Recovering Just in Time for Storyville on Sunday

After a three-week bout with illness, I'm back in the land of the living.  This has been a time of relearning how to give control over to a higher power.  I am once again committed to my own personal practices of meditation and of the 12 twelve steps.  Thank goodness for sponsors and divine intervention. 

My anxiety has been so high lately that I cannot help but see the cracks in my recovery... especially in my ability to release control.  Trusting is difficult, but nothing helps me understand how to trust like a period of time when my body--something I am particularly close to--behaves in ways I don't understand and can't seem to control.  My body is miraculous.  Its healing power is phenomenal.  I am repeatedly amazed.  My body's resilience reminds me to trust it more, rest it more, and not to push it in order to distract myself from emotional turmoil. 

I am now forced to face the tough anxiety and emotions I've been having this year.  I cannot force-feed my body or over-exercise it to make feelings of physical discomfort replace the deeper emotional and mental discomforts.  It has been a difficult time, but it has consequently put me back on track.  I am trusting every minute--for healing and for joy.

And it's a great thing, because I have an important event this weekend.  Storyville, the jazz group I sing in, will be at The French Corner on Sunday at 8pm.  Read more about it on my Upcoming Gigs page.  This is a major concert we've been working toward for a while.  I'm excited to share the interesting things we do vocally with an audience.  If you are in Houston, come out!  I'll be happy to talk with you about all the craziness that has been happening lately.

"When it rains, it pours," they say.  For me, when it pours, it's never all bad or all good.  It's always a mix of a bunch of everything.  And I'm proud to say, I can take it... and give it back over to a higher power ;)

YouTube Invasion

I have a new channel on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/MichelleCowanOnline.

Go there and check out an amazing video of me performing "Without a Promise" edited by Mark Larsen at The Artery.  He does such professional work.  The link directly to the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hzIl2X22Rs.

Letting Go and Embracing the Music

So much is going on in the music-sphere lately!  I have a musical theater audition coming up and a great jazz festival on the weekend of January 30th.  These endeavors (along with opera training, writing songs, learning to record, and--oh yeah--regular life and work) are keeping me on my toes.  Change is in the air, and I'm learning to let go.  Status quo is comfortable, but it may be the enemy to happiness.  I must be willing to let go of what I have now, even though I love it, in order to see the next chapter in my life.

This is an exciting time.  Slowly, I'm learning to go to bed without finishing every task, to take the events and curves life throws as they come (instead of spending every moment trying to avoid them), and do what I love without fear.  These elements of life are key right now.  As life gets busier, I want my internal world to grow calmer.  I am sleeping a bit more, which has helped.  And I'm telling people about  my dreams, wants, plans, and loves.  It's time for a change, to let go of what I don't love and walk toward the new... even if it means giving up a few things that help me feel secure. 

There's nothing wrong with holding security close at times, but there's also a time to let go.  I'm learning this.  Always learning...

~~

And I have to throw in an advertisement for the jazz festival I mentioned.  Check out my Gigs page for more information.  

Trinity Jazz Festival
10th Annual ~ One of the Top Small Jazz Festivals in the Country

Check out www.trinityjazzfest.net for the full schedule.  I'll be singing with Storyville, an amazing jazz group led by Paul English and Horace Alexander Young III.  We will be doing vocal arrangements of instrumental compositions by Bach (Yes, Bach!) jazz style.  We sound amazing, and the rhythm section playing with us will add to the perfection of this music.  Trust me, you WANT to hear this.

The festival lasts all weekend, from Friday, January 28, through Sunday, January 30, and you should definitely go see the headliners and other performers.  But Storyville will be performing (for FREE) only on:

Sunday, January 30
10:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.  (pick the time you want to come)

at

Trinity Episcopal Church
1015 Holman @ Main
Houston, Texas 77004

Our Sunday performances are absolutely free!!

For more information, go to www.trinityjazzfest.net.

Short and Sweet

I realize that my posts have been incredibly infrequent and short lately, but that’s what happens when life gets busy. Music, recovery, love, life… I’m growing in multiple areas. If you were hoping for a long, detailed entry about my latest exploits, unfortunately, I still lack the time to provide it. But I will tell you where I’ll be playing this Friday at 6pm: Craft Salon!

PROW Houston is putting on a major shindig called Heart of Texas. There’s a $20 door fee, but inside you’ll find local food, local art, wine, and a silent auction—all benefitting three local charities: R3, New Spring, and the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH).

It’s a great way to support good things in Houston. Learn more about it on my Upcoming Gigs page. Or at the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143097409067867.

Since I rarely get to catch up with you this way, I hope to see you there. Perhaps soon, my buzzing thoughts will make their way onto the computer screen. Until then, keep loving!