#013: And The Band Played On: Finding Joy In The Midst of The Pandemic with Paul Romaine

“Laughter, song, and dance create emotional and spiritual connection; they remind us of the one thing that truly matters when we are searching for comfort, celebration, inspiration, or healing: We are not alone.” – Brene Brown

Welcome to our special series called “Inside Thoughts Out Loud: Thoughts During a Pandemic!!” We are truly in a time of uncertainty. This pandemic is triggering many memories, emotions, and thoughts – some new, but some that bring us back to a painful past. We have created this podcast series to allow you to join the conversation about the insights you have gained during this time in our lives. We encourage you to share your story and feel connected! 

In this series, we have continuously discussed how uncertain our lives feel during this pandemic. We don’t know what will happen in a year, in a week, or even in a day. Uncertainty makes many of us uncomfortable. It has become especially important for us to find our own version of certain. 

During this pandemic, I found my certainty in an unexpected place –– right outside my own front door! As many of you have seen on my Instagram story, we listen to a neighborhood Jazz concert at 8:00pm every night. The band started with a saxophone player and drummer, and slowly, more instruments were added. Soon, our whole neighborhood was coming out every night to listen to the concert! 

No matter what might have happened during the day, I knew at the end of the day, we would get to enjoy these impromptu Jazz concerts with our neighbors. We decided to structure this episode a little differently. We wanted to fully embrace this feeling of uncertainty paired with the possibility of connecting to others in the community. Through this, we found connections we didn’t know were there! 

During a conversation with the drummer (and my neighbor) Paul Romaine, Founder of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA), we learned more about how Jazz music was born through times of suffering. It is really powerful to see people bonding through these concerts! Now is the time to play, now is the time to dance, and now is the time to find joy wherever you can find it.

Thought Questions/Reflections:

We encourage you to tell us how you have found joy during the pandemic! What has been making you happy? 

Even though we feel isolated, we have a real chance to be more connected than ever.. Stay connected to your loved ones and here at The Self-ish Latina Podcast! Make sure to check out our Facebook page to hear next week’s prompt! 

We will get through this together!

1. If you have an insight or aha moment like the one I shared in the video, please leave a two minute or less voicemail on this number 303-578-9714 (this number is specifically set up to receive voicemails so don’t worry, no one will pick up!)
2.  Please start by sharing your full name and your email clearly on the message so we can get back to you if you are chosen.
3. Leave your message (2 minutes or less please.) 

Join the conversation about this episode in our Facebook group or shoot me a DM on IG @projectenye and share some of your answers with me there! 

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