Chopping wood and carrying water – Debra Mugnani Debra Mugnani Musing on life, singing, and performance Chopping wood and carrying water I’m sipping a cup of candy-cane green tea and listening to Pandora’s holiday channel–a few moments of quiet time, which is quite a rare treat these days. Twinkling petals of early afternoon light dance around my room to the beat of the music. I’m feeling a delicious combination of sentimentality and gratitude. I think I must be having a holiday moment! Why this overall positive outlook? I believe it’s the effect of two filters I’ve chosen to wear over my lenses this year; the “Stay Neutral” and the “Chop Wood Carry Water.” In other phases of my life, some of the events of this year would have had me spinning in panic and caused me immense anxiety. Both of my parents took falls this year, Mom breaking a hip and Dad, a shoulder. I consistently reminded myself to continue to chop wood and carry water and not focus too strongly on either wanting positive outcomes or worrying too much about negative outcomes. In retrospect, although my parents’ injuries were extremely painful and caused them immense inconvenience, the gift of their having had them was that they created opportunities to look at how we children and grandchildren could better support them. I can see now that my parents are both stronger and healthier from the experience. Singing has always been a wonderful refuge for me. Performing is also becoming one. Even though I often feel nervous the day of the performance, I’m always buoyed by the experience of being with all the other performers, interacting with our wonderful audience members and singing from my heart. Performing truly is good medicine! This entry was written by debramugnani, posted on September 4, 2013 at 8:58 pm, filed under life. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Δ About Me Debra Mugnani sings in a style that is both sophisticated and emotionally direct. Her interpretations of the Great American Songbook show a deep love and respect for the material while adding a delightful spark of personality. Debra’s influences are Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McCrae and Morgana King. A native of San Francisco, Debra has also been greatly influenced and inspired by vocalists and vocal instructors she has been fortunate enough to study with; Kitty Margolis, Faith Winthrop, Jesse Foster, Madeline Eastman and Dena De Rose. "There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open." Testimonials "Debra, an enchanting chanteuse, delights audiences with playful and seductive performances of her charming repertoire." -- Bonita and Bill "Savor the sultry fashionings of Debra's jazzy renditions of classic confections."-- Linda "Debra is an amazing vocalist who has a special ability to connect with her audience. She brings passion and a bit of flair to every performance." -- Leslie and Michael. "We enjoyed dinner at the Villa D'Este in San Francisco last night accompanied by a great show. They have a diverse troop with varied talent styles, each a treat. The best way to describe Debra's performance is a true reincarnation of one of my favorite singers, Clara Bow, the IT Girl, characterized as Betty Boop. She hit every note and stayed in perfect character. If you haven't yet, you have to experience this event, held every first Monday of the month at the Villa D'Este, a classic Italian family restaurant." "Debra made Bob Sarlatte's surprise birthday party so wonderful! We all enjoyed her choice of music and songs. She really made the party a special occasion!" --Catherine Sarlatte Facebook Debra Mugnani instagram Twitter Tweets by DebraMugnani Pinterest Sign up for our Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust WordPress | RSS | Temptime