Performance News
A few positive thoughts from Valerie Lunden
Well hello, Write Readers & Performers! A great
deal
has happened
since I last wrote to you. But before all that here
is an important announcement.
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday September 17th 2005
EVENT:
Tea,
Scones &
Spiritual Faith.
Loyola Marymount
University, Los Angeles, CA.
A Women's Round
Table Discussion. Limited Seating!
See Performance Events (last section) for
details.
This month’s
Editor’s
column is all about romantic LOVE. Of course, it
helps if one is actually in love, but this summer
the very idea of writing on the subject seems
appealing.
So, what is this thing called love? Well, after XX
years on the planet a gentle interpretation might
be “a
meeting of consequence that has a lasting and
significant outcome.” If I could label this moment
as earth shattering this might sound a bit extreme.
Whatever the term, the intention
suggests that something cataclysmic has happened
when
we meet that special someone. This might cause a
series of emotional changes, or even a subtle
alteration of
day-to-day activities, aimed at giving this new
emotion an opportunity to enter our sometimes
chaotic lives. Another side effect could be the
unexpected feeling
of euphoria that effects how we rethink
our future. Don't forget this is just one
interpretation (mine), I'm sure you have
your own. Send us your thoughts on the
subject. Write to us at info@writeperformance.com.
Well, regardless of what romantic love is, or could
be,
it is in the air. Perhaps it is always with us,
whether we are paying attention or not.
On a side note, many of my friends are “in love.” I
am so very happy for them. A few of
these folks will also be getting married this year, and
I would like to take this opportunity to wish them
every happiness possible. Included is a small gift,
a poem inspired by love.
Until the next time,
everyone have
a romantic August, Valerie
Rare is the flower
of
love
Rare is the flower of love
Which opens the eyes and the heart.
Speaking to the soul of longing
And caring with petals of belonging.
Rare is the flower of love
Which calls with a siren's trust.
Thorn-less and without apprehension
Beckoning without exception.
Rare is the flower of love
Which cries silent tears of joy.
Tires of giving nothing
And eases the burden of belonging.
Rare is the flower of love
Which is filled with all tenderness.
Living with peace and beauty
And denying all past furies.
By Valerie Lunden
WEIGHT PERFORMANCE
Dialogue With Digestion - What does your body really think?
The mind and mouth seem to be in complete control
over whatever we eat. Whether the person is
young, old, active or not so active, the process of
eating appears unconscious. The following is an
imagined glimpse of a conversation that might
occur during a not so perfect digestion day.
The four characters in this dialogue are the mind,
the mouth, the stomach and the intestine.
Mind
I think I should order chicken. It
says on
the menu that this chicken is broiled and is
accompanied by a baked potato and a salad. I want
to stay healthy, so let’s see. I’ll order the dressing
on the side and a soda--a diet-soda sounds perfect.
I might still be hungry, so I’ll eat some bread while
I’m waiting for my food to arrive. If I have room, I’ll
order dessert. Yum!
Mouth
Well, what’s this? Looks like I’m back to
work. Mmm... tastes good. I like the flavor. I’ve
gotten lazy over the years; I don’t seem to chew my
food as much as I used to. Maybe I should mention
something about this to my friends, Stomach and
Intestine. They’ve been working hard for hours to
digest breakfast and last night’s dinner. I don’t think
they’ll be too excited when they hear about the full
meal that’s on the way.
Stomach
What’s up Testy?
Intestine
Not sure, Macho. Mouth says we should
be on the alert. Another truckload is on its way
through.
Stomach
I’m not even done digesting breakfast and
she’s eating again?
Intestine
Didn’t I tell you not to take a nap?
Stomach
How can anybody take naps around here?
That big mouth up there is chomping all day long.
We’re both overworked, cataloging all the different
foods that come down here. It’s a full time job.
Half the time I’m not even sure what some of this
stuff is. Fructose this, Poly-that; whatever
happened to just plain old meat and potatoes?
Intestine
Well, you’re right of course. At least you
get to discharge your stuff. At the end of the day I
still have to deposit my stuff somewhere else. It’s
been gradual, but liver down there has gotten
sluggish since she turned thirty. What’s worse is I
have no clue where to put some of this stuff when
it’s not digested properly.
Stomach
So what do you do with it?
Intestine
Well, if I get four hours in between meals
I can get rid of most it. But if the digestion day is
like today where it’s nonstop eating, I have to resort
to Plan B.
Stomach
Plan B?
Intestine
I dump the stuff.
Stomach
Dump???
Intestine
Yes. What else am I supposed to do with
it? There’s usually a backup down there--if you get
my meaning. Say for example we get one of those
soda drinks to digest. Well, those are filled with
chemicals, right? It takes longer for me to figure out
what some of those things are. That’s what causes
the backup! Even you can’t digest some of those
manmade chemicals; am I right?
Stomach
Yes, I hate dealing with them. They stick
around for hours. When the chemicals are coupled
with a full
meal with lots of ingredients, well that’s just
plain hell. Sometime I get so frustrated I think about
getting stomach cancer and retiring early. This job
isn’t worth the perks sometimes.
Intestine
I know exactly what you mean.
Stomach
So tell me more about dumping, maybe I’II
do it too.
Intestine
See, it’s easy. When the liver gets
through elimination, what’s left over is all this white
stuff. I think the Eaters call it fat or cholesterol or
something like that. Well, this white stuff I gather
up and dump. My favorite place to dump stuff is up
there by Heart, lots of room up there in those
cavities. Because Heart is busy pumping all day long,
he doesn’t seem to mind.
Stomach:
Like a sleeping giant?
Intestine
Exactly right! And when the food is
chemical ridden, like Twinkies or stuff with artificial
sweeteners I just dump it anywhere it will fit. I
figure, if the Eaters don’t care about what their
eating then why should I? Anyway, at the regularity
of food consumption going on up there, I don’t have
time to mess around; I have to keep up. I don’t
want to end up loosing my job, do I?
Stomach
But won’t the Eaters become ill?
Intestine
Fat too! But, like I said, I don’t have time
to worry about them, nor do you, we have work to
do.
Stomach
But what if our Eater dies because we
don’t do our job properly?
Intestine
Look Buddy, we can’t change a darn thing
down here. The mind and the mouth control
everything and if they don’t get their act together,
we’re all doomed anyway. No sense trying to do our
best when we’re not getting any help, right?
Stomach
I suppose you have a point.
Intestine
Yes, I do. One way or another, we’re all
going to hit the high road to heaven. Sure, we can
make a few waves, create some problems like
indigestion, ulcers and cancer, but in the end the
mind and the mouth call the shots. Got my enzyme?
Stomach
Yeh. I got your enzyme. But, I feel sad now.
Intestine
Get over it, fast. From the sound of
all that munching up there, we got to get our juices
going again. Are you ready, Mucho?
Stomach
I’m ready, Testy.
The End (until the next meal time!)
MONEY PERFORMANCE
Why buy buildings that appreciate?
The American ideal is to own property, and in the
long run this is a smart, practical solution for
amassing efficient savings. However, paying a
mortgage may on the outset seem like a financial
burden, but the
advantages far outweigh the negatives. In a
nutshell here are 3 potential pluses. 1) A return on
mortgage taxes, 2) Appreciation based on owning
property for at least 5 years (that’s the secret rule).
3) Income from legitimate tax deductions.
One might not be aware, but the federal government
is a proponent of homeownership. In fact the
government wants people to own homes. Why?
Because homeowners pay taxes. More taxes paid,
equal more revenue and more revenue equals a more
vibrant economy. This also allows for an increase in
public services, which creates jobs and over the long
run, helps reduce government debt. The government
also collects interest on tax, which can be quite a
substantial amount if the economy plods along at an
efficient pace.
Over the years the government has tried to stimulate
homeownership by creating special organizations like
HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These three
help regulate the housing and mortgage markets.
Local state and city governments also have designed
special programs that enable low-income families to
achieve their home ownership dreams. For more
information check local city websites.
In an “up” economy, where money is considered
liquid or available (prompted mostly by low interest
rates),
property prices become high when the housing supply
becomes low. During these unusual times (like years
2004/2005), homeowners who wish to lower their
personal expenses often opt to refinance their
existing mortgage, rather than selling their homes.
This keeps the available housing supply low,
encourages more building and causes home prices to
go up.
Attempting to find a ‘bargain’ home in this type of
economy is relatively impossible, there just aren’t
enough houses on the market, and those that are for
sale can be very expensive or overpriced.
For those wanting to buy a home, don’t give up
hope. If you have a sufficient down payment
(sometimes as low as 5%) Investment properties in
other states or less inhabited areas may provide an
alternative solution. This is a great
time to do research and learn about other markets.
It's also a good time to consider making alternative
investment purchases like land and income property.
If this option is available, the rewards can be
tri-fold. Investment properties yield the same
mortgage tax benefits as do owner occupied loans,
and they can help lower the tax bracket, creating
that end of year benefit described earlier. Also, let’s
not forget appreciation. Buying low will eventually
lead to appreciation; just don’t plan on selling
in a hurry. The goal is to keep your investment for
at least five years.
The last, not so obvious
benefit is “cash flow,” money left over after
expenses. An example of this is rent from income
property (or commercial office space), which may be
in excess of expenses. Having left over cash can
create an opportunity to reinvest in other
opportunities.
Remember! Be open to investment opportunities, do
your homework, and above all things, be 100%
comfortable with your decision!
SPIRIT PERFORMANCE
The August Meridian by Ruth Ann Karch
August is the calendar’s orphan. Every other month
has a theme, a holiday, a star moment around which
a memory revolves. But, short of the occasional
birthday, August seems empty of the obligation to
celebrate. Positioned as the Eve of Autumn, these 31
days – empty of tradition – are a perfect preparation
time for the harvest season ahead. It’s as if the
year itself has set aside a quiet time for rest, prayer,
and reflection.
I often struggle with prayer. Unlike our brilliant year,
I don’t have an internal chronology that says “It’s
August: chillax, lighten up.” I once read about
someone who had a practice of one-word prayers. It
rang a chime with me since I taught a poetry class
to children with the theme of one-word poems. The
students learned focus, intensity, and the
constellation-building power of a word. In the
beginning there was the word and after that came a
gorgeously important title, a full-color illustration,
and on top of that – the opportunity to read that
word to a crowd with full-soul emotion, and emphasis
on the emoting.
Most days I pray one-word prayers. The first one I
ever wrote: miracles. That one word covered a
universe of need and hope. And it wasn’t long before
I wrote a second prayer: gratitude. Again, spiritual
and artistic pride filled me as I lived inside that word
each morning. Could there be better pronouncements
over a day than miracles and gratitude? Well, maybe
not better, but working with single words I can afford
to be generous. This, I’m just guessing, is how
litanies are born. Today, for example, my list of one-
word prayers included: miracles, gratitude, long life
(okay, I cheated on that one), good health (that
one, too), creativity, contribution, safety, love,
peace, and understanding.
I’ve covered a lot of territory, but in this prayer
meridian something might become lost. There is no
star at the center, you might say. But then I
remember this is August, the month of long days
filled with light, the eve of an abundant harvest –
all in the gift of a single word. August. Amen.
Feel free to E-mail Ruth with your positive
comments.
ruthkarch@hotmail.com
PERFORMANCE SPONSORS
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Interested in becoming a Performance Sponsor?
Contact Us! Info@writeperformance.com
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PERFORMANCE EVENTS :
TEA, SCONES & SPIRITUAL FAITH
Saturday September 17, 2005
A Discussion with Toni Jordan, MFT
Toni Jordan believes “each of us has all the
personal
resources we need to be productive, mature
participants in whatever endeavors we choose to
pursue.” Ms. Jordan is a native of Southern
California, a product of local Catholic schools, but
more important, a product of a deeply spiritual
family, who practices Christian values as taught by
Jesus, especially the Beatitudes. Having had a close
affiliation with the Benedictine order, Toni has an
intimate understanding of theological coursework,
both Old and New Testaments.
As a mental health professional for 20+ years,
Toni’s emphasis on the primacy of the individual's
relationship with self and the spiritual implications of
that commitment have assisted her clients toward
enhanced emotional, physical, intellectual, and
spiritual recovery.
Non-denominational Faith Event.
All
Are Welcome!
A Women's Roundtable
Facilitated by Toni Jordan, MFT
Location (click link below for directions &
address):
Loyola Marymount University, Westchester, California.
Time 1:30 - 4 p.m.
Pay less if you pre-register by September 14,
2005 (see below for Early Performers Special)
At
the door $10!
***Limited Seating.***
TO REGISTER
USE CREDIT
CARD LINK
BELOW
Pre-Registration*
$7.00
USD
LOCATION: Loyola Marymount University: The Gailhac Lounge
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