Wambui Bahati's Blog, page 8

Who You Hangin’ Wid?

Who you Hangin’ wid?

About ten years ago, I attended a certain alternative health conference and met a lot of creative and warm people there. I attended one woman’s workshop and was mesmerized by her energy and how loving and generous she was to the people in her workshop.

I was not only impressed by her knowledge on the subject. I was sure that when I grew up I wanted to be just like her. (I was already 50 something at the time.) I was looking forward to reading her book.

After the session, I headed straight to the workshop leader’s table to purchase a copy of her book. The woman selling the books for her was the absolute opposite of the author, whom I had just met.

The seller saw me as I approached the table. She did not smile or say anything when I reached the table. She just looked at me. I said, “Hello. How are you doing today?” She mumbled a weak, “Hi.”

“I’d like to purchase a book.”

Still seated, she said, as if she were scolding me, “It’s fifteen dollars and I don’t have any change and I’m not taking checks.”

After confronting her, I lost my enthusiasm for the book. I wasn’t sure I still wanted it. I reluctantly handed the woman a five and a ten-dollar bill. She reached under the table and got a book from a box and handed it to me. No thank you. No smile.

When I got home, I skimmed through the book and then gave it to a friend who was happy to receive it. I had a hard time disassociating the sales person from the workshop leader. It took me at least four years before I considered going to hear this wonderful healer speak again.

I had a similar encounter with someone who was traveling with a superstar in the personal development field. At the event, they were selling packages to a future event that were pretty pricey. I wanted to go. It would have been a dream vacation for me. I had no idea how I was going to make that trip happen for me. However, the superstar self-development guru had just fired up the whole audience with a message about how powerful we are.

So, I took a form to fill out in order to reserve a place for myself. This woman who had been on stage with the superstar as part of his ‘team’ walked over to me.  I was filling out my form when she asked me, “Are you really going to have the money for this?”

I wasn’t sure if that was an insult or concern. Was she asking me this because if I didn’t, she was going to pay for me? She didn’t say anything else. She just stood there. After I got over feeling like I wanted to cry. I wanted to slap her.

She was with the guy I just heard speak about integrity, joy and possibilities? I didn’t know if I would have the money, but I wanted to believe I could make it happen. After all, somehow, I had made it to this current event — and it was an expensive deal. I took my form with me as I left the venue. I threw it in the trash on the way to my car. That was several years ago. To this day, even though I still respect that man and his teachings, I don’t get excited about him and his events like I did before that incident with his so-called ‘team member’.

One should choose carefully and wisely those who they associate with. Either one does know that they are hanging with jerks or the do not know. Either way, it’s a tragedy. The people or person associated with you is sending a message not only about them; but about you as well. Sometimes it’s hard to know where their bad ‘vibes’ ends and your good ‘vibes’ begin. Even if you are a good guy, you and your negative ‘people’ can start to look like one giant bad vibration.

Now, I must conclude by saying that many of the spiritual teachers whom I enjoy listening to say that we attracted people who are reflections of who we are. Or, at least, we attract people that we need to attract to learn a lesson we need to learn. So, if that is true, what do these stories say about me?

Not sure I really want to know. Just pondering.

Tagged: Life, motivation, self-development, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

If I Could, I Would Learn . . .

If I could, I would learn . . .

How would you finish this sentence? “If I Could, I would learn . . .” Most people, I suppose, would finish this sentence with a desire to learn something that would make them happier or healthier. Would you finish the sentence with a wish to accomplish something you’d held in your heart for many years? Perhaps, even something from childhood. Or, perhaps one might finish this phrase with that New Year’s resolution one makes every year.

What if you had the opportunity to broadcast your dream — your wish — your desire to possibly 3 million people or more? What if you could place your dream on a giant billboard in one of the most fascinating cities in the world? Well, guess what? You can. It is possible! No. It will not cost you a cent.

Yesterday, as I walked down Broadway, (in New York City) I looked up as I passed the American Bible Society building. There is a huge electronic billboard on the front of the building. On the billboard, I saw the statement, “If I could, I would learn. . .” At first, there was no continuation, just a blank space following those words.

Then, like magic, a word appeared in the space. The word was “Patience”. It then read, “If I could, I would learn Patience”. A few seconds later, it read, “If I could, I would learn to love all aspects of me”. Then, “If I could, I would learn how to use chopsticks.” And then, “. . . To play the fiddle.” And, on, and on, every few seconds.

It took a little while for me to grasp what was happening. I saw a number where one could text their own ending to that statement. So, as I stood there, I texted, “sing as great as Whitney”. Within a few seconds, I saw my words appear on that electronic billboard.

 

People walking by looked up and pondered for a second or two before they moved on.



I thought that was pretty cool.

I believe that thoughts and words are powerful. That is why, I believe, it is important to be aware of what we say and be mindful of what we think.

Therefore, I like the idea of one being able to broadcast their words — their thoughts out into the world. It’s another way of sending out good vibrations. This billboard can also serve as a giant prayer board.

No matter where you are in the world, you can text or tweet your wish or dream and broadcast it out to millions.

Text what you ‘would learn, if you could’ here: 917-512-7773  or tweet at #scriptoria.

American Bible Society / Museum of Biblical Art

1865 Broadway at 61st Street

New York, NY 10023

Visit BroadcastonBroadway where they boast that 3 million people walk past their wall each year.

Tagged: American Bible Socierty, Autobiography, inspiration, Life, motivation, Museum of Biblical Art, New York City, self-development, self-esteem, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

Gone With the Summer

[image error]

Cover of Gone with the Wind – the Movie

A few posts back, I went on and on about how my daughters, when they were young, were addicted to the movie ‘Gone With the Wind‘. While I was ranting about that, I totally forgot that I have a significant association with ‘Gone With the Wind’. I was Prissy in the 1976 summer tour that originated at the Dallas Summer Musicals.

During the 70s, ‘Gone With the Wind’ was rolled out as a grand, musical, stage production. Before this tour, a different cast performed the musical in London.

Wambui (John Ann Washington) is Prissy, Katherine Kelly is Mammy in Gone With the Wind – the Musical

It was only a few days after I had decided to enter my blonde hair phase; that I found out about the audition. I wore a bandanna on my head to the audition because I was afraid that if they saw that I had blonde hair, I would not even get to audition for Prissy. However, I believe the bandanna worked in my favor and I got the role.

The cast was amazing! David Canary from All My Children was Rhett Butler. Sherry Mathis was Scarlett and Katherine Kelly (not the Katherine Kelly of Coronation Street) played the part of Mammy. These people were not only heavy hitters in the performing arena; they were all really fine human beings and fun to work with people.

I remember there being what to me seemed like a huge cast of dancers and extras to play dead bodies.

I remember a live horse being involved.

I remember some people from Disney helped create the effect of Atlanta burning.

I remember because of some legal or copyright issues, we could say lines that were in the book, but could not say lines that were in the movie.

I remember this causing some frustration for not only the performers, but also the audience.

You see, most people in the audience anticipated hearing that famous line at the end of the movie, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” However, the actor could not say this line in our production. So, I think he said something like, “Frankly my dear, I could care less!” (Yeah, I know; not the same thing.)

And, I was not allowed to say, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies.” I had to say, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout havin’ babies.”

I was not a strong theatrical dancer. However, in this show, during the barbecue scene, I was paired up with a young black man (who was able to play a child) to do the cake-walk.

I remember cake-walking with him only a few steps to the center of the stage and cake-walking off stage left as the stage filled with dancers who were lifting their legs and lifting each other and leaping and twirling. It was quite a long, wonderful and very energetic number. As the number ended the dancers were still stepping, kicking high, and twirling as they left the stage. My cake-walk partner and me cake-walked a few steps back on and stood downstage center to receive all of the applause for this dance number.

After Dallas, we played an outdoor theater in Kansas City, Missouri called the Starlight Theater. Our last stop was a theater in Miami, Florida.

In Miami, the casting person responsible for hiring the child to play Bonnie Blue (Scarlett and Rhett’s daughter) was a Hispanic woman. Like any loving mother with a talented child, she cast her own daughter in the role. So, while everyone else in the show had heavy southern accents, Bonnie Blue in Miami had a Spanish accent.

I have so many fond memories of this production and amazing barbecues we were invited to in Dallas.

What a great show. Wow! What a fabulous summer!

**********

Creative -

Harold Rome: Composer/Lyricist

Horton Foote: Bookwriter

Kazuo Kikuto: Source Material Based on libretto

Margaret Mitchell: Source Material Based on novel

Lucia Victor: Director

Cast -

Leigh Beery, David Canary, Todd Drexel, Randolynn Garner, Laurence Guittard, Katherine Kelly, Sherry Mathis, Georgana Mills, Trudi Roach, Norwood Smith, Guy Stroman, Jon Vandertholen,John Ann Washington (me)

Related articles

“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” (wonderfulladventures.wordpress.com)
Actor Tom McCamus prepares for role as Rhett Butler (cbc.ca)


Tagged: Autobiography, Black woman, Dallas Summer Musicals, Davis Canary, Gone with the wind, John Ann Washinton, Life, musical theater, Theater, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

I’m Moving

The thing I have the most of is paper.

I’m in the process of moving. I’m happy about the move. However, it’s exhausting. The most difficult part for me is sorting out what really needs to go with me and what really doesn’t need to go.

One does not realize just how much stuff one has until one decides to move it all.

I’m not a pack rat – or at least I never thought of myself as one. I have no problem giving something away or throwing things out. I am really not attached to material things. Really, I’m not.

The thing I have the most of is paper. Uuugghh! Every time I’ve had a new or creative idea during the last 50 years, I wrote it down.

I have parts of songs, some song titles, pieces of poems, musicals with no music, lyrics with no tunes, stories with no endings, characters with no names, names that belong to no one, book cover designs that have no book written for them yet. Movie synopses, plays with undeveloped plots, paragraphs of talks and keynotes for a variety of causes, ideas for comedy monologues, sketches for quilt blocks, a single phone number or address on various colored napkins and no idea to whom this information belongs, and, thank you speeches for awards I have not been nominated for, yet.

Originally, I hired this guy whose company will cart any thing – and, I mean any thing – away and recycle or otherwise get rid of it for you. I told them with the EXCEPTION of my clothes, my computers and printer, my inverter table, my rebounder, my microphones, my costumes for my domestic violence show, my laminator machine, my rice cooker, my egg poacher, my Vitamix, my juicers, my sewing and quilting stuff, my wigs, the photos of my children, my crystals, and my water filters – take it all away! Done!

Then, one of my daughters told me to rethink giving up so many of my books, photos and mementos that might have sentimental value.

President and Mrs. Carter and Me

Originally I wasn’t planning on bringing the photo with the carters. When it was taken, I was having a bad hair, a bad make-up and a really bad clothes day.

My daughter persuaded me to bring it with me. I guess one never knows when one might need a favor from the government and have to prove to a judge that, “I know ‘people’!

Tagged: Autobiography, Black woman, Life, Memories, Moving, President Carter, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

The Riddle of L…

The Riddle of Life:

In order to BE what you want to BE,

you must BE what you want to BE.

(as I heard it from the late, Rev. Ike)

Tagged: inspiration, Life, motivation, Quotes, Rev. Ike, self-development, self-esteem, Wambui Bahati

It’s an Ongoing Process

What do YOU have in common with the most valued musical instruments in the world?

 

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.”

- Zig Ziglar

 

Some of the most expensive musical instruments in the world include the Lady Tennant Stradivari violin, which is valued at over $2.03 million and John Lennon’s Steinway piano, which is valued at over $1.03 million.

What do these valued instruments have in common with you?

It doesn’t matter how precious they are, if they are not tuned on a regular basis, they will sound lousy.

If you do not tune-up yourself on a regular basis you will not only sound lousy, you will look lousy, and feel lousy. Taking care of ourselves is not a one shot deal. It’s not a one-week or one month or one year deal. It is an ongoing process that hopefully is thrilling and fun.

[excerpt - You Don't Know Crazy]

Tagged: daily routine, Human Value, inspiration, Life, motivation, self-development, self-worth, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

A New York City Yellow Taxi Thing

A New York City Yellow Taxi Thing

Every time I get in a taxi, I hear my mother’s, or aunt’s or grandmother’s voice warning me, as they did when I was a child, to “never get in a car with a stranger”.

I don’t take taxis very often. Public transportation in New York City is often faster and more cost-effective for me. I take a taxi when:

1) Against my better judgment, I go for a ‘look’ rather than comfort and end up wearing shoes too uncomfortable to walk in with dignity.

2) I have luggage and I’m going to or from an airport.

3) I purchase an item to big or heavy to carry on the bus or subway. (However, seeing a woman carrying a live, five foot Christmas tree home on the subway a few years ago has made me rethink the possibilities.)

Even though I don’t take taxis regularly, one of the ways I have proved to myself that I am a real New Yorker is that I have had the occasion to go to taxi court. It’s not really a court like the Supreme Court with a judge in a black robe and a jury. It is more like mediation – taxi / customer mediation. However, I like calling it taxi court because one goes there seeking justice.

The day I went to taxi court there were predominantly black people who were bringing charges against a taxi driver who refused to take them uptown and to Harlem (I was in this group), and Asian people who were bringing charges against their taxi drivers for refusing to take them downtown and to Brooklyn.

Of course, I figured that the driver was going to defend his side of the story. However, I wasn’t counting on such incredible lies that had nothing whatsoever to do with what really happened. I had a hard time defending myself because nothing he said made sense. However, he ended up talking too much. His story included something about him being off-duty. So he was fined based on a technicality. The mediators said that if he was off-duty, why was he even talking to me.

He was fined $300. Even though I won, I didn’t receive any part of the $300. I suppose it goes to the city to help run the taxi court.

When our mediation was finished, someone who worked there told me they would hold the driver back for twenty minutes. In other words, I had twenty minutes to get out of the area before they would release the driver. The last thing I wanted to do was come face to face with a lying, irate taxi driver who had just been fined $300. I ran every step of the way to the subway station.

I’m sure I have been in taxis with drivers that were not from here. By here, I don’t mean New York City or the United States. I mean, I don’t think they were from Earth.

The most annoying drivers are the ones who talk the whole trip about how hard it is to make a living as a taxi driver. I’m not sure if they are hoping to get a bigger tip by telling me this or if they are just by nature chronic complainers.

One of the scariest drivers I encountered was a driver who was unusually quiet at first. However, after a few blocks he let me know that he was angry. He was angry with the previous customer. He was angry with the United States government. He said some pretty terrible things about his girlfriend.

I did not agree with anything he said. I especially didn’t agree with his methods for solving his problems. He asked me, “ Do you agree? Am I right? You agree with me, right?” Even though I’m thinking, “No! No! No!!!” What came out of my mouth was, “Of course, you’re right!

It is not that I generally lack courage. I was, however, locked in a car with an angry man who I had never seen before — a man who wanted to do unthinkable things to his previous customer, the United states government and his own girlfriend. (Once you get in the taxi, the driver locks the doors. I guess to keep people from leaving the car without paying the fare.) I decided to say what I needed say to get to my destination.

When I happen to be out and about with friends, family, an ex-husband – or others who happen to be white people, and we want a taxi; I just stand back from the curb until one of them gets the taxi. It has been my experience that taxis stop for white people a whole lot quicker than they do for black people.



One Sunday afternoon last spring, I tried to fit too many errands into too few hours. As a result, I was running late for an appointment. This was an afternoon to take a taxi. It took a while but, I saw a couple getting out of a taxi and they held the door for me to get in. I jumped in the back seat, frazzled and with only a few minutes to get where I needed to go.

While trying to catch my breath, I say to the driver, “52nd and Eighth.” He didn’t move. I said it again, “52nd and Eighth.” He still didn’t move.” I only had a few seconds to make the appointment. So I yelled to him, “52nd and Eighth Avenue, please!”

Then he says, “What? No hello? No how are you?”

I was confused.

I said, “What?”

He repeated, “I don’t get a hello? You’re not gong to ask, how are you doing?” He said, “I am a human being!”

To which I said, “Right now, I don’t need a human being. I need a taxi driver!”

PS – I know there are plenty of wonderful hardworking taxi drivers everywhere. I know it’s not an easy job. I’m just sharing memories of some of my not so pleasant taxi experiences.

Tagged: Autobiography, Black woman, College life, New York City, New York City taxi, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

Pledge of Allegiance to Myself

Pledge of Allegiance to Myself

We commit and are loyal to many people and many ideas — including our flag and our country. However, do we have the same commitment to ourselves?

Do we love, respect, and cherish ourselves as we love, respect, and cherish things outside of us?

Are we loyal enough to ourselves to be mindful of what we allow ourselves to think, eat and allow in our personal space?

This is my pledge — a reminder of my faithfulness to myself. I share this pledge with you. You might find it empowering to create your own pledge of allegiance to YOURSELF.

I place my hand over my heart and I say:

I pledge allegiance to myself and to God whom I personify.

I am one soul -— one spirit -— united with all souls -— all spirits and everything that is wonderful.

I am indivisible from my wisdom and my magnificence.

I am respecting liberty, encouraging justice, and sharing love.

I am protecting, loving and respecting myself, knowing that there are those who cannot, will not or refuse to protect, love, respect or see me as the beautiful and powerful energy that I AM in this great cosmos.

I do not hate or hold a grudge. However, I defend my right to feel and express my emotions and seek justice using all of my Earthly wisdom and spiritual knowledge, spiritual power and spiritual connections.

I live boldly and will —- one day depart from this life with dignity.

I pledge allegiance to myself!

Tagged: inspiration, Life, motivation, pledge allegiance, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati, woman

“What Ever I Feel Like . . ., Gosh!”

This was taken at about the time when my children were addicted to “Gone With the Wind”

Download: what-ever-i-feel-like-i.mp3

When my daughters were about eighteen and twenty-ish years old, they told me I must see this movie called ‘Napoleon Dynamite‘. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it. My daughters generally have good — or at least fun taste in movies (by my standards). But, ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ sounded like a movie for the younger generation.

My children were born in ’82 and ’84 and grew up when the first music videos were being rolled out. They assisted me during the years when programing a VCR was still a challenge for the average adult. The first video I actually owned was the two-video set of ‘Gone With the Wind‘. I was concerned that my children enjoyed watching ‘Gone With the Wind’ over and over and over. I assumed that it did have something to do with the fact that it was the only video we owned for a while. Sometimes, we did rent other videos from a video rental store.

As a concerned parent, I made it my business to buy a couple of videos that were more fitting for young children. Although we were all in love with the Shelly Duvall “Faerie Tale Theatre” series I bought, they still had this desire to watch ‘Gone With the Wind’ over and over. I was troubled that my children were fixated on a movie with war scenes, dead bodies and a southern town that was literally on fire.

After expressing — or rather, fussing about my concerns to them, I was relieved when they told me that it was the costumes that they liked. They loved looking at the ball gowns the women wore. They loved watching the part where Scarlett made the dress out of the green drapes. They said they liked looking at how the women wore their hair –and, what the women wore to the picnic. They liked the fact that there were so many characters and they liked listening to how they talked.

Well, neither one of my daughters grew up with an urge to join the army or burn southern cities. They are certainly not violent in any way. (Although, I do have one who looks for reasons to wear formal gowns.) My concerns were unwarranted — but one can never be too careful. ‘Gone With the Wind’ remained one of their all time favorites until ‘Absolutely Fabulous‘ was release on VHS.

I totally digressed! I was not planning on going through all of that. So much for stream of consciousness writing.

The point I wanted to make is that I wasn’t sure I wanted to see Napoleon Dynamite. I saw it, just to spend time with my children. However, I loved the movie. It is one of my favorites. I love that it is about something and about nothing all at the same time. There is humor. There are scenes that tug at one’s heart when watching the various characters navigate through their challenges. I love that there is no blood and gore!

One of my favorite lines is during the opening scene when Napoleon is riding the school bus to school and a young boy asks him, “What are you going to do today, Napoleon?”

And Napoleon answers, “What ever I feel like I want to do! Gosh!”

Isn’t that what we all strive for — to make that answer our life motto?

No?

Just Me?

Am I the only one who wants to answer everyday for the rest of my life — when someone asks, “What are you going to do today, Wambui?”

I want to answer with a giant, resounding, “What ever I feel like I want to do! Gosh!”

Tagged: Gone with the wind, Life, movies, Napoleon Dynamite, Parent, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati

If You Could Be Someone Else

If You Could Be Someone Else

Download: if-you-could-be-someone-else.mp3

Are you willing to put your name in a bowl with several other people’s names, reach in and pull out a name, other than your own, and assume the life of the person’s name on the paper you pulled — and live their life as them for the rest of your life?

My sister asked me this when we were visiting one day. My sister and I were having a discussion about our lives and asking each other if there were any regrets or things we wish we could change. We each came up with some things that we wish we had done differently — I came up with a whole lot of things I wish I had done differently.

We agreed that more than anything. “We wish we knew then, what we know now”. And then, she asked, “If you could trade in your life for someone else’s, would you?” And, “Whose life would you trade your life in for?

I pulled an invisible champagne glass out of the air. As I walked around sipping invisible champagne from my invisible glass and hugging my upper arms to indicate a mink rap covering my shoulders, we both started to laugh.

I then said in an indistinguishable accent, “Well, of course someone who is ridiculously wealthy – we have the freedom to travel anywhere at any time, spend months at only the best resorts and spas, are served the finest foods by the finest servers, and never look at price tags.”

“Who?” She asked.

I thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with anyone’s life I wanted to trade mine in for. Everyone I thought of has issues or something that I’m not sure I’d want to deal with.

Some things and some parts of my life were not happy. I experienced times that were sometimes horrific. However, now that I made it through them, I believe everything in my life had to happen as it did for me to be who I am today.

So, if you really think your life sucks . . .

Are you willing to put your name in a bowl with several other people’s names, reach in and pull out a name, other than your own, and assume the life of the person’s name on the paper you pulled — and live their life as them for the rest of your life?

Tagged: Life, sister, Thoughts, Wambui Bahati