An Abundant Life - I Will Remember This Dream Of Gentleness

When I was preparing to open the new show at YES Gallery, I had originally planned for it to be sometime in late January or early February, but my schedule was so busy during that time and the time just before and after that when I looked at the calendar and thought about what would really give me enough time to enjoy curating and recreating the space and design in the gallery, it seemed that I'd need to wait until least March. I was also waiting to hear from an Artist whose work I had discussed having as the focus for this show, and he was away for a while and when he returned, and with my schedule still very full, it seemed like it would be better to wait until April. 

Around the time that I was trying to plan I heard from one of the Artists who had been visiting the gallery and the events on a regular basis that he had a video installation he was wondering if I'd be interested in viewing. When he described it I thought it would be something that I'd really want to have in the gallery, and when I saw it I knew that I did. It's just the kind of interesting, experimental, unique, fun and also very layered in nuance. When you watch it, if you don't know what you're watching, it can draw you in to try to figure it out and keep you watching and enjoying and thinking.

The same Artist with the video had also said that his girlfriend had a band that would be interested in discussing performing if I had an opening for them, and when I listened to the link he sent me, I said yes immediately. A few months before that an Artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia who is also a Chef had contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in showing his work at the gallery, and when I saw his work I said yes immediately to that too. When I mentioned that Artist and his work to Chef Seadon Shouse at Halifax Restaurant in Hoboken, he offered to attend and bring some boards of his wonderful Artisanal Charcuterie with him. The Artist who I had been waiting to hear from originally did not get his work to me in time for April, but with all of these wonderful people who were appearing and bringing so many gifts and blessings of their beautiful and inspiring work, the gallery was going to be filled to overflowing with beautiful and special new things to enjoy.

As I began to curate, I decided to give Alberte Bernier the focus this time around. I had been wanting to do that for some time, and with the season beginning to get warmer and the opening being moved until late April, it seemed the perfect time to have her vibrantly colored pieces in the windows and sprinkled throughout the gallery in prominent places. The name of the show as always is from one of my own poems, this one from a piece that I had written a number of years ago that I started reworking in December. It had originally been a love poem, and as I reworked it the love of life, as my Grandmother would say, began to shine through instead along with the faith that brings a deeper feeling of love and peace that is lasting. Originally titled "You" the title is now "In Your Presence" and the poem itself is this:

"I will remember this dream of gentleness

When the day comes on full and rushes in

You're here with me now and will be again

When I wake up

Your touch and your breath

Give life

And I am completed

And I have found peace

Here with you"

"I Will Remember This Dream Of Gentleness"

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

 

An Abundant Life - New In The Neighborhood

For the past few months I've been walking by a space where a restaurant was being created. I'd see people going in and out on occasion, and as it got closer to the opening, sometimes I'd see people having a private party inside. The windows were always covered and the shades were always drawn, but when I could see glimpses through the door it looked as if whoever was designing this restaurant was doing it with such wonderful care. There were notes that said "Coming Soon!" and a sign that said "La Milpa Taqueria Authentic Mexican Cuisine" and little by little as the decorations and design became more visible I could see Mexican art and decorative pieces, and a beautiful, large back yard.

I love Mexican food, and I was so excited to see this restaurant on the way where I walk almost every day. Every time I walked by I'd look to see if there were signs that it was ready to open, and then just this past Friday I saw someone standing outside giving directions to people who were setting up signs and balloons, and I stopped and said how happy I was that they were opening. He told me that they'd be having their soft opening that night after 5pm, and I said I'd stop by on my way back that evening which I did, but I had a very busy and long day so I arrived around 7pm. When I walked in there was a Mariachi Band playing and people enjoying what smelled like really wonderful food. I walked up to the counter and the very nice and friendly young man there told me that unfortunately they had run out of food already. Although I wished I had a chance to get there earlier, I was so happy for them. It seems as if I'm not the only one who had been watching to see when they would open. When I walked by again on Saturday evening the place was full of happy diners, so it seems as if this wonderful place is already very welcomed in the neighborhood.

My schedule is a very busy one these days, but I'm going to find the time to walk in that door and try all kinds of wonderful things. It's such a beautiful place and everything I see about it is something that is welcoming and excellent, so I'm looking forward to visiting often.

La Milpa Taqueria

45 Franklin Street

Jersey City, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Face Forward

I've written about my adventures at Chanel Beauty at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City before, and there is such a long and beautiful history that I've had at that store and at others over many years that I've shared. For anyone who is new to my experiences with Chanel, I'll say a few things now just to give a taste of why, even though I more often choose to write about smaller businesses and people and Artists and Designers who are not big name brands, I am loyal to Chanel and love to write about the times I am blessed to visit and the people I meet there.

When I was a teenager and into my early college years, one of my first grown up jobs was working at Lord & Taylor in Boston during summer vacations and holidays. On quieter days and when I had my break time, the people who worked in the makeup and beauty area were always so friendly and willing to let me try on different things, sometimes giving me a makeover if we all had the time at the same time. Everyone was wonderful, but my favorite people and products were at the Chanel counter, and because I grew up with a Mother who loved Chanel No. 5, when I started noticing that the products not only were beautifully packaged, but they also did not bother my skin or my eyes at all and they were really things that made me feel special and beautiful when I wore them, I asked if my Mother could come and visit one day too. We both had sensitive skin, and very often things I liked would bother me in some way, and Chanel was the one product that didn't bother me at all. It was just pure joy to wear it. 

This most recent visit to Chanel Beauty at Saks in New York was to meet with the National Skincare Specialist, Laura, and it was with so much gratitude for the invitation from Alicia who made the reservation for me for a Friday afternoon at 4pm. My schedule has been a very busy one for some time now, and there have been some things I've needed to focus on that have been taking so much of my physical and brain power that taking a vacation, though needed, hasn't been possible. I had been feeling somewhat worn out with everything and the weather, though warmer at times, has been on and off colder and rainy which has made everything else I am doing a bit more difficult. When I heard about the skin care event, it was described as a treat, and it sounded like just what I needed.

Laura was such a delight, and our time together was so relaxing and enjoyable. She not only described the products in such wonderful detail, but she gave me so many new tips and such excellent information about everything that I feel much more knowledgable and capable of taking good care of my skin and myself. Self care is such a catch phrase these days, but it is very important, and especially so when we have so much that we need to do and focus on. Being able to have the time I shared with Laura was a blessing, and it is one that will keep on helping me treat myself with good care. When we look good we feel good, but the same is also true in reverse. When we feel good we look good and when we are cared for and we give ourselves the care that we need, that helps us feel the best we can be.

A Visit To Chanel Beauty

At Saks Fifth Avenue

New York City

With So Much Gratitude To Alicia

For The Invitation

And To Laura And All The Staff 

For Such A Very Beautiful And Very Special Afternoon

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Reading Games

When YES Gallery first opened, I was given some really wonderful help from someone who works at the grocery store that is just around the corner. I was trying to figure out how to get ice and sparkling water and sparkling wine to the gallery on time and in as few trips as possible, and he made some logistical and timing suggestions and other recommendations that made it possible for everything to run smoothly. When I asked his name he said it was Gabriel, and over time as I got to know him more I found out that his last name is Schlegel, that he is a student and he is a writer, that he makes films and videos, and he is a computer programmer too. I've also discovered that he is well liked and admired by his friends and co-workers, and that he is such a reliable and great help to so many people that I'm not the only one who is grateful and blessed to know him.

Just before Easter I saw that he had published a novel titled Shadowbeam and that it was available on Amazon. He had told me that it would be happening at some point soon and that it was something he'd been working on for many years. As soon as I received the information through his post on Instagram, I posted about it too, and I also went right to the link to purchase it. As I've written in these pages before, I am the kind of person who likes to read actual books, so when I ordered it I ordered it in paperback, but it is also available on Kindle.

I received a message about my order right away, saying it would be arriving on Saturday, then I received another message that said it would arrive on Friday, but then on Friday I received another message that said it was delayed and would be arriving on Monday. I had been looking forward to reading it, but I know these things sometimes happen, and then very late in the evening the Superintendent of my building sent me a message that there was a package that had been delivered for me in the hallway and I was delighted to see that it was Gabriel's novel.

When I first started reading about it in Gabriel's posts, I knew it would be something wonderful, and as I began looking it over when it arrived on the evening of Good Friday, everything about it seemed like something that was going to be a book that I would truly enjoy reading. I love to read, and always have, but sometimes some books just don't keep me interested past the first few pages. I don't know quite what it is, sometimes it's the style of writing, sometimes the content, but when I find a book that has just the right whatever combination of things it's hard for me to put it down.

Gabriel's book is one of those that once I started it I wished I had all day to read. As it is my schedule is so busy and there are some things I've really needed to focus on, but because of the quality of the writing and the content, I went out of my way to find the time to read his engaging and excellent novel. In his introduction he describes it as semi autobiographical, and as I read it I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of being inside the thinking brain of a young man who tells us right at the beginning that he's an over thinker. With chapters titled Thought Number 1, Thought Number 2 etc., interspersed with flashbacks and other meaningful interludes that add even more depth to what is already so layered and interesting, I found it so enjoyable to experience his day to day and moment to moment experiences as he thinks and sees and experiences them.

The writing itself is highly skilled while feeling so natural that it flows smoothly, with a very unique voice that is like nothing that I've read before. It's an excellent read that drew me in to keep reading in the way that only the best writing can, looking forward to what is happening next while enjoying what I'm reading in the present. A large part of the novel discusses the game of Tetris, something that I know very little about but that certain key characters are avid players of, and there is something so engaging about the way Gabriel describes the game and the way the characters interact with it and with each other that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about and learning about a game that I otherwise would not have any real knowledge of.

Shadowbeam is one of those novels that kept me turning the pages and wanting to continue reading, even when I knew I needed to stop and go about the other things in my life. It's such a wonderful read and the characters and story line are so interesting that I was taken into a world completely new and so much fun to lose myself in. There are also some aspects to Gabriel's story that are philosophically wise and encouraging. The tag line is "Let things fall into place," which reflects an aspect of the game of Tetris but also is something a friend of the main character says to him in an effort to help him stop overthinking and relax and accept the flow of life more, as an encouragement to accept the idea that not everything can be in his control and that's ok. That's a message I need to hear and one that is so well shared in Gabriel's language and in his story, and it made it possible for me to enjoy the opportunity to learn it for myself as I learn more about Gabriel and the game of life.

Shadowbeam

By Gabriel Schlegel

www.amazon.com/Shadowbeam-TalesofJamesville-Gabriel-Schlegel 

A View Of This Wonderful Novel At Home

And At YES Gallery

Blessings,

Jannie Susan