Seeking a Muse

Days 18 & 19

Seeking a Muse

Breakups, of any kind, are just generally unpleasant. I’ve reached the stage in my 24 Day Challenge and in general, where I am ready to feel better.

I love music. I wish I was better at remembering names of artists and songs, much to the chagrin of anybody I roadtrip with, that’s just never going to happen. However, I know how the right song makes me feel.

It’s time to put together a post-breakup inspirational playlist! The time has come :)

In ancient Greek, Muses were the goddesses of music, song and dance, and the source of inspiration to poets. They were also goddesses of knowledge, who remembered all things that had come to pass. The Muses were assigned specific artistic spheres: Kalliope, epic poetry; Kleio, history; Ourania, astronomy; Thaleia, comedy; Melpomene, tragedy; Polyhymnia, religious hymns; Erato, erotic poetry; Euterpe, lyric poetry; and Terpsikhore, choral song and dance.

I like the idea of inspiration and remembering all things that have come to pass. I suppose the Muse I’ll need to channel to make just exactly the right playlist would be Euterpe or maybe Terpsikhore (say that 10 times fast… I dare you)

I find playlists to be very powerful. I make playlists for Arielle, working out, getting pumped up for client meetings, romantic endeavors and all kinds of things. Sometimes the playlists are just in my head and sometimes they make it all the way to a CD (my car stereo is 11 years old.)

Music’s power over and intimate relationship with the human psyche is well-documented. Science continues to show that music can kill pain, reduce stress, improve our cognitive processes and basically change how we experience life. Scientists also have confirmed that music definitely provokes memories. Music can ease labor pain, reduce the need for sedation during surgery, make you smarter, and diminish depression.

Nietzsche, said, “We listen to music with our muscles.” There can be something of an involuntary personal expression as the music works on us.

In the book Music and the Mind, Anthony Storr stresses that in all societies, a primary function of music is collective and communal, to bring and bind people together. People sing and dance together in every culture. This primal role of music can be felt at any good concert, where the collective excitement and bonding of music seems to invoke an actual binding and unification of the audience. Basically, music is power.

I’m still working out which songs will be exactly right for my post-breakup, 24 Day Challenge success Muse. But like a UFC fighter entering the ring, my playlist will help me get my mind right for the task at hand. Let’s do this!

Day 18:

I ate every 2-3 hours and drank as much water as I could manage.

Advocare products:

• ·         Catalyst
• ·         Spark
• ·         Meal replacement shake
• ·         MNS MAX Control
• ·         Omegaplex

Food:

• ·         Breakfast:
• o   Meal replacement shake
• ·         Morning Snack:
• o   Hardboiled egg
• o   Banana
• ·         Lunch:





• o   Delicious sushi with brown rice (I am trying to get used to brown rice sushi, I'm hoping it will be like wheat bread and I won't even notice the difference after awhile)
• 
  
• ·         Afternoon Snack:
• o   ¼ cup of delicious fat free raspberry pomegranate FroYo with Arielle, in celebration of the fact that our closing was moved up to next Wednesday!!!
• ·         Dinner:
• o   Baked Chicken
• o   Green apple

Exercise: One mile walk with Daniel, Ari and Zoe the Ridiculous, baby reverse crunches, baby push-ups. Also, today I ran up the stairs at work. This may seem small, but I have been avoiding those stairs for over a year now and today I just felt super inspired and did them, no problem :)

Today:

I ate every 2-3 hours and drank as much water as I could manage.

Advocare products:

• ·         Catalyst
• ·         Spark
• ·         Meal replacement shake
• ·         MNS MAX Control
• ·         Omegaplex

Food:

• ·         Breakfast:
• o   ½ breakfast burrito
• ·         Morning Snack:
• o   Hardboiled egg
• o   Banana
• ·         Lunch:
• o   Chipotle bowl – black beans, chicken all of the salsas and guacamole
• ·         Afternoon Snack:
• o   Harboiled egg
• o   Nectarine
• ·         Dinner:
• o   Tuna with Celery, cucumber and pickle

Exercise: One mile walk with Daniel, Ari and Zoe the Ridiculous, baby reverse crunches, baby push-ups, lunchtime volleyball and those stairs again

Gratuitous Baby Photo:

These two are the best :)

If you are interested in doing your own 24 Day Challenge you can order it from the Advocare Website at: https://www.advocare.com/120531603/default.aspx, or of course I am available to answer any questions you have or point you to the right resource.