The Story That Breaks Your Heart & Puts You Back Together Again

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."

~Hans Christian Andersen~

There were times as a child, when I was read aloud to or read quietly alone, a story that broke my heart and remains with me always. The Velveteen Rabbit still brings me to tears.  But before I had even heard of the bunny who became real, I heard the tale of the Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen. Today we remember Andersen on his birthday.

Read the tale in its entirety HERE.

Painting by Heinrich Lefler: Image Source

""The nightingale? I know him well. Yes, indeed he can sing. Every evening I get leave to carry scraps from table to my sick mother. She lives down by the shore. When I start back I am tired, and rest in the woods. Then I hear the nightingale sing. It brings tears to my eyes. It's as if my mother were kissing me.""

The Nightingale is often dismissed as a story about Hans' love for the famous singer Jenny Lind. The reader cannot help but see so much more in the profound story. The story is about what is artificial and what is real. The story is about what should be valued. The reader explores mortality and the human experience both good and bad. The story champions those who are overlooked by society in raising a poor girl and a plain, little songbird as the heroes of the story. Andersen reminds us of our commonality as people whether we are poor or rich, talented and beautiful or very ordinary. The nightingale song is a treasure offered as equally to peasants as to nobles and to a young girl just as generously to even the emperor himself. The Nightingale is an affirmation of life. We all need these reminders.

The Nightingale has inspired the arts all around the world from Stravinsky's opera to illustrators in many times and different places. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lisbeth Zwerger

Quentin Gréban

Perhaps even popstars?

Demi Lovato's The Nightingale:

"Where words fail, music speaks."

~Hans Christian Andersen~

PS

Are you happy that it's April? Me too.

<3

the Local Gal

Local Lady: Making Friends, Google Searching for Sisters

Do you have trouble making friends with ladies? I know a lot of women who try to select their friends from the opposite gender, believing that their lives will be less drama ridden by friending exclusively the opposite sex. Whether or not this is effective depends. I've found personally that it does not work for me. I can't help but feel that if you want to be friends only with men you are nixing half the population from the globe! This is sad!

Women having women friends is such a wonderful, meaningful part of life. It's crucial, especially for people who do not have ready made familial "sisterly" ties. I am so grateful for my women "besties", my sisters.  In fact, if it weren't for these ladies in my life, I know I couldn't process the natural drama of life on my own. Their listening ears, sage advice or simple comforting presence enhances and lifts my spirits every day.

I know some ladies have trouble meshing well with other ladies, and as an adult it doesn't seem easy to forge real connections with others. You are not forced into structures and common ground outside of educational institutions or religious institutions and in the workplace you may find special people- and you may not. Some people are more comfortable remaining business acquaintances, never moving beyond the coworker or employee/employer relationship model.

It isn't always easy to move past our own insecurities and the tangle of the others'. Maintaining close relations isn't easy in a busy life style, but I think real friendship is necessary to live a healthy life.

Now technology gets a lot of flack for modern isolation. People sometimes feel like islands attached to a phone or screen, missing "real" human interaction. But it doesn't have to always be or feel this way.

I have three four lady friends who don't even know me! I met the first three several years ago via Netflix around the New Year. You know you want to get fit and get a brand new start- and it's hard to get that motivation. I abhor workouts in public and have zero, zip desire to see the inside of a gym. On Netflix I discovered "Bikini Ready Fast" a Vogue workout (don't laugh or do, I am!) with Ellen Barrett. Working out with the three ladies of Bikini Ready made me feel instantly fabulous- the exact opposite of how I used to feel in PE or during workout videos.

Ellen felt like a friend and her back up girls were so encouraging. One named Marie had such a sparkle about her that I would find myself smiling back at the screen while doing the cardio and weight lifting segments. For months I was able to consecutively exercise daily for the first time in my life. When I got sick and too weak, "Low Impact Deborah" helped me to keep going, leading me to rebuild my lost strength. She ought to be called High Impact Deborah for encouraging me to resume! When you fall off the exercise train, it is not easy to get back on.

Now the funny thing is that I rediscovered each one of these gals on-line completely by accident this year! It turns out sparkly Marie is the woman dynamo behind MarieForleo.com! Marie is famous for helping people to create a business and a life that they will love. I love her videos! Check her out!

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Ellen has her own on-line workout/health business too! And when I tried her Yogini workout for free, I was delighted to see my friend "Low Impact" Deborah! Thank goodness! Because to be honest, I hadn't exercised in weeks. 

Ellen Barrett: Image Source

The fourth friend I found through one of my nearest and dearest. The fourth friend's website was given to me in an e-mail. Jen is the founder of Wild Sister, an on-line magazine by women and for women, all around the world. I'm a frequent buyer and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to get a women's magazine that isn't telling me to lose weight and obsessively bake at the same time. The topics are wide and varied. While their articles encourage you to reach for and make goals, they never do so in a guilt inducing "Pursue an unattainable, goose chase perfection" sort of way. The perspectives are helpful. And the messages of positive encouragement, even if it's just the bright colors and affirming words radiating from my computer screen have always been a sincere, much needed boost.

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Jen, Ellen, Deborah and Marie, who I'll probably never meet in person are there for me on-line, cheering me on and making me smile. Thank you internet!

So, even if you aren't ready to go out there and find some gal pals in the flesh, maybe you could look for some female role models or on-line sisters to support you in some way? Let me introduce you to a few resources that have boosted my morale:

Meet Ellen (and Deborah!) HERE

Meet Marie HERE

Find a Wild Sister HERE

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<3 the Local Gal

PS

Ready to reach out? Say hello to a neighbor. Be brave and ask them over for coffee or even just offer an open smile and friendly wave. Don't be disappointed too much if they don't reciprocate. Who knows what they have on their plate! Just remain consistently open. Some people need time to come around. In the meantime, do something for yourself! Go to a salon and get chatty with the gal doing up your do! Are you more extroverted than I am? Take a dance class or a spinning class! Who knows where it might take you and who is waiting out there waiting to bump into you, to become friends.

Can you think of a woman you admire? Tell her in person or in writing today! We could all use some friendly acknowledgement from time to time.

Literary Love: Wonder & What's Real

“Never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders.” 

― L. Frank Baum, Rinkitink in Oz

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One special aisle in the children's department of Morrison Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana held on its shelves a row of magic portals to the Land of Oz. I liked the movies, but I revered the books. Time and time again I would return to check out the Patchwork Girl of Oz, Queen Zixi of Ix, Ozma of Oz and the Emerald City of Oz. There were other magic countries by the Baum series. Not all of the books were even written by Frank himself. Some of the other countries I grew to love as much as the land of Oz, if not more than that first magic country.

As a child, I was troubled with big worries: mortality, religion and fear. It was thrilling to escape into a world where I was sure to be safe from these and where I could be sure that even the villains couldn't harm me or my beloved protagonists. 

My family did not go in for feminism (at least by label). Sandwiched between so many boys, who I sometimes envied, I did not catch onto the girl power trend that was present in the 90's. However, in an outdated series from long ago, I saw the future. 

The Land of Oz was ruled almost exclusively by women. The one male leader was a fraud (not malevolent), succeeded by a scarecrow (who was less and yet more of a man?) and all true, best governance was issued by a wise woman, namely Glinda the good. When the rightful ruler is restored to the throne, you find a female too- a young one at that! Ozma of Oz shares her power with Dorothy of Kansas, an ordinary little girl from the Midwest, who is a savior and liberator almost by accident. 

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In Oz, Glinda has a magic book that she can look into to see what is happening in the world (more than one!). I realized recently, as I pondered the wonders of the worldwide web that The Magic Book is very like the internet. In the morning, I like to wake up and Google countries to see what is happening. Because of the internet I can! I look to see what is happening in Nepal, in Latvia, in any country I might know by name. The internet is magic! Sometimes Ozma wants to look in on her dear Dorothy who lives in another world on Earth. She consults the Magic Book, just as I login to Facebook to see my friends on this side of the world and on the other. How far we've come from when I was young, and lucky enough to have access to an early computer the Tandy. 

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On Facebook, I watch the exploits of astronauts on the Space Station. On the NASA site I can see photographs of the outside of our world. And the magic of all of these things, stokes my imagination and my heart in the same exciting way I experienced as a little girl in the local library. 

NASA Photo of the Day: Image Source

Now the Oz series is not exactly revered in most literary circles. I can't be sure that it isn't Science Fiction, and I can't say with conviction that it is, either. They are silly books for silly children. But even in these silly books, I look back and discover wisdom, social commentary and forward thinking. There are beautiful ideas described so succinctly that even a small child can absorb them. For example: 

“In this world in which we live simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders” 

― L. Frank Baum, The Emerald City of Oz

Just a thought.

Because it is nearly Christmas, I'll end with this quote:

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“. . .It is the Law that while Evil, unopposed, may accomplish terrible deeds, the power of Good can never be overthrown when opposed to Evil. . .” 
― L. Frank Baum, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and an Insightful New Year to all my readers!

<3

the Local Gal

Geloven & Believing

Local Lady Snap Shot: a still life by ARaemaekers

"Now I'm a believer"

~Neil Diamond~

Words can be twisted, altered. For years a word may be used for one thing and then as time goes on it is subject to  complete switch-a-roo. It was not until the sixteenth century, according to etymologists that to believe meant to accept a dogmatic truth. Was belief in the western world twisted into acceptance of dogmatic truths during or after the inquisition? I am not a linguistics expert or a trained historian. I am only guessing after scanning dates. Before the inquisitions, before the plagues, to believe meant at its root to "hold dear, love". Its root is traced to Germanic languages, in particular to Ich Leibe, I love.

This root is a far cry from today's Merriam Webster's:

be·lieve verb \bə-ˈlēv\

: to accept or regard (something) as true

: to accept the truth of what is said by (someone)

: to have (a specified opinion)

To believe in English has grown from its root to a much different looking plant than its Germanic root.

Although etymological history is imperfect, and despite the possible fact that it could be a fallacy to adhere to one "original" definition as the perfect meaning of a word, I think that the change in the word belief does matter, at least personally to me.

Did or does faith need defending? Faith shouldn't need defense. Not by councils or by force, not by threats, or fear of punishments. Actions of that sort betrays a lack of trust, which faith essentially means, at least etymologically:

"... faith is neither the submission of the reason, nor is it the acceptance, simply and absolutely upon testimony, of what reason cannot reach. Faith is: the being able to cleave to a power of goodness appealing to our higher and real self, not to our lower and apparent self. [Matthew Arnold, "Literature & Dogma," 1873]"

Maybe I am fruitlessly mincing words or maybe I am looking to pick them like cherries. Mmm, cherries...

When I study a language, I sometimes like to think of them in comparison to others. I think of each one as a personality. And if one personality lacks the means to express something I believe, I look elsewhere. An English "belief" fails me. So when I happened to look at learning Dutch, after my relatives neglected to teach me their language, there was something drawing me to it. Perhaps the memory of their voices' cadence and the thickness of their jah, the sharpness of a kijken was embedded in my mind.  To me, Dutch is inseparable from the memories of my elders talking among themselves. Dutch is gezellig or maybe it's just a kind of cozy sound to me because the sounds are wrapped up in carefree mornings eating Chocoladehagel. Oh to be little and loved and eating sprinkles on bread (as if it were a meal, fellow Americans!)!

Anyway, after I taught myself with the internet, to say bedankt and so on, I happened upon the Dutch word for believing: geloven.

From Wordsense:

geloven (Dutch)

Origin & history

Proto-Germanic *galaubijanan ("to believe, to hold valuable or pleasing"), compare Old English gelyfan.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɣəˈloːvə(n)/

Verb

1. to believe
      Geloofde hij ons? : Did he believe us?

See also: Etymonline-Belief

Geloven sounds closer to my belief. To be a believer, I do not accept blindly, but for now, I may just hold a concept dear. Maybe I don't even have a "specified opinion" or a complete understanding or grasp of a fact.

I'm a believer, er a "geloven-er". I believe in stories, in love and in kindness. Words, I hold dear, concepts that I try to test, practice and trust.

<3

the Local Gal

PS Obviously, Neil Diamond, his works, lyrics and quotes do not belong to me, and neither does this video. I am just sharing this diamond, that I have found. And that is my copyright sharing "disclaimer"!

A Coincidence, A Croon & an Indiana Home

"I'm discontented with homes that are rented, so I have invented my own" 

Tea for Two

radiodismuke.com

When we bought our first house, a momentous occasion for anyone, we were astonished and surprised by the generosity and support we received from community members, family and friends. I wish every young family to be so blessed. It seemed like a miracle (and some mornings, despite all of the inevitable perils & pitfalls of home ownership, it still does!).

Originally, we went to the Open House just to get my mother out of the house. The agent, Piedad Llerena, greeted us warmly at the door. When we walked in, we felt a peace about this place. We found ourselves coming back to see the house one more time, and I was shocked when my husband said we should go for it. The folks at Lingle helped us out, and with a special first time home buyer's grant our American dream became a reality.

Our house was built in the 1920's or the 1930's. I had always been attracted to the style of that age. So when we began housekeeping, I searched for an inspirational soundtrack while I worked in our kitchen. I found Radio Dismuke, a station out of Texas which plays the songs of the 1920's, 1930's, featuring big bands and Jazz. It seemed appropriate considering Richmond is called "the Cradle of Recorded Jazz". The station live streams the perfect breakfast making soundtrack! While there are certain things that passed in those years that we should not regret losing, it's nice to listen to the sweetness of the music produced by a bygone era when crooners sang so ardently of loving truly, dear.


Around the same time that we became home owners, my husband's beloved grandparents had recently passed away. They were global ambassadors, educators and devoted Hoosiers. Even though they lived to a ripe old age, we miss them always. My husband and I heard a special song, Tea for Two by the Comedian Harmonists one morning while listening to "my station". At our next Christmas gathering, I believe the first we spent without Grandma and Granddad, I happened to play the song for my husband. My Father in Law started. He said, "Did you know that was Granddad and Grandma's song?"

We had no clue. It felt like a special gift, a continuity and connection. Whether it was divine blessing or happy coincidence, it was a wonderful gift! The song and our home, we continue to cherish.

I believe it was owning our home that first made me feel rooted here. I never called myself a Hoosier, until we had our very own permanent address. I'm glad we chose to make Richmond, Indiana home. Here's another song, by the unforgettable Al Bowlly, for my fellow Hoosiers.

"Hang out the stars in Indiana; up in a sky of midnight blue.

Hang out the stars in Indiana to light my way back home to you. 

Have every robin sing a love song--a melody just meant for two. 

For in my heart there will be a love song. 

A song I long to sing to you.

How could I find the things I sought for?

No one delay or deny.

The very happiness I fought for was right back by your side. 

So wait for me in Indiana.

And when the long, long day is through--hang out the stars in Indiana to light my way back home to you."

<3

the Local Gal

PS

(Dear Lingle, (& especially Piedad), if you ever read this, thank you! Whenever we pass your advertisements on a billboard or bench, I pray that you are blessed. We could not have asked for a better first time home buying experience. Bless you.)

Related Links:

Listen to Radio Dismuke HERE

Lingle, Piedad Llerena

Star Gennett Foundation (dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of recorded jazz)

Stay in the Loop with the Local-Lady! Visit the Local-Lady Calendar for community events. Follow the Local-Lady on Facebook and Twitter.

Winter Morning in Richmond, Indiana

Sometimes my dreams are like stories and I wake up more like a traveler stepping off of a long flight in an airplane than a woman rolling out of bed after a long night's "rest".



While I'm dreaming, Orion's belt is shining along with the moon that is waxing above my house in Richmond, Indiana. But I am a long way off in a landscape that could be only familiar to someone on another side of the world. There are different languages spoken and an unnameable river. I'm walking along.

Then I wake up again in this small town. Inside, the noises become mundane: the hum of the furnace down the stairs, the creaks my feet come to expect over the wooden floorboards. My neighbor's lights are on. The dogs are barking at the world outside their gates. Plows rattle on their mission to clear the slick roads. Snow accumulates on the branches. The kettle, my kettle wails its time for tea.

I look out: It is still night, but the light is reflecting off the freshly fallen snow conjuring colors mauve and violet in the sky and on the ground. The patio furniture, especially the table, looks like a sugary confection. Rusty fences, walks and gutters are transformed. Icicles hang densely like crystal cave formations. Everything looks like a sugary confection. Everything is transformed.

I wonder at the lights above each porch. The lives we lead in each little house with so much and so little in common. How many are still dreaming, and where are we in our sleep? Somewhere the next moment hangs in suspension with a mood of its own.

I'm awake. What will happen today?

Asleep or awake, near or far, life is adventure.

<3 the Local Gal

The Uncommonly Curious Sparrow

"I am only a sparrow amongst a great flock of sparrows."
~Evita Peron~

Sparrows are of a Biblical notoriety. They are common enough among us to be seen as a pest in Richmond, Indiana, as they are elsewhere. They have probably lived among human society since the early dawn of agriculture. They follow the fields of agriculture, bathe in the dust together and sing in groups. Sparrows even inspired Shakespeare, who wrote in Hamlet, that "there's special providence in the fall of a sparrow". One fell on me this morning!

This morning, while the grass was still dewy, I stepped outside to caress my herbs. I love the smell of thyme and rosemary any time of the day, but some scents are most refreshing first thing in the morning! I walked nearer to the house where my sage was sending out masses of purple flowers and began picking them to keep my plant from becoming leggy. While I was happily bent over pinching the sage, listening to the morning chatter of birds, I felt something brush against my back. I held still and turned my head around to see a fledgling sparrow, perched, nestled and clinging on the back of my left hip! I held still as our eyes met. She looked comfortable as could be, so I didn't move, just waited for a few moments. She finally moved, but she didn't fly away. Instead she hunkered down behind the chives and hopped to keep her feet along the slipping rocks, all the while watching me closely. Maybe it sounds silly, but it felt appropriate. I bowed my head and touched my hands together whispering, "namaste" to my guest then returned to plucking sage with a smile. She, with intense curiousity on her face, stayed with me for a strand of precious moments. I hummed gently, and busied my hands a little further from her, as I could feel her parents nearby becoming impatient. They had stayed close but quiet. When they finally found their voices and chirped at her to come with them, she still hesitated! Finally in a compromise she flew to the top of our garage, still intently watching me. At that point I was so feeling so blessed and happy I had to come inside with my bouquet to share!

Birds have always been special to me. They have been there to lift my spirits many times. Whether it was in finding and nourishing a baby lost out of the nest or a hummingbird that paused briefly, suspended in front of my face just outside the windowpane.

I'm not the only Hoosier with a soft spot for the birds. Robin's Nesting Place is an Indiana blog with amazing bird photography! I found this blog on Little Indiana!

Robins Nesting Photography: A Sparrow with a Mourning Dove

Do you need to pause and have a moment with the birds? Visit the Cope Center and look around:

Visit Cope's Website