Everything Can Change in a New York Minute

Hello and thank you for supporting my newsletter. This is my first weekly newsletter. I was writing three articles a week, but I decided to change things up a bit because writing three days a week is a lot of work, and everyone is busy enough. Me, too! My new format will be posted on Tuesday evening on my social media platforms and for my subscribers, you will receive it early on Wednesday morning in your email. I will have three sections in my weekly newsletter: my featured article, my pick of the week that features a favorite spot or event, and a song that reflects my article. Some of you know that I am passionate about all things Italian, so I will add some words or phrases in Italian, too. Capito? That's understand? in Italian. I will also keep a calendar of events around Long Island that include music, street fairs, and more! If you haven't subscribed, please do so. If you want, you can also make one-time donation or a recurring donation. You can also advertise here on my feed. Email me at christineskylark@aol.com if you have any questions. Thank you for your love and support. Andiamo! Let's go!

SKYLARK’S FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK – EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

We’ve all heard the saying everything can change in a New York minute. There’s even a song by the Eagles about it. I’m reminded of the sad news of the sudden passing of Ivana Trump who died last Thursday from a fall inside her Manhattan home. This is so tragic, and that’s how fast things can change. My heartfelt condolences to the Trump Family. Rest in peace Ivana. 

But everything can change in a New York minute for the better, too. As we age, especially at 60 and beyond, we are in a phase of our lives where we begin to look back on fond memories and some memories that are not so great. We may have regrets that we can’t forgive ourselves for or unresolved issues inside of ourselves. The problem comes when we dwell on these things. They can haunt us and get in the way of the good things that can happen to us. So why do we allow our mind to focus on the negative?

According to the experts, “negative events have a larger impact on our brains than positive ones (Negative bias or Negativity bias)”. The Negative bias is our tendency not only to register negative stimuli more readily but also to dwell on these events. With so much bad news all around us, we seem to be so focused on what’s going wrong or what negative things were said or done rather than the good things. And yet we may find ourselves asking why isn’t there any good news? There is plenty of it if we choose to focus on it.

We’ve gotten to the point as a society that people are no longer allowed to make mistakes. We think that others should be perfect even though we are not, and we crucify them for it. Or we cancel them. We’ve all heard of cancel culture. With social media, bad news will travel across the world in two minutes and go viral, and it’s impossible to run from it. We exaggerate it and dwell on it. We are even defining and remembering people for the bad that has happened instead of the good. Why is that? Why does the negative seem to outweigh the positive?

Maybe part of why we focus on the negative more is due to our evolving brain that recalls our natural instinct to find imminent danger. But if this is true then it’s not entirely a bad thing. It becomes a bad thing when that’s all we can focus on. When we can’t find the positive in anything and we think everything is doomed, we must take good care of ourselves to bring our mind back to positivity. Good self-care is vital to maintaining a positive outlook.

What is self-care you might ask? Self-care is speaking kindly to yourself. Self-care is also forgiveness and self-love. It’s letting go of the past that hurt you and remembering that there are probably more good things that have happened to you. It's also adopting the attitude that the best is yet to come. I practice vivere nell'ora. That's Italian for living in the now. One of the best parts about being human is that we can change our thoughts from negative to positive in a New York minute.

Ciao tutti! Bye everyone!

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and Beyond, it’s good to resolve the past so we can move into the future with grace and clarity to make room for more happiness.

SKYLARK’S PICK OF THE WEEK – SALT SHACK AT CEDAR BEACH

One of my favorite spots in the summer on Long Island is The Salt Shack at Cedar Beach. It’s free and open to the public after 5:00pm. It’s one the best places to hear great local bands and dance to the sunset. This place is a gem on the Atlantic Ocean. They have delicious food and cocktails, too. Check them out at www.saltshackny.com.

SKYLARK’S SONG OF THE WEEK – NEW YORK MINUTE BY THE EAGLES

Harry got up
Dressed all in black
Went down to the station
And he never came back
They found his clothing
Scattered somewhere down the track
And he won't be down on Wall Street in the morning

He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfold
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Things can get pretty strange
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody's going to jail
If you find somebody to love in this world

You better hang on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Things can get a little strange
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice
And take care of your own
One day they're here
Next day they're gone

I pulled my coat around my shoulders
And took a walk down through the park
The leaves were falling around me
The groaning city in the gathering dark
On some solitary rock
A desperate lover left his mark
He said: "Baby I've changed, please come back"

What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here
But I know there's somebody somewhere
Make these dark clouds disappear
But until that day, I have to believe
I believe, I believe

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
You can get out of the rain
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Things can get a little strange
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute