This recently popped up on my YouTube channel from the PIANO GUYS
and as often the case:
NO WORDS NECESSARY. . .
not that
THAT
has ever stopped me
. . .in fact,
it usually inspires more words
(from the producers):

Behind every song is a story. Some superficial or spontaneous. Some deep and more meaningful, even life-altering. Music plays so many roles in our lives. On the surface it is entertainment, but that grossly underestimates its depth. It can be a messenger — have you ever had just the right song played at just the right time, sending you just the right message? It can be a pathway to a change or step forward we need to make in life. Sometimes it can be an angelically-aided connector of people. Well, in this story, music was all this and more. A simple social media post that shared a tourist’s video of an extraordinarily talented puppeteer, Márton Harkel, who performs as a busker on the streets of Budapest. What caught the eye was his cellist puppet. It was a near-perfect copy of the puppeteer. And as he made the motions of playing cello, his puppet would mimic his movements with astounding musicality. It was captivating. It was like watching art come alive. And so there was this magnificent pairing of his puppet design and marionette skills with the arrangement of the Mussorgsky’s “Promenade” theme from “Pictures at an Exhibition” — the prominent piece among a suite of classical works written about art coming alive! And the timing of it couldn’t have been better — as it’s releasing during a time when we can’t film traditional music videos due to the current pandemic’s safety measures. So this is a pandemic approved, proxy puppet’s performance of Pictures at an Exhibition! Please take some time to listen to the original suite here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAHX0… (The theme chosen is right at the beginning and throughout the piece — it is the melody Mussorgsky wrote to depict us walking from painting to painting) Márton worked for over 200 hours to handcraft these puppets so that their articulating fingers, and a multitude of hinges and joints could be “in concert” with the music. Notice the care he takes to see that they are doing their best to even play the right notes. The best part of this story? After Márton finished creating the puppets and prepared to film, he realized he couldn’t make them come alive alone. He needed another puppeteer. He hired Napsugár Trömböczky, a lovely and talented young lady. As they began working together, their interest in the project and the puppets took a back seat to their interest in each other! In ONE WEEK they were engaged. They say it’s crazy. We say it’s destiny. Márton and Napsugár’s love story that’s truly touching. We pray before we write our music with the desire that it will somehow spread hope. All of us all spend a great deal of our lives waiting for something or someone we’re hoping for. Stories such as this can perhaps provide some evidence that a life can change and hopes can be realized in the matter of one song. One week. One idea. That gives us hope that when things aren’t lining up or we’re far from where we had hoped to be, the alignment that we seek can come together in a mere moment — in a way we could have never anticipated. Now, we don’t believe that we, as humans, are puppets of Destiny. But perhaps there is a “Grand Puppeteer,” who loves us and who knows us better than we know ourselves — and He pulls destiny’s strings on our behalf. Márton, in his message to us after he finished the video, humbly and graciously expressed gratitude for the project, but more than the project, for the opportunity to meet his soulmate, and to do what he loves, with whom he loves. Who dare take any credit?Look to the Grand Puppeteer for that. But we thank you, Márton and Napsugár, all the same. If all the time, work, energy, and passion that went into this project was all for you two and your eternal family, then it was well worth it. This is just a small honor to have the opportunity to “play a small part” in something much more important than a music video. After all, we are just a mere puppet(eer)

Pay Attention, Class. . .
The Music
The Action
only continues on
(in each of us)

One of William Shakespeare’s most famous quotes comes from one of his plays, AS YOU LIKE IT:
“ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE, AND ALL OF THE MEN AND WOMEN MERELY PLAYERS. . .”

SOUND FAMILIAR?

Shakespeare goes on to say in this soliloquy:

“They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. . .”

It kind of makes you want to ask:
SO WHAT STAGE AM I ON RIGHT NOW?
Our whole LIVES teach us that we don’t have a
PURPOSE
MEANING
REASON
DESTINY
. . .that in fact it’s
P L U R A L
and not
SINGULAR. . .

There have been so many different stages you have been on throughout your life
and some of them you might have not even noticed
as they have literally blurred from
one scene
one Act
to another
in seemingly
BLINK-OF-THE-EYE
q u i c k n e s s. . .

So very, very many different stages
you have been on to show and share your
L I F E

Each are merely a piece to the puzzle that literally
MAKES YOU UP. . .

So here’s a most important question for the
N O W
of the day. . .
THIS MOMENT:

What stage are you on NOW. . .
WHAT ARE YOU SHOWING?

Shakespeare aside. . .
we are all authors of our own play
and in many ways,
D I R E C T O R S

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:

EVERYONE QUIET ON THE SET:
READY
SET
A C T I O N

When  was  the  last  time  you  suffered

T H E       L A S T       S T R A W ?

When  was  the  worst  time  you  endured

T H E      L A S T      S T R A W ?

When  was  the  last  time  you  were  an  Actual

New   Straw   G I V E R?

I could hear him down the hallway long before I reached his room.

He wasn’t the patient I had planned to see that afternoon.

He was a new hospice patient,

who had just come in shortly after lunch.         .         .

He was loud

He was screaming out

for what sounded like a life raft.

There was a lot of activity in the hall way

with someone pushing a food cart;

nurses changing shifts,

visitors and families walking behind patients,

aids serving  patients  needs

but he might as well have been on deserted island.       .       .

and maybe that was his

 last   straw.       .       .

When I walked into the room,

he literally didn’t notice me

for all of his screaming.       .          .

The source of his   LAST STRAW   moment,

literally involved a straw.

It was on the floor.

In reaching for his glass of water,

he obviously misjudged his aim and knocked the glass off his tray.

There wasn’t a lot of water on the floor,

maybe a healthy sip,

but his last straw just wasn’t merely that his cup and straw were on the floor,

but he screaming and yelling

brought no one to retrieve it.

Alone again.

Forgotten again.

Ignored again.

Unheard again.

Angry at his life (or lack thereof),

his predicament,

his illness,

his lack of control,

his isolation.       .       .

he bellowed out!

His face was red and wet with sweat

from screaming out.          .          .

His eyes damp

and his heart empty and broken.

“Here, let me help,”

I said bending down to pick up his cup and straw.

I threw both away in the nearby waste basket

and went down the hall

and got him another cup,

some ice water

 and   yes,

a soon-to-be-another—

L   A   S  T       S  T  R  A  W.

As he was sipping loudly,

I went and dampened a wash cloth with some cool water

and wiped the top of his head, his forehead and cheeks.

I filled up his cup again.     .     .

He drank.      .      .

 He   stopped   slurping.  .  .

as the straw made the sound

 it does

as he sucked up the last few sips

at the bottom.     .     .

Thirst   Q U E N C H E D.          .          .       

He put his hand over top of mine as I held his cup,

extended toward him.

We didn’t exchanged words.     .     .

didn’t have to, either.

He didn’t ask me who I was

or why I was there

and I didn’t tell him

Funny isn’t it.         .         .

the greatest way to eliminate

The Last Straw is.        .        .

.        .         . is just to make sure

T     H     E     R     E          I     S     N ‘  T          O     N     E !

When was the last time you

Suffered  The   LAST   STRAW?

When was the worst time you endured

The  LAST   STRAW?

W     h     e     n,

when was the Last Time

you   actually   were   a

New     Straw     Giver?

Maybe the Hmmmmmmmm of the Day

is realizing that when you are a Straw Provider,

you not only eliminate the Last Straw Syndrome.       .      .

you’ll never have to tolerate a  

Last   Straw   Moment

yourself—-E V E R!

Well now.       .       .

that kind of ceases to,

uhhh, forgive me.      .      .

Suck Like A STRAW.         .         .         .

Have you ever felt

L    E    S    S ?

Have you ever felt

as if you just could get comfortable

for just more than a few seconds,

that your life would take on a different

 S       H       A       P       E ?

Easy for what you wish for.        .        .

There’s probably nothing that a Study hasn’t been done.        .        .

EVEN AMOEBA’S.           .           .

A few years back there was a study done by Researchers at the University of California, Berkley.

The Researchers did an experiment that involved

a   l o n e l y   Amoeba

and placing it into a perfectly stress-free environment.       .       .

It was absolutely

P      E      R      F      E      C      T !

Ideal temperature
Optimal concentration of moisture
Constant Food Supply

P        E        R        F        E        C        T !

The Amoeba had an environment where literally,

there were absolutely no adjustments to be made or compensated for whatsoever.

It’s kind of easy to assume, isn’t it,

that this was one happy little  A m o e b a .       .       .

Whatever it is that gives Amoebas ulcers and high blood pressure was gone–

A      B      S      E      N      T

And.         .         .and here comes the funny,

no, the scary part:

I  T      D  I  E  D  !

The study,

which was run over and over again, hypothesized.      .      .

PROVED  apparently there is something about all living creatures,

AMOEBAS included, that demands

C      H      A      L      L      E      N      G      E !

We.        .        .ohhhhhh nooooooooooo,

seemingly require CHANGE.

We require V A R I E T Y.       .       .

Adaptation and Challenge are just as necessary as food and air.

GET THIS:

Comfort all by itself

A Stress-free atmosphere

Total Ideal Conditions over a long,

sustained period of time

are  D   E   A   D   L   Y !

Is   it   true?

Or is it just

Amoeba-related?

Maybe the whole deal of

B       E       I       N       G

thriving,

living creatures

is that we need

Change
Alteration
Variety
Action
Stimulation
Modification

Real, live, day-to-day consequences.             .             .

L I F E.        .        .

We are living,

walking,

breathing

C h e m i s t r y   sets that prove we need

C            H            A            N            G            E

to remain the same to continue to grow under the not-so-noticable Microscope called the World’s eye.

Maybe.      .      .maybe it really is true:

We are quite the

P     R     O     J     E     C     T

(ALWAYS ONGOING.        .        .and THRIVING because of it)

BEWARE OF THE LONELY AMOEBA–

it’s deadly!

Hmmmmmmmm of the Day:

THE   ONLY   THING   CONSTANT   IS   CHANGE

is  actually  a  HEALTHY  THING!

Do  you l ike

C         H         A         N         G        E  ?    

Pssssssst.      .      .

Check yourself–l i t e r a l l y–

even at this very nano-second

you’re changing cell by cell !

Can’t feel a thing, huh.      .      .      ?

or,  c a n    y o u ?

A    R    E        Y   O   U        H   U   N   G   R   Y ?

For what?

Steak?

Potatoes?

Salad?

Broccoli?

Corn?

Mashed Potatoes?

Spanish Rice?

Shrimp and Grits?

Ribs?

Eggs, Bacon and Homefries?

A Grande Breve Latte?

Cake?

Pie?

Sherbert?

Rootbeer Float?

Milkshake?

Cookies?

Candy Bars?

Tic Tac’s?

Gum?

Popcorn?

Well.            .            .

that which feeds you,

r   e   a   l   l   y

r        e        a        l        l       y

feeds you.          .          .

E  A  T       Y  O  U  R       F  I  L  L

Feed the Beast

and  Feed  it often

until you’re slothingly 

F  U  L  L

and.       .       .

don’t go hungry

ever again.        .        .

and more.        .        .

f   e   e   d       a   n   o   t   h   e   r 

and really take care

of the

hunger problem!

Maybe what the world needs now

is just a huge table full of

hungry people

willing to share

t     h     e     i     r           b     e     s     t     s

to   the    left

and   right   of   them

and   not   being   ashamed

to   go   for   the

s    e    c    o    n    d    s

or

t    h    i    r    d    s.        .        .

T   a   b   l   e       U   P

Bon appetit