I pose this question: how easy is it to become wrapped up in life?
The ordinary.
The mundane.
The routine.
The everyday.
The struggles.
Truth time: for me, this can happen rather easily. I often must--very consciously--force myself to step back and see the great value in the routine, ordinary, everyday life.
Working in Human Resources there are those moments when spontaneous conversation necessarily leads more into talk of what it means to be human and alive, rather than discussions about work. Today was just one of those times when I needed to have a general (and valuable) conversation about re-focusing priorities, putting one foot in front of the other, and taking each day as it comes. This general topic at the end of my work day was a reminder for both myself and another person as we shared different sides of our current perspectives and place in life.
I hurried out to my car to drive across Omaha and pick up Lily from daycare, continuing my ordinary, everyday, life-routine. But now, I was thinking about this person and the value of Carpe Diem and seizing the day, regardless of whatever life throws our way.
My regular and ordinary evening continued as Lily and I arrived at home. We let the dogs, Charlie and Lady, outside. I started cooking while firing up iTunes on the laptop. Lily and I discussed what we wanted to listen to and I randomized my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs. I must say that Lily also is forging a great appreciation for DMB. This makes me proud.
We were snacking on pear slices to stave off our hunger before dinner. Lily in her happy, carefree style, was dancing and swaying to the changing beats of the various DMB songs, munching on pears, and sipping water.
The third song was Tripping Billies by Dave Matthews Band.
"Eat, drink and be merry" is one of the common refrains in the song, giving me pause.
How true.
Carpe Diem: eat, drink, be merry.
Let the rest be.
I gazed at my dancing, happy daughter. She had much to teach me in that moment as she shoved a pear in her mouth, shoulders shimmying, a smile creeping across her face.
Often when Lily and I listen to Dave, I say "inappropriate" when the racy lyrics happen, which, let's face it, are often. Trippping Billies is no exception. Dave Matthews shed some light on the lyrics of this song on VHI back in the late 90's, saying it was about he and a group of friends on the beach after dropping LSD and "tripping". Apparently he also made a reference to "Puff the Magic Dragon," when talking about the song, which obviously--in true Dave Matthews style--is a slang reference to drug use and smoking marijuana. While never having ever "tripped billies" in my life, I still am a DMB
fan despite many songs and lyrics focused on drug use.
Clearly inappropriate!
However, Lily and I danced away, eating (pears), drinking (water), and being merry because--as the rest of the song goes--"we will die."
Beyond Dave being on the beach tripping, the broader point of the song is to seize the day, enjoy the company of those around you, because it is just too easy to become wrapped up in the ordinary, mundane, routine, everyday struggles of life.
Cheers to life. And shamelessly rocking it out to Dave Matthews with a 15 month old.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Monday, October 22, 2012
A running playlist
Running is exhilarating for me. I have recently (again) fallen out of my regular running routine. I'm trying to reinstate a healthy, regular habit.
The cool, beautiful, autumn weather, along with the onset of corresponding color changes motivated me to put down the book and get off of the couch on a lazy Sunday several weeks ago. Since then, I've been out on more runs than usual.
Running is motivating when you have a great set of playlists to help set your pace, pick up your spirits, and drive you a little further than the last time. How does a song make the playlist? Sometimes it is just the beat and not the lyrics; other times the lyrics are all that matters. Or, it can be a song that contains some sort of emotional connection to an event you once experienced, bringing back a flood of feelings, setting a mood. This can lead to a strange conglomeration on iTunes. Hence, an amazing running list. Here is my playlist "Running 7" (yes, I have 9 of them, please don't judge):
Another motivating factor that makes running uncomplicated and effortless is when I take Charlie with me. His pure excitement and joy of being out of the house is inspiring. We are both free as he looks up at me, happily, with wide eyes, establishing our pace together. He can't go far because he is a small dog, however a one to two mile jog is enough for us, kindred spirits, to enjoy our time in nature together.
Oftentimes, though, the best playlist is devoid of music or Charlie. Instead, the calm, quiet peace of solitude, interrupted with the pad, pad, pad of my running shoes hitting the pavement is all I need. Then I can take in nature's beauty along the way. A playlist of all the senses...
As I enter the wooded area from the pavement of the street and neighborhood, my feet meets the soft dirt path, leading down to the peaceful trail, shaded by large, overgrown trees. I turn to the trail and the added sounds of early fallen leaves crunch to my stride.
Soon, I approach the rusted bridge that safely carries me above North 48th Street and the whirring of civilization on the street below.
The trail becomes less populated with people as the sky darkens, and the voices of birds fill in the air with their night-time sounds. I never stop for a drink at this blue fountain, but I like the blaring color that stands alone.
After I turn around and head back towards the starting point on the same path, I see a different perspective from an opposite direction. There are more colors on the trees than before, welcoming me back home.
The cool, beautiful, autumn weather, along with the onset of corresponding color changes motivated me to put down the book and get off of the couch on a lazy Sunday several weeks ago. Since then, I've been out on more runs than usual.
Running is motivating when you have a great set of playlists to help set your pace, pick up your spirits, and drive you a little further than the last time. How does a song make the playlist? Sometimes it is just the beat and not the lyrics; other times the lyrics are all that matters. Or, it can be a song that contains some sort of emotional connection to an event you once experienced, bringing back a flood of feelings, setting a mood. This can lead to a strange conglomeration on iTunes. Hence, an amazing running list. Here is my playlist "Running 7" (yes, I have 9 of them, please don't judge):
- Roll Out - Ludacris
- Hey Ya! - Outkast
- This Is Why I'm Hot - Mims
- Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root
- How Bizarre - OMC
- Lump - The Presidents Of The United States Of America
- Juicy - The Notorious B.I.G.
- She F*#%!ing Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd
- Harder To Breathe - Maroon 5
- I Can - NaS
Another motivating factor that makes running uncomplicated and effortless is when I take Charlie with me. His pure excitement and joy of being out of the house is inspiring. We are both free as he looks up at me, happily, with wide eyes, establishing our pace together. He can't go far because he is a small dog, however a one to two mile jog is enough for us, kindred spirits, to enjoy our time in nature together.
Oftentimes, though, the best playlist is devoid of music or Charlie. Instead, the calm, quiet peace of solitude, interrupted with the pad, pad, pad of my running shoes hitting the pavement is all I need. Then I can take in nature's beauty along the way. A playlist of all the senses...
As I enter the wooded area from the pavement of the street and neighborhood, my feet meets the soft dirt path, leading down to the peaceful trail, shaded by large, overgrown trees. I turn to the trail and the added sounds of early fallen leaves crunch to my stride.
Soon, I approach the rusted bridge that safely carries me above North 48th Street and the whirring of civilization on the street below.
The trail becomes less populated with people as the sky darkens, and the voices of birds fill in the air with their night-time sounds. I never stop for a drink at this blue fountain, but I like the blaring color that stands alone.
After I turn around and head back towards the starting point on the same path, I see a different perspective from an opposite direction. There are more colors on the trees than before, welcoming me back home.
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