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The Timeless Tales of myStoryART


Today,  I am excited and thrilled to announce that my spoken stories CD album, “Timeless Tales – Vintage Stories from Around the World, Vol. 1” has just been released at cdBaby.


“But aren’t stories and tales “just for kids”?” you ask. Well, yes and no. Lots of adults enjoy tales and stories too! Kids will laugh, smile and maybe even want to tell YOU one of the stories on this CD. 

As a mom, dad, aunt, uncle, or grandparent, have you ever noticed how, when kids listen to a story, their eyes sparkle and you know just looking at them that they are off in a world of their own, hanging excitedly on every word,  just waiting to hear what happens next? 

Kids love listening to stories.  Stories magically transport them to the creative playground of their imaginations.

Sadly, as adults, we end up missing out on this fun...  a lot.  It seems we all have our own ways of allowing our lives to get pulled down into the quicksand of SERIOUS!

  • Deadlines to meet both on and off the job
  • Family obligations with our kids and extended family.
  • Worry about the economy, the environment, our jobs
  • Concern around our kids, aging parents, paying our bills and much more...

    Ever notice how, as time goes by, one day begins to feel like a repetition of many of your yesterdays?
You are not alone.  Shut ins, aging parents, and older seniors, regardless of how active they remain, experience this tedium and boredom too.

Stress is frequently referred to as "the Silent Killer".  Often left unchecked, it begins to affect your health in a negative way.  Headaches, insomnia, sniffles and colds are often some of the first stress signs we need to pay attention to but often ignore. Emotionally you may feel cranky, impatient and out of balance. Your senses dull, diminishing your vitality and zest for living. As W.H. Auden once said:  “Home to supper and to bed.  Shall we be like this when we are dead?” 

Here are some undeniable facts... 

When you ignore your inherent need for fun and pleasure, the more out of balance, listless and just plain miserable you will become! 

When your life is so busy and full taking care of daily living needs, your job, being the full or part-time chauffeur, shopper, cook, housekeeper for your family, caring for your children (from the little ones to the grown up kind that have moved back home), it's easy to lose touch with the creative and playful side of your nature. Life becomes a series of “have to’s”, musts and all of us (me included) end up “should-ing” all over ourselves.  A sense of amnesia settles in. You forget how wonderful, how mentally freeing, how energizing it feels to go for a romp in the wonder playground of your imagination. 

I claim these as facts...from a place of personal and professional knowledge as well as experience over the past 25 years both as an artist and as a trained and certified Reality Therapist and Master Coach.   My subsequent doctoral studies and training in the methods of the greatest therapeutic storyteller of them all, Milton Erickson, confirmed for me what I have instinctively known most of my life. 

Needs really matter!  
Story really matters! 

This is precisely why I chose to record these memorable stories for YOU.  Plucked from my vast collection of stories gathered over the years, listening to these stories will make a difference in your life, whether you are 8, 98 or somewhere in between :) 

As you listen to these stories,
I want YOU to remember …  
  • the experience of laughter and delight to be found on the playground of story
  • how it feels to be lifted up on the gentle wings of story to the movie theater of your mind.
  • the delight you’ll experience when you access the childlike curiosity within you that perhaps hasn’t been out to play in a very, very long time. 
  • the pure “essence” of relaxation to be found in watching the story come alive on the “big screen” of your imagination.  
  • stimulate your creativity and memory. 
  • connect with the playful side of your nature and  
  • spark the creative part of you where your authentic self lives 
What I want most for you is... a time in the space of daily living where you can leave your troubles, worries and the stress behind, if only for a short time to “dance lightly on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.” (Rabindranath Tagere, Bengali poet, novelist, musician, playright)

Listening to a charming, time tested tale that brings a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart can make a difference…at home, at school and at work.

You see, a good tale, well told, can help YOU   
  • relieve everyday stress  
  • lighten mental pressure & anxiety before important events such as  exams, speeches, presentations, calm public speaking, wedding or graduation day “jitters” 
  • improve performance – at work, at school, at home  
  • help relax you before bedtime so you can have a restful night's sleep 
  • stimulate your creativity and memory  
  • lower your blood pressure, ease pain & discomfort, aid healing, 
  • tickle your funny bone when you least expect it
“Timeless Tales -  Vintage Stories from Around the World, Vol. 1” is a “spoken word” album, punctuated with music, with delightful tales from 9 countries around the world. 

On this album you will hear…  
  • Tales that paint pictures on the landscape of your inner mind to help you smooth out the ups and downs of daily living.
  • Stories to make you smile, pull at the strings of your heart and even provide a chuckle or two along the way. 
  • Enjoy an instant listening preview of all the stories in the album.Read reviews and album notes.
  • Stories range from less than 3 minutes to no more than 13! Perfect for listening during your ride to work, on your coffee break or anytime you need a change of pace! 
  • Download your purchase to your computer in a matter of minutes 
  • mp3 format for easy listening on your computer and/or transfer to your mp3 player, iPod, or phone.  
  • You can burn your stories to a CD for convenient listening at home or in your car 
  • Re-live the experience of listening to “old time” radio 
  • Kid friendly – a wonderful way to keep YOU & the kids entertained "on the road" 
  • Download for $12.99 from cdBaby, a reputable, safe, customer friendly, internet source 
And… on this album, you will even get to hear the humourous story that inspired “the artist within me” to create a likeness of the whimsical and fun “cat” in the story, “The Fat Cat of the Empress Hotel”.

This clay/ceramic cat sculpture will be enjoying some wonderful attention all of its own soon.  Sir Felix will make his “debut” next month… in an upcoming art show! 

You know, even though I know I will never be a cat or any of the other whimsical animal clay/ceramic “sculptures” I have created, sometimes it’s just nice to go hang out in a world that isn’t grounded in our own.  A place where our doubts and fears, worries and stresses can be relieved, if only for a few hours. 

With the cool days of autumn fast approaching, snuggle up with your favourite afghan in your special, comfy spot.  Put your ear-buds in and get ready to be magically transported on the soft, gentle wings of story to the "movie theater" of your imagination. Let the stories that hail from many parts of the world begin... 

Hop on over to cdbaby NOW!

The End (for now)

Sharon

Facebook and me...

I finally took the plunge!  I signed up for Facebook... and oh my what a learning curve it has been for me over the past couple of weeks.

Being primarily an audio learner, it was a BIG challenge for me figuring it out on my own!  There's not a lot of audio instruction on the "ins and outs" of Facebook in their help menu (NONE).  Way too many hours later, I still don't have some parts of it figured out... but at least I finally got a profile done (well sorta LOL), loaded up some photos and figured out how to "friend" some of my claying buddies and family/friends who are on Facebook.  But beyond that... well let's just say I am WAY, WAY behind the curve on my "to do" list including a couple "unfinished" blog posts! 

Sorry for such a delay... I haven't forgot YOU.  But stay tuned over the next couple of days because I have some VERY exciting news to share with you,,, COMING VERY SOON...I promise!

In the meantime... if you are on Facebook, drop by my page and say hi!  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I have done the Facebook Badge (up there at the top on the left) correctly and you can find me!

Happy Friday...

Sharon