Shirely MacLaine

Where do you begin when Oprah's guest is Hollywood Legend, Shirley MacLaine?  Shirley touched on so many topics:  2012, her new book "I'm Over All That", UFO's, energy, meditation, reincarnation, her open marriage and famous costars and several other beliefs.  She has lived a very full life and has been criticized for her beliefs and outspoken nature.  I've always thought she was a little out there, but she is someone who is very intuitive.  Shirley said she has always felt very comfortable being alone and with herself.  She spends a lot of time meditating and getting in touch with the divine power within her.  Over the last two years I have learned how important it is to really take time to be still.  My favorite time of day is in the morning after everyone has left the house and before my day has started.  I write in my journal, and I try to listen to what my heart is telling me.  It sounds simple, but it can be a very hard thing to do when you have an active imagination and your mind is full of non-stop chatter. 

Shirley said her biggest life lesson has been to surrender to the very sophisticated Divinity.  I understand that to mean God.  Oprah mentioned that it has also been one of her greatest lessons in life.  "When you have done all that you can do surrender to God and let it become part of the flow.  Let it go." This reminds me of the phrase if it is meant to be it will happen.  Oprah asked if she ever felt hurt by the jokes about her and I was surprised at her response.  She said she never felt particularly criticized and the jokes never bothered her.  As a matter of fact, she even helped Jay Leno write some of the jokes about her.  I'm not quite sure what to think of Shirley.  One thing I do know is she's a very spiritual person and stands firmly for what she believes in and I admire her for that.

It Is What It Is

Sometimes there are simple answers to life's most puzzling questions.  I have a tendency to over think things.  I like to think there is some complex process behind people's behavior instead of just accepting it for what it is. My friends husband uses the phrase "It Is What It Is."  I was watching Oprah's interview with past talk show hosts and Oprah asked Sally Jessy Raphael, "Why the red glasses?"  She said it was because she couldn't read the teleprompter and needed glasses.  She saw an ad that gave you a pap smear and eye glasses for $19.95 and red was the only color they had.  I've always thought there was more thought involved behind those red glasses. After all, they sort of became her signature look.  Sometimes things just fall into place without any advanced thinking or planning.

Spring Fever

Since Oprah's show has been reruns lately, I've taken a little break from my blog to work on my household to do list.  I have spring fever and the change in seasons always motivates me to change my home decor a little (or a lot) and declutter.  I like to bring my collection of shells out for the spring and summer, change some of my framed photos to coincide with the season and maybe change a pillow or two.   On the topic of pillows, I remember an old Oprah show where they talked about how you should change your bed pillow every year because of all the dust mites lurking in them.  I recently tossed my kids pillows which were well past their prime.  I can't say I get much decluttering done.  I tend to just replace one item with something else.

In this month's O Magazine Oprah says, "This I know:  More things don't make you feel more alive."  I can appreciate the fact that if you think buying something is going to make you feel more fulfilled it doesn't work.  It only makes you happy temporarily.  I do think surrounding yourself with things you love though is good for the soul.  You just have to know how to edit so you don't look like a pack rat.  I'm a very visual person and something that is the least bit off will bother me.  Maybe visual isn't the right word choice, it's more like neurotic.

Changing a few things in my home gives me a renewed outlook.  I find when I have too many things I can start to feel overwhelmed by all of my stuff.   I enjoy the creativity of decorating and love to find new uses for things.  I was raised by a mother who also constantly redecorates so I can't help it if it's in my genes.  Bring out the bunnies, throw away your old door mat and welcome spring!

Oprah's After Oscar Party Show

I had the privilege (although some people may not see it that way) of attending Oprah's After Oscar Party show in Los Angeles.  It was fun, but not quite the experience I'd envisioned.  A large part of the reason was because I spent the entire night before listening to the Academy Awards show from my hotel bathroom.  I'm not sure if it was food poisoning or the stomach flu.  I will spare you all the details, but 5:30 am approached quickly and I wasn't sure I'd make it to the show.  After getting myself ready in my new outfit and high heeled sandals, my husband and I stood in line for 2 hours and froze.  The weather was in the 60's, but not at 6:30 am.   After waiting 2 hrs to get on a shuttle bus to take us to the theatre, we then stood in line again as 3,000 people made their way into the Kodak theatre.  If you watched the show you may have noticed there are 3 tiers of balconies.  We were seated in the last tier behind the spotlights.   A pair of binoculars would have been helpful.

On a more positive note, we could still see Oprah and her guests.  I love Colin Firth and was happy that the Kings Speech won.  It's a wonderful movie.  Katy Perry's performance at the end was a nice surprise even though she didn't sound her best because she'd been traveling all night.  I am thankful to have been able to attend two Oprah shows.  Seeing her show in Chicago is a much different experience because her studio only seats about 300 people.  Even though the show I attended in Chicago didn't have big name celebrities, there was a certain energy in the room.  I didn't feel that energy at the Kodak, but it may have been due to fact I didn't feel great.  Oprah wasn't feeling good either, and you could tell she just didn't have her usual energy.

This was a dream of mine and I'm glad I had the opportunity to fulfill it.  A big lesson I learned is that I need to be careful about buying into the idea or hype of things.  Television makes Los Angeles out to be this glamorous and beautiful place.  It's not, in my opinion.  The traffic was horrendous and a large part of the city is run down.  I had been there before so I already new this, but I was excited just to get away.  I was also excited about the possibility of seeing celebrities.  Other than the guests on Oprah, I saw Greyson Chance, the you tube singer, and Carson Kressley coming into a hotel.  While it is fun to see or meet someone famous it also made me question why I would wait in a crowd of people for hours on end just to get a glimpse of a celebrity.  They are human beings just like the rest of us.  They don't possess any special powers.  Once again, it all boils down to hype and my husband says I'm always caught up in it.

Secret Millionaire

Oprah interviewed self-made millionaire, Dani Johnson, who was part of the new reality show Secret Millionaire.  The premise of the show is that a millionaire goes undercover and lives in an impoverished area with very little money.  While they are living there, they look for people who are making a difference in their community.  Dani grew up on welfare and had her first child at 17.  She was homeless herself at 21 and started a weight loss business from the trunk of her car.  Dani went undercover and lived in Knoxville, Tennessee with just a suitcase of clothes and $40 to last her for a week.  While living in Knoxville she met 82 year old twins Helen and Ellen who founded and run the Love Kitchen.  The Love Kitchen provides thousands of people each week with meals and also delivers meals to the home bound.  The Love Kitchen's Motto is "Everybody is God's Somebody."  They give love not only in the form of food, but also with hugs and smiles. 

These ladies are a huge inspiration.  At 82 years old they could run circles around most people.  You can tell  they have found their calling in life.  Dani said the experience helped light a fire in her to get people to get out and help one another.  You don't have to have money to help someone in need.  Helen and Ellen said their father taught them three truths which I thought were worthy of remembering. 

1)  There is only one father and that's the heavenly father
2)  There is one race and that's the human race 
3)  Don't take the last piece of bread from the table because someone else may come along who needs it    
      more.

We are constantly bombarded with what bad, hurtful and negative things people are doing in the world.  I'm grateful and hopeful when I hear of people like Helen and Ellen who make me proud to be part of the human race.