Leela Music Newsletter, March 2008

Michael Stribling
Leela Music, BMI
Newsletter, March 2008

Here's an overview of what you'll find in this issue:

• Musical Memos
• Spiritually Speaking
• Points to Ponder / In Other News
• And the Winner Is ...

***MUSICAL MEMOS***

The musical creation process is continuing, although it's entirely focused in any one direction or on any one project.

There is the next CD, of course. Then, there is TV/film work. There is also background music for a hypnosis CD. There is a project for yoga studios, massage therapists, etc. Well, there are a lot of projects currently in development.

I'll be interested to see what emerges from the incubation process.

***SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING***

Grief and Loss

I recently attended a funeral service, and it got me thinking.

First off, grief is selfish. It's natural enough--most humans experience it--but it's selfish just the same. We lost something that was important to us, to which we attached meaning and value, and when we lost it, our ego threw a fit.

We've all seen a two-year-old cry over spilled milk, and we may have even heard ourselves say, "Now, now, honey. That's nothing to get so upset about." Perhaps. The principle is the same, whether it's a two-year-old ego or an eighty-two-year-old ego: when you lose something that's important to you, you get upset.

I thought of how attached we get to the people, places, things, and situations of this life, this plane of existence, and I wondered how much, if any of it, we get to take with us when we pass from this lifetime to whatever destiny we have chosen for ourselves. Something tells me we don't take very much with us.

Loss, of anything or anyone, is a bit like stubbing your toe. It smarts a lot at first; then you get over it. There's no sense in pretending it doesn't hurt at first. It does. But then, you get over it; that is, you get over it unless you keep thinking about it, tell others about it, milk out all the "drama juice" you can, keep the hurt alive, etc.

Some things grieve easy; some things grieve hard. Sometimes, grief passes quickly; sometimes it can last a lifetime. Sometimes I think grief is a reminder call from the Universe that we've become too attached to something, or someone, and that we might want to refocus our energy and attention on the things that might matter more (in the big picture).

Grief-and-loss is not something to celebrate, anymore than we want to celebrate a case of the flu. It just is. Grief happens to everyone; it's what we do with our own grief that makes the difference. For example, rather than grieve the loss of someone, we could give thanks for all the good times that made that person valuable to us in the first place. If there's a celebration involved, that's it. Otherwise, it's kind of a waste of time (except for the emotional "juice" the ego derives from it).

Heck, we lose everything, if you want to look at it that way. We don't have anything that we had in the past. All we have are memories of the past, and most of those are inaccurate, or selective at best.

It's essential that we lose things so we can create room for more things to enter our lives. A lake with no inlet and outlet becomes a stagnant swamp. We can't put much into a cup that's already full. It's when we try to hold on to everything, when we hate to let go, that we get into trouble. We clog up the system, we become overfull, and we get very tired.

Grieve if you must. Learn from it if you can. Then let it go and move on. Celebrate life, not loss.

***POINTS TO PONDER / IN OTHER NEWS***

People over 35 should all be dead (part 2)

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the '40s, '50s, '60s, or even maybe the early '70s probably shouldn't have survived.

This month, pick up where we left off last month and conclude our fond look back into the recent past.

• We had friends! We went outside and found them.


• We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.


• We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents?


• We had fights, punched each other, and got black and blue and learned to get over it. And we never got sent to therapy for it.


• We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.


• We didn't spend hours on the phone talking to our friends. We rode our bikes or walked to a friend's home and then knocked on the door, or rang the bell, or better yet, just walked in and then talked to them.


• Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment and then work like crazy in the off-season to make the team the next year.


• Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Tests were not adjusted for any reason and grades were not curved. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.


• The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law.

Because of this, our generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors, ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you are a [possibly] member of that group!

Congratulations. Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before lawyers, government, and psychologists regulated our lives "for our own good..."

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?

**AND THE WINNER IS ... ***

Every issue, I give away a free CD (autographed, of course :-). If you're on the mailing list, you're automatically entered in every drawing. This month, the winner is Ricardo Galvan. Congratulations!

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That's it for this issue. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you liked, or didn't like, in this issue, and any recommendations or requests you have for future editions.

Thank you for your support. Please invite your friends to visit my website and sign the guestbook. Oh yeah, it's okay to order some CDs, too! They make wonderful gifts :-).

I also have a page on MySpace.com. Have a look and join the list of friends at www.myspace.com/leelamusic

I wish you peace, joy, and love.

Namasté,

Michael Stribling
www.leela-music.com

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