Happy holidays everybody! Here’s an inspiring and positive song of the day for you guys! And no matter what your religion, your ethnicity, your background, skin color, immigration status, age, who you love, favorite music, whether you like puppies or kitties better, or anything else that could be used to divide all of us into an “us” vs. “them” scenario, I hope you have a wonderful and fun holiday season and that everyone you care about is happy and healthy. That’s all that really matters, and if our leaders wish to continue trying to divide us by spreading more hate, intolerance, and lies, then it is up to us to stand up and say: ENOUGH! As a wise person once said: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
Hey guys! First things first: it appears that Batman might have some unexpected crime fighting competition these days, as we’ve just received word of a new superhero in town: Super Baby!!! :P The exact nature of Super Baby’s powers remains a mystery (as the Baby has not yet made an official appearance), but one thing is certain: this young superhero definitely knows how to ride in style! The Super Babymobile was sighted early one crisp weekend morning, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice…well, more or less…just as soon as Super Baby has been successfully fed and diapered for the long, dangerous road ahead. Any new sightings of the tiny superhero will be reported immediately as soon as we are able to confirm their accuracy. Please keep your eyes peeled for the sleek Super Babymobile (seen below) and for any glimpse of the elusive Super Baby.
Well, I guess that’s all for now, so I wish you all a great week! (and remember to be on the lookout for our elusive Super Baby haha)
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, everything seems to go wrong? And the sadness and pain inside never really go away and threaten to eat you up alive? Well, no worries, I happen to know exactly how you feel, so you’re definitely not alone in dealing with this stuff :-) Actually, I bet there is not a single person on the planet who has not felt that way at one time or another (or who will not feel that way at some point in the future). Which makes me think that no matter how hard it may seem, those feelings must be there to serve a purpose and help us become stronger and more compassionate people. When everything hurts, it really makes you think about the purpose of your life and what is worth living for. We all ask ourselves “Why am I here?”, but the ironic part is that we seem to be waiting for a magical answer to just drop into our laps and help us find direction. When there is no direction, it’s up to us to look inside and use our hearts and out minds to find (and create) a purpose, to answer our own question.
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of songs and watching a lot of YouTube videos to help myself feel more positive and hopeful. I’m very proud that some of the videos that most helped me were those of my own songs! (Tara Trent Music on YouTube). Everything I write is with the intention of sharing my experiences and emotions with others in a way that might help them to see that they are not alone in life’s difficulties and that they should never give up hope for a better day…but I never thought that one of the people that I would help with my music would be me. And it makes me think that, you know, we just have to believe in ourselves and keep trying, even when no one else cares or gives us a second thought. You never know how many people you might help someday by staying true to your own voice and your own creations, even when those people don’t yet know they need them.
Hi guys! I’ve been feeling really upset about all the hate, intolerance, and “fake facts” coming into our society lately, so I wrote a post about it today on Facebook. And then I thought, well, why not share it here as well? So here it is, and it is my hope that you can stick with me through the whole thing (I know, it’s pretty long) and think about it. I know I need to think about such things myself, as none of us are immune from the “us vs. them” complex and the need to expand our own capacity for tolerance, understanding, and love.
—————————————————————————–
“When disrespecting and attacking the judiciary, Muslims, immigrants, critics of the President, supporters of the President, supporters of any non hate group rival political party etc. becomes the norm, when force is seen as a better, easier option than creating more understanding of our differences from “others”, when threats and disrespect for democracy, coupled with a wish to build a “huge” wall instead of really making America great by providing Americans with healthcare, food, education, arts, a sustainable planet etc, when these things become acceptable and “normal” in our minds, then the battle is already lost. We cannot let that happen!
Violence, threats, hatred, and lies, regardless of which “side(s)” they are from, are not the best use of our shared future. It’s a simple question really: do you choose to focus more on love and hope to be blessed with a better understanding of our world and all those in it, or do you choose to focus more on differences and let forced ignorance cause hate in your heart? A lot of us probably fall somewhere in between, so it is up to us to choose which direction we will endeavor to travel in our lives…”
—————————————————————————–
Ok, now for a bit of a break from all the serious stuff, here’s a link to my new video “Brand New Day” :-) Please feel free to check it out if you haven’t already (or…check it out again! ;-)
Hey guys! If you’re feeling bored, or wondering what to watch, or dealing with some hard stuff right now and would like to know that someone else cares and can understand, just check out these videos! :-)
I hope you guys are having a great Thanksgiving holiday (for those who celebrate it), and I wish as much happiness and love as possible for all of you. Take care!
So…a lot of important issues swirling around lately. Police violence, police and violence, social/racial inequality, discrimination/profiling, and the search for lasting peace, justice, equality, and change. So much that can be said, but I’ll try to offer just a few thoughts to consider.
First of all, PEACE does not just happen. True peace is the absence of violence, the acceptance of the societal status quo (as something just, or, at the very least, tolerable), the calmness of a soul that feels valued and equal among its brothers. As Albert Einstein stated:
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
But what is meant by “understanding”? What is it, or who is it that we need to understand? Perhaps to better understand each other, it is important to first understand that we are all unique. We are all imperfect. We make mistakes. We search for meaning. We long for community, to be part of a family… and we long to stand alone as self-sufficient individuals. To believe ourselves equally important, equally valuable, equally human. It is when we do not believe that society, family, or other outside forces believe this of us (and/or when we do not believe it of ourselves) that we often feel called or compelled to take action, to recover or create this invaluable inner peace.
And we might also seek to understand that we are all brothers and sisters. No matter the color of our bodies, our clothes, our spirit, we are all human. All part of the one race of human beings that inhabits Planet Earth. Black, white, etc., these are all social constructs and subjective, artificial categories that only serve to create barriers and an only too real distance and inequality among brothers. Where does white end and black begin? What shade of humanness is better than what other shade? Is one breath of air better than another? One water droplet more valuable than the next? Can you tear apart a rainbow?
As Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated:
“Differences have been contrived by outsiders who seek to impose disunity by dividing brothers because the color of their skin has a different shade.”
And as Dr. King further points out:
“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be… This is the inter-related structure of reality.”
This is why one bullet — or one decision to embrace peaceful, decisive nonviolence in response to violence — can be so powerful. The cycle of violence can only be broken by the healing power of courageous nonviolence by the very victim(s) of the pain and injustice inflicted by another’s violence. This by no means excuses the violent acts themselves; rather, it is the explicit, deliberate decision to “be what I ought to be” in spite of your unnecessary violence, in the hopes that by doing so, I will help you to become what you ought to be: another member of my peaceful human family.
And while we’re on the topics of nonviolence, peace, and true equality, I’ll let Bob Dylan and Barry McGuire share some powerful thoughts with you:
Well, that’s about it for this morning. But before I go, in honor of my city and the game today…ROOOLLL TIDE!!! :-)
And ok, just one more song for you guys. It’s one of my favorites and still just as relevant in our world today as when it was written…
Hey guys! First of all, GO SEE SULLY!!!! It’s a wonderful, feel good movie that tells a real-life story worth telling with one of the best actors around (Tom Hanks). Not only are the facts freaking incredible and miraculous in themselves, it’s also just as amazing to see how true integrity works. It’s not about being a hero, it’s about not one life lost, not one of the 155. It’s about getting the job done, and getting home to family. So if you haven’t already, GO SEE IT!!!
And in music news, I’ve got some new(ish) videos up on YouTube that you should check out! (if you haven’t already). I’m really proud of the song “Coffeeshop”, and for anyone else who loves coffee and has dealt with loneliness and uncertainty, it’s a good song for you too lol! Also, if you’d like to check out my cover of Rob Thomas’ “My My My”, it would be much appreciated. Even if it’s the first Rob Thomas song you’ve ever heard, well hey, you’ve got to start somewhere ;-)
And, as promised, I want to leave you with some magical mushroom forests and walking leaves :-) And cars walking by the pool…again. It’s crazy what happens around here, but this is why I love these apartments! I mean, where else would I have a tiny toad house-guest making an evening call at the front door? (but sadly, not staying long enough for a picture haha).
Anyway, thanks so much for reading and sharing this stuff with me. Until next time!
Hello again! I wanted to write a post in honor of Harry’s birthday…but strangely enough, the post ended up writing itself for me :P I don’t know what it was today, but so many strange things happened that there must have been a lot of magic in the air (yes, even in the Muggle world!).
Let’s see, shall we? The first magical episode was this afternoon at lunchtime. I was sitting there on the floor, about to eat my lunch, when I heard voices and strange, loud noises coming from outside the den door-windows (yes, they actually are doors that serve as windows). I opened the large hanging blinds to find that two vehicles had appeared out of nowhere and decided to sun themselves near the pool. Of course, their spot of choice was my patio (well, the grass in front of it, about as close as you could get). Anyway, their owners, however, were in fact parading around the patio itself and dropping random things on it, including something that looked like a cross between a hammock and a large grey cocoon.
In this pic, the people (or, let’s face it, the bumbling wizards) have vanished, but they would soon return…
Our second magical happening occurred at Barnes and Noble bookstore later today. After obtaining a chocolate frog (uyy, que chevere esas cositas), I was just walking around, minding my own business, when I saw Professor Snape and Harry. The thing is, they were looking for a wizard, or at least they thought they were. I think they were so enamored with striking the perfect pose and expression that they were oblivious to the fact that an anonymous wanted poster is not helpful. This is why captions and names are useful, folks!
But I don’t think Severus was too pleased with my comment…
And finally, as I left Barnes and Noble and headed to my car, were things at last normal? Oh no no, that would be way too simple and boring for such a magical day. So of course there would be a lovely flower and a note (romantic, I’m betting) sitting atop a car outside. Now I’m not sure, but either some car just got itself a date or some guy or gal is going to be very excited when they return. Let’s just hope they find the flower before it goes flying down the highway at 65 mph.
Well, I couldn’t stay away for long, so you’re welcome :) So many things have been going on lately, most of which don’t make any sense, and I can honestly say that you guys probably know about as much regarding what’s happening in my life as I do. It’s strange to be on the sidelines of your own life, but it does give you a very interesting perspective. And it helps you to understand (or at least to consider) that the only person who you can really count on is yourself. You can’t control what others do or don’t do, or how much light or darkness they bring to the world; rather, you can only choose how you respond. The Force is strong within us, and it is up to us to choose: take on the world as a true Jedi, as a force of light and goodness…or give in to the darkness and follow the path of the Sith. I have never once even considered the remote possibility of officially joining the “Dark Side”, but I have to admit that it is hard to fight against some of these negative feelings and actions, as both light and dark live in us all.
Pain itself is a strong teacher, but what we choose to learn from it is up to us. Deep pain can push us to change for the better, to learn the true meaning of what is good and what is bad. It can also inspire us to lash out against those closest to us, to spread more pain in an attempt to vanquish it and hide from our fears. Our response to pain is not a one-time choice, it is a decision that we must continue choosing day after day, hour after hour, even as the pain grows deeper and the lessons more profound.
But there is one thing that pain cannot touch: HOPE. Hope in ourselves, in each other, in love, in the universe, and in the belief that good will always win out over darkness in the end. Life is not a stagnant pond but an evolving ocean, and where there was once goodness and love, goodness and love can grow again. Or be rediscovered. This is the way of things.
Lately, I haven’t been able to sleep well. Every night brings new pesadillas (nightmares) and the morning isn’t much better. But I choose to believe in hope and the power of love, even when all seems lost. As Han says, “Never tell me the odds!”
Anyway, while we’re on the subject of nightmares, I had been thinking about sharing some of my poetry with you guys on this site. Two years ago, in August of 2014, I was also having nightmares, and at that time I wrote a very strange but fairly accurate poetic description of my dream from August 11, 2014. Who knows, it might be weird, but maybe it can also be useful or at least an interesting way to spend 2 minutes. And as I believe in balance, to make sure I give you your happy fix as well, here is a funny video of Matt Damon sneaking onto Jimmy Kimmel’s show:
“Alone together”
Door open, he enters slowly. Silent footsteps tread hard tile floor, stopping only as his head nudges my left side.
This is not the home he knows. This sterile, cold room belongs to no one, yet, somehow, here we are.
Voices outside the door, but their sound has no meaning as we
Feel each other’s presence, alone together.
My hand and wrist now held in his mouth, obeying some unspoken command which we both, somehow, understand.
Breath short, I glance at his teeth, sharp and ominous around my fragile limb. Someone enters, speaks in muddy tones, but nothing makes sense.
The cave of his mouth envelops my hand and lower arm, gently, yet I am afraid.
Like a cat at play, or perhaps intending to dominate me and my thoughts.
I am still trapped. My hand moves slightly, the jaws clamp harder in their spiked cage. Or their love bite. What is the truth of the matter?
Truthfully, let me go!! And yet, I know this a test must be. To give up control to him, this unknown being who dares me to trust him. Or perhaps I have no choice.
The air is filled with silence and ominous truths. I tug my arm free, violently, and he releases his grip. Silently, the large cat leaves, but the door remains open.
Again, voices in the hall, but no one enters. I cannot leave, the space around me exists but I am frozen in it.
The door is half shut.
I know he is coming before he enters, but soon the door opens wide, silently, and he prowls to my side.
Again, my hand and wrist in his mouth.
The fear rises, but I stay my hand and command myself: “Be still!”
Teeth cut into skin, slowly yet blood should soon be rising.
I gasp as the pain deepens.
My hand demands energy for freedom.
One breath and I tear it away, flesh ripping as we escape. Body and soul together
With a jagged wound, bloodless.
Perplexed, I stare as the cat vanishes through the open door.
Others enter, or perhaps only voices traversing the silence. Space, time, sound, I am alone yet surrounded.
Outside the sterile room, the world awaits. I stand frozen, looking towards the unknown.
With a deep breath, I step forward through the vanished door.
That’s all that really matters, and if our leaders wish to continue trying to divide us by spreading more hate, intolerance, and lies, then it is up to us to stand up and say: ENOUGH! As a wise person once said: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
tara trent music 