Unbreakable

"You, as well as anybody I've ever seen, has been able to hold onto the space inside yourself," host Oprah Winfrey said to Alicia Keys on the March 5 episode of her talk show.

Keys appeared on that edition, as did ABC's Diane Sawyer, who allowed cameras to follow her into the newsroom as she prepped for the evening news, to my ridiculous delight. Two women who exude not just a luminescence but a certain unshakable quality that I believe you get when all of your aspects are in alignment.

Work, love, intention, all flowing from the same place.

Getting Free

As another year comes to a close, do you find yourself taking stock? Assessing the ledger of your goals to see how they measure up against your accomplishments? Well, how'd you do??

Maybe you vowed to adhere to clean eating (three squares + plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables), but instead found yourself either under-eating to the point of obsession, or over-eating to the point of numbness.

Or perhaps you were going to write that graphic novel-introduce yourself to the cute guy on the L train-save for a rainy day-take a chance on love-apply to grad school-pay off your Henri Bendel bill-recommit to your spiritual practice-spend more time with your family-watch less reality TV and more public broadcasting-be more fearless...all in the name of getting free.

If you're in the black, I salute you! But if you came up short, no need to wallow: May I recommend Miss Alicia Keys's The Element of Freedom, a disc that is as introspective as it is soulful, as you regroup?

Every day presents another chance to get it right.

Tried Sleeping With a Broken Heart; Popped an Ambien Instead

Not only has this song been lodged in my head for two weeks and counting, it's the most uplifting lullaby I've heard in a minute. Maybe it's the la, la, la's...or maybe I just hear joy where I want to hear it;)

Even When "I'm a Mess", I Put On a Vest With an 'S' on My Chest

There's something highly comical and just refreshing about putting your mess where people can see it.

That's exactly what artist Natalie Osborne did in a room adjacent to the Corridor Gallery's main foyer, as part of the newly opened exhibit "Strictly Regulated". The group show highlights the work of six emerging female artists and runs concurrent with the exhibit "Brooklyn Influence".

Osborne's video series and installation "I'm a Mess: Finding My Pace" (wall detail, above) confronts the notion of the black superwoman: a towering pile of shirts, shoes, and frocks is thrown into a corner of the gallery. Kinda looked like my bedroom on a Monday morning, lol.

You have to see the entire piece for yourself, but from now on when the kryptonite's got me down if you ask me how I'm doin', I'm just gonna say, I'm a mess, and finding my pace. So much more liberating, don't you think? [Laughs]