Karen, who likes to be known as ‘Kaz’ is the mother of my granddaughter, Olivia, who will be 2 years old in a month. Thank you, Karen, for giving me a beautiful granddaughter with an infectious smile. I am only sorry that my constant absence of an effective immune system prevents me from seeing her too often while she is developing her own immune system by catching all the natural child ailments that are essential to her health but are detrimental to mine.
I’ve never met Bill, apart from exchanging periodical messages on Facebook, but I listen to his piano playing often. Bill is an accomplished pianist whom I frequently listen to when I want some soothing background music. A marvelous introduction to his skillful playing is his CD entitled ‘Enchanted’. In fact, if you look up his Facebook page and scroll down to around Christmas Day this year, you will be able to hear for free ‘Remembrance of You’; a most beautiful piece from his much-acclaimed CD, ’Enchanted’.
Have a lovely day, Karen and Bill and thank you for the gifts of life you provide me with.; my granddaughter and more heavenly piano music floating down from above.
Today’s song is ‘Easy’. This is a song by ‘Commodores’ for the Motown label, from their fifth studio album, ‘Commodore’. Group member Lionel Richie wrote ‘Easy’ with the intention of it becoming another crossover hit for the group given the success of a previous single, Just to Be Close To You’, which spent two weeks at number one on the US ‘Billboard Hot Soul Single’s Chart (now known as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) and peaked at Number 7 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ in 1976.
Released in March 1977, ‘Easy’ reached Number 1 on the ‘Billboard Hot Soul Singles’ chart and Number 4 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. The success of ‘Easy’ paved the way for similar Lionel Richie- composed hit ballads such as ‘Three Times A Lady’ and ‘Still’, as well as for Richie's later solo hits.
‘Easy’ is a slow ballad expressing a man's feelings as a relationship ends. Rather than being depressed about the break-up, he states that he is instead ‘easy like Sunday morning’—something that Richie described as evocative of "small Southern towns that die at 11:30p on a Saturday night”.
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There is no experience you can ever encounter which cannot be made easier to manage and cope with/control by using the few Relaxation tips I have identified below. Whatever experience a person encounters during their life, whatever stimuli they are obliged to face and respond to, we all have a choice of how we respond. While there are both voluntary and involuntary actions in our behaviour patterns, in the main, mankind remains in charge of how we choose to respond to the situations we face, even though we do not elect their happening, select their timing, or determine specific consequences they produce.
Since the age of 11 years (following a serious traffic accident) I have daily practised Relaxation techniques. I have instructed Relaxation Training for over fifty years and with whatever degree of modesty I can muster, I can credibly lay claim to being one of the foremost Relaxation Training Instructors in the British Isles.
Without the many different Relaxation and the imagination exercises I practised for years, I do not believe I would have walked again after my accident. Without Relaxation methods I have both used and developed over my lifetime, I do not believe that my damaged heart (I incurred two successive heart attacks 16 years ago) would have been able to sustain six operations for three different cancer removals, under full anesthetic, during the past twelve months, and a shoulder dislocation replacing. Ever since my childhood traffic accident 66 years ago, my body has had to constantly cope with high pain levels. I have never had one day’s respite from high levels of body pain. Today is no exception.
Ever since two six-month periods of chemotherapy, the pain in both my hands, legs, and feet have significantly increased. Even the strongest pain killer has no positive effect, and its use would only diminish my own high pain-level threshold that I’ve established over the past 66 years. Only Relaxation and imagination exercises have the capacity to mediate my pain and make it bearable.
A major characteristic of the terminal blood cancer I have had since 2013 will continue to give me cancer in all other major organs of my body until one of the cancers or its side effects eventually kills me off. Hence, being able to continue to manage my pain level is crucially important to me having an everyday life.
Enduring high levels of pain whilst maintaining a relatively ‘normal’ lifestyle as my mobility of legs gradually worsen, and mentally preparing to get myself through my next neck cancer operation in 2020, is only made possible through the Relaxation Training skills I’ve learned and developed over the past sixty years.
If you only ever allow yourself to take one piece of advice from me, please make it the following. I would advise everyone on the planet to learn a Relaxation method that suits their lifestyle and philosophy of mind.
Meanwhile, the most important things that any individual can do to reduce body stress is the following:
(1) Never underestimate the value of truthful expression in all things. More tension is created in one’s body by deception than by telling the truth. Living an honestly expressive life is health-enhancing.
(2) Never undervalue the importance of talking things over with trusted individuals about anything that worries or concerns you. Talking lessens anxiety levels. It is good for the head, body, heart, and soul.
(3) Confront all stressful situations that face you and do not establish an avoidance pattern of response. Confrontation automatically leads to less anxiety being present in the body, whereas avoidance automatically increases tension and anxiety in one's posture, breathing, muscles, and mind. I have been able to identify a stressed individual from any of these body aspects and functions for fifty years.
(4) All effective Relaxation Methods essentially involve learning different breathing methods: learning and adopting more appropriate, effective and relaxing postures: learning muscle contraction and control exercises that most athletes use: and learning new mental attitudes and adopting more rational beliefs that are more positive, hopeful, realistic and which serve your body better.
Love and peace Bill xxx