The Cocktail hour doors have been opened ... the mashed potato and taco bars are stocked and ready! The good-looking waiters and waitresses are walking between the guests with their trays filled with Delectable Delights ...

Everyone is buzzing about what the "Alana Michaels Show" will be like in "real life" ?? We have heard her voice ... but NOW we will see her "IN THE FLESH?!" ... What will she be like? Does she really talk that fast and have that much energy??? It can't be! Say it Isn't so!!!

Everyone hears a voice coming from the crowd "Everyone! Everyone!" It's this handsome fella with a tight t-shirt that reads "Head of Security" - he is wearing an ear piece, and looks very very serious ... he announces "Okay Guys ... Get your drink from the open bar, grab a few cocktail weenies (also in a full jersey accent), and go find your seats ... the show is about to BEGIN!" - As the crowd enters the somewhat dark lit room ... they are greeted by music, and a count down on these GIANT screens in front of them ... counting down, to the moment, that so many of them have been waiting for .... the moment that I WILL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR... my entire life .... The lights go down on the audience .... the stage lights come up ... as the familiar tune that EVERYONE recognizes starts to blare through the speakers .... in the words of the backstreet boys ... "Everybody! Rock Your Body! ... Everybody .... Backstreet's Back ALRIGHT!" ... "Ladies and Gentleman .... PLEASE welcome to the stage ..... ALANA MICHAELS!!!!!

And the show Begins.

What is something YOU can NOT live without? Some would say Water ... some would say Wine... some would say The Bible ... .and some, including myself would say "My GPS!"

This Entry recaps the incredible message I got to listen to at my new church, which was totally MEANT for me to hear today ... and in turn, I am now repeating it (in Alana Fashion of course) back to YOU (the listeners). .. in the hopes that something sticks!

This is my second time "recapping" the sermon I heard at church, where it is based off of a story in the book of JOHN (yes, my Father's name was John) ... I hope I am doing it all justice! I truly find The Bible hard to read and understand ... but I truly LOVE listening to the message and the amazing music at this new church!

TH

"Alana! Stop picking!!" That's a line I have heard since childhood... referring to the horrible habit of picking and biting at my cuticles ... I dive into this a little deeper in this entry ... remembering back to a time where I did not pick at all, because I was on a medication that must have subdued the urge ... but it also subdued my personality, my drive, my spark. So ... at the end of the day, if I have to bandage up my thumbs once in awhile ... but I get to be MYSELF?? I would have to say - "We're gonna need more Band-Aids!" ... What is a habit that you have that you realize isn't great ... but the alternative is worse? Then, I want you to think of something that you are using as a "place holder" (i.e. excessive exercising, smoking, drinking, biting nails, caffeine, etc.) ... where you realize it is doing more harm than good? Let's stop and think of our bad "habits" or bad "routines" .... or just plain old self harmful behavior, and let's try to make a change, TODAY. I'll start ... I'm keeping my fingers busy writing this, so it's physically IMPOSSIBLE for me to pick or bite at my cuticles! YAY! Your TURN!

When you find out someone has heart disease ... do you say "I had a feeling you were heart disease!" ... NO. SO why is it OK for someone to say ..."Ohhhhh I knew you were Bipolar." .... No. It's an illness ... its a sickness... it's a disease ... i HAVE Bipolar disorder, there is a big difference in saying it that way.

This episode visits the frustrations I have with verbIage related to mental illness (clearly) ... Anyway, I do tend to get heated when I feel I am defending "myself" i.e. defending all of us with mental illness ... as It is so frustrating when it sometimes become so obvious that most of the people out there do NOT have any idea what to "do" with someone that has mental illness... why don't we just start with the obvious? "ARE YOU OK?" ... and then be sure to follow that with "It's OK That You're Not OK" - like the book about grief and loss by Megan Devine ... highly recommend!

Okay ... once again, I digress ... take a listen to this one, and PLEASE I ask that you think about the way you word things before you SAY them ... and that goes with any avenue of your life ... not just referring to mental illness. My parents used to always say "Use Your Head ... and THINK before you Speak.." - Pass it on!

Rest in Peace Mr McSteamy ... Eric Dane. I watched some clips of Eric's final interview just a few weeks before his passing ... and he said some powerful words and pieces of Advice, mostly aimed to his two daughters, but I believe his final words were left for ALL of us ... I reflected on this idea that came to me right at the beginning, before I even knew what this "journey" was about to become ... it was the line from Grey's.... "It's a Beautiful Day for Saving Lives..." But ... in my head, it was a bit different ... you have to listen to this episode to find out what it was! Thank you guys .. and let's all take a moment today to remember, that tomorrow is NEVER Promised. No Day But TODAY.

This is not an exaggeration. I have basically never called out sick to work, to an event, to a family function, for anything... I've always shown up for ... everything and everyone else. Basically, I am realizing today ... which is why I was never showing up for myself. This one takes us through a quick journey in the hopes that the listeners out there won't make the same mistake I have for most of my life .... worried SO much about the job, the day, the duties ... that you forget, the most important thing to worry about, is YOU. Take a Listen!

"Damn the Man! Save the Empire!!" - Empire Records.

We visit the idea here ...yes, we need to drive in the right lane with our hazards on SOMETIMES ... BUT we also still need to honk our horn, and drive AROUND people when we have somewhere we need to go!

I also visit the idea of "Do what you Love, and call it WORK." - from the song "Buy Dirt" ... and the fact about how much harder it can be when you are working for a dead dog for someone ELSE... - Listen to this one guys, make the changes, make the choices. 80% of our lives are spent at work ... we can't all LOVE our jobs, but we need to at least look forward to it ... or else... what is all of THIS for??

Hope you like this one!

"Send in the Flood... Drown them Out" - Taken from the song "This is Me" from The Greatest Showman. A song that was SO important to me back in 2018... after I did my "This is My Brave" ... then today, It came on ... and it was like I was hearing it for the first time ...

Also! Good News! We are "going back to basics" and it hit me in the shower, that my "entries" are becoming too long ... and that is not what this was all about ... they are journal-entry style ...so I need to PULLLLL it back (which I have been told throughout my life lol).

So be prepared guys ... this is about to get even MORE fun and EASIER for you to listen and follow along with my crazy stories and hearing my Message!

I also mentioned in this episode ... I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!! Please feel free to EMAIL me at anytime to let me know your thoughts, if you have questions, or if you want to join my TEAM of H.O.P.E in the future!! Chat Soon!