birds eye view

Follow ontheten on Twitter

Saturday, September 29, 2007

this is the day



it is a simple concept. and it is what happens every 24. a brand new day. a way to start fresh and to reinvent myself and the way i look at the world. this is the day that more will be revealed. it ain't always easy to have this approach. same shit another day, is also an approach i have plenty of practice with. or more appropriately different shit, another wasted day.

but those weren't what i had in mind when i started typing. it starts here and it is my first endeavors of the morning which help to dictate how the rest of the day proceeds. do i start by getting grounded? by exercising? by meditating? by praying? by thinking of doing for others? if the answer to any of these is no, then i need to rethink my tactics.

i have learned through experience that leaving my life and my moods and my habits to chance and not steering them, puts me in a much more precarious position with regard to sanity. i have to train my mind, because it will run like a wild appaloosa if it is not harnessed. i know that with diligence, my moods will be steadier, my heart will be more open, and my deeds will demonstrate more thoughtfulness. this is how i prefer to live my days.

have you heard of "one day at a time?" of course you have, but have you tried it? i mean, really tried it? yeah? what do ya think?

my 72 year old uncle is in town from chicago, and after i work today, i will head to my cousin's house to see him. we haven't spoken in 7 years. i have some amends to do, but it should be fine, because he requested specifically that i come today. he has heard about the course my life has taken and wants to acknowledge his feelings (and mine). this is the day that more will be revealed. this is the day that may hold healing for the all the members of my family that are present for this.

i believe this is the "disinfected" version of this song. if you know "the the" then you get that the original album which hosted this song was titled "infected". matt johnson had shaved his head by the filming of this version and moved into his next phase of his journey. the original version of this song is from 1983. i guess it's a trip down memory lane for me today. i welcome you to come along if you like. lyrics posted below the youtube post. click on the post title above to see what matt's up to these days.


Well... you didn't wake up this morning
Because you didn't go to bed
You were watching the whites of your eyes
Turn red
The calendar, on your wall, is ticking the days off
The calendar on your wall is ticking
the days off
You've been reading some old letters
You smile and think how much you've changed
All the money in the world
Couldn't bring back those days.
You pull back the curtains, and the sun burns into your eyes,
You watch a plane flying across a clear blue sky.
THIS IS THE DAY -- Your life will surely change.
THIS IS THE DAY -- Your life will surely change.
You could've done anything -- if you'd wanted
And all your friends and family think that you're lucky.
But the side of you they'll never see
Is when you're left alone with the memories
That hold your life together like
Glue

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I searched for "day" in my "quotes" file, and this came up:
"Count no day lost in which you waited your turn, took only your share and sought advantage over no one. -Robert Brault"
Of course, inspired by a famous designer who said accessorizing well means taking one thing off before you leave the house, I would shorten it to: "Count no day lost." We sure know how true that is in 12-step programs--none of that dreadful incomprehensible demoralization and bad behavior goes to waste when a newcomer hears it and thinks: "Oh my God, I wasn't the only one. This disease turns everyone into a dark version of himself." There's something very powerful in how one's past shame dissolves someone else's present shame.

Steve said...

I need to take more of your approach on things. I wonder if 12 steps is good for someone with no chemical abuse history? Beautiful post!

A Bear in the Woods said...

Sometimes it's difficult but necessary to remind myself that the circumstances and thoughts that surround me have nothing to do with the real essence of who and what I am.

Anonymous said...

I'm taking the same approach, thanks for the song! This is the day mr!

A Bear in the Woods said...

Thanks for the encouragement.
I'm practicing breathing.

Related Posts with Thumbnails