Always stop for the street musician

For one of my daily readings, I have been using the essays of Robert Fulghum...always good stuff. One of the things Fulghum suggests is developing your own set of principles and guidelines to live by. (Mine will be forthcoming in a later blog). One of the items in his list is "Always stop for the street musicians."

Wanting to be not just a reader of Fulghum, yet, also a do-er, I've been putting this into practice. Earlier today, I needed to run an errand that took me downtown. As I walked about Smithfield Street an older gentleman had set-up a speaker and microphone for his stage on the street. With a face and a voice very much Jimmy Durante like, he approached me singing, "Do you see the gypsy in me?"....Alas, I did not.

However, he made me smile and brought a laugh which in turn two women passing me on the street also smiled and chuckled. I may not have noted the gypsy in him, yet, he was successful in his efforts: he made folks smile.

I admire street musicians for their courage and willingness to share talent out-in-the-open with folks who often may not be receptive or, worse yet, ignore them. In the bigger cities of DC and New York, I've found street musicians to have taken the art to a higher level. These folks are talented and sound great, in fact, many times persons stop just to listen.

Here in Pittsburgh, I have begun to notice the regulars. The woman who plays the violin outside of the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill is a personal favorite. She's talented, I love violin music, and she always acknowledges each donation with a smile or a nod or a wink...or sometimes all three. There are the keyboardists, and the guitar players, the drummers banging on plastic buckets, and the folks just singing for whom or why --- it's their reason and their call.

So, the next time you pass a street musician, heed the advice of this blog, and make a point to stop, acknowledge, and, if so lead, make a donation.

I'm dusting off my kazoo to join in.....

sj;

Here's a thought...

The wonderful and it’s-about-time sunshine has brought people out to parks and benches and grassy lawns. Wonderful!

Yesterday, while out with the crowd, there was a gaggle of girl scouts and their leaders. The girls were wearing their sashes emblazoned with badges and patches. One patch in particular caught my attention: “World Thinking Day.” How, I wondered does one earn that badge? What are the possibilities that can be realized through pondering?

I researched the “World Thinking Day” badge and found it has been around since 1926! As I understand it the point is to connect girl scouts to their global sisters in thinking about and being thankful for one another and to raise funds to assist in addressing global problems.

Thinking of and being thankful for another is one of the coolest ways to earn a badge! Who is in your thoughts today? Who are you missing? Who was featured in the last story you shared that evoked warm memories of time shared?

Be thankful for those persons.

Send a hand-written note to let the persons know you are thinking of them.

Do something that supports the cause or interest of the person.

I’m not sure if I can get you a badge to add to your sash, yet, I know that doing these actions will bring you a full heart.

sj;