Underneath the Sunbeams

This week, we're celebrating our selves, and with support from two of the most influential writers in my life these days. 

Hi! I think I’m sometimes guilty of taking myself for granted. Do you know what I mean? When you’re with this being that you’re so used to 24/7, it can be easy to overlook the things that might be seen as valuable to others. My attempt, with this week’s episode is to see what things about myself I overlook, and much more than that—maybe a form of celebrating being alive, by acknowledging these things?  

I even invite you to create a list, as I write mine, of your best/favorite atributes. 

BUT, not without the support of writing from (the) Jenny Slate and her amazing memoir “Little Weirds,” which is in so many ways a celebration of her aliveness, including the complexities of human existence. She hardly leaves anything out. Lain across the table (or the pages) are her quarks, joys, insecurities, deep reflections, explorations of her own loneliness, and other things that, honey, you’d have to read for yourself to feel the vastness of. Plus, there’s no way I could acknowledge the self without help from “Master of Me” by Keke Palmer.

We might just relate on some of these things. 

What can be found within the depths of stillness, and why doesn't it seem like an accessible pursuit (sometimes)? Join me as I recollect the reimbursements stillness has given me at the least expected times. 

Do you find it easy, difficult, or somewhere in between, to snatch moments of stillness for yourself? How do you recollect the pieces that make you who and what you are, as maybe a working class person, a performing artist, a friend, or all of the above? 

This episode of Underneath the Sunbeams is named after "Still," a piano song by Ann Sweeten. 

This episode of Underneath the Sunbeams is an exploration and honoring of vulnerability. Have you ever heard the song 'Heartstrings' by Leighton Meester? A Fall season's classic. As I listened to the pop beat this time in my life, I felt something deeply resonant in the lyrics of the song. It made me think of what it really means to tie ones own heartstrings. 

This week, I comb through the meaning in being a deep feeler, and what it means to evolve and do life after having experiences that might make a person want to close themself off from any potential harm--plus what beauty might be missed in the process. So much of Underneath the Sunbeams is about what special things can happen when we remain open, and so, how do we in a world filled with reasons not to? From my heart, to yours, let’s see. 

Let’s clear the air with a loved film. This week, I’m joined by two people I adore, music industry professionals/artists Shadiyah Jai and Morgan Moxie as we return to the world of Disney and 

This musical adventure through Barcelona does not fail to ignite the inner flame and spark a smile on our faces, and I’m sure you can relate. It’s a reminder that representation is vital, and that the impossible is definitely possible. 

With destiny at play, how strong is the power of friendship? Can The Cheetah Girls withstand new tests thrown their way? 

As always, my loves, this is NOT a spoiler free experience. So, if you need a refresher, or you haven’t seen this film, go immerse yourself into it before you sit down with us.

Children's book creators have a way of reshaping, and reframing our worlds with the best of intentions, and I have found that my love for children's books has not died, at all. If anything, it has grown. This week, I'd love to share with you five of my favorite children's books, what they each mean to me, and what they each provide me with/how these stories and images help reshape and restore my perspective. As an adult, these stories have a way of reminding me of what is possible, and that persistence is sometimes less about grit and more about softness.

From stories about playing dress-up, a river adventure, community gardening, and lost space ships, I hope that by listening to me describe the cadences of these books you can feel some of what I feel while taking in these bright symbolic adventures.

Library: 

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

There Must Be More Than That by Shinsuke Yoshitake

River by Elisha Cooper

Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman & Christian Robinson

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

Bonus:

It's So Quiet by Sherri Dusky Rinker & Tony Fucile 

What are side effects and symptoms of Codependency? This Week on UTSB, we're combing through my history with Codependency (to a point) as I identify, openly, some of its roots, with the help of memory and scenarios that have served as lessons learned. If you're someone who is in process of redeveloping your own voice and may be trying to prevent yourself from getting lost in dynamics and people pleasing habits, sit in with me as I take this walk. These findings, for me, can apply to familial relationships, romantic, even environment and institutionally. 

Music, nature, fashion, reading, dancing, and adventure are all vital pieces of my identity. How do you connect with yourself apart from your assumed relationship to the world based off of your appearance? I've been needing to return to this place, and funny enough, I recently found a 'Self care Recipe Card' I'd once written three years ago, and felt led into an inner experience that speaks higher volume than who I appear to be on the outside.

With references from "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" (both the song by Docheii, and the book by Barbara Park), "Little Weirds" by Jenny Slate, "The Book of Delights" by Ross Gay, and notes from Stevie Wonder, this week is a dive into the parts of our identities that do not have much to do with race, sexuality, or class, but simple personal interests that help us make up our lives as we go. 

This week’s episode of UTSB is an entryway into Spring, its complexities, and how it invites change. While appreciating the vibrant blooms, we’re also looking at the turmoil that had to take place in order for Spring to arrive—this equates to change within the body, life changes, and how change impacts personality and identity. 

Walk, sit back, grab a snack. There’s poetry, old memories of Spring, hopes, and even a steer off into faith (and what it means to develop one’s own healthy God concept) that somehow tied into this week’s episode. This stemmed from recently watching the well-known film 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret,' starring Racheal McAdams. 

NOTE: This episode of UTSB was filmed three months ago and serves as a chance to reconcile with times in life where things do not go as you imagine, but as it should. At the time, I was reading "Gather Together in My Name" by Maya Angelou, and felt so connected to her relationship to her dreams, and how the happenings in her life had brought her discouragement. I was in awe of the way she described this chunk of her life, and let it be the driving force of this episode. Following, I read an old interview of Josephine Baker recalling her time touring and was inspired by the way she described an intrusive rainstorm as a bath!

Anyone with the gift of dreaming and vision understands how it feels when things transpire in ways out of your control, and this week is all about how Maya Angelou's story inspired me to keep on through discouragement. This process is still in motion today, and the episode speaks for my today in many ways. 

If you have something that you see for yourself, some positive things that feel on the brink, yet so far away, and your reality doesn't reflect it yet, please take a moment to listen to this. It could be a positive experience for you. 

This week's episode is a "cross-over" with my web series, A little for the World, which is a series of virtual conversations between myself and fellow bipoc artists. This week, I got to speak to Shadiyah Jai, a music pedagogy, vocal coach, singer-songwriter, and vocalist of Letters from the Basement, a band based in Georgia that exceeds the containers of genres. 

This hour of moments touches my heart in such a profound way, and is very inspiring to me. I hope you enjoy!