16 AWP Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 May 17–23, 2019
Inspiration in unexpected places
We can’t always hop
on a plane to a distant
land in search
of inspiration. The reality
is that we are where we are.
We have work, and family,
and responsibilities. So what
is a fearless adventurer to do
at home?
Create a beautiful reality. I
have been working tirelessly
since my return from Turkey
to stay inspired by the
sights and sounds and smells
of my trip, and by the awesome
strangers that I met and
connected with.
The truth is, there is so
much beauty to be found and
so many strangers to connect
with right here at home.
However, my demon brain
tries to insert the “but” and
wrestle my positivity to the
ground.
“You’ve tried that,” it
might say. Or “you’ve been
down this road a million
times, what’s left to explore?”
Or, of course, “you’re busy,
Fearless
Living
By Stephanie Thompson
and tired!”
My creative mind says otherwise.
I know that I can see
my very own neighborhood,
the place I’ve lived in for 17
years, with totally fresh eyes.
I know I can notice about a
million things on my twoblock
walk to the park that
I’ve never, ever seen before.
I know I can carve out time
in my schedule to try new
things, to appreciate and explore
my own environment,
my own family.
But, and there is a but: it
takes practice, and commitment.
It takes focus and the
ability to continually press
“reset” when the bored, tired
Affordable Family Dentistry
in modern pleasant surroundings
State of the Art Sterilization (autoclave)
Emergencies treated promptly
Special care for children & anxious patients
WE NOW ACCEPT OXFORD
• Tooth Bleaching (whitening)
• Cosmetic Dentistry, Porcelain Facings & Inlays,
Bonding Crowns & Bridges (Capping)
• Painless, Non-Surgical Gum Treatment
• Root Canal • Extractions • Dentures • Cleanings
• Implant Dentistry • Fillings (tooth colored)
• Stereo headphones • Analgesia (Sweet air)
Dr. Jeffrey M. Kramer
544 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
624-5554 624-7055
Convenient Office Hours & Ample Parking
and insurance plans accommodated
STAY INFORMED!
Get daily updates on news in your
neighborhood by signing up for our
daily e-mail updates at
BrooklynPaper.com/updates
FAS H ION S POTLIGHT
mind tries to creep in and
steal the show.
I meditate to try to stay focused.
I have my little tray
filled with many favorite
objects, with candles and
a statue of the Bhodisattva
in repose, with an incense
tray that holds many favorite
aromatic sticks of various
types.
I light the candles in the
morning, and burn some incense,
and I sit, often, on a
cushion in front of it. Lately,
I am listening to “396 hz”
on YouTube, “galactic mandala
meditation music” that
is tuned to a frequency that
turns grief and fear into
joy. G
rief and fear are the biggest
barriers to inspiration,
I’ve found. They are paralyzing
in their power, unless
we tune to a different
frequency and create barriers
and boundaries that put
the paralyzing duo in their
place.
In the work I’ve been doing
at the Park Slope Women’s
Shelter, I find that drumming
together brings great joy.
Even though these women
have suffered mightily, and
have many reasons to despair,
they sit down with me and
work hard to visualize and
explore the ways in which
they might find space for joy,
and expression. They need
it, and they know it. It is so
heartwarming to work with
them, and to hear their honest
stories of what they are
fighting against to be there
in that seat, to join in and
work toward feeling good,
if even for an hour. They inspire
me. If they can do it,
why can’t I?
Choices can be challenging
too. I spoke recently on
my “Talking to Strangers”
podcast to the executives of
nonprofit Musicambia, which
brings music into prisons.
Nathan Schram, the
founder, spoke of how enlightened
the men they’ve
worked with at Sing Sing
are.
Their choices are limited,
and to maintain any inspiration
in this place they have
been forced to go within,
to explore possibilities in
their minds, to wander fantastically
through their own
thoughts and visions.
To be inspired is a daily
choice, wherever we are. It
is an outlook, born from our
brain, and so we must work
to train our brains with whatever
creative tools we can to
look at the world around us
anew and with great enthusiasm.
Gold star for trying.
If you are a survivor i of f child hild sexual l abuse,b New N York
Y
law allows you to take action against the perpetrator
and institution that protected him or her.
Portabella Spring 2019 Collection
The suit and tuxedo collection is complemented by new fashion blazers. Also see a large collection of shoes and accessories.
Now available at all Portabella and Fino stores.
For your nearest location portabellastores.com or portabellamenswear
/updates
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/www.BrooklynPaper.com
/portabellastores.com