Many of the servers in the clubs & pubs I’ve performed at, are single moms who need to work TWO jobs to make ends meet. In some cases she is already putting in a “full day” somewhere else & then, needs to work the pub at night because her “ex”doesn’t make his child support payments.
(The kids suffer the most ‘cause they end up NOT seeing enough of either parent!)

On a couple of occasions, I’ve noticed the server suddenly go running out the door to chase a customer who’s trying to “sneak out” and not pay his bar tab. If she doesn’t catch the guy, guess who foots the bill at the end of the night?...The server! The unpaid tab comes out of her wages.

That’s pretty low of some guys, eh?! I have a lot of respect for these women in the “hospitality” industry and some of the “un-hospitable” stuff they have to put up with.

I made a friend on a recent “road trip” to Fort McMurray, Alberta. Shaun works as an electrician for Syncrude, one of the big oil companies situated there.

Shaun told me about the year he was an unemployed electrician so he worked part-time as a roadie loading equipment on & off stage at Max Bell Arena in Calgary. One day while hauling gear, he noticed sparks flying from the electrical circuit board. Some “jack of all trades” roadie was trying to “wire into” the power supply. Shaun was able to convince the makeshift electrician to hold off and then approached the arena management with an ultimatum. After proving his qualifications he demanded that they pay the “going rate” to have HIM do the wiring or he would call the Fire Marshall and the concert would be shut down.

After some hesitation from the management Shaun got his fee. He was then hired on as an electrician by one of the bands performing that evening.

I hear a lot of stories from folks I meet on the road, but I have no doubt that Shaun’s story is true. I casually mentioned that one of my stage lights was broken & he insisted on repairing it!

So Shaun this blog is dedicated to you! Thanks for fixing my stage light & hope to see you again next time I’m in Fort McMurray!!

One world...one breath!
International Tai Chi Day is Saturday April 28th. There will be literally thousands of people doing workshops and demonstrations in their communities.

There is a large list of ailments & medical conditions that are "kept in check" or eradicated by regular practise of Tai Chi. Time Magazine calls Tai Chi, "the perfect exercise!".

To learn more about this remarkable "meditation in motion" check out the website: worldtaichiday.org where you can link to a school or instructor near you, as well as get some free online "introductory" lessons.

I’m a lucky guy!
I got to “BE what I wanted to be when I grew up”.
As a kid, I used to love to draw...then, I found out there was a job called a “commercial artist” where you got paid to draw. Wow!
Then one day I saw a guy on T.V. named Cliff Kadatz. He would play the guitar & sing some songs and then he’d show kids how to draw. Wow, I thought... I wanna do THAT too! So, I took guitar lessons from Mr. Harold McKenzie at 14 years old.

In my early 20's I went to Art College to learn how to be an artist. One day at college I noticed a guy showing his friend some slow, “dance-like” moves...I didn’t know it at the time, but he was doing Tai Chi. Something deep inside me said, “one day, you’re going to learn that too”!

Now, almost every day I sing and perform my own songs and/or do some drawings and I do Tai Chi. Okay, so maybe I haven’t grown up yet...but perhaps that’s a good thing!!

Our family has a friend who’s roots trace back to Slovakia, a small country between Poland and Hungary. He is a tall, burly, patient & gentle soul, with light brown hair, blue eyes, a big “handlebar” moustache and a hearty laugh.

He once told us of a “custom” that is worth repeating here. Each year on his birthday he would buy a small gift for his mother as a token of his appreciation for her hard work of giving birth & raising him. It impressed me so much because in North America we practically expect gifts on our birthday and my friend is happy to acknowledge that his life is a “gift”. Sadly, his mother passed away a few years ago, but what a beautiful way to honour her life "as woman,....as mother”!

In my first “touring” band, I worked with a great singer/front man from Detroit named Mark. (He was always changing his last name so I’ll leave it at that!) Mark had done a fair bit of theatre work & we were discussing the origin or intent of a performers' "bow" at the end of the show. Mark explained that an actor is constantly transmitting energy from the stage to the audience.

At the conclusion of the performance the audience acknowledges energy received by applauding the actors (this includes the cast & crew). Then, as an act of humility & to deflate any trace of ego...the actors lower themselves to the floor in a gesture known as a "bow or curtsy".

Today for a performer, this “dynamic”...this wonderful exchange of energy is all to often, absent. As performers we try harder & harder to garner the appreciation & attention of the audience. Frequently we send out the energy but receive no applause...no response.

Many times we feel like we are just “wallpaper”. In spite of hard work and hours of practice I have been mistaken at a performance as being a Karaoke singer. I come off stage feeling a bit like Rodney Dangerfield when he said “I can’t get no respect”!

Several years ago, I watched my 15 year-old son perform with his band, at an "all ages bar". It was a "non-smoking/no alcohol club"...it was great! What impressed me most was the support the bands received from the audience. All of the bands that performed that day, had overwhelming applause from a full-house of “teens”.

In 1970, when I performed at my high school for MY peers...at best, 25% of the audience paid attention. The remainder were huddled into groups through-out the gym discussing their “dramas of the day”. The lack of applause was not because our band was unworthy,...it was because the audience was “pre-occupied”.

In the mid ‘70's when I was trying to make a career of "rock 'n' roll", it seemed most Canadians were pre-occupied...with "British or American" music. Few people supported Canadian artists, which is why I was told, “if you want to make it in music, move to the United States.”.

The truth is, many outstanding Canadian musicians didn’t want to leave the country & consequently were overlooked by the Canadian public. So where are they now?...
Some work in recording studios, music stores or as music teachers...but sadly, too many of these "fine musicians" now have careers not related to music.

Now-a-days it’s a different story. All those “kids” that supported my sons' performance (and thousands of others across the country) are buying Canadian music. Today, there's a new "crop" of great musicians & bands in Canada making a living doing what they do best...playing, writing & performing good "Canadian" music. Guess I was born in the wrong generation!

Tai Chi "on the brain"
I read recently that it takes about two years to learn all of the 108 tai chi moves (ie. the "precision" and balance). This is like following a schematic or blueprint.

A tai chi master will execute the form in a precise & identical manner every time. A new student uses left brain functions to "compare" their moves to the instructor, "analysing & memorizing" through repetition. (The words in quotations are all left brain functions.)

After learning these moves, we can experience the energy flow as it is happening to us at every movement of the form. This is not easy to do, as we can easily go into "auto pilot" and do an unfelt, “robotic” version of tai chi that stays true to the blueprint, but is missing the spirit (shen) & spontaneity of the moment. Spontaneity or "going with the flow" is a right brain attribute.

When we do tai chi, if we are “in the now”, we respond to our environment...the fresh air, the fragrances of the flowers & trees. Our awareness is heightened by these factors. If we fully internalize (a right brain function) these aspects of the moment, tai chi is less likely to become "routine"(a left brain tendency). The perfectly executed tai chi form involves a constant "synchronicity" between the two brain hemispheres.

Mimetic Desire
Rene Girard introduced this concept many years ago. The word mimetic is derived from the word “mime” which means “to imitate life”. The principle demonstrates how we get hoodwinked into buying “stuff”. (a.k.a. “keeping up with the Jones’s.”)

For example, let’s say there’s a lonely bachelor named Steve. Steve has a neighbour that owns a dalmatian dog. Steve sees the neighbour & his girlfriend walking the dog. Because Steve likes the image that it represents, he makes the assumption that by getting a dalmatian dog, he too will be able to enjoy an “ideal” life and possibly even attract a girlfriend. In other words mimetic desire is “a desire to imitate the life that we think another person has”.

What Steve doesn’t know is, his neighbour isn’t happy with his own circumstances. In truth, he finds the dog to be a burden & he also wants to “dump” his girlfriend so he can spend more time with buddies. Instead of taking his girlfriend on dates, he spends their time together on these “dog walks” hoping SHE will end the relationship, and he won’t look like the bad guy. (Typical male, eh?!)

Marketing people use mimetic desire all the time (although not necessarily aware of it). One example is before Christmas you’ll see a television advertisement of kids having fun with Dad & Mom, playing some ridiculous board game. Many kids are so starved for attention they figure, “if Santa brings me the game...I’ll have the same quality time with my Dad & Mom”.

It doesn’t stop at kids’ toys. Buyer beware! Next time you're making a purchase you might want to ask,..."Do I really need this, or am I buying due to some mimetic desire?".

Motivation vs. Inspiration
I once read about a car dealership that every month, would fire the sales-person with the lowest sales. This is known as “motivation” by fear...and is not a form of empowerment. It really only benefits the owner of the car dealership, and undermines staff morale to have his sales people fighting to stay on top. Fighting like rats in a cage!

Conversely, when Ghandi began his famous “salt march”, people at every village he stopped at, were “inspired” to join him in his mission. The word inspiration implies “invoking spirit” and it empowers us from our core!
We serve one another more so...by performing acts which “inspire”, rather than “motivating” others to get what we want!

The best example I’ve seen of how the right & left brain hemispheres work, comes from Betty Edwards book, “Drawing From The Right Side Of The Brain”.
In her book there is a drawing exercise, where you can actually feel a "pull" from the left “dominance & control” side of the brain, to abandon the exercise. But if you stay with it, once the left brain relinquishes it’s control, the right side carries on with what does best...and real drawing begins.

Edwards explains that RIGHT brain thinkers tend to ignore the...“this is a waste of time” message sent out by the left brain and are able to go directly into the right-brain-creative drawing mode. Her point is that left brain thinkers CAN also be taught to ignore the “control” messages and learn to “see” and...learn to draw. Many left brain thinkers have to re-learn to use their right brain before they can learn to draw again. (We all knew how to draw as children, our "crayon-scribbles-on-the-wall" were simply acts of self expression.)

We still have to avoid the tendency of the left brain to “compare and analyze” our drawing. It doesn’t matter how good your drawing is compared to mine,.. it’s about the benefit to your “whole being” from having a right brain experience. Right brain experiences tend to linger and help us feel more complete and “in the now”, as well as leave us feeling passionate about our lives. Passionate people tend to set the bench mark for what happiness is!

From 1978-1980 I lived in Swan Hills, Alberta...working as a carpenter’s helper.
At about 2:00 a.m. one winter night I was walking home from a social event.
There was no-one around and the “northern lights” were making their best effort to attract my attention.
I stood there watching these multi-coloured lights "swirl" across the night sky as if they were “showing off” to me. As they changed into a new shape, every few seconds (colours shifting at the same pace) I remember laughing and calling out, "I can't believe this,...I can't believe this".
There was not a sound anywhere. No sirens, no honking horns. Just a stillness...and this "ballet" of spectacular lights. It was like lying in a bed while someone was changing the sheets. These “blanket-layers-of-light” gently floating over me.
I may never find words to do that moment justice. The most incredible light show I have ever seen. My own private showing!

I used to take my kids for swimming lessons on Saturday mornings at the YMCA. One Saturday (while waiting for my kids) I was "skipping rope" in the gym. I started to analyse the YMCA "logo" painted on the floor below me.
The bold capital “Y” was missing a right arm. Instead, there was an equal sided triangle, with the words “Body, Mind, Spirit” printed on it. The philosophy of the YMCA “kicked in”...a balance of body, mind and spirit!
I know people who seem to have mastered “two” of these components, but seldom all three.

There IS a time in our lives when we are “naturally” at this “point of balance”; as young children! Around the ages of 5-7, we have a large degree of mobility, enough so as to “ride a bike or climb a tree”. Furthermore, we delight in helping to “paint the fence, or make a cake” or better yet, “make a sand castle” or ANYTHING new to learn. We are in balance and enjoy a "wonder-full" vibrance and spirit. As we grow older, we tend to lose that balance!

The “yin yang” symbol is another example of balance. The ultimate goal of “tai chi” is to balance our own “yin and yang” energies. Learning tai chi at an early age helps to maintain this natural balance of body, mind and spirit. The good news is, should our lives become unbalanced...we CAN find that child-like balance again! It's never too late.

"Sometimes, I feel like a 5- watt light bulb,..."hanging out" with the 60's!
But....it's okay 'ya know, just so long as you contribute something to the glow!"

Gratitude!
Every time we accomplish one of our goals or a “promise to self”. I think it’s important to express gratitude,...to say “thank you!” to someone, or some thing.
Many of us go through life with many promises to “self”. (eg. “one day, I’m going to learn to speak french”, or “learn to play piano” or “take a trip to Singapore”). If these are really promises to self, we need to be serious about what we think! And then be like a Jedi master, “Don’t think...DO”! It doesn’t necessarily mean “do it all,...today”.
Try the “swiss cheese” time-management technique, by putting small holes in a big task, until it is broken down into a manageable thing. Look in the phone book for that piano teacher or travel agent. Then,...paste the phone number somewhere you will see it. Make a call, ask questions, get a brochure. Do some part of that goal or promise at least once a week! Review your progress. Visualize it’s completion !! SEE YOURSELF DOING THE GOAL!!!
If we don’t make some progress on “promises to self”, they become “lies to self”. These are the worst kind of lies!! Remember what William Shakespeare said; “To thine own self be true!”.

I believe that we live in a time that is "left-brain-insane" and we need to indulge in more creative right-brain activities to find happiness and keep our spirit alive.
We need to do more dancing, singing, drawing, writing, playing and "laughing 'til the soda pop comes out of your nose".....just like we were kids again!
Get back to your dreams. Are you doing now what you wanted to be doing when you "grew up"?....then don't grow up!
Nurture your "kid-self" while paying respect to all your other aspects.

Is snail-mail a bad thing?.....
I enjoy the benefits of technology as much as the next person, and this marvel of communicating with others from around the world in and instant,...is truly amazing.
But,...let us not forget how “glorious” it is to receive a hand written note or parcel via the postal service. The internet does not transmit the “energy” of emotion quite the same as a handwritten note. There is energy “literally” transferred from “hand to pen to page”!
Nor does the internet reveal beautiful handwriting, or the fragrances in the room where the note was written (such as a real “love-letter”sealed with a drop of perfume!). What about the "feel" of quality parchment or paper the letter is written on?
The thrill of finding a five dollar bill in a letter from a favourite Aunt or Uncle is hard to beat, (no matter how many pretty pictures you “attach” to an email). I still remember the excitement of mailing in two or three boxtops from my breakfast cereal and receiving some “trinket” in the mail 3-4 weeks later.

Some things are just “better” when they are slow! Tai Chi is one such example.

In the Taoist philosophy, there are no accidents! So if you're having a rough day,...and nothing seems to go as planned, maybe today is a learning day! (better sometimes to sit back & watch!)
I Didn't accomplish much my self today, but I"ll admit I was trying to "make things" go my way instead of letting the day "flow" along like the mighty "Peace River".

Watch this space. The Jeff McCann Music site went live today, and you can always visit my Myspace site, as well.

At Jeff McCann Music you can listen to clips of music from my latest CD: Serpent on the Grass...hope you'll visit. More to come.