Dear Reader,
Do you have a certain song that reminds you of a specific time in your life? You know like when you turn the TV on and an advert uses a song that you grew up with and haven’t heard for ages. Then you take a brief walk down memory lane. I tell ya, just pick a tune from the last half century and I’ll sync it up with a memory eee zee!
As a kid I always tried to play my parents vinyl records. Absolutely loved watching the record spin, delicately balancing the needle and I’d know every single word of my faves off by heart.
Never mind that I had practically no idea what the lyrics were about. I imagine there would have been more than a couple of pairs of eyes rolling at my house, as I did my overdramatic rendition of Olivia Newton John’s (RIP🤍) ‘Hopelessly devoted to you’ half crooning, half lip syncing into my tomato sauce bottle in the kitchen. Good acoustics in there, second only to the shower of course…iykyk!😁
It was either a heart wrenching melancholy number or hype myself up for Saturday morning chores by jigging and urging everyone to ‘show me emotion’ tralalalala just because Boney M asked me to.
OMDaze…lol! I gotta say, being the youngest was a tough gig at times man, but yeah I stepped up, someone had to do it right? Hhhhhh!
Years later and I still enjoy finding new tunes to hum along to much to my teens’ horror, but I’m proud to say that they have an eclectic taste in good music, not so heavy on the melancholy so well balanced overall and I like to think that I have a hand in that.
The older you get though, the more you’re aware of song lyrics especially through the lens of a parent. The quick scan of language appropriateness is an automatic reflex you gain as soon as your first born arrives I reckon.
Radio stations are good like that though airing only radio edits and I like to think that as a proud Gen Y, I’m moderately ‘in the know’ of the current lingo of young’uns, Gen Z’s etc.. Personally I don’t mind so much x-rated lyrics especially if it’s kind of built into the characteristics of certain genres, that’s part of its whole appeal to the fans I guess, so all goods.
Tbh most of the romantic type content of song lyrics no longer ring a bell for me. And I’m all good with that. I can’t speak for other solo parents, but personally, I still get feel good vibes from seeing and being surrounded by genuine happiness.
Whether that be watching it on social media, out at restaurants, family and community celebrations. Seeing people like couples out and about on holidays, Valentines Day, date nights, all of those happy time vibes are all just part of what I like to call the ‘good stuff’.
So for me anyway listening to songs dealing with matters of the heart, has more to do with catchy tunes, beautiful melodies, and the emotive catharsis of talented artists, rather than me.
Leaders, celebrities, influencers and literally everyone who interacts with unique vibes sent out into the universe (I like to count myself and you dear reader in there) can potentially be a creator of the ‘Good Stuff’. And that, I resonate more deeply with.
I like to believe that we as creatures of social evolution (as well as all the other types) have the inherent nature to share with one another. Our experiences, skills, knowledge, our existence as special entities with unique lives, some aspects different from each other, some more alike than we think.
As I’m writing this my little Miss 4 is showing me a video she likes featuring a cute kitten nodding its head along to a popular tune. The genuine admiration and joy lighting up her eyes is priceless and it’s thanks to another person sharing their ‘good stuff’.
So whatever you’re facing today dear reader, I hope that you’ve come across this blog post as your personal sign:
Don’t. Forget. The. Good. Stuff.
If you’re not quite up to creating the good vibes right now, all goods, but do try and follow them, surround yourself with them if you can.
And if you can’t avoid the beast of the ‘Other’ kind of vibes coming your way, then I offer this advice in the attempt that it might help you in some way as it did me.
1. Be honest with yourself and identify your ‘task’ to see if there’s any room for you to at least reverse your ‘Other’ POV on it.
2. Visualise putting each of your ‘tasks’ into a different room of your house. Visit each room one at time and see each ‘task’ clearly and how you could possibly go about looking at it from a different corner of the room.
– Shift that beast around as many times as you need to until the light in that room hits it just right and you find a POV that highlights the best way to deal with it adequately.
– For example if you feel overwhelmed, self doubt or fear about doing something, picture someone in that room saying just as much to you. I guarantee you will find the drive to come up with ways to defend yourself and your abilities, to them.
I feel obliged, as always dear reader, to keep it real in that some beasts are (sadly) committed to misunderstanding you. You may try till you’re blue in the face but if it’s a stalemate beyond all reasonable attempts, I give you my blessing to show that beast out the door, pronto! 🙌🏽 Metaphorically speaking of course…😉😂
3. Apart from that small possibility, I encourage you dear reader to know your worth, examine all the skills, knowledge, tools and experiences that have served you well in the past and use the heck out of them. Or else find the updated versions and/or seek advice from a neutral and objective specialist.
4. Self affirm and love yourself enough to carve the time, effort and energy out for yourself. If I were to ask you to list who you loved most in this whole world, how far down the list would you put yourself?
The end goal being to exit that room with the beast slain, and you ready to enter the next room or build a whole other new house if you so wanted!👏🏽
There is also that other ultimate hope that you leave each room in abundance of that ‘Good Stuff’ and if you’re feeling it, sprinkle some of that magic dust around so that others like my little Miss and me, can truly appreciate it as well🙏🏽❤️
And you know we will, and so too will many others because we all know dear reader, there’s no such thing as too much of the ‘Good Stuff’🫶🏼
Truessenz 