Author: Katherine Tandy Brown

‘Tis the season once again for holiday cheer, scrumptious kitchen aromas, flickering menorahs, evergreen trees loaded with twinkling lights and candy canes, families coming together, African objects of art for Kwanzaa, hot chocolate with marshmallows melted on top, carols sung in chilly evening air that captures one’s breath, and…presents.

Beaufort first “spoke” to me as a destination I just might want to come home to one day when I arrived in her bay in 1999 as first mate on a sweet, lovingly restored, 1974 Jensen sailboat. Such an abundance of water I’d never experienced – tidal creeks, inlets, sounds, the river…yea, the Intracoastal itself…and the Atlantic Ocean, for heavens sakes – all reflected daily sunlight and opal clouds scuttling across a crystalline blue sky.

When I was 13, I watched my first Winter Olympics in glorious black-and-white. I marveled at meticulously-executed spins and glides as Carol Heiss nabbed the gold medal in women’s figure skating. Her performance was flawless, as were those of many athletes competing in Squaw Valley. But the ski jumpers had me spellbound.

Time was when the words to a country song entitled “Get Along” might be followed by “little dogie,” sung by the likes of Tex Ritter or Sons of the Pioneers, romanticizing cowboys of the Old West. Now Kenney Chesney, with more than 30 million albums sold worldwide under his belt, has broached a very different and timely subject in his recent release of that title.

As you may remember, the goal of Wholly Holistics is to offer insights into life from alternative points of view. In keeping with that focus, today we’ll travel back in time – way back, 3,000 years – to ancient, exotic India to explore one of the world’s oldest holistic (whole body) healing systems, Ayurveda.

You’ve probably heard the expression, “You don’t put bad gas in a car.” You may have even had the “bad gas” or even the “water in the tank” experience. Suddenly, the ol’ vehicle has issues with acceleration and hesitation. Maybe even a splutter or two.

One reason the music of James Taylor has had such staying power is that he tells stories with universal themes. “JT” – to those of us who grew up singing along with his gorgeous harmonies – sings of life’s rhythms, its ups and downs. “When this old world starts getting you down….” What a concept that even a famous musician might have those “off” days, but of course he does. We all do.

In 1968 young ‘Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards penned what eventually became Rolling Stone magazine’s 100th greatest song of all times, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” But thanks to the power of manifesting, maybe you can, as long as you embrace what the other half of the British Invasion assured, “All you need is love.”

You’re likely familiar with the quote: “Music has charms to soothe a savage beast.” Shakespeare, right? Wrong! Fellow English poet and playwright William Congreve actually said that. But no matter, for nothing has changed in the ensuing years. There’s still no shortage of beasts to soothe, be they real or imagined. Though your chances of facing a fire-breathing dragon are slim, thank goodness, if a situation or emotion feels real, it’s definitely in the “beast” category. And music can be your knight in shining armor.

As February 14th rolls around again, it seems a given to chat about Valentine’€™s Day. Well, sort of. I’€™ll start with the day of hearts and flowers and segue into what’€™s meant to be a slice of practical offering that just might take an edge off the crazy energy of these times.