These videos pretty much speak for themselves, but I wanted to share them with you! They include three artists who I greatly admire not just for their remarkable talents, but for the completely raw way in which they choose to express themselves. I find myself coming back to each video time and time again. I'm always struck by the fearlessness and sheer moxie. Just brilliant...




Glen Hansard
If you're ever lucky enough to see the Swell Season you would know how completely exhilarating it is to see Glen perform. I think he broke 2 strings at our concert. And if you ever wondered where the holes in his guitar came from...







Kseniya Simonova
A friend posted this on Facebook a while back and I still haven't seen enough of it! I can't get over how fearless and sure of her art Kseniya is. Such steady hands. No hesitation. Totally unwavering.







Judy Garland
If you know me at all then I don't think I need to say much here. Judy DEFINED the torch song with the Man That Got Away. I can't think of another performance that makes me feel like I'm actually listening to someone's heart and soul completely unfiltered. It's a tour de force in all it's rawness. Whatever Grace Kelly...

Does this video offer a single solution to any of the MULTITUDE of problems facing our global community???


Not really.



Does it strengthen my faith in the human race and give me true hope for the future???





...Absolutely.

While browsing YouTube I came across this:




Which led me to this:




Which took me here:



And that led me to this (So cute!):




...And that is what I did today!

Here is a quote from a movie I just watched called “Phoebe in Wonderland.” (watch it!)

Miss Dodger: At a certain point in your life, probably when too much of it has gone by, you will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are. Especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals. And you will say to yourself, "But I AM this person." And in that statement, that correction, there will be a kind of love.

This got me to thinking about a chapter I read from “The Tao of Pooh” (read it!) entitled “Cottleston Pie.” It’s about accepting our own inner nature--recognizing who we are and what we have to work with, flaws and all. I think sometimes we become so eager to make ourselves perfect that we are willing to erase all the things that define us as individuals.

Shouldn’t I say, “But I AM this person” rather than try to alter myself altogether?

Here is my negative list:
-I can be terribly stubborn.
-I am constantly over-thinking and over-analyzing things.
-I have a family that does not fit the characteristics of the perfect Christian family.
-I am slow to trust others.
-I keep my thoughts and emotions locked up.
-I don’t think I’ll ever be the classic FC girl who wears ribbons in her hair or gets excited about women’s classes.
-Consequently, I’ll never be truthfully described as thin, breathtakingly beautiful, lovely, fascinating, or any other myriad of adjectives used to describe other women.
-Sometimes I wonder if I have any real depth. I fear that there’s not much to discover under the layer of Disney, show tunes, and exclamation points.
-Every time I think of these things I convince myself that I am unworthy of love, happiness, and respect.

…But I AM this person.

I’ve finally decided that maybe the problem is my own myopic view of myself. Perhaps if I could look through the eyes of those who know me better than anyone, of those who really and truly love me for me, I would see someone different. Maybe I would see a girl who is stubborn to be sure, but also a girl who is firm and unwavering in her convictions. Someone who may not freely share all her own thoughts, but someone who can listen to others and gladly keep those secrets shared in confidence.

Not everything needs to be perfect right now. Who knows if those negative list traits will come in handy in the future? And I believe that the things that should and must change will do so with life experience.

And furthermore, every time I turn my radio down at the stoplight because I don’t want the guy next to me to know that I’ve been listening to musical theater, every time I try to cover the tags so that the lady in the aisle behind me won’t see that I wear a large size, and every time I try to find self worth in being associated with the right kind of friends rather than falling on my knees and thanking God that I have people in my life that see me, just me, with all my undesirable flaws and choose to love me in spite of them, I am simply telling myself that who I am is not enough.

…But I AM this person.

Go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

...just beautiful!!!