Sedona Alternative Healing Arts Newsletter
Fall 2008

Taking a Bite Out of The Big Apple

Have you ever wondered why people call the city of New York “The Big Apple”?

As this title for the fall newsletter popped in for me, I began wondering myself. Coupled with the fact that I recently spent a week in Manhattan and many of its adjacent boroughs, I wanted more information myself! So here is a brief history to begin our journey.

Why is New York City called the "Big Apple"?

Racing, jazz musicians and a tourism campaign all play a part.
By Heather Cross, About.com

“In the early 1920s, "apple" was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races -- as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of "Big Apple" to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City's races "Around the Big Apple." It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the "Big Apple."

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musicians began referring to New York City as the "Big Apple." An old saying in show business was "There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple." New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple.

A 1971 campaign to increase tourism to New York City adopted the Big Apple as an officially recognized reference to New York City. The campaign featured red apples in an effort to lure visitors to New York City. It was hoped that the red apples would serve as a bright and cheery image of New York City, in contrast to the common belief that New York City was dark and dangerous. Since then, New York City has officially been The Big Apple.

In recognition of Fitzgerald, the corner of 54th & Broadway, where Fitzgerald lived for 30 years, was renamed "Big Apple Corner" in 1997.”

So, there you have a brief history of how the apple found its way into a city that certainly tempted so many to “take a bite” and maybe create new hopes and dreams for themselves.

Why not "take a bite" out of YOUR own "Big Apple" and really
TASTE the myriad of flavors that are just waiting for YOU to enjoy. Call
me now for a FREE 15-minute phone consultation. Get $25 off your first
healing session if you book before September 30th, 2008.

I too was “lured” there to explore as a tourist but left feeling touched by a much deeper experience of humanity from the “bright and cheery” to the “dark and dangerous” aspects that are a part of all of us. And where did that first delicious bite take me…read on!

What "apples" are dangling from your tree of life?

Every year the US Open tennis championships are played at the Billy Jean King Stadium complex in Flushing Meadows out in the Bronx. This is the “biggie” of all the major Grand Slams for me because it’s happening on American soil…it draws a crowd that can appreciate everything our country was founded on…work hard and you can be a success…no matter where you came from. I watched competitors “slugging it out” against each other on a tennis court. I call them modern day gladiators of sorts (sans the lions). Their love of competition, winning, fame and the prize money at the end of the 2-week-long games is a huge “apple” dangling from that tree of life! Anyway, being an avid tennis player myself, I decided it was time to check out the “Masters of the Game” (and increase my frequent flyer miles), so the plans were made and off I went!

Live your life with purpose, stay focused on your dreams

Watching Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, two of the finest competitors in the game, gave me pause to reflect on living life with purpose, staying focused on your dreams while having to be very present in the moment. Each swing of the tennis racquet comes with the intent of winning the point, even though it might take 5, 6, sometimes more finely crafted swinging strategies to win that one point. Focus becomes key when you are in a stadium filled with so many distractions from Mother Nature (wind, sun, heat, humidity, darkness) to glaring lights, screaming fans, airplanes flying overhead, etc. Whoever can overcome all the challenges of the moment will be the winner and move on to the next tougher opponent.

What makes YOU feel like a winner?

I have always loved the beauty of tennis as a metaphor for life. I have used it in my own life to challenge myself. It’s not always easy to stand back and critique our own strengths and weaknesses, but they are all there if we want to look more closely and learn more. We humans have a way of focusing more on the weaknesses than the strengths sometimes. What is it that YOU spend your time focusing more on in your moments? And what makes YOU feel like a winner? Reflect for yourself.

So as you ponder those questions, I’m going to take the next small, but juicy, bite out of the “Big Apple.”

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year to prepare for changes, not just
in the weather, but the personal changes that are asking to be addressed. Is it
time to quit smoking, reduce your weight, be FREE of old habits that block you
from feeling more focused and happier in your life? Call me now and get $25
off your first session when you book it before September 30th, 2008.

Freedom and The American Dream

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island seem to epitomize the American Dream and what this country of ours was founded upon…that same theme of “if you work hard, you can achieve success…no matter where you came from.” I was struck once again by the words of poet Emma Lazarus that is graven on a tablet within the pedestal on which the statue stands.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Experience the "light" of freedom

Touring Ellis Island I began to appreciate and feel so deeply once again, the gift of FREEDOM that our ancestors worked so hard to create for us. Even as I write now I am filled with an almost overwhelming tearful and profound awe of every challenging moment each immigrant and their families had to overcome to get to the United States of America. From 1892 to 1924 millions of immigrants from all over the world were processed through Ellis Island. They had endured the “dark and dangerous” journeys of their lives just to experience the “light” of freedom.

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and achieving your dreams? Hypnosis and Past Life Regression are two
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and receive $25 off your first session if you book before September 30th, 2008.

It was a chance for a new life filled with the promise of winning the “prize” to “breathe free” in a new world. How frightening it must have been for those immigrants, so many of them didn’t even survive the trip across the oceans. The harsh conditions so many of them courageously endured gave us our lives now…gave us the chance to go after our own hopes and dreams. They came, by the millions, undeterred by language barriers, lack of money or security, many not knowing or understanding the true perils of this new life they had chosen…all for that single opportunity to create something better…TO BE FREE.

What is your family immigration history?

At the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, I was able to research records about my own ancestor, my paternal grandfather, Antonio Cattaneo. (www.ellisisland.org if you would like to do a search yourself.) My “Papa Tony” as I called him, came to America when he was in his twenties. Up until that moment in front of the computer I really only had very limited information about his trip to his new life here. But even with my limited knowledge, I was able to track down his name on his ship’s manifest and actually “see” that my grandfather landed in 1907 when he was 25. He came to America as a mason (according to the manifest) and he landed in San Francisco (sponsored by his cousin Pasquillitti) with $25 in his pocket. (Immigrants had to have at least $20 on their person to be admitted.) I did know from my family history that Papa began his life in America in the brickyards in Crockett, California around that timeframe. So, here it was in black and white…my grandfather’s first auspicious bite into the “Big Apple.” And here I was, 59 years later, able to appreciate, once again, how hard he worked to succeed in his life to create a life for my father, and consequently, for my mother, sister, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins…everyone in my family and extended family. It was truly an awesome moment for me that I will never forget.

I was always very close to my Papa and learned so much from him about life. He was an incredible gardener…not only taking care of the gardens on big estates where we lived but even his own yard was like walking into a scene from his Italian homeland. He created beautiful gardens, not only planted vegetables, but colorful flowers, fruit trees, decorative little corners where your eyes could relax and just enjoy the peaceful qualities of his creations.

Feeling rich has nothing to do with money

Our Sunday family dinners under the huge fig tree in the backyard, reading the comics with him on the huge covered swing, or playing card games while listening to the lively (sometimes way too noisy) conversations flying back and forth, gave me an everlasting sense of the importance of family closeness. Even though my grandparents lived a modest life, we always felt rich with having plenty of fresh food to eat, homemade pasta and wine to drink (as we got older and even then it was diluted with water), and the joy of laughter that filled my family life with them.

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Can we ever really know what they endured for us? I don’t think so. My grandparents wanted to be thought of as Americans. One of the first things they did after they married in the States, was to learn English at night school. Most of their Italian immigrant friends did the same thing. Papa and Noni never spoke Italian to their grandchildren (which I regret now!). They were proud to be in America and did not want to be treated as ignorant immigrants. I always admired them tremendously for that. The odds they had to overcome were tremendous. I owe them a debt of gratitude I can now appreciate more than ever before. Little did I know how my “bite” out of the Big Apple could have left such an unexpected, bittersweet taste in my mouth!

End of Part 1…to be continued next month. As always, I would love to hear from you… please feel free to email me your thoughts, questions or insights of your own!

From my heart to yours…Susan