Life can sometimes throw a lot of curveballs. Can you stay strong enough to keep the faith and…yes…dance? What reasons have you got to keep up the good fight?
This week’s Friday song is the ‘dance’ version of Lee Ann Womack‘s ‘I Hope You Dance’ – the best remix of the song, in my opinion, by highly understated and mega-talented British music producer Brian Rawling of Metrophonic. Google the man and only this wee snippet on Wikipedia comes up. This version of the song is so typical of the quality of talent that exists in the UK when it comes to music (discovered by me only, really, since living in England from 2007 for six years).
This past week I tried to write a post on suicide after learning of my business manager’s American military friend who killed himself (the sixth of her military friends) and the next day learning of a married couple jumping to their deaths in a double suicide from the ninth floor of their Manhattan office building…due to the stress of finding themselves in such dire financial debt they could not cope. They left behind two young adult children just beginning their adult lives. I felt such a sadness about these stories, as I always do, and the length of that post got so long because I have so much to say about the matter, I had to stop and park it for the time being – I’ll return with my thoughts broken up into parts. It’ll be better that way. There are serious global initiatives in mental health provision worth talking about.
The deep tragedy of these deaths and the conditions that we find ourselves in sometimes have been playing on my mind. (I do watch my Facebook feed and note that friends are in hospital, losing their loved ones, grieving, etc.) But in a good way. These situations have sharpened my view on life and how to live it.
After having had some time off this summer, allowing myself to slow down but also become mindful/aware of how much work can can bleed into one’s mind and personal life if you allow it to, I feel I have to cut to the chase and say this: life’s too short to stress yourself sick. There’s more to life than work and money. There’s more to life than image and keeping up with the Jones’es. There’s much more to life than debt, no matter how bad that gets. Let it fall apart if you’re at the point of crumbling. There’s more to life than these man-made constructs. We all know it when there’s a health crisis or a threat to life, ours or those we love.
Seek to find the balance. If you don’t know what that looks like, ask someone who loves you. They know.
If you are in a critical situation, my heart goes out to you. I can’t always know these things but you know I’m here if life’s tough. Reach out to me or to someone else if you’re in the dregs. Faith is an ACT…so act and turn to someone if life’s hard. Get a hug. Talk it out. Look at solutions. Breathe.
Find love if you can and know this: someone will help you find the practical help you need if you’re literally at your wits’ end. Trust me. I’m sure of this. Open up and let someone in.
Regarding this song, listen to this line: “Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance.” It’s beautiful. Lean into it. Womack’s voice is a pristine invitation to come out of the dark and most definitely move into the light. For me, ‘I Hope You Dance’ is a reminder to grab life and live it from the very bottom of your soul to the top of it.
Nothing more to say this week than that. Agree with me? Leave a message below.
And go dance!!! Move, groove, grab someone you love and kiss or hug them. Take in the beauty of this music for a few minutes and give yourself compassion all the way, baby. Get out of your head.
(Classic version of the song below – with lyrics – and the performance Lee Ann Womack gave at Maya Angelou‘s memorial service.)
With love,
I Hope You Dance – Lee Ann Womack
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin’ might mean takin’ chances, but they’re worth takin’
Lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth makin’
Don’t let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin’ out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance (Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance (Where those years have gone?)
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance (Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder?)