I’m a great believer in not watching the news.

Especially since I became a parent. There is a British comedian called Al Murray (aka ‘The Pub Landlord‘) who observes that the minute you have children you suddenly find yourself more right wing. (In context this is really funny – sadly you won’t get the joke here.) The often grotesque and explicit images fed to us via the media – particularly those involving children -literally make me physically sick.  I feel that twisting, clawing, eating up inside that comes from observing people in distress…and I don’t like that feeling.

BUT if there is a cry for help, I do not turn away and do nothing.

I have written recently about the idea of contrast and we can use how negative events in our lives as a defining mechanism – as a way for us to observe the devastation and to launch within ourselves the desire for something better.

So when a disaster of the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake takes place, it is for us to take it in. And then to focus intensely on making the situation better.

While the mainstream media glory in the death toll, the footage of bodies piled into tractors and the failures of the emergency systems to fully cope, it is up to us to do whatever it is we can, however small, to construct a different future.

When Kelly Diels launched The Help Haiti Blog challenge (inspired by Danielle La Porte) I was immediately in.

Regular readers will know I am already throwing everything I can at the scarce snippets of time that I have at my fingertips.

But hell, why not start spinning another plate?

Danielle was offering to donate her full Firestarter session fee. Charlie was offering coaching in a very dark and unshavenly kinda way. Kelly started collecting the links of other passionate bloggers who announced their own unique initiatives.

There was also mudslinging and shoe throwing all over – and not unjustified – from those who saw this as a blatant form of profiteering from disaster by desperate, broke, link-hungry bloggers.

But I believe that if you have something of value that you can share with others AND contribute to a cause, then isn’t that better than sitting on your hands?

There is momentum in providing value for a charitable dollar. If you don’t get this, just ask Bob Geldof why he didn’t just get musicians to donate money instead of perform at LiveAid….

So what was I going to offer?

I could offer my new online voice critique service (to be launched this week) but I expect not many of my readers are aspiring singers (although email me if you are). I am still working on my first product which won’t be ready for a few months yet. I could offer to donate for comments or links…but honestly I thought I was capable of creating something a little more unique.

Then it came to me.

It was ridiculously obvious really, what I needed to put together, and most of you will be like, ‘Duh, silly woman. She must still be suffering from preg-headedness, poor thing.’

What I have assembled is a very cheeky, naughty little bootleg selection of recordings of me…you know, like…

*come closer so I can whisper it to you*

…singing.

I know!! Cool huh? So I’m hugely excited and can’t wait to throw it out there to all of you who are interested in finally hearing the kind of racket this Tiny Soprano makes.

I won’t go into too much detail here suffice to say that if you fancy hearing some gorgeous music – hopefully that has been done some justice by yours truly – then stay tuned Monday night 9pm EST. I will release the link for the recording then on Twitter and here on the blog.

100% – that’s every last cent – of the profits from the sale of the CD will go to Partners In Health.

I look forward to helping the people of Haiti by sharing some of ‘me’ with all of you.

x Natalie

UPDATE!!!

You can see the full details of the project I created here.

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Tagged as: Gratitude, Haiti, help, philanthropy, recording, singing, The Art Of Giving