Author of “Where The Wild Things Are”

Where The Wild Things Are is easily one of my favourite kids books. I love it. So when I heard, earlier this week, that the author, Maurice Sendak died, I noticed because through his fantastic book, he touched me. So Rest In Peace Maurice Sendak. Your book is absolutely amazing and my daughter already has her own copy too! R.I.P.

Love, love, m

Monday Inspiration: Prayer

I love prayer. Outside of my “scheduled” prayer times, I also pray at random moments throughout the day, when I feel the urge to. For me, prayer is being (consciously and actively) in the presence of God – it’s talking and listening to God. So I say things and I keep quiet too and listen. Khalil Gibran in The Prophet describes prayer as “an expansion of self into the living ether…” I understand that – because when I pray, I sense that I am much more than this body, this life that contains me… I know I am “uncontainable”. ;- )*

Danielle LaPorte shares the wisdom that she has gathered from her many visits to a Benedictan monastery and I quote her here:

“Prayer holds the first place in a monk’s day and nothing must be preferred to this activity.

Prayer involves coming into contact with divine life

and openness to the mystery of love which is written in our hearts”.

I want, I desire to pray more and more.

(Have I heard it said that your very life can be a prayer? Meaning…?)

As the week begins beloveds, I wish you prayer if your soul craves it. Prayer does shift things, open doors, inspire things, answer stuff, “move mountains”, bring rain… and the list goes on ;- )*

Love, love, m

P.S: beloveds, if I can pray for you or with you over anything, please let me know. My email:  tomutheu[at]yahoo.com

P.S2: If you pray, what is prayer for you? What has been your experience of it? I would love, love to hear!

Finding What You Want

PART 1:

The Hunger Games, the movie, has been big on social media and on TV so it’s entered “my mental space”. Although the storyline sounded really gory, I was curious about the movie. Then surfing through some random blog, I find it listed in a 10 number list of books written for a teenage audience that are also considered by that blogger, easy and good reading for adults. Thats when I actually discover that it is based on a book. I tell myself that I would like to read the book.

PART 2:

My mum has a Nook (digital reader) that for the past month or so has been at our house. I have been playing games on it, reading nothing.

PART 3:

I have been planning to get some new books to read and Hunger Games was on my list.

PART 4:

One day, in real need for something to read, I start reading some of the books on the Nook. At first, I just read what I find on the “desktop” without looking through the library.

PART 5:

Another day, I decide to scroll through the Nook library. Beloveds, guess what’s in there? The Hunger Games!

I’ve been meaning to buy it, planning to read it while all along its been inside my house! Could it be that  when I was ready – I finally opened my eyes to find it – right there?

LAST PART (6):

I’ve heard it said that we attract what we need; that when we are ready for it, it will come.

This simple and silly story about “channelling the hunger games” reminds me that we really can (and do) channel/attract what we need, when we need it, when we are ready for it. And sometimes, what we need or want, has been right there all along though we may not have been ready to see it.

Have a beautiful weekend beloveds! May  you be present to notice and know what you need, what you want and be present to receive.

“When you don’t know who you are, chances are you don’t know what you want.

When you don’t know what you want, there is no chance for you to get it.”

Iyanla Vanzant.

May you know deeply who you are and what you want and may you be open to receive it, when it comes, because it will come!

Love, love, m

Monday Inspiration: This Cool Song

its a beautiful monday. the sun was out so bright and so hot this morning – gotta love it. and then i found this rihanna song that has this deep, great beat and an “anthem-y” feel and i really liked it. it’s cool. “we all want love”… and may love come and may we be open to feel it, to know it, to acknowledge it in all its forms this week. have a loving one.

love, love, m

Friday loving: The Maasai, Friendship and Graceful Goodbyes

Beloveds, a few experiences and a blog post that i have loved in the past few weeks.

image by r.kimani

Experiencing other culture: I recently attended an event in Kajiado, which is mostly Maasai land, and enjoyed various aspects of it: Watching the interaction between the older and younger people was comforting – it left me with a sense that the younger generation is cared for and nurtured purposely. The dancing and the songs were fun and listening to the Maasai language and the pride that I sensed in most of the speakers was great. And of course, the beautiful beaded jewellery that is so completely synonymous with the Maasai was gorgeous to behold. One day, I might learn to adorn myself like that! And then, also, the wonderful company I had for the journey!

Good company; deep friendship: I recently reconnected with a long time friend and we’ve spent some time together since then and it’s really wonderful. Good company is great; Deep friendship is enriching, expanding, heart-growing!  Do nurture and treasure your friendships deeply – we are truly made for relationship.

This beautiful goodbye: Goodbyes are often associated with pain; with separation; with not so nice stuff, but this post from 1000 Awesome things, reminded me that there is a way to do goodbyes well and soulfully and completely. I want to learn to say goodbye, be it to people or things or experiences or even to life itself, with this grace, ease and gratitude. the post is titled: Looking Back, Smiling and Saying Thanks.

With that said, good bye! Have a loving, inspired weekend.

Love, love, m

Inspiration: Actor Mumbi Kaigwa (and partly a review)

Over the weekend, I attended Mumbi Kaigwa’s performance of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads: Her Big Chance and Bed Among the Lentils at the Michael Joseph Centre. The poster for it said: “In a retrospective celebrating 40 years of performance” and that’s one of the main reasons that I went: 40 years of acting? That is very impressive and I wanted to be part of celebrating that. (She had her first public acting role at the age of 10). The performances were monologues (solo plays) and I remember saying to my sis, “I have absolutely no idea what to expect”. All I knew was that if Mumbi was doing it, it was going to be worth watching because she’s a stellar actor*. (“*Actor – because you wouldn’t call a female doctor a doctoress” she writes in the programme.  Love it!)

I enjoyed the performances and had many moments of chuckling, wanting to laugh out loud, smiling with the woman I sat next to who I met as we waited for the show to begin. Her with the long, smart, shiny dreads and the calm easy energy, drinking a Tusker light… Of the two monologues, I enjoyed the second more, probably because that character was deeper, more complex. She asked questions that few voice, like questioning if her husband the Vicar actually believes in God! Whoever asks questions like this? Isn’t it always assumed? I liked how it reveals where redemption can come from – in the woman’s case, from an extramarital relationship with a young Indian shopkeeper.

The first monologue was interesting mostly because it had Mumbi taking on this character who is so completely not-her – a rather silly, kinda naive-ish, frivolous woman who’s not very smart really – and watching that stage transformation of Mumbi made it intriguing. The common link between the women and the pieces were the themes of isolation and loneliness evident in both pieces.

At the end of the show, Mumbi returned to the stage (as herself of course) and welcomed the audience to ask questions.  I liked this very much and it opened up into an insightful conversation. I would definitely recommend this approach for all performance pieces and possibly even visual arts exhibitions that are interested in their audience reactions and responses. Some of the things I didn’t know that came out of the conversation were the fact that for several years, Mumbi had worked in a UN-agency in a job that had nothing to do with performance and acting! And eventually, she had to get out and follow her heart – something that she feels deeply about. And out of that was born one of her own works “Voice of the Dream”. When someone asked whether one is able to make a living as an actor, she explained that it does not allow for a luxurious lifestyle and underscored that by saying something along the lines of: “something tells me that we’re not here [in life] to make money”; there really must be more to life than the amount of money we make. Agreed!

Mumbi says that she is now focusing entirely on acting, whereus in the recent past she has been doing more and more training, directing, producing, administration for her organisation The Arts Canvas etc. I do hope she does even more of what she acknowledges in the programme as her first love writing: “So after a “life” in theatre, the jury’s in: the theatre is my first love”. I am already looking forward to her next performance.

How To Make “It” Happen for you

beloveds, i absolutely love the wisdom of danielle laporte and in this beautiful, creative, smart and stunning video she shares “a credo for making things happen”! she recommends watching it daily for continued inspiration and challenge. love it!

does it inspire you?

love, love, m