos from a video rental store. As a concerned parent, I made it my business to buy a couple of videos that were more fitting for young children. Although we were all in love with the Shelly Duvall "Faerie Tale Theatre" series I bought, they still had this desire to watch 'Gone With the Wind' over and over. I was troubled that my children were fixated on a movie with war scenes, dead bodies and a southern town that was literally on fire. After expressing -- or rather, fussing about my concerns to them, I was relieved when they told me that it was the costumes that they liked. They loved looking at the ball gowns the women wore. They loved watching the part where Scarlett made the dress out of the green drapes. They said they liked looking at how the women wore their hair --and, what the women wore to the picnic. They liked the fact that there were so many characters and they liked listening to how they talked. Well, neither one of my daughters grew up with an urge to join the army or burn southern cities. They are certainly not violent in any way. (Although, I do have one who looks for reasons to wear formal gowns.) My concerns were unwarranted -- but one can never be too careful. 'Gone With the Wind' remained one of their all time favorites until 'Absolutely Fabulous' was release on VHS. I totally digressed! I was not planning on going through all of that. So much for stream of consciousness writing. The point I wanted to make is that I wasn't sure I wanted to see Napoleon Dynamite. I saw it, just to spend time with my children. However, I loved the movie. It is one of my favorites. I love that it is about something and about nothing all at the same time. There is humor. There are scenes that tug at one's heart when watching the various characters navigate through their challenges. I love that there is no blood and gore! One of my favorite lines is during the opening scene when Napoleon is riding the school bus to school and a young boy asks him, "What are you going to do today, Napoleon?" And Napoleon answers, "What ever I feel like I want to do! Gosh!" Isn't that what we all strive for -- to make that answer our life motto? No? Just Me? Am I the only one who wants to answer everyday for the rest of my life -- when someone asks, "What are you going to do today, Wambui?" I want to answer with a giant, resounding, "What ever I feel like I want to do! Gosh!"

Are you willing to put your name in a bowl with several other people’s names, reach in and pull out a name, other than your own, and assume the life of the person’s name on the paper you pulled -- and live their life as them for the rest of your life? My sister asked me this when we were visiting one day. My sister and I were having a discussion about our lives and asking each other if there were any regrets or things we wish we could change. We each came up with some things that we wish we had done differently -- I came up with a whole lot of things I wish I had done differently. We agreed that more than anything. “We wish we knew then, what we know now”. And then, she asked, “If you could trade in your life for someone else's, would you?” And, “Whose life would you trade your life in for? I pulled an invisible champagne glass out of the air. As I walked around sipping invisible champagne from my invisible glass and hugging my upper arms to indicate a mink rap covering my shoulders, we both started to laugh. I then said in an indistinguishable accent, “Well, of course someone who is ridiculously wealthy – we have the freedom to travel anywhere at any time, spend months at only the best resorts and spas, are served the finest foods by the finest servers, and never look at price tags.” “Who?” She asked. I thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with anyone’s life I wanted to trade mine in for. Everyone I thought of has issues or something that I’m not sure I’d want to deal with. Some things and some parts of my life were not happy. I experienced times that were sometimes horrific. However, now that I made it through them, I believe everything in my life had to happen as it did for me to be who I am today. So, if you really think your life sucks . . . Are you willing to put your name in a bowl with several other people’s names, reach in and pull out a name, other than your own, and assume the life of the person’s name on the paper you pulled -- and live their life as them for the rest of your life? If you could, would you be someone else?

So many things to think about So many thoughts in my head So many beautiful and wonderful people -- Yet some people who are technically alive, walk around like they're dead. So much good and So much not good Corruption, lies, deceit, half-truths, almost the truth, the truth withheld, the story distorted, the story not told, white lie, no comment, afraid to tell the truth, can't tell the truth, don't want to tell the truth, not sure what the truth is, . . And then the Alphabets floating in and around my head CIA, FBI, NSA, DOD, DHS, DEA, DOE, CID, FDA, NDAA, WHO, CDC And what is the real purpose of HAARP? The fluoride in the water and GMO in the food And what the heck is in those lunches they feed the children at school? If I get sick from one toxin, someone will want to prescribe me another. And no one wants to talk about chemtrails in the sky, Or, how I don’t like strangers touching me before I get on a plane to fly. And what’s with the push for the vaccinations and so many examinations? And so many ways to spy on me? Am I still free? Was I ever free? And everyone has an agenda. What's up with 21? And how will I be safer if the bad guys and the government are the only ones with a gun? And still there are people who are mad at and scared of other people with different colored skin or different religions or who belong to a different political party -- as if it really makes a difference. Will we be overcoming anytime soon? And, does anyone really have a clue to what is really going on? I’m just asking --

“The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility,and pushing their luck!” ~ Author Unknown One of my favorite tunes to dance to when I'm having a party of one -- or more, is Gladys Knight's 'Mid Night Train to Georgia'. * * * * * * * * We all know the body needs to move. Your brain needs a good supply of blood in order to work properly. It is the times when we feel the worst that moving our bodies could probably benefit us the most. Yet, it is at these times when exercise is the last thing we want to do—it is the last thing we remember to do. Who wants to move when we’re tired, depressed, angry or stressed? However, if we could make a conscious effort to move when we are feeling low, we can recover and feel better much faster. Just play uplifting and happy music and dance. Sounds crazy? Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. Play music that reminds you of happy times. Stretch out those parts of your body you are able to stretch. Move, move, move. Dance, dance, dance. Your body, your mind, and your soul will thank you. * * * * * * * * Are you wondering what Soul Train was?

[powerpress] Yes, I'll tell you how I ended up with a stash of funky light bulbs . . . Today, I looked up the UBO Lite company online. They are alive and seem to be thriving. The bulb even has a Facebook page. It's good to know I am not the only one who thinks these bulbs are wonderful to look at and a whole bunch of fun! New UBO light bulbs definitely different THE ORIGINAL UBO LITE is on Facebook.