Moving Performance
We just saw Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl. It reminded me of what makes great performers great. His comfort with the music and the audience was impressive, but it is his humanity and continued enthusiasm to bringing people together in peace and harmony that makes audiences of all cultures and colors around the world love him.
Stevie Wonder was born in 1950 six weeks premature. His optic blood vessels were not fully developed which caused his retinas to detach, leaving him blind at birth. Despite this setback, Stevie found pleasure in music and practiced at many different instruments. He got so proficient that he scored his first Motown contract at the age of 11 and had his first hit at 13. The rest, as they say, is history.
We all have difficulties and setbacks in our lives. The question is, will we let them define and handicap us, or will we choose the path of least excuse? Greatness at anything comes from daily diligence and focus. Practice greatness in whatever you do. Encourage the young people in your life to apply themselves as well! For once you commit to staying the course of greatness, all things are possible!
All Things Possible!
Chris
Stevie Wonder was born in 1950 six weeks premature. His optic blood vessels were not fully developed which caused his retinas to detach, leaving him blind at birth. Despite this setback, Stevie found pleasure in music and practiced at many different instruments. He got so proficient that he scored his first Motown contract at the age of 11 and had his first hit at 13. The rest, as they say, is history.
We all have difficulties and setbacks in our lives. The question is, will we let them define and handicap us, or will we choose the path of least excuse? Greatness at anything comes from daily diligence and focus. Practice greatness in whatever you do. Encourage the young people in your life to apply themselves as well! For once you commit to staying the course of greatness, all things are possible!
All Things Possible!
Chris
posted by Christopher Showerman @ 7/25/2011 09:40:00 AM
11 Comments:
At 3:19 PM, July 26, 2011 ,
SusanGail said...
Hello Forum Family,
For some reason thought I'd better take check in here and see what might be up! Another wonderful ATP topic, and set against that backdrop, our own challenges most likely feel minuscule. Thanks, Chris, for another inspiring story of the human spirit.
Enjoying a bit of a respite from the extreme heat -- not much, but enough to make us appreciate it-- before heading off this weekend to my 50th high school reunion. Now, don't laugh...that was a very good year. Space history was launched, as they reminded us this summer with all the last shuttle missions.
Certainly that was inspirational for me for ATP! Just thought things would be way further along by now in the space frontier:)
What else is inspiring everyone this summer of 2011? Whatever it is, may it be beautiful! Sue
PS and I hope to have a good report from my experience with my classmates of yesteryear:)
At 1:54 PM, July 27, 2011 ,
Tim said...
All I can say is that I have a revised admiration for people like Stevie Wonder and others who proceed through life with such positivity and not allow their limitations to impede them. I am not even sure limitations is the right word as it would seem that the only limitations would be in ones mind.
Sue, the heat is back on its way. Already oppressively hot and humid here today. Hope you miss it for your reunion.
Hope everyone is doing well.
T
At 8:53 PM, July 27, 2011 ,
SusanGail said...
Tim,
Thanks for the well-wishes and the heat advisory:). I don't think we will miss it. Mid-Michigan and west coast Sat-Sun. Good word -- oppressive. Pouring rain here now,and my internet out for awhile. Flood warnings around.
As for Chicago, I guess we lost to the White Sox today. Are you a baseball fan? I've been enjoying following the Tigers this year.
How are you doing with your eye, by the way. Keeping you always in our thoughts and prayers, along with the rest of forum family.
I've been thinking of you and your dogs lately, as I'm supposed to write an article about a person who is an animal communicator. I'm trying to figure out how to write it. If you have any tips, my email is sgparcheta@gmail.com. Do you talk to them and know intuitively things about them? Most people do to some extent, but this person is so fine tuned it amazes me.
Hope your dogs are surviving the heat wave this summer, and look forward to hearing more dog stories.
Have a great weekend everyone...Dave do you have a play? I'm missing a lot of Facebook notifications.
If so...best wishes for that and all future projects this summer.
It's going so fast! ATB everyone...
Sue
At 5:24 AM, July 28, 2011 ,
Anonymous said...
Tim, I bet you can especially relate to the potential loss of vision! Although being born without eyesight, and losing it later in life are two very different circumstances, no doubt! I CANNOT imagine being blind--my entire life would be turned upside down--I don't know that I could cope! I do live with one handicap--I've never had a sense of SMELL! You don't get much sympathy from humans with that liability, though!(But I think my dogs feel very sorry for me!). And as so many people remind me; it's not that I DON'T smell, but that I CAN'T smell!!!! Embarrassing as that can be, it comes in real handy on many occaisions--excess flatus never offends me, and I can clean up the NASTIEST messes without getting sick--very useful skill for a Zookeeper! I got sprayed(direct hit!) by a skunk once, too--didn't even bother me a bit--but boy, did I ever bother everybody else for awhile! But it just goes to show, whenever you are down and whiny(and we all do that occaisionally....), just remember to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS--something like SIGHT that we can so take for granted, as well as a million other blessings--just rerealizing them usually snaps me out of a whiny episode real fast!....And boy-howdy, is it hot as hades here! Been hittin' 100F several days in a row, plus the heavy humidity! Just sucks the energy right out of you!.....And Sue, what exactly do you want to hear in relation to animal communication? I could gab(peck) yer ear off on THAT subject!....Lane Batot
At 3:38 PM, July 28, 2011 ,
Tim said...
Hi Sue
Baseball. I do not pay attention until the end of the season which seems so long. So much can happen that the first half doesn't even matter. Then there is the history of Chicago teams.....I'll start looking at the standings around the end of August and see if either of our teams is on the radar. With football starting soon (is that possible?) I am more curious to see if Jay Cutler will spend less time on his back and more on his feet this season i.e., will the Bears have any pass protection?
As far as animal communicators go, I do believe that there are those that have the ability to connect with animals in ways beyond our understanding. I also believe that there are many people out there willing to take your money and tell you what you want to hear. I have never used a communicator feeling that I can read my critters pretty well. Canine body language is well documented and I would like to think that I have a pretty good feel for it.
Lane, if I were hit square on by a skunk I would die. That smell sends me instantly into heaves and if strong enough, I will vomit. You "da man" if you can handle it. I surely can not.
Yes the heat and humidity does drain you. Our poor horses are really starting to show the effects of the prolonged heat/humidity. I am sure they will be glad when fall gets here so it will cool off and the bugs cease.
My old horse has been blind for years. She has adapted well and finds her way in and out of her pen into the pasture full of trees and back again without issue. She has mapped the area out and seems to know where everything is. Because the pasture gate is not left open all the time, the horse will "test" to see if the gate is open or not by trying to touch it with her nose. If she doesn't feel it, she proceeds into the pasture. If she does, she stands there trying to wish it open. She will check it a few more times before giving up and going about her business elsewhere. ATP for her.
Sending coolness to the forum
T
At 8:03 PM, July 28, 2011 ,
Tanya said...
Glad to see the new forum topic. It is amazing what people overcome. We should live to the fullest.
Sue, this summer is indeed going fast, waiting to hear more of your experience.
Tim,really, how are you doing with your eye. You are also in my thoughts and prayers, along with the rest of forum family.
Lane, still love your posts. I would say I could live without my sense of smell.
I will be performing at a charity event in Atlanta GA on Oct 29th. Check it out IS Foundation's Empowereaque http://www.isfoundation.com/campaign/empoweresque
Come fly with me - Tanya
At 7:22 AM, July 29, 2011 ,
Anonymous said...
I think a lot of animals can do better being blind than losing their sense of smell--I have known several blind dogs that got around very well. I think dogs can smell emotions as well--that we put out particular odors when we are afraid, contemplating aggression, are happy, sad, etc. Which is why I have trusted my dogs' judgements of people over the years--the few times I didn't, I regreted it! As for my own lack of aromatic detection ability, I never realized I was TOTALLY without a sense of smell--just thought I was somewhat deficient compared to others(my parents certainly had no idea)--until that skunk incident! I was 19 at the time, and had caught a skunk in a cage trap--I was always playing "Wild Kingdom" since I was little kid--catching, weighing, measuring and photographing various critters and releasing them--still do sometimes! Amazing what a secret world survives all around us out of sight! Anyway, I caught this skunk, and was trying to get a photo as I released it--I was a good 15 feet away from it, and THOUGHT it was calm and not too perturbed--I was RONG! It NAILED me--incredible aim--splattered right across my chest, shoulder, and one arm with yellowish muck--in an INSTANT! All I felt was a strong HEAT sensation--the odor bothered me not at all! I was only dressed in a pair of ragged shorts and tennis shoes(typical summer attire for me in the woods even now), and a creek was only a few feet away--I went and washed the goop off immediately, and thought I had taken care of it. Uh, NOPE; as I found out when I went home and everyone started screaming! THAT'S when I realized fer sure I had ZERO sense of smell!!! Lane B.
At 1:14 AM, August 04, 2011 ,
Anonymous said...
Hi dear Forum Family, sending greetings from the Netherlands. Jaschenka and I are off to Castlefest later today but still wanted to wish Ufuk and Tanja a very happy birthday tomorrow and sending you both lots of good wishes. Have a lovely day and big hugs to the whole family
Jaschenka and Ute
At 5:49 AM, August 04, 2011 ,
Anonymous said...
Everybody musta collapsed in the heat! I broke down and scraped 5 bux together($5.25 actually), and went to the sit-down-air-conditioned-theatre, and saw "Cowboys Vs. Aliens"--just couldn't resist something that outside-the-box! And despite having heard negative critic mumbling about it--I LOVED IT!!!! What a Kick-a** movie!! And they could have titled it "Cowboys And Indians(Apaches!), And Bandidos, And Townspeople, And A Dog Vs Aliens"!!! Clever and well done--good dialogue and actig(in future dictionaries, Daniel Craig's photo will be the illustration for "Bad A**!) Full of Western cliches that get turned upside down before the film was over! Especially disgusting evil aliens(I expect the Intergalactic Committee For Political Correctness will complain, as well as all the mommies in America with nothing better to do, as some of the characters were SMOKING!), great Southwestern scenery and special effects and lots of horse riding--I enjoyed the heck out of it! Well worth the $5 bux!!! Yee Haw!....L.B.
At 8:53 AM, August 04, 2011 ,
SusanGail said...
Hello Forum Family...Lane, I love your posts, as you really put that old ATP spirit back in here that we've been craving:)... Chris must be off with his own cowboy movie (well, we can keep it on our wish list from a couple years back...sure will be happy to see it on the big screen one day). Cowboys & Aliens reminds me of it. Chris, you will laugh. My husband, when he saw something about that movie, said, "Isn't that like Chris' movie?" See, you have some fans who are still waiting:)...
Have not seen any movies this summer. Too busy. But it is a great way to get out of the heat which has been extreme! A tiny bit cooler today so I can think. And I have a lot of thinking and writing to do.
First, again thanks to everyone for all the comments about my goings on, and the reunion was great...but just not enough time. So many people and it was a small class. I wish I could have gone to the whole thing because after 50 years a LOT of people apparently thought this was the time to check in with everyone. My best friend through school and college was there whom I only see every 10 years or so. Now, if only these folks would get on a forum or Facebook, I could keep in touch.
Ute and Jaschenka have fun over there at the big Castlefest party and Ufuk and Tanya how many times to we get to wish two people happy birthday on the same day!May it be
beautifully full of ATP!
Dave, how did your play go? Tim, Lane, and Jaschenka...thanks for your talking to animals thoughts:) I realize I am a bit of an alien here, actually trying to write about such things!
And, Alex, hope you are doing fine in the heat and earthquakes and all.
Now the hurricane season gears up here, which my father-in-law will be keeping a watchful eye on...hope he won't go back to FL too soon.
I just sent an email about my blogspot where I reflect on mandala art, in case anyone is interested. I am finally ready to invite folks there, as there are lots to look at now. And that is where I put great links about movies and music and dreams. A practice page for my still not done website of ATB:)
www.allthingsbeautiful-susangail.blogspot.com
you can get there from here I think:)
I have a couple other ones going too. One where I put my articles. Should check and see if the links are there.
I really appreciate all your comments and consider myself one of the luckiest persons in the world to have a beautiful forum family like this who care about all the things I care about...including ATB and ATP:) Blessings of that to you! Sue
At 9:34 AM, August 04, 2011 ,
SusanGail said...
Can't be helped, dear Chris fans...after my post I saw this, so compelled to comment:
http://www.eonline.com/news/first_look_new_superman_movie_costume/256216
I'm sure you are all way ahead of me on this story, but have to say I'm reminded anew of "difficulties and setbacks" that helped create the person you know as the moderator of this forum. And, I know we all SEE you there in the Land of ATP:) Thanks for practicing that daily diligence and focus, and reminding us of our greatness...Sue
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