On Music and The Art of Letting People Go
One of the things that going through so much death in my world has really taught me is the art of letting people go. Growing up as a child of divorced parents, it seems as if this lesson was one that from the very beginning I was destined to learn. I think of it as being towards the very top of the list of things I came to this planet to learn. If you find that you are having trouble with it, don’t beat yourself up. You aren’t the only one who has struggled with it. I can tell you that I had to take the letting go test numerous, numerous times and failed it over and over again. I even got so familiar with the letting-people-go test that I could predict how and when a leaving would come about and then be completely helpless to prevent or affect it… and that ladies and gentlemen, was exactly why I kept failing it.It is ironic that as an artist and a musician, I took me so long to recognize that the entirety of the Universe is a song. It is comprised of waves of particle energy that vibrate at different frequencies… creating different worlds… different songs… in every direction. We are vibrating waves of particle energy — all of us. We are music… and music is comprised of sound and silence. Because different people are all vibrating on different energy levels it is natural that harmonizing frequencies would cluster together and dissonant frequencies would move apart. Our ears understand this but for some reason, it takes our hearts and minds a little longer. We want to hold on in so many cases. I know that I did.We tell ourselves that the chords of the past are the only ones we know how to play… or the only ones we have heard. We believe certain people must be part of our lives because they “should” or they “were” without ever considering the Universe is always composing new melodies for us to discover. If someone is truly meant to be a part of my world — if our destinies are intertwined or if we have in our hearts made spiritual contracts with other souls, whether that person appears here as my father, my mother, my partner, my children, my boss — whomever, they will be part of my world. It won’t matter what you do or say, that person will be there. They will stay in your world.In other words, those people who have already committed to you spiritually will be part of your journey — no matter what and those that choose to leave or have already left — it was never in the plan for them to stay during this set of lessons in your life. What that person had to teach you is either already completed or can no longer progress with the circumstances as they are. So that person exits. Don’t be afraid. Learn to stop being angry at them and blaming them for your hurt and pain. Let them go! Let… them… go. It isn’t their “fault”. Holding on to someone who has nothing left to teach you and forcing them to stay in your world is spiritually selfish. Holding on to other people (whether it is physically or emotionally) also prevents the other soul from progressing on their life journey.Frankly, holding on to another soul like that after the lesson is already over prevents you from moving on as well. We all have to learn to trust in what we cannot see or always understand with our physical senses. We all have to learn to be still. We all have to learn to have faith that what truly belongs to us, will always appear in our world in the form of new people, new situations or new relationships. Everything our soul needs is always already here in this place. Close your eyes and listen…Musically speaking, your answer will sound like an overtone…
Start a Kid’s Entertainment Business! No Special Skills Needed!
There are an infinite number of ways to make extremely good money by entertaining children, without any special skills at all. Thousands of people in this country do it every day. Many do it full time. Many make over $100,000 a year doing it too. It’s unbelievably easy to entertain kids as long as you love children. There are dozens and dozens of ways to make money and have a great time doing it. Plus, you should be making anywhere from $50 to $150 an hour.Plus, you don’t need any special skills such as being a magician or clown or juggler. I’m not talking about being an entertainer. I’m talking about bringing supplies and materials or equipment to an event and just showing the kids how to have fun with them. What you bring to the kids is what provides the entertainment.You may choose one idea or several different concepts to pursue for your kids entertainment business. For example, there are dozens of different kinds of birthday party services for which you can provide entertainment. Let me give you an example of a service that will make you money at festivals, company picnics, birthday parties and many other applications. Combine this service with a few other services and you will have a fabulous package of kid’s entertainment that will make a lot of easy money for you. And anyone can do it. Let me show you just one idea.SPIN ART – Kids love this! Spin Art is where kids squirt a few drops of paint onto a spinning card and create a one of a kind work of art. You stick the card in a frame for the child to take home and keep. There are two ways to go with spin art machines. One is you can spend about $225.00 to $395.00 for a more professional, heavy duty, electric ready-to-go commercial spin art machine. The cards slide into the holder quite easily – a good piece of equipment. These commercial grade units will also allow you to put spin art onto Frisbees. You will be told later in this book where to buy the machines.Another route is to buy a non-commercial toy spin art machine at a toy store that is battery operated. There are several brands on the market. You will find them in the catalogs you will be ordering or at toy stores (Toys R Us, etc.) They are about $16.00 to $20.00 each and you definitely need to get three, using two at a time and one as a backup spare. For larger crowds, use as many machines as is warranted.Whereas the commercial machine mentioned above has a card holder that the card slips into easily, the non-commercial toy version has little tabs that the corners of the cards have to slip into. This slows down production. You also have to clean each toy machine before putting them away being very careful not to get even one drop of water down in the hole with the spindle in it in the center of the machine. One drop of water will rust out the tiny battery driven motor and you’ll have to throw the machine away.The pros and cons are: The commercial versions are bigger than the toy version, which is a major consideration in the startup phase of your business. It’s also heavier and mildly cumbersome by comparison, depending on whose version you buy. Some are the size of a large toy box or a footlocker type trunk. You don’t have to clean anything when you are done because the paint splatters against a cardboard insert or garbage bag that lines the insert. It certainly looks more professional. You don’t have to worry about getting water in the hole. It’s twenty times more expensive than the toy version. It has much faster production because the card slips in and out of the card holder so much faster and it spins faster because of the more powerful motor.The toy version is far less expensive, twenty times smaller and more lightweight, is more of a pain to operate because of the tabs the cards have to be slipped into and is a pain to clean after every use. They are certainly not going to last nearly as long as the commercial version. They are slower production than the commercial model. They look less professional, but do the job just fine. This is what I started with. My vote would be to start with the toy versions unless your budget and transportation/storage situation is no problem. Either way will work fine.You are only supposed to let a child squirt a few drops of each color paint (red, blue and yellow) onto the card. You have to tell this to the child before they squeeze the paint bottle and make sure they adhere to it. If they squirt too much paint onto the card, it creates several problems.As children approach, have them form a line in front of each of your two operating machines. Turn the machine on before the child squirts their paint. After children have squirted their paint onto the card, turn the machine off. The toy versions take a while to slow down. Don’t wait for it. It slows down the whole process. To slow it down right away, put your finger on the edge of the spindle to make it stop. Remove the card and put it into a frame. Staple the frame. Slip another card into the tabs on the spindle and let the next child take their turn.Your startup spin art supplies consist of the cards and frames and the paint. The cards and frames are sold by a company that sells them in sets of 1000 for about $125.00 at the time of this writing. You can get them for less if you order 5000 or more. The paint usually costs between $3.00 and $5.00 per quart and is available at craft stores and school supply stores. You have about 15 cents invested in each finished card and frame. Two dollars for this at festivals is an easy sale and a huge mark up and profit!Too many colors slows down you production because the kids will take forever to make up their minds what colors they want to use. (This also applies to flavors of snow cone syrups, if you get into that business.) The only reason I might expand on this is if you are having individual customers pay for the spin art themselves. At company picnics where everything is already paid for, stick to four colors. One quart of each will get you through several events. (Unless they’re large events.) Always take extra paint, and extra everything, for that matter. The paint is safe, non-toxic and water based.Spin art is very versatile for almost any kids event. I would heartily suggest this activity for any kids entertainment business. You just can’t miss.
Maryland Drug Rehabs and Florida Addiction Treatment
There are many different types of Maryland drug rehabs and Maryland addiction treatment programs. In fact, there are thousands of drug rehabilitation programs and alcohol rehabs in the United States. The goal of a Maryland drug rehab or alcohol rehab is to assist the individual to become clean and sober. In Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and across the United States, a variety of addiction treatment approaches are being used. Some drug rehabs in Maryland include: the twelve steps, relapse prevention programs, behavioral modification, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, cognitive therapy, therapeutic communities, halfway houses, outpatient drug rehabs, alcohol rehabs and inpatient drug rehabs. With so many types of drug and alcohol treatment centers available in Maryland, making a decision can be quite challenging.Unfortunately, many people in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia bounce from drug rehab center to drug rehab center looking for the one that is right for them, many ending up in Florida addiction treatment programs. To prevent this from happening, it might be useful to have a basic understanding of the different types of Maryland drug rehabilitation programs. To locate an effective Maryland drug rehab or Florida addiction treatment program you can call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225.The Best Maryland Drug RehabFor an individual with a drug and alcohol problem attending the best addiction treatment program is imperative. A quality drug addiction treatment program will help the individual to change his or her lifestyle and develop the coping skills necessary to deal with their feelings. Maryland has quite a few residential drug rehabilitation programs. These types of drug rehab programs have existed for over thirty years and are long term in nature. For those who choose a Maryland drug rehab, they can expect to have twenty-four hour, seven days week supervision. Another option under the umbrella of drug rehab programs are therapeutic drug rehab programs. These types of drug rehabilitation programs involve spending quite a bit of time in drug rehab and are usually provided in a residential addiction treatment setting. This particular form of drug addiction treatment works best for those who understand that they have a drug and alcohol problem or have experienced multiple relapses after addiction treatment. Maryland drug rehab programs focus on the individual’s own personal accountability and responsibility to themselves friends, their family.Outpatient Addiction Treatment vs. Inpatient Addiction TreatmentThere are drug rehab programs in Maryland which also offer outpatient addiction treatment. Outpatient addiction treatment often times costs less than other forms of drug and alcohol treatment but is not as effective as an inpatient drug rehab. These types of drug and alcohol treatment programs are often more suitable for those who are employed or who have extensive social support. Although Maryland drug rehabs may vary, they all have one common goal; to help individuals recover from drug and alcohol problems.Why People Travel to Florida Drug Rehabs from MarylandWhile we recognize there are many effective and safe Maryland drug rehabs, there are quite a few people that seem to travel to Florida for Florida drug rehab. After careful research, it appears that Florida drug rehabs seem to provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation under a concept referred to as the Florida Drug Rehab Model of Addiction Treatment. This model of drug rehab or addiction treatment seems to allow for a more creative addiction treatment experience yielding tremendous results.