Sitting in my favorite office away from home in Doylestown, PA called The Zen Den, sipping a cup of soy chai served in a terra cotta colored mug….breathing in the sweet aroma. Whenever I go there, I always run into friends. Today it was Ken, Charlie, Tina and Bill. I have known Bill Bloom since the middle 1980’s. He is a bright light in the music industry and his ‘claim to fame’ is that he co-wrote the song, along with Frankie Smith, that became a hit in 1981, called Double Dutch Bus. What I didn’t know is that it referenced both the jump rope game and the SEPTA bus system for which my father had worked for many years. Since then, Bill and his music have branched out to a more spiritual realm. He is an ordained interfaith minister and has been music director for several churches in the Philadelphia area. His voice can bring tears to your eyes, mostly because it comes from his heart.
I was delighted when I saw him walk through the door and we chatted for a bit. We were talking about the importance of diving into your passions; his is obviously music and mine is clearly writing. He told me about a new project in which he is engaging. He calls it Bloomworld, which is a daily dose of inspiration that he sends to his growing list of subscribers. Bill was inspired to place a tag line at the end: “Get wet.” Now, it might sound a bit edgy, but he explained where it came from as he quoted a movie I have never seen, called Hesher. There is a line uttered by one of the characters; Madeleine Forney: “Life is like walking in the rain… you can hide and take cover or you can just get wet.” How often do you huddle under a metaphorical umbrella, wanting to remain safe and dry? There are times when I say that I am “running between the raindrops.”, when the truth is, that is physically impossible. What stops me from immersing myself in the preciously drenching nourishment that life showers upon me? Fear, erroneous belief that I will never be able to wring myself out. Sometimes the rain is joyous…showers of blessings when people, opportunities, money, healing show up in so-called unexpected ways. There are other moments when I feel deluged by waves of grief and emptiness…far more briefly, thank goodness. When I am able to be a witnessing presence and watch the ‘me’ who is experiencing this, I have compassion for her and offer encouragement, “You know, sweetheart, you have gotten through many a rain storm and have shaken off the water like a puppy after a bath. Can you make it fun? Can you splash in the puddles? Can you watch for the rainbow?” The answer is always yes.
So, for today, at least, I am willing to dip my tootsies into the waters of life as it pours forth ceaselessly from the heavens and really get wet!
If you want to subscribe to Bloomworld billbloom26@gmail.com is the email address
Here are a few recent entries
http://youtu.be/fK9hK82r-AM Double Dutch Bus
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