Earlier this week, I attended a rehearsal and casual audition for the Northwest Senior Theatre group http://www.nwseniortheatre.org/index.html and am thrilled to announce I was invited to join! We will be having twice-weekly rehearsals for a holiday show with three performances coming up sometime in November. I will keep you posted as I learn the dates and hope those of you in the Portland metro area will be able to come to one of the performances at Rise Church in Tigard. I love the songs Creative Director James Montgomery has chosen, and the Musical Director, Tracy, is phenomenal. I suspect it will be a highly enjoyable and entertaining show.
Group singing and harmonizing is fun and healing; I have missed making music and performing live theatre with other people since the pandemic hit. This holiday season, consider making a point to support your local community theatres. Donations and volunteers are always welcomed, even if you’d rather have a root canal than get up on stage yourself.
It’s almost as hard to believe the holiday season will soon be upon us as it is to believe I’m old enough to be in a senior theatre group! Yet it brings to mind one of my favorite memories and accomplishments, which you can read about (and watch the music video) here: https://laurahandke.com/simply-authentic-your-soul-voice-is-calling-what-are-you-proud-of/.
As we’re heading into fall now, I hope you’ll be enjoying music and theatre as much as I know I will be.
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
It’s an average, ordinary Monday, yet I just got home from having the most fun I’ve had in a while.
When was the last time you sang for fun? Sometimes, as a voice teacher, I forget how awesome it is to sing just for fun!
Here are photos of my first time ever rehearsing with a band, Ten O’Clock Hill. I’ll share more news as we’re getting closer to recording a fun little blues song I wrote.
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
In Oregon’s Willamette Valley we’re in our third week of temps reaching into the high 80’s, 90’s, and over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the less I enjoy hot weather. It makes me feel listless. Also, we vocalists need to stay hydrated!
So, here’s Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher’s impromptu list of 7 ways to beat the heat this August.
1. Walk early. Get out to walk early in the morning. Air-conditioning is a wonderful invention, but days on end of no connection with Mother Nature makes some of us (me) cranky. So, this night owl is managing to get up earlier to go outside and walk earlier.
2. Stay hydrated. The internet tells me (so it must be true, right?) that huge numbers of people are chronically dehydrated and often don’t know it. Dehydration is not good for speakers, singers, or anyone else. If you don’t normally drink enough water, add some flavor to it. I adore lemon in my water. And I especially adore flavored sparkling water over ice with lemon or lime. My most recent purchase was a 12-pack of Trader Joe’s pineapple-flavored bubbly water on sale for $3.49. One of the women in my Wishweavers mastermind circle, Sidra, loves her kitchen gadget (https://idrinkproducts.com/) that carbonates water and other beverages.
3. Cool off in water. Speaking of water, if you have a pool or nearby lake or ocean, awesome. I can drive to the Oregon coast (where it’s much cooler) in an hour and 45 minutes, something I’ve deeply appreciated since moving to Oregon from Arizona in 1990. If not, get creative. I ran across my neighbor, Mike, walking his chocolate lab, Jazzy, last week. He had just gotten one of those kiddy pools for Jazzy and she loved it. He climbed in with her and Mike loved it, too! Why not?!
4. Eat cold food. I love to cook a couple of times a week, but when it’s hot outside, not so much. Get creative with cold food, like salads. Chop up some romaine lettuce, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, and toss on some baby spinach leaves. Maybe grate a little carrot or add green peas. For my last chef salad, I added a hard-boiled egg, a bit of diced ham and cheddar cheese, and topped it with a drizzle of both Catalina and blue cheese dressing. SO delicious on a hot day!
5. Enjoy watermelon. Yes, what about watermelon? This watermelon salad recipe (https://www.loveandlemons.com/watermelon-salad/) is more elaborate than those I’ve made in the past, and it looks spectacular. Did you know you can add watermelon to vanilla ice cream for a yummy shake? Seriously, try it – it’s wonderful. Just don’t add extra liquid because the watermelon provides plenty. Personally, I don’t mind a slightly runny shake.
6. Be quietly creative. In the middle of a heat-wave may not be the best time to start a new dance class. But it might be the very best time to pull out a sketch pad and pencils, or use karaoke videos on YouTube to sing out the songs you loved in high school and college. (I’ve been doing that!)
7. Experience gratitude. If you live in a house with air-conditioning, like I do, remember that many people across our globe don’t have that luxury. I’m grateful for my little Vornado fan that blows on me quietly at night when I’m in bed.
There you go, your voice teacher’s hacks for beating the heat! Enjoy your August until I show up in your inbox again in two weeks. Thanks for allowing me space there.
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
My husband and I went to DSW Shoes last weekend because George needed a new pair of sandals to wear on the kite-flying field. The store was busy that day; I’ll estimate 25 people were waiting in line for the four registers where cashiers were checking people out.
Ahead of us in line were two women; one probably in her late 30’s and the other in her early 20’s. The elder of the two had several tattoos on her face, including one of a tear drop near one of her eyes. The tattooed woman leaned over and quietly said something to the other, then they both walked briskly out of the store carrying three boxes filled with shoes, a backpack, and other merchandise.
It took a moment for my brain to register what my eyes were witnessing – a theft in broad daylight in front of something like 30 other people. I said to George, “I can’t believe I just saw that. What should we do?! Why didn’t I do anything?” It occurred to me I could have LOUDLY said, “Excuse me?! Are you seriously walking out of this store without paying for your merchandise?!” George went over to one of the cashiers and told him what had just happened.
I grew up on a farm in South Dakota; the closest town, Raymond—population now 53—was 11 miles away. Therefore, as you can imagine, I know next to nothing about gang culture. On the drive home, my husband pointed out that the woman’s facial tattoos likely symbolized gang affiliation. If you Google tear-drop facial tattoos like I did, you’ll find the meaning can be anything from prison time, committing a murder while in prison or being raped in prison…to solidarity with someone in prison, grieving the loss of a loved one or seeking revenge on behalf of a murdered friend.
Growing up where and when I did, there were no gangs, and almost no violent crimes against humans. Most farmers had guns they used regularly for hunting and shooting animals who threatened the garden or crops (which, by the way, always bothered me). I grew up trusting virtually everyone unless someone gave me a reason not to. A random internet search tells me that in the year 1972 the population of the entire state of South Dakota was 679,000 and that 8 murders and 106 robberies were committed in the state that year.
After that shoe-shopping excursion last weekend, the foundation of my feeling safe in the world was shaken. Either of the thieves may have been armed and opened fire in the store on the heels of yet another American school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and a much less publicized March attack by extremists in Somalia that wiped out 60 lives.
When I walked into a store next, I felt scared for the first time in my life. I realize how blessed I was to grow up in an environment where I didn’t need to fear for my safety or life going to school or to a mall. Or going to bed at night or walking out my front door.
How do any of us live in a world where we can’t take for granted that we’ll be kept from harm’s way? We never really could. Any of us could be hit by the proverbial bus, smashed in our cars, fall getting out of the shower, or be diagnosed with a fatal disease right now, today.
Rather than be depressed by the possibilities, even though I may feel fear walking into a store for the immediate future, I want to share an unexpected inspiration I received from a dental hygienist a couple years ago. This is the kind of simple daily practice that can change the way any of us approach life.
I don’t recall how the topic came up, but with the time-frame, it probably had something to do with COVID and how it has so negatively impacted everyone on our precious planet.
Every morning when she wakes up and opens the blinds, this dental hygienist looks outside and says “Hello, World!” When she closes the blinds to go to sleep at night, she says, “Goodnight, World!”
I can’t think of any better way to welcome the world without fear, express gratitude for being here, and set yourself up for a fantastic day wherein you can freely express your voice. I’m going to try it. Why don’t you join me, and let me know your experience on the blog?!
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
I met with a good friend recently, a woman I know because she works for my alma mater, South Dakota State University.
Over coffee, grapes, crackers, cheese and brownies, this friend and I had quite a lively conversation. Her job is taking care of people who donate large sums of money to SDSU and make sure their legacy is living on in the way that they want it to, to make an impact or a change.
There is substantial risk and commitment involved with going to college and getting student loans. My friend shared several amazing stories and examples illustrating just how important donor money is and the incredible amount of good these funds can do. I don’t recall at what point in the conversation I found myself saying, “I’ve learned that when you jump, the net appears.” (Whoever originally was quoted saying something like that could be anyone from John Burroughs to Les Brown; I don’t know for sure.)
My friend responded saying, “Wow, we are wired differently!”
I put some thought into what she said after our conversation.
Here’s what I came up with in case you might find it helpful.
I think my friend has a dream job that she’s fully suited to. She has a sense of diplomacy that inspires me. I’ve known only two people who have that highly-tuned sense of being able to help people understand each other with no-one feeling offended. It’s a true gift.
But are we really wired differently?
I wonder if we have simply wired ourselves differently.
I was wired to get good grades in school, to go to college and graduate, and then get a good job and a good retirement account. It was assumed I’d marry and have children. I think my mother was wired to expect me to marry a farmer the next acre over so we could get together for coffee every day.
The road of re-wiring hasn’t always been easy. My first breaking the apron strings was a summer in Orlando, Florida when I cried in the shower at 3:00 am getting up for that bakery job at Pantry Pride every morning, I was so homesick. I later found a job with a later day shift at a steak house that suited me better.
That summer away changed me. Relationships change us. So do jobs. I’ve heard people come home from trips to other countries changed. One friend recently told me she was never the same after a trip to Uganda, and that she left part of her heart in Africa.
I encourage you to Google “brain plasticity.” (Wikipedia: Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that differs from how it previously functioned. ) You’ll find pages of neuroscientific studies on how neuroplasticity works and why it’s important.
Another monumental change in how I’m personally wired came about because of my first Wishweaving Circle or mastermind group, M to the 6th Power, formed in 1999. Being a member of this group completely altered my vision of what’s possible and my own personal potential. Now I always have some sort of Wishweaving Circle in place. For tips on how to start your own group, or even to look into joining mine, read here: https://laurahandke.com/the-power-of-a-wishweavers-circle-aka-mastermind-group/.
How are you wired? Do you like how you’re wired? If not, take heart knowing that you and your brain are perfectly capable of and suited for re-wiring!
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
I went to Albertson’s today for a few grocery items. I love it when the grocery list is small, unlike when I’m preparing for a dinner party. You get in and out quickly, and the bill is a heck of a lot less.
I’m putting a 15-bean soup with homemade vegetable broth and some sliced spicy sausage in the crock pot tomorrow morning, and plan to make a loaf of easy artisan bread to go with it for dinner tomorrow night. There was another item I also needed – SHAKE ‘N BAKE. Sometimes when George and I want an easy dinner, we’ll make chicken strips with SHAKE ‘N BAKE, put some frozen French fries in the oven, and whip up a quick salad. (Perhaps not the healthiest of meals, but better than SpaghettiO’s with Texas toast and chocolate cake, right?)
But the store was out of Chicken SHAKE ‘N BAKE. Or so it first appeared. I peered onto the top shelf and saw one lone box, with a wrinkle in it, nearly to the back. I didn’t want the generic brand. Standing on my tip-toes, I tried using the generic box to knock over the SHAKE ‘N BAKE one and pull it closer to me. (I’m 5’, 6”.) I couldn’t reach it. I looked across the aisle and found a syrup bottle. That was taller. And it didn’t work either. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw a tall, Black figure perpendicular to me pushing his grocery cart forward and not going down the same aisle. “I can get help!” I thought.
I put the syrup bottle back and went to look for the African American man. And then I thought, well, I should probably ask a tall store employee, or any employee who can get a stepstool or something.
There was only one tall employee and he was busy checking people out. All of the employees were busy. So when I found the customer in the freezer aisle, I went ahead and approached him.
Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I wonder if African Americans keep to themselves in Albertson’s, and other stores around here, because of a reluctance to make direct eye contact with people. I found I needed to directly approach the man. Who was probably somewhere around 6’, 4” and, ahem, very good-looking.
The conversation went something like this.
Me: May I please ask you a huge favor? (Smile.)
Him: Yes. (Smile.) What is it you’re looking for?
Me: A tall person! (Smile.) I’m trying to get this box of SHAKE ‘N BAKE off of the top shelf and I can’t reach it. It’s in the flour aisle. I was trying to use a syrup bottle to get it and it didn’t work.
Him: Oh, I’m sure we can do much better than that. You don’t need to be using a syrup bottle.
We walked to the flour and baking aisle together.
Me: It was the last one.
It turns out it wasn’t the last one; there were three! I opted for two.
Me: Thank you so much!
Him: You’re very welcome.
Me: You’re the best!
Him: Happy to help.
Why am I writing about this?
Well, a couple of reasons…
Since moving here in 2007, I have found Lake Oswego to be an open and easy town to live in, whether interacting with people who have multi-million dollar homes facing the lake, or in the more forested area with less expensive homes like where I live in the Lake Grove area.
Yet Lake Oswego also has a history of racism I’ve only recently become aware of. I see few people of color in Lake Oswego. In Albertson’s today I saw only two people of color. The Black man I approached, and the Black man who often works in the bakery.
I spoke with a dear friend of mine, a voice student who is African American, before I published this. Could it be that Black people are less likely to make direct eye contact in a public place filled with mostly white people because of a history of systemic racism? That makes me sad. And it makes me angry. It makes me wonder what I can do to help change things so that everyone in a grocery store, or anywhere else, is comfortable making direct eye contact with others, if that’s what they want to do.
There is one thing any of us can do. If we observe racist behavior, we can use our voices to call it out…that is not okay; stop it!
The other reason I’m writing about this experience is that it brought about joy for two strangers in a grocery store to randomly meet and give and receive help. It was fun. And that has nothing to do with race or culture, just humanity.
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
