You're doing what Debbi? Oh, tell. Me. More! Do you know who Joni Mitchell is? I do now because Debbi shared a very old song with the title of, The Circle Game, with me. Funny how there is still relevance to draw from it!
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**Full Transcript
Intro I have a question. What is your favorite song, and how do you connect with it? Is it when you fell in love, or through something really difficult? I'm your host Tiffany Mason. now join me as I interview others, and we take a walk down memory lane with them. Let's get lost in why that music matters to them. Turn up your radio and let's explore memories with a beat.
Tiffany Hello podcast land! Thank you for joining me for another episode. Today I have with me Debbi Pereira, and Debbie would you tell us just a little bit about yourself, please.
Debbi Sure Tiffany. Um, My name is Debbi, I'm from Allentown, Pennsylvania where I live now. And originally grew up in New Jersey near New York City. I still identify with that area even though I'm out here.
Tiffany You guys may be wondering like Tiffany's in Florida...Debbi's in Pennsylvania. And how do we know each other? We were part of this program called Made To Do This, listening to a podcast, by a lady with the name of Cathy Heller, and she has a book and a podcast called Don't Keep Your Day Job. And it led us to this exploration of doing something that you love. Debbi How did you find Cathy Heller?
Debbi Oh, that's interesting because I started to listen to her podcasts first. And the second I heard her she just kind of pulled me in and then after that, when she offered her five day challenge I gladly joined that. And then I went, just like you right into her Made to Do This program.
Tiffany And it was chocked full of information and challenges. One of my favorite thing was let's make this a to-done list, not a to-do list.
Debbi Yes
Tiffany It was encouraging to me that she wasn't just gonna throw all this information at us, and we were gonna have to figure it out and get super far behind and stressed out and everything. Instead, it was like okay, this is what I want you to do and a couple days later, she would walk us through how to actually do that.
Debbi Right!
Tiffany So I thought that was super cool and it's brought us to where we are now. I get to have this super cool job where I'm helping people with their podcasts, edit them, lots of post...mostly post production. But it's been so much fun for me and Debbi, what are you doing now, after the Made To Do This program?
Debbi So I went into the Made To Do This program as a jewelry designer and maker. And I went in because I felt like I needed more. I just needed something to go along with that or just something more meaningful. And I came out with skills, like you said so many skills. Never, ever thought I was going to do a podcast. Never thought I was going to do..I'm starting a subscription box which I never expected. Yeah, and the podcast and Tiffany's assisting with that. I have friends that I made in this group that are so awesome and motivating. And one of the best decisions I think I've made in a long time.
Tiffany Yeah, I think all of us going through that challenging process together really has formed a bond, because we know what that stress was like we know what that fun was like. We know what it was like to learn at that pace. And then just the implementation of all of it and all of us helping each other learn different skill sets. It was so amazing and it's been so fun to support everybody. And now you're supporting some local people or some people from the group. How are you doing that?
Debbi So now what I'm doing and, I'm so excited, I have a subscription box coming out in October. It's going to have a theme of the month. That's going to relate to the gemstones that I'm using for the jewelry in the box. And what I'm doing is, besides my own piece of jewelry that will mean abundance, I have small business people with items in my box that I will be promoting as well. I'm very excited about that! And then I'm also going to do the podcast where I've been interviewing people actually a lot of people from our group, because they are all starting different things. And the interview will all be about the same word like What does abundance mean to you?
Tiffany I love that I think that is so clever. I hope that everybody is following me on social media. And now you'll have to follow Debbi. I've already signed up for the subscription. I've already done the presale. And I think you're doing that the first week of October is that right?
Debbi Right, so the first week of October, I am opening the pre-selling box for a week online Facebook group, it's called Behind The Gems. And if you request to be in that you'll be able to get in on the pre-selling, you'll be get able to get in on specials, and then the week after that I'm going to open it to the public. And then shipping will start around the third week of October. And I can't wait to have, because Tiffany doesn't really know what's in the box, nobody does no so I can't wait to have Tiffany unpack that live and it's going to be awesome.
Tiffany Yes, so when I get my box. I'm going to open it up with all of you and we can all find out together what is in Debbi's box of Abundance. And I'm so excited for that I really can't wait. I'm so proud of all of us for the different ventures that we have. And it's so fun to watch everybody blooming and doing something that they really truly have a passion in. And so my passion is music and premise of my show is always to have somebody, pick a song and then kind of share how they relate to that. So, Debbi, what song did you choose?
Debbi I chose a song by Joni Mitchell called The Circle Game.
Tiffany Okay.
Debbi It was written apparently back in the 1960's.
Tiffany '66 to be specific. I always look it up.
Debbi Of course you looked it up! And it brings me back to a time in my life when I was in high school.
Tiffany Annnnnnnd...
Debbi And so, what would happen is, during that time I was certified hippie and..And this kind of music was called folk music during that same time we had James Taylor...Bob Dylan...Carly Simon...
Tiffany Some good, really some great music!
Unknown 6:17 ...really good music, and what happened was, I guess the thing to do, back then, before the internet was to have a guitar and sit around and play music. Okay, so my memory of this song is sitting in circles of friends with guitars and learning. I taught myself how to play and then I would also learn from others.
Tiffany Now where you guys at school? You guys are at each other's houses? It's on the weekend? It's after school?
Debbi Yeah, usually houses weekend or cutting school, either one...
Tiffany Uh! Debbi! Straight A student cuttings class. That's when you can cut, when you're straight A student like Debbi was. [Laughter]
Debbi Oh right, thanks, and things were so different back then.
Tiffany Totally different time.
Debbi Yeah, yeah, it was always... we would just get together in groups. And it was a good feeling for me because high school was an extremely stressful time for me not just... in general, confusing, stressful, I felt like I was lost. And to have this group, because I didn't really have a lot of friends. But, this time in my life, to have these people that we could get together and just play guitar with it was just kind of like a very warm feeling for me.
Tiffany Yeah, I can imagine that. Like, finally, maybe these people accept me. Maybe these people are going through some of the same struggles that I am. So it kind of felt nice to be around them as you all kind of sludge through and just figured it out.
Debbi Right, exactly. And and I chose this song today because if you look at the lyrics it's very, it is very grounding. And even though back then it was so stressful. I don't think I realized that the words of the song probably we're grounding for me as well.
Tiffany I think even the guitar music piece of it. I feel like that's just grounding. I feel like the guitar in general is grounding. But it also you know how they use music for music therapy, and I mean I use it to shake myself out of a funk. It's probably the same thing, just, it wasn't as identified, you know? Back then?
Debbi Yeah
Tiffany You know you were probably doing a ton of stress relieving. And it was probably very therapeutic for you to play and to sing and to be with those people, you know, a positive environment when you were so unsure of other things.
Debbi Right, exactly, that's exactly it. And that's why music just, you know, like you said, music, brings people together. And it can change your mood, it can do a lot of things so yeah. The idea of this podcast is awesome because everybody has some memory with some song.
Tiffany I was so surprised with my last interview. It was a song that I guess I almost feel empowered when the chorus comes on, Fast Car. And he's talking about [Singing} "I could be someone be someone be someone." And it just always felt very empowering to me. But she had gone through something so traumatic that for her what she focused on of that song was running away. And what that would be like that escape. And so she made such a profound statement that two people can listen to the exact same song and get something completely different out of it. Which we know that, but when she just said it, it was such a lightbulb moment for me.
Debbi Totally, I totally agree with you. And also, you and I have had this conversation.. so now in my life, I really don't listen to the words of songs. I listen to the music.
Tiffany Yeah.
Debbi So and I found that there's people that listen to one or the other. It's like you zone into the words or you zone into the music. I'm always like into the museum trying to figure out how many instruments are in there. What instruments are in there. How they're using the instrumentation. And I'm not a professional musician. But I did have some musical background and, and my son is a professional jazz musician. I've been around music for a long time. And so now I don't really know the words of songs. But I know that music, so music it's different for everybody.
Tiffany Well it's funny because lots of times I'll ask my husband like, "I love this song. Don't you just love this song?" And he'll be like, "I mean, it's okay." And I was always just like "I don't understand." You know? And then finally one day, he said he really liked a song and the words were like, just off... for him, and I was like "Really this is this is a song you really like?" And so it kind of dawned on me at that moment. Some people like music, or the instrumentation piece and some people like music, like myself for the words. I want to be taken on a journey, you know, and I just love that in three minutes you can go from being a baby, to get married to having kids to, you know, saying goodbye to your loved one.
Debbi Yeah, that's great. Yeah, no, it's so true that yeah and everybody's ears are different.
Tiffany Yeah, it's just crazy
Debbi Yeah. And now with, you know, just being around my son and my ex husband was a musician. Like I can, I hear things differently than I normally would have to. So...
Tiffany Oh Yeah.
Debbi Very interesting. And music therapy, what a great thing.
Tiffany Oh, I completely agree. I likened it to pet therapy. You know, in the hospitals? And it's just so true just, I don't know what it is but music just takes you somewhere else and it's awesome.
Debbi Right, yeah. I don't know if you've ever heard of Joni Mitchell? Before this?
Tiffany No. No...no.
Debbi Well, I do recommend, if you like words, she's a she's a good one to listen to. Another one during that time was Cat Stevens, do you know him?
Tiffany Nope. [Laughter]
Debbi Tiffany I'm going to be sending music.
Tiffany I'll tell you what, though, I love all music. And I did...when the song... when I played this song I was like okay, you had written in your message capital letters O-L-L-D-D-D. OLD, like okay, okay we got an oldie but a goodie coming my way. And I did know, "And the horses they go round and round." I knew that part. So I was like... Oh ponies...Yeah I only knew part.
Debbi Interesting.
Tiffany I didn't pay attention to anything else in the song when I was a kid. But, yes, I was like "Okay wait now, I do know those few words." I want to say something else about that song but really quick for my own notes, is it, Pat, Stevens or Cat Stevens?
Debbi It's Cat C-A-T Stevens.
Tiffany Okay, I'm going to write it down.
Debbi And I do think you would really like his music.
Tiffany Yeah because I love me a good James Taylor song.
Debbi Oh, James Taylor's the best!
Tiffany Yeah, so it's in that...
Debbi Do you like Carole King?
Tiffany I don't know, I always thought Carole King was jazz.
Debbi Oh gosh, okay. Tiffany, You and I are gonna have some fun. [Laughter]
Tiffany You gonna school me some new music.
Debbi Old stuff, no Carole King, oh that Tapestry album. I almost picked her music, because at my life was based around her music. Yeah. So it's all good. Cat Stevens, oh, I'll get you I'll get you some music goin'.
Tiffany Okay. That is good cleaning music. Ya, get your, you know your, grubby clothes on. You get a thing of water for in between cleaning. Set some really good music, just like that. I like a good soulful music, something that I can sing along to, or maybe hum to. And that is one of those songs I could totally see myself cleaning to that.
Debbi There you go.
Tiffany Yes I am in. Okay, so I wanted to bounce back really quick. Some of the lyrics. And she says, the circles are like seasons. And she talks about all I could think about was, you know, like the old. Um, oh, not viewfinders. I've seen them on American Pickers. Where you'd put money in and the cards would all flip and it would look like a movie.
Debbi I love those.
Tiffany Yes.
Debbi What are they called?
Tiffany I don't know. Maybe somebody in our audience knows. If you guys know, make sure you comment on social or in a review and tell us what those things are called when the cards flip and it looks like a movie.
Debbi Gosh, I used to love that. Yeah, this is definetly like that.
Tiffany Yeah, she says circles and the season and then she says the memories that go round and round. And then it says something about as he gets older, enjoy the ride until you get older, when you drag your feet too slow, the circles. And it's true as we get older, we're saying like no slow time down, slow down. And I do like that she was like you could only look back. You can't go back, you can only look back and see you know those things, but also Amen that you can't go back.
Debbi Yeah. Yes.
Tiffany And then she also talks about that he has these grand dreams but as they come true they're not as grand as he thought they were going to be.
Debbi Right.
Tiffany Then she talks about new dreams.
Debbi Right, dreams, and really the carousel, it's just basically I pictured is just going through the seasons of one year, each time that goes around, right?
Tiffany Yep!
Debbi Yeah, absolutely.
Tiffany Okay. It was such a simple song but I thought it was good. Um, the wheel analogy made me think of like the rat race or being on a hamster wheel. You know, like, a little bit you get caught in that. I actually really enjoyed the song.
Debbi Well, good. I'm glad I didn't pick something that you wouldn't like, that's awesome.
Tiffany But I did not think that she needed those backup singers and sometimes they didn't match her.
Debbi Oh that's so funny. Yeah, it could have been James Taylor. I'll have to listen, I'm not sure which one I've sent you, but I know he sings on one of them.
Tiffany It might be, but he should have said no to that. [Laughter]
Debbi Well, they should have just known you back then Tiffany even though you weren't born.
Tiffany They should have advised, my soul.
Debbi And consulted you...
Tiffany Oh Yeah, consulted. Yes consulted my soul, to see if that was a good choice or not. And I could have told him then, "When people talk to you in 60 years, it's not going to be a good choice."
Debbi Right, right. You know she can't go back right?
Tiffany That's right you can't, you can't look back. Or you can only look back, you can't go back.
Debbi You can't go back, you only look back, I love that.
Tiffany Oh, this has been so much fun Debbi.
Debbi I know so happy to be here.
Tiffany I am really looking forward to my subscription box next month. And I'm really looking forward to even being a guest on your show.
Debbi Yeees.
Tiffany ...and I look forward to just our friendship.
Debbi I do to Tiffany I'm so glad we met. And I just so excited to follow you and all the things you're doing to.
Outro Well that was a great walk down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed my guest's memories and experiences with the song or songs they chose. To connect with my guest's, I mean I know you are just going to stalk their social media, but check out the show notes as always for details. Please leave a 5 star review. And I'd love if you left a memory of your own that was sparked. Can't wait to dive into my next guest's memories with a beat. Hit subscribe now, you don't wanna miss the next episode.
