Katie Evans from Greenville, NC blogged about musical chairs this morning. Thanks, Katie. It got me remembering the childhood game and the overwhelming anxiety that charged my body and the cinch of a foreboding knot in my stomach...isolation and exclusion approaching...no place for me to exist in the world that is neatly set out where everyone else is securely positioned...wishing I could fly, far away, or simply evaporate into thin air. I really did not like that game at all. Are there any readers out there that grew up and actually liked that game? I thought it was purely punishment, just for being a kid.
Of course, like many of us, I carried a lot of these awful experiences into adulthood, and
, thankfully, have succeeded in somewhat sorting them out over the years...sifting through all the debris to find the single treasures of those moments, the single pearl of goodness that was knotted into the strand of my childhood journey that, as a kid, we can experience as a choking of the spirit.
Today, my "polished" view of this game, as it played out in my life, is that it provided me the opportunity to develop work and relationship survival skills.
The 
REALITY is, sometimes we do lose out, whether it be a hurricane, a job promotion, a date with your biggest crush (will George C. ever call me?), your favorite restaurant being fully booked, even though it's your birthday... the overnight line at the Apple store is cut off after the person in front of you---SOLD OUT! I guess there really are so many times we are playing a musical chairs of sorts. The willingness to let go can be a gift of wisdom. Everyone can't have everything. (Where would you even put it all?) 
SO here is a 2-step ACTION PLAN for the chair arrangements in your life that leave you standing: #1 - STAY In the game. The round ends, but the game doesn't. We all can lose an established place, but you can keep your winning attitude. We all stumble and fall, but please, DON'T STAY DOWN & OUT. Don't stop listening to the music in your heart.
#2 - DO 
SOCIAL NETWORKING. We are LIVING THE PHENOMENON..the manifesto of ‘space expansion' (one of the final concepts that Albert Einstein wrote about in his journal---if he were here today, I'm sure he would have blogged about it.) NO ONE is left standing or without a place. It's music to my ears, so pull up a chair. 
Active Rain Community Builder, BRAD ANDERSOHN, has helped a lot of us learn about A LOT, including the what's what and who's who of these social networking sites, and suggests these as some of the best places to start:
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google Talk. WordPress, Typepad, LinkedIN, Google, Instant Messenger, Skype and Ebay. These applications are all FREE. Download and access them from anyplace that provides Internet service.
© This posting and the contents written here are the property of Mara Hawks, All Rights Reserved
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Thanks Mara, a positive attitude and sticking with it are the keys! Good reminder!
Mara- I just love the way you write.....so inspiring and analytical at the same time. thank you for this message, and I am very glad to hear that you got rid of so much of the junk and kept the good stuff :) I know when I met you the good stuff was shining like the Gold it is....you are one great person.
Mara, staying in the game and staying social will help you make your way through the world the best. But just like we can't do everything we can't meet everyone either due to the constraints of time. Find the friends that you connect with, add others as you see fit, drop some, but work your own network. I see all those Brad Andersohn logos and I get worn out. You really can't do it all. Be thankful of those you rightly connect with and you'll never be left out with a chair to sit down on when the music stops.
Laura - yes, keys we can't afford to lose.
Kathy - NAMASTE my friend...even benches work for folks like you and me...we even leaned against the trees...thank you for the gifts of your spirit. A pearl on my string of friendships ;-)
Mara, There is value in ultimately "letting go" for a bit to see if all your intentions are correct....it's a wonderful point to make. And Gary is right, I cannot possibly keep up with all the sites out there---they may be wonderful for business but I need to spend time AWAY from the computer too! Musical chairs was a game I hated....so was being picked last for a team. It's a wonder we survived, isn't it :)?
Carole - I always enjoy your visits here :-) Speaking of MUSIC[al chairs], it fascinates me how, once you immerse youself in that world, it gradually colors so many tones and intentions in your life---almost as if there is an underwriter on some level of our being, busy scripting arrangements and counterpoints for what will become our experience. I'm having a hard time explaining what I'm trying to say... think of it this way: we are like radios, broadcasting info... and suddenly it begins to get syndicated. It's the duplicity factor. I think that's a strong point that builders/leaders like Brad Inman, Pat Kitano, Kevin Boer & Brad Andersohn etc... are stressing-- to just be out there---like dropping a stone into a pond...you don't need to keep it in motion; it will move with the (air)waves--and the web..just keep skipping a few stones and weaving the threads... Of course this is just ONE way...and a way, I'm learning, that assists me and my particular circumstances. You will know what way works best for you. You are amazing and have such intuitive gifts. YOU are already reaching to the stars and back! :-)
My version of musical chairs began when I decided to stop sitting in the back. I've found that it's better to be closer to the action and away from distractions.
Great post, Mara! I love the graphics! I always have trouble thinking of and finding creative graphics for my blogs, any suggestions?
Thanks for writing. Veronica
Hey Mara tell me the fat kid didn't get stuck sitting in your lap when the music stopped. I'm having bad visions - LOL
Mara, I love the concept of musical chairs and the games of life; what a great way to tie in how we grow and relate throughout our lives!
So today I may have lost my chair, but thankfully know that I've other opportunites to be in the game so I"ll wait for the next round. Thanks for the post!
Chuck - just one of your many brilliant moves!
Stephanie - Microsoft Office clip art; thanks for stopping by.
Bill - LOL! Yeah, unfortunately that game was always more like a contact sport. Thanks for stopping by.
Cat - love your 4-pawed signature! Get right back in there!
Mara....just "found" you from our Social Media Webinar....what great posts you have! This one DOES bring back memories of that game...but you put such a relevant twist on it for today! I did a couple events this evening....I always feel good when I give out my card to someone....you never know when that phone will ring. Just gotta get caught up on my followup!
Great to Meet you! See you in The Rain!!
Musical chairs reminds me of another game we used to play called "Red Rover"...I think, I hated that one too...too much anxiety for a kid! LOL
Mara- I always love reading your posts and you are right- you have to stay in the game... If you give up, you are finished. Yesterday, I was buying boots and making conversation in the shoestore and had a great conversation with a divorce attorney. We exchanged cards.... you just never know!
Hi Mara, I loved musical chairs, red rover, simon says, johnny ride the pony, I don't think there was a game back there I didn't like.
Today's stuff scares me though, and I'm going thru all of the back tapes of our sessions, to make sure I don't get too lost. I go off the path, or I speak a different language, maybe the game is more like hide and seek for me, and I just can't find anyone yet?
We'll see, at least you are active on the rain. I still only speak in little private (semi) conversations. See ya Friday.
I have yet to strike into the other networks with any kind of energy. Aside from AR which have you had success with?
Thanks! Interesting view of a child hood game. Amazing how we have such different views on everything around us.