Soaring above another world
Looking down into the deep
In an effortless glide
I am an explorer
Escaping the noise
In the midst of a new mangrove residence
Surrounded by nature
I am an observer
Silently the paddle cuts through water
My ship inches forward
Winding through narrow streams
I am a traveler
When I was younger, I listened to music for the rhythm. The words and message went in one ear and out the other. Looking back on that I find it rather strange. Many of the songs that survive the decades have very clear messages.
I was listening to the song Desperado by The Eagles. This time I listened to the message.
From the song:
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late
“You better let somebody love you…” I never thought about it like that. I always figured that people either loved you or did not. The idea that you need to allow someone to love you never entered my mind. I feel that I open myself and let women know who I really am. I do not try to play games. Letting someone love you must go beyond that. How do you let someone love you?
The song says:
Come down from your fences, open the gate.
This might mean that you need to look at things from different perspectives. Constantly looking over the fence that you have locked yourself behind will not allow you to see others for who they are. I may be stretching it a bit. It can be awfully hard to make sense of songs.
The only line that I fully understand is:
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
I strongly feel that being alone keeps me from fully experiencing the beauty of life. The companionship that I am missing, and the experiences that I could be having would add a lot of richness to my life.
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get
I am not sure if I only want the ones I can’t get. It seems more of a bad habit of assuming that I can not have what I want. Probably not exactly normal, but I have never claimed to be normal.
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
There is always hope.
Markham J. Eggleton pretty much sums it up in his comment to my post What is Love:
… Love finds everybody at some point. We all feel its bite, caress and succour, and usually when we least expect it. If you go chasing after it then most of the time it eludes you. Then, just as you’re ready to give up, along comes Love to slap you around the face with a wet kipper. With that in mind take heart. There will be somebody out there who will reciprocate your feelings and return the love that you’re willing to give to them. And when that happens, when you truly discover what it is to be in love and to be loved at the same time, I guarantee that you’ll still be no nearer to understanding it. Frustrating, ain’t it?
Yes, it is frustrating!
These have been trying times in my family. I had not been dealing with them very well at all. At work I was unfocused and constantly agitated. At home I wished that I was somewhere else, or at work. I needed to figure out how to deal with my emotions.
Luckily, a very good friend of mine was working with me the other day. We talked about everything that has been going on in my family. I was frantic to get in touch with my emotions and deal with them so that I could go on with my life and face the sadness that was pounding me into the ground.
My friend was extremely helpful and sympathetic. We talked for quite some time about how I was feeling, what was going on, and ways in which I could deal with everything. It helped just to know that there was someone who was willing to spend a lot of time to help me out.
What helped the most; however, was my friend’s advice:
Write down what you are feeling. Not necessarily to read later. Write your emotions down to organize your thoughts. Writing your emotions down, and organizing them helps to keep you from being overwhelmed by them.
These are not my friend’s exact words, but they are what my friend taught me. It sounds simple. Common sense, right? Nope. Writing down your feelings is not common sense. Musicians know to do it. They let their emotions show in their music. We; however, are not all musicians or poets or writers. Many of us keep our emotions inside. Others, like me, constantly seek others to help out.
Asking for help is good in moderation. I have a feeling that in the past I have smothered others by asking for too much help for things that I should have been learning to deal with myself. My friend has given me a tool to use. This tool is incredibly helpful. After writing down my feelings, a wave of relief came over me. Everything is not right with the world, but I have acknowledged my feelings. They no longer have to fight for my attention.
There are certain people on this earth who are extremely strong, and perceptive. My friend is one of them. Right when I walked into work, my friend knew that something was wrong. If it was not for her ability to understand me, I would never have had that pivotal conversation. I would not have wanted to inconvenience my friend with my problems. Even though she was glad to help me out, I feel guilty. I found out after talking to her that she was going to have a test a couple minutes later. She could have used the time we spoke to study. Instead, my friend helped me out.
I have long neglected my Classical Music collection. Today I rediscovered it. There is something about Classical Music. It has a flow to it that I often find lacking in other music. The music seems to take me by the hand and lead me. It is powerful in a gentle suggestive way. Classical Music seems at times more expressive than songs with words.
Some of the power of Classical Music may come from its lack of words. It allows us to make up our own stories. We can interpret a song any way we wish.
What truly astounds me is how the composers of these masterpieces were able to imagine all the different instruments playing in harmony. It seems an impossible task. These songs are almost godly.
In this difficult time, I will be listening to much more Classical Music. My hope is that it will soothe me. It is difficult to deal with the possible death of a loved-one. My family and I are all hoping that everything turns out well. I will use the Classical Music to allay my fears and help me to deal with everything as it comes my way.