12/23/2021 0 Comments COUNT YOUR BLESSINGSIt is so intriguing how some songs, both melodies and lyrics, enter and stay inside us for our whole lives. They enter our hearts through a different portal than our school work, say trigonometry or physics, that fades away over time. Sometimes I think that you can define a “generation” by the songs they all learned when they were teenagers. When I was young, in the 1960s, the songs that entered into my being were from Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the larger folk music scene. I even bought a beginner guitar and learned how to play and sing some of the tunes. More than 50 years later, these words / tunes are still easily available with just a little prompting. No small wonder that I called my blog gratitude riffs. Then in my 20s, my musical tastes expanded, and I discovered the world of show and movie tunes. At this same time, I was learning about many religious and spiritual traditions with all their marvelous teachings. Somehow all of this blended for me, and I found similar truths in the rhymes and rhythms of Broadway and the movies. I took up the practice of learning some of these show songs, or at least stanzas or even snippets of them, and incorporated them in my life as you would a mantra or even an aphorism. Over the years, I expanded this practice and did my best to allow the deeper meaning of the words to penetrate. I reflected on how the teachings of the songs applied to my life and to life in general. I hoped that they might help me be the kind of person I wished to be. Today, as a Christmas / New Year present to both myself and you, I want to share one song that I have always loved. The song is Count Your Blessings by Irving Berlin. The short version of the story behind the song, taken from Wikipedia, is that Irving was experiencing insomnia. A quick note: The name Irving was very popular in the Jewish immigrant community between 1910 – 1920. It was the Americanized version of a Hebrew name usually starting with “I” or “Y”. In the case of Irving Berlin, his name was Israel. I feel an affection for this name because one of my uncles was named Irving. Along with the insomnia, Irving found that he was also having a serious bout of self-pity and belly-aching because he could not sleep. While complaining to his doctor, the doctor looked at him directly and said “speaking of doing something about your insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?” From this inspiration, Irving wrote the song that was then incorporated into the film “White Christmas” in 1954. In the movie, Bing Crosby sings it to and with Rosemary Clooney. First stanza When I’m worried and I can’t sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep And I fall asleep counting my blessings When my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all And I fall asleep counting my blessings Second Stanza I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads And one by one I count them, as they slumber in their beds If you’re worried and you can’t sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings When I was younger, I was often anxious and really uncomfortable when I made “mistakes” of one sort or another. It influenced going to sleep at night but also interfered with my relationships. Thoughts would revolve in my head and my body would be tense. I had no easy way to either solve the problem at hand or let it go. On some occasions, the worry might be helpful and motivate me to take appropriate action, but for the most part, the thoughts simply ran on their own and looped. At Christmas time when I was 30 years old, I was watching the movie “White Christmas” on TV and the words of this song penetrated into my heart and mind. It was actually difficult to count my blessings at that time because I was in an agitated state. Catherine and I were recently married and our seemingly thoughtful “family financial plan” fell apart. We were just learning to be parents of our baby and each month we just about made it to pay our bills. We took in two borders to help us and it was unclear how this would work out. As I settled down a bit watching the movie, I realized I could easily find somethings that I took for granted, such as actually having all the basic necessities of life, being married to Catherine, having a healthy baby and be very appreciative for my many blessings. When I reflected on the second stanza, I would visualize a maternity ward full of little beings. The fate of any one of these babies was not yet determined, and I would send a wish for each one of them to thrive. And in so doing, my own perspective widened and my worries simply washed away. What has happened over the years is that “counting my blessings” has become my “default”. Pretty much whatever happens, I see the blessings or possible blessings. No doubt, it has been one of the most important transformative teachings of my life. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Note: I have attached the link of Bing Crosby singing to Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas.” Romance from another era. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKxazgio2s
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12/4/2021 0 Comments Massaging the AirIt is now more than 25 years since Catherine and I were part of a small group that met every Sunday morning to learn some basics of Qi Gong at half-moon beach, a small, beautiful patch of beach located in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. Lalou, our teacher, originally from France, was our acupuncturist and was also highly knowledgeable about Tai Chi and Qi Gong. The hour or longer session included basic Qi Gong exercises and routines, standing meditation, shaking, and what I called “massaging the air”. We used our own hand or hands and held them a few inches above the area of our body that we were brushing or “massaging.” Lalou was clear that the energy field extended beyond the body, at least a few inches and sometimes more. As an acupuncturist, he saw the body as an energy system, and he believed that the conventional human notion that the energy suddenly stops at the edge of the skin is not accurate. At first, when I followed his instructions, I thought that I was massaging the air. However, within short order, I could easily feel the temperature changes emanating from my body. Taking one hand and running it from my opposite shoulder to my fingers became an investigation of surprising temperature changes. With more practice, I could feel the electrical connection as I brushed the air. I learned to do this more slowly, more attentively, discovering what felt like “blocks” and stuck points of energy. Lalou taught us an easy technique to sensitize our hands (and minds) to feel this energy in a reliable and concrete way. By vigorously rubbing our hands together, then separating them, and then slowly bringing them toward each other, I could feel very clearly that there is a kind of “resistance”, like a push back. Sometimes, my hands needed to be very close, say two inches, but other days I could feel this resistance from further away, say 6 inches or so. According to Qi Gong, this energy (Qi) is the life force itself, a form of bio-electromagnetic energy that flows through pathways in the body, and also beyond the body. Since that memorable summer, feeling the Qi has become normal and natural for me. Dog Massage It made perfect sense that after I became comfortable and competent in conventional therapeutic massage for dogs, I would explore “massaging the air” with the dogs. One day, after giving a little dog an in-depth massage for about an hour, I massaged (brushed) the air over her back. Starting from the vertebrae near her the neck, I slowly worked my way down her spine using both hands. I could easily feel the energy pushing back. My hands tingled. As I proceeded, her back muscles began to ripple when my hands were over them. I repeated this procedure a number of times and the rippling became less and less. I had “smoothed out” the energy from above her skin. She then stretched, yawned, re-adjusted her position but stayed put. As part of my usual massage process, the dog is permitted to get up and walk around whenever she wants. Clearly, she was enjoying this. Obviously, no one had informed her that the body ends at the skin. This occurred about seven years ago and since then I have incorporated “massaging the air” with more conventional techniques. Sometimes it is very helpful to diagnose a specific problem. Other times it is the “cure.” I would like to encourage and invite you to try this with your dog (or cat or any other pet). Even if you do not feel this connection immediately, just do it slowly and peacefully and observe what happens to your pet. It will probably surprise and occasionally astound you until the realization that the body’s energy field extends beyond the skin becomes quite obvious, and that your pet has probably understood this for a long time. Happy massaging!! |
David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |