I woke up this morning “on the wrong side of the bed.”  (It’s likely the divorce I’m going through).  Sometimes I turn to music to help me process the emotions I’m feeling.  The word “emotion” comes from “emote,” which is about being in motion. I believe that feelings are meant to be felt, to be processed, which creates movement and allows them to move in and through our system. What I want to avoid is getting feelings stuck.  Or repressing what is meant to be felt. Since I’m on an inner journey to uncover repressed emotions and better understand myself, I’ll use whatever tools I find helpful.  Even if that means singing off-tune (loudly) in public.  Are your ears ready? In the spiritual growth world, we talk about the Negative words that are to be avoided. We say, “Don’t focus on what you DON’T want.” (Focus on what you DO want). However, I believe that it is important to understand and feel the entire spectrum of emotions, from “bad” to good, to be able to appreciate the difference. I mention a kids’ book about a little girl who loves pink, but after her world turns to ALL PINK ALL THE TIME, she stops appreciating pink the way she used to. It is an analogy for how we can’t expect to be happy all the time, or “happy” just doesn’t feel the same.  For today’s show, I drive the mantras based on No, Never, and Not but also songs with messages. I look forward to your comments! Midwest Mantra #1: Say “No” to a World that Makes You Sad.   Musical inspiration: Pop Life (Prince).  It sounds like Prince is asking us to say no to: -poverty -lack of generosity -not appreciating each other -jealousy -hierarchy -fake appearances -lack of access to healthcare and education -addiction -thirst -being boring  Midwest Mantra #2: Never Be Out of Love. Musical inspiration: All Out of Love (Air Supply).  I spoke in episode 123 about creating good boundaries to help you manage the amount of pain you can handle in a single day, week, month, or year (or lifetime). Sometimes, per Bob Newhart’s sketch on SNL, we need to just “Stop it!”  Midwest Mantra #3: Not so much talking. Menos palabras? Musical inspiration: Poor Unfortunate Souls (From Disney’s The Little Mermaid).  Bonus inspiration: Whip it (Devo) What I believe we need is heartfelt listening and clear communication about our needs.   Can we do that? Shall we sing more? Would you like to comment? What are YOUR needs (and do you communicate them?). Thanks for listening. Kathryn PS. I was enjoying Hint water during the recording. I highly recommend Kara Goldin’s book, Undaunted.