Today's DailyOM Offerings...
January 12, 2009
Putamayo Kids Presents: Sesame Street Playground
Various Artists
2008
The Putamayo series has become synonymous with world music. Its friendly, colorfully painted CD covers hold cheerful tunes that take you literally around the world, to French cafés, Argentine tango bars, Spanish fiestas, and African celebrations, among other places. So what could be a more perfect label to make a record for kids? Here, they offer fascinating global music versions of the beloved songs of Sesame Street. The show has long been a champion of teaching Spanish as well as English, and from there it's just a skip and a jump to breaking down the wall between the various versions of this internationally popular television program, and bringing the music to share with everyone.
Songs are jubilant and lively, for children of all ages, as the saying goes, and never has that saying proven truer in the world of children's television-programming than with Sesame Street. The merry squeaks and whistles that accompany Zhima Jie's Gallic rendition of "Rubber Duckie," for example, would be right at home on any French yeh-yeh album by Françoise Hardy or Serge Gainsbourg, while the rousing sing-along choruses of high-voiced Muppets performing "Ricas Frutas" from the Spanish version of the show, Plaza Sesamo, close the language gap as if it never existed. There's even some English-language material as in the straightforward but assuredly welcome version of "Elmo's Song."
One thing that the Muppets excelled at, and that no other children's educational show could ever really touch, is their ability to tap a universally deep feeling of childhood melancholy, embodied most poignantly in Kermit the Frog songs like "It's Not Easy Being Green" or "The Rainbow Connection." Kermit is not on this disc, but we do get a similar vibe in the beautiful closer, "One Small Voice," a Spanish-language ballad set to piano with a mélange of spirited children's and adult voices singing a hopeful tune. You may not understand the lyrics if you don't speak Spanish, but if you recognize even a little, the meaning is clear-every voice is unique and no matter how small, when you sing out, the world sings with you. Playing this in your car with the kids is a sure way to open them up to a whole new world of language, whether they start singing along in French and Spanish hardly matters. You'll all be singing, together, with the world.
January 12, 2009
Ethical High Road
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may be feeling principled today and choose to take the more difficult high road when it comes to making ethical decisions. Your moral convictions provide an inner compass that may allow you to look into the future to see the possible consequences, for yourself and others, of the choices made today. This also provides an energetic map of your investments and their dividends, perhaps making any decision easier. As you make the steps you feel are right, know that the universe supports the truth and best intentions, and your energy invested wisely will bring results that you can be proud of today.
There may be times when our hearts seem to contradict what we feel is the right choice. That is when we need to turn within and seek the counsel of the universe. Though we live in a world of dualities, the truth is not always right or wrong, and therefore there are no rewards or punishments, only consequences and outcomes that are open to interpretation. Since we know that the universe is also a place of infinite possibilities and potential for growth, we act in ways that leave us without regret, knowing we did our best with the information we had and leaving us to move forward confidently. By acting upon the choices arrived upon with the combination of your heart, mind, and spirit, you feel your truth resonate within the center of your being today and can make the right choice for you.
January 12, 2009
Releasing Negativity
Pity Party
We all have days when the bad things seem to outweigh the good ones and we begin to think that life isn’t fair. You get stuck in traffic, which makes you late for an important meeting, and then your car gets towed. You might ask yourself, “Why me?” Events like this one can test anyone’s ability to be grateful and feel optimistic. If you have a tendency to feel sorry for yourself, and many of us do, things usually progress to the next stage: the pity party. You begin to feel like the innocent victim of a dismal fate because you are seeing your life through inaccurate lenses. Most of the thoughts that run through your mind at times like these are not helpful, and they mainly serve to increase your indignation and feelings of powerlessness. What these feelings and thoughts don’t do is change your circumstances or make you feel better.
When you have a terrible day, there should definitely be a time and place to have your feelings so you can process them. It’s important not to pretend that you are fine with things when you aren’t. It’s also important, however, to notice when you’re having a pity party. It’s a good idea to set a time limit in which to fully express your emotions and not feel guilty, ashamed, or judge yourself. Having a friend witness you during this process can be helpful. You may also want to write about your feelings. When your time is up, let go of the negativity you just expressed. You can declare your intention to your friend. If you’ve written down your feelings, you can burn the piece of paper or throw it in the recycling bin.
Try not to dwell on unpleasant experiences and do everything you can to avoid holding on to negative emotions. When you indulge in self-pity, you only make a bad day worse. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, release the notion that you are a victim, and notice the good that exists in your life.
Putamayo Kids Presents: Sesame Street Playground
Various Artists
2008
The Putamayo series has become synonymous with world music. Its friendly, colorfully painted CD covers hold cheerful tunes that take you literally around the world, to French cafés, Argentine tango bars, Spanish fiestas, and African celebrations, among other places. So what could be a more perfect label to make a record for kids? Here, they offer fascinating global music versions of the beloved songs of Sesame Street. The show has long been a champion of teaching Spanish as well as English, and from there it's just a skip and a jump to breaking down the wall between the various versions of this internationally popular television program, and bringing the music to share with everyone.
Songs are jubilant and lively, for children of all ages, as the saying goes, and never has that saying proven truer in the world of children's television-programming than with Sesame Street. The merry squeaks and whistles that accompany Zhima Jie's Gallic rendition of "Rubber Duckie," for example, would be right at home on any French yeh-yeh album by Françoise Hardy or Serge Gainsbourg, while the rousing sing-along choruses of high-voiced Muppets performing "Ricas Frutas" from the Spanish version of the show, Plaza Sesamo, close the language gap as if it never existed. There's even some English-language material as in the straightforward but assuredly welcome version of "Elmo's Song."
One thing that the Muppets excelled at, and that no other children's educational show could ever really touch, is their ability to tap a universally deep feeling of childhood melancholy, embodied most poignantly in Kermit the Frog songs like "It's Not Easy Being Green" or "The Rainbow Connection." Kermit is not on this disc, but we do get a similar vibe in the beautiful closer, "One Small Voice," a Spanish-language ballad set to piano with a mélange of spirited children's and adult voices singing a hopeful tune. You may not understand the lyrics if you don't speak Spanish, but if you recognize even a little, the meaning is clear-every voice is unique and no matter how small, when you sing out, the world sings with you. Playing this in your car with the kids is a sure way to open them up to a whole new world of language, whether they start singing along in French and Spanish hardly matters. You'll all be singing, together, with the world.
January 12, 2009
Ethical High Road
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may be feeling principled today and choose to take the more difficult high road when it comes to making ethical decisions. Your moral convictions provide an inner compass that may allow you to look into the future to see the possible consequences, for yourself and others, of the choices made today. This also provides an energetic map of your investments and their dividends, perhaps making any decision easier. As you make the steps you feel are right, know that the universe supports the truth and best intentions, and your energy invested wisely will bring results that you can be proud of today.
There may be times when our hearts seem to contradict what we feel is the right choice. That is when we need to turn within and seek the counsel of the universe. Though we live in a world of dualities, the truth is not always right or wrong, and therefore there are no rewards or punishments, only consequences and outcomes that are open to interpretation. Since we know that the universe is also a place of infinite possibilities and potential for growth, we act in ways that leave us without regret, knowing we did our best with the information we had and leaving us to move forward confidently. By acting upon the choices arrived upon with the combination of your heart, mind, and spirit, you feel your truth resonate within the center of your being today and can make the right choice for you.
January 12, 2009
Releasing Negativity
Pity Party
We all have days when the bad things seem to outweigh the good ones and we begin to think that life isn’t fair. You get stuck in traffic, which makes you late for an important meeting, and then your car gets towed. You might ask yourself, “Why me?” Events like this one can test anyone’s ability to be grateful and feel optimistic. If you have a tendency to feel sorry for yourself, and many of us do, things usually progress to the next stage: the pity party. You begin to feel like the innocent victim of a dismal fate because you are seeing your life through inaccurate lenses. Most of the thoughts that run through your mind at times like these are not helpful, and they mainly serve to increase your indignation and feelings of powerlessness. What these feelings and thoughts don’t do is change your circumstances or make you feel better.
When you have a terrible day, there should definitely be a time and place to have your feelings so you can process them. It’s important not to pretend that you are fine with things when you aren’t. It’s also important, however, to notice when you’re having a pity party. It’s a good idea to set a time limit in which to fully express your emotions and not feel guilty, ashamed, or judge yourself. Having a friend witness you during this process can be helpful. You may also want to write about your feelings. When your time is up, let go of the negativity you just expressed. You can declare your intention to your friend. If you’ve written down your feelings, you can burn the piece of paper or throw it in the recycling bin.
Try not to dwell on unpleasant experiences and do everything you can to avoid holding on to negative emotions. When you indulge in self-pity, you only make a bad day worse. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, release the notion that you are a victim, and notice the good that exists in your life.