Kimestry

Last night I went to a good old-fashioned house party. You know, the kind where the front windows get all steamed up from the heat of the bodies pressed close together in the living room. I went to junior high with the dj, so as a contemporary of mine he played much old-school music. I danced the perm out of my hair! At one point during the night, the dj said "some of you are going to be sore tomorrow." I laughed in acknowledgement of the fact that there may have been some people at the party who felt like they are getting older and can't move their bodies like they used to without paying for it the next day. I however, am proudly "youthing". When I dance, I am out of time and space. My spirit is free and I feel sexy and happy. I don't think about what bills need to be paid or who hasn't behaved the way I would've liked them to. I dance the dance of life. With 2009 rapidly approaching, I invite you to shed your notions of limitation. We are not too o...

This week I was asked to contribute to the creation of an altar representing release. I struggled with what to bring. Then I remembered a God jar I'd created. Two years ago, I was taking a spiritual course and learned about a ritual of using a jar to release any problems that I was facing to God. So I created a God jar, wrote all my problems on Post It notes and sealed them in the plastic jar. On top of the lid, I attached another Post It note which read something like, "These problems are being handled by God. My highest good is done now." I did not stop thinking about those problems right away; however, two years later I can honestly say that I do not remember the problems that seemed so overwhelming that I chose to give them to God by placing them in that jar. That is grace. Have I been tempted to open the jar and take a peek? Yes! Of course! I even imagined that someday I'd add more worries to the jar at some point. Yet, somehow I've come to think of that j...

I now understand tears of joy. Barack Obama is the forty fourth president of the United States of America. I am dancing with my ancestors.

Ojai, California has many treasures: sunset and the pink moment over the Topa Topa Mountains, Meditation Mount, the Arcade, Bart's Books, and more. There is no treasure so great, however, as Finnish artist Otto Heino. When Pablo Picasso went looking for the greatest ceramic artists in the world, he found Otto. At ninety four, Otto still works fifteen hour days and sleeps only four hours per night. This summer when I met Otto at his home and studio, he shared that he wakes every day at four. I couldn't help thinking of George Washington Carver, who awoke every day at four, went out into nature, and had a talk with God. I wondered if all creative souls got their inspiration at four in the morning. Otto's bright eyes twinkled as he described clients who have flown in from Texas to purchase plates he created valued at twenty thousand dollars each. He smiled and his voice showed that even he is astounded that people pay so much money for a plate. Otto's work is so valuable b...

As I looked up at the large video screens in Bovard Auditorium, I saw Archbishop Desmond TuTu dancing to the song that we were singing, "We Let It Be". I was on stage singing with the Agape International Choir and Archbishop Tutu was dancing in the aisle. The last time I'd seen him I was in college when he came to speak at Stanford University. I remember being inspired by him then and nearly twenty years later, I was still inspired by his simple presence of love and wisdom. Before the performance, a few members of the choir had ventured onto the USC campus in search of sustenance. As we exited Bovard Auditorium, Archbishop Tutu was exiting his motorcade. He stopped and bowed to us and we bowed to him. That spiritual sustenance was given to us by him and when we sang, we sent it back to all within the sound of our voices and beyond. The occasion of our performance was the Freedom Awards sponsored by Free the Slaves. This notable organization was created with the goal of fr...

I closed my eyes and tried to tune in to where my card might be. I saw the drawer in my bedside table. I looked there, no luck. I looked in every drawer in my room, the kitchen, and even my closet with no luck. Then I remembered that I could communicate with God any time and ask for divine guidance. I remembered that there is a part of me which is God that knows full well exactly where my card was. After weeks of studying the teachings of Abraham Hicks, I was tuned in and feeling connected to God. I reached for an improved feeling, using my emotional guidance system, closed my eyes and said, "God, please help me find my library card." The next day I went to the library to see if a book I had ordered was in yet. As I walked toward the entrance, passing the beautiful Japanese Garden out front, I started rehearsing my excuse in my head. For the past five months, I've been going to the library and telling them that I left my card at home by accident because I didn't want ...

"Is that what you're wearing?" The production assistant sporting low-rise jeans and a walkie talkie asked our group as we stood in line in the hot sun waiting for the call back auditions to begin. "Yes", we replied confidently. Then Angela, Sheila, and I shrugged our shoulders at one another in confusion. The previous day at the first audition, we were told to return for the call back wearing the same outfits. As parents dropped off singing groups in mini vans, we stood in line surrounded by boy and girl bands wearing retro 80's gear. I smirked when I noted the boy band in front of us had vertical lines shaved into their eyebrows and were wearing graffiti t-shirts. I was actually around the first time this look was fashionable. The Filipino boy band behind us harmonized to a Boys to Men tune for their warm-up. They were from Oakland, drinking designer coffee, and sounding good. Angela opened her umbrella to protect her fair skin from the sun, while Sheila an...

The important thing about chocolate Is that it tastes soooooo good! It’s like heaven resting on your tongue You can bite it You can let it melt in your mouth It isn’t sour It is sweet And it makes me happy. But the important thing about chocolate is that it tastes soooooo good. The important thing about music is that You can dance to it. You can’t sit still But you can tap your feet And wiggle your bottom And move your head But the important thing about music Is that you can dance to it. The important thing about family Is that you can rely on them You can laugh with them And you can cry with them And it’s fun to tell family stories But the important thing about family Is that you can rely on them.

"Kim. What part do you sing in the choir?" It was a simple question asked in the women's locker room of the gym on a Monday morning. Yet, somehow my intuition could feel an adventure brewing by the tone of Angela's voice when she said my name. A few seconds later, I had agreed to help her with a singing audition on Friday. Wednesday, Angela, Sheila and I rehearsed for the audition. As we ended the rehearsal with string cheese and fruit as a snack, Sheila and I asked Angela to tell us more about the audition. That's when things took an interesting turn. We weren't just helping Angela with her audition, we were auditioning for a cable network reality show! And we were doing this after forming a trio two days before the audition and with only two hours of rehearsal. As we had no time, we decided to adopt the k.i.s.s. system--keep it simple sweetie. We planned to wear black bottoms and colorful tops on Friday. When we arrived for the audition on Friday at Smashbox...

Last year I was faced with a "say no situation". I was working full time, but my job was not being funded for the next year. I could choose to interview for a full time position in a context that didn't appeal to me or I could accept a part time job which required no interview and involved work I knew I'd love. In addition, the part time job was a step down from the position I had. I chose to accept the part time job. My mom, who is the most supportive person in my world, questioned my decision. She didn't see the wisdom in trading a full time job for a part time one. "How will you pay your bills?", she asked. I'd asked myself the same question. My intuition told me to take the part time job, but just to be sure I consulted my body as well. I sat in meditation, closed my eyes, and said aloud "I have accepted the full time job." I noted that my stomach juices started gurgling. Then I said, "I have not accepted the full time job" an...

"Squirrel, move! Move, Squirrel!" I was out for a walk in the neighborhood. I have a gym membership, but sometimes I just like to walk outdoors and look at the trees, people, and dogs. As I walked down my block at a brisk pace, I happened upon a woman staring down a squirrel. The woman carried a drink cup from a fast food restaurant and was intent on going through a metal gate to enter a building complex. The problem was that there was a squirrel already perched on top of the metal gate, minding its own business, and enjoying a meal. The woman stared him down in frustration and kept repeating, "Move, squirrel." She could not continue on with her day, with her plans, until this squirrel got out of her way. She was stuck there, immobile, until the situation changed and she had no control over when or if that would happen. I was reminded of how often I face situations and demand that they change before I can proceed. How many times have I "stared down a squirrel...

I heard computer keys clicking when fingernails typed on them. The woman next to me spoke exceedingly loudly on her cell phone as she made her power entertainment deals at 9am. "I can offer you five hundred per day", she told the person at the other end of the line. A man walked up to her and said, "Could you stop talking so loud? I'm trying to read. This isn't a phone booth." She replied, "This isn't a library either." As the gentleman walked away, she looked at me and asked, "am I really loud?" I nodded my head and grinned. She responded by speaking more softly. No, this was not the library and not a phone booth; this was the jury assembly room. It was cold, boring and I felt as if I'd developed ADD within the first two hours of being there. I'd already read half of Barbara Walter's autobiography while laying on my back at the window wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare. My trusty jacked served as a pillo...

I sat on top of a speaker at Zanzibar and felt the afro funke beats vibrate my legs as they swung freely. My friend Cat danced with vigor as the song transitioned into samba. A medium-built Latino male with an Elvis Presley hairdo approached me and leaned against the wall above where I was seated. We chatted and he asked me what I was drinking. I’d had a glass of wine with Cat earlier, but I was not planning to drink any more that night. Plus, Momma always told me to be careful about letting strangers buy me drinks, so I declined his generous offer. Somehow, we got on the subject of hair. He told me that he was growing his hair out so that he could have it braided into corn rows. As Cat returned from the dance floor and sat next to me, he pulled out his phone to show us a picture of how he looked with corn rows. It looked much better than the Elvis Presley ‘do to say the least! Cat demurred as she pointed to the picture of Julio in corn rows, “you should wear your hear like that again....

I remember singing lead on "Walkin in the Rain With the One I love" On stage with my friends When I was four I remember I only knew the chorus I remember being five years old and telling Mrs. Waters That I was going to marry her son I was only in kindergarten But hey, I thought she should know. I remember wanting to love someone Like Marcia loved Davy Jones. I remember meeting my very first Boyfriend At a pajama party The night I had my first car accident I remember I was eighteen and college bound. He was dyslexic And two grades behind me And I loved him More than Marcia loved Davy Jones. I remember seeing Prince in concert For the very first time. I remember a girl Screaming uncontrollably And realizing with Horror That the sound was coming From me. I remember that I'd just turned eighteen and had seen Purple Rain About thirteen times. I remember dancing to Prince tunes at college parties in the suites Until the walls sweated And blue jean prints stained the paint. I re...

"I'll think about it." For some people this means maybe, but for my cousin this means no. That is what she said when I invited her to go see the Spinners in concert. I asked a few more friends, but even my mother was not interested. Mom did however, give me a good lead on a potential concert companion--her older sister, my aunt. I found out where my aunt's seats were and secured a seat right behind her. It seemed that as soon as I decided to see the concert, songs I rarely hear by the Spinners kept popping up on the radio all the time. "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "Working My Way Back To You" took me back to summertime in the 70's when I was just a child enjoying a play date in my cousin's garage. On concert night, I stood in the admittance line at El Camino College and spotted my Auntie B three parties ahead of me wearing an all-white jean outfit. Once inside, she spotted her ex-husband and his wife while I cruised down to row...

Recently I was at the supermarket waiting in line and the man in front of me received a ten dollars off coupon for his next shopping trip. The cashier reminded him to keep it in his wallet so that he wouldn't forget it. The man being offered the coupon recognized that he would not remember to bring the coupon, so he turned and handed it to me to use for my shopping order. I was grateful and said thank you, but when the cashier asked if I wanted to return the favor and contribute one dollar to Easter Seals, I said "no, thank you.' Later I reflected on that knee jerk response to saying no when asked to contribute something. It was an automatic response. I did not think about it. If I had thought about it, I would have realized that there was a spiritual principle in action right in that moment. I had an opportunity to give back exactly ten percent of what the universe had just given to me. One dollar given for ten dollars received as a gift. The universe or God is always at...

I was enjoying a power walk by the beach on a sunny day. Listening to the ocean and feeling the sun on my face calmed me and made me feel connected. I noticed that as I approached the man walking in front of me, he increased his pace so that I could not pass him. This happened at least two more times; when I increased my pace, so did he. This man, who was bent over by age, seemed not to want me to get by him. The strand was wide enough that I could easily pass him if I wanted to, but I was not in a competitive space. I was walking for exercise and for peace of mind. So I decided to let the man walk just ahead of me and I did not attempt to pass him. He was going at a good clip anyway, so I thought he could be my pace setter. When we approached a stairwell, he had to slow down and hold the railing so I ended up passing him. He said, "young, young, young. Do you realize you are fighting an eighty year old man?" I explained to him that I was not racing, I was just walking. He to...

The other day I was in my hallway looking through a box I'd placed near the front door. The light was already on, but it was dark. In an attempt to get more light, I flipped the light switch and turned the light off completely. I looked up and noted that all four bulbs on the lamp nearest me were burned out which left me with only the light from further down the hall to see by. It struck me that there might be other times when I'm attempting to extract more light from a burned-out bulb. What thought forms (bulbs) might I need to replace in order to manifest my true desires(more light)? The light switch on the wall was working. That energy source was available to me in that moment, but I could not access it because the consciousness with which I was operating was not in alignment with what I needed to create more light in my life. In any area of your life where things that you desire are not showing up, change the consciousness with which you approach that challenge you are faci...

Recently I took a trip with a group of people on The Ocean of Gratitude Cruise. I focused on being grateful for all that I have and all that God has provided in terms of resources, people, and things. What is miraculous about gratitude is that focusing on it puts all else in order. Before I left on the trip, I was worried about my financial dealings. I have a contract that I've been working since September that had not been approved and thus I wasn't receiving the pay that I should. While I was gone, rather than focusing on what I was worried about, I focused on what I was grateful for. Miraculously, the contract that has been on hold for months was approved. Things that were "stuck" got unstuck by focusing on what I want to expand rather than focusing on what wasn't going the way I thought it should in my life. Take some time to be grateful for what you have. It may not be exactly what you want, but see the good in it. Like energies attract one another. Focusing ...

What is the furthest you've ever walked? You missed the last bus or train so you had to walk two miles? Twelve? Imagine walking from Mississippi to California. Imagine doing so behind three hundred wagons, choking on dust all the way. Oh yes, and you're a slave. This is the story of Biddy Mason, a woman who transformed her life from slave to landowner. Along the way, she fed the less fortunate and established the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles in her living room. In the Bunker Hill area of downtown Los Angeles, there is a Biddy Mason Monument. It is nestled behind several stores and fast food restaurants, so you could easily miss it if you didn't know it was there. Much like the history of Blacks in Los Angeles, you have to desire to find it. Saturday, I spent the day on a yellow school bus, not the short one, on the Black Heritage Tour sponsored by the Consolidated Realty Board of Los Angeles and Our Authors Study Club. Los Angeles is my birth plac...

According to the film The Secret, the Law of Attraction has three steps: ask, believe, and receive. The receiving step involves feeling the feelings of the things we want to attract into our lives. On March 15, I will be holding a creative playshop,"Acting the Law of Attraction", to give you the opportunity to feel the feelings of what you want to attract through acting exercises and play. No prior acting experience is necessary. Join me and make your New Year's intentions reality. For more information, click on 'view my complete profile' and send an email.

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday. I am proud to share a birthday with Muhammad Ali, Jim Carrey, Eartha Kitt, and Ben Franklin. This year was a low-key celebration as it wasn't one of those big years--not 21, 30, 40 or 50. I enjoyed happy hour with some friends and consumed approximately my body weight in food, pina coladas and cake. What I did see so powerfully is that I am blessed to have people around me who are willing to celebrate my life year after year. They show up, they call and sing, they email and they find ways to send their love. So in honor of my family and friends I'd just like to thank God for another year of life, of perfect health, of prosperity, and love. May I grow more grateful and thankful with each passing moment. May I share my time, talents, and gifts with others. May I become more of myself as God every day and may I inspire others to do the same. And so it is.

LA People do not go out when it rains. We think it will make us melt. We hibernate like bears until the water stops falling and then go to the store to stock up on food items whenever there is a break in the rain. In spite of this, I decided to go to a surprise party for a friend, in the rain, over the weekend. As I was putting on my little black dress, my friend Alma called me to see if we were still going to the party. After all, it was raining. After I assured her that I would be picking her up at the appointed hour and that we would'nt melt, I grabbed my umbrella and headed out to pick up our other friend Penelope. She got into my car sporting a shower cap, an umbrella, and knee high boots. She was ready. Once we scooped up Alma, we headed through several intersections, manned by traffic cops, as the wind and rain had caused the electricity to go out on several blocks. We pulled up to the valet and I was the only one not wearing knee-high boots, my nylon-clad feet immediately ...

Have you set your new year's intentions or have you already broken your resolutions? Here's a poem by Rumi that reminds us all of limitless possibility. Fly... Why does the soul not fly when it hears the call? Why does a fish, gasping on land, but near the water, not move back into the sea? What keeps us from joining the dance the dust particles do? Look at their subtle motions in sunlight. We are out of our cages with our wings spread, yet we do not lift off. We keep collecting rocks and broken bits of pottery like children pretending they are merchants. We should split the sack of this culture and stick our heads out. Look around. Leave your childhood. Reach your right hand up and take this book from this air. You do know right from left, don't you? A voice speaks to your clarity. Move into the moment of your death. Consider what you truly want. Now call out commands yourself. You are the king. Phrase your question, and expect the grace of an answer. ~Rumi