I stopped short; the pencil that I had been scribbling with furiously
refused to scratch the papers surface.
Not because I had no further ideas, in fact my mind was buzzing
with them…
The difference today was that my mind had had enough
Today my mind rebelled
Throwing out all vestiges of convention
Like a hot oozy mess of sticky marshmallows, the essence of who
I am came trickling out
It was a weird sensation that day that I lost control
I felt a sense of release that was not unlike an over
stretched rubber band breaking free
Or even like cooked spaghetti writhing about deliciously in
a vat of creamy sauce
It was a day that I had decided that like the foot that
grows large, swollen and weary at the end of the day and refuses to be stuffed
back into a conventional shoe...
That my mind was going to relax and take its own organic
shape
Whether that meant sleeping for half a day or baking
brownies until my arms hurt
The teacher presided over the classroom, monitoring the hand
writing of every single child in class. It was first grade and the emphasis was
on neatness, holding the pencil with precision and as much as possible trying
to get the little children to write with their right hands.
Johnny in the corner of the classroom was doing battle with
his pencil, slipping and smudging graphite residue on his newly starched shirt.
After days of having written on lined paper, he found that today he was
struggling to write in neat little lines, purely because this time, the teacher
was testing them. The sheets before him were unlined.
The teacher bent over him in frustration and reprimanded him
for not being able to keep a straight line, with his writing especially since
he was able to every other day in his lined workbook.
Fast forward twenty years later to a conversation that he
had with a friend of his in the campus cafeteria. Johnny’s friend idly picked
up his study notebook, nestling between the two cappuccinos at the table and
flicked through. It wasn’t a remarkable notebook, but what stood out was Johnny’s
neat, military- precision like handwriting contained within the lines on each
page.
Johnny’s friend questioned him about his super tidy hand
writing, to which Johnny recounted the episode with his teacher that was the pivotal
moment that had brought him to such precise and orderly handwriting. He
explained in detail how his teacher had frowned upon the fact that his scratchy
scrawl filled the unlined pages at weird angles and arches totally at odds with
following a linear structure like he ought to.
Upon hearing this Johnny’s friend sighed deeply, placed a
reassuring arm on his shoulder and said…
If only that teacher saw what YOU did on that day. If only
your teacher saw that even at the age of five that you were streets ahead, possessing
the wisdom and the foresight to be the only one in class that was being FREE in
a liberated space.
There are few things in life more beautiful and heart
stopping than listening to the strains of your favourite songs. Music has the
power to lift you up, elevate your mood and at the same time deliver a sucker
punch to the gut robbing you of all air and leaving you emotionally on your
knees and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Here are 9 of my favourites
Peter Cetera- The
glory of love
In a matter of seconds I am transported to a magical time in
my childhood where everything was so achingly sweet. I remember a time that I had
stars in my eyes and a young girl’s dream that glowed and tightened in my
chest. I would dream, fleshing out a fantasy, anticipating a time that I would
meet the love of my life. Till today this piece of music has a way of lowering
my defences, reducing the cynic in me to dust and elevating the soaring sense
that everything is going to be okay.
Sergio Mendes and
the Black Eyed Peas- Mas que nada
Fluidity, movement, a sense of the fact that your shoulders
have dislocated and are moving of their own free will to the music. If any song
sounds like joy, this is it! Translated literally the song title means ‘This is
nothing’ or ‘Whatever’. If they were describing the type of involuntary action
and ease of motion that your body breaks into when this song comes on, then
these guys were right on the money!
Shakespeare’s
Sister- Stay
The video concept may be old, but the epic fight between
good and evil will always prevail and in no way is it more compelling and
disturbing than in this video. The song captures me and holds me prisoner in
its spell, if not for its somewhat hypnotic push and pull between two forces
then for its powerful moments of building suspense, raising and dropping your
emotions in the space of a heartbeat.
Billy Ocean- When
the going gets tough, the tough get going
An ultimate feel good song which makes me want to get out of
my present day life and head back to the eighties and meet myself at the age of
9. I am reminded of the girl that I used to be, spontaneous, excited, easily
moved to dancing and happiness. I am reminded that even if I feel like I’m
older, wiser and worldly aware, that there are moments of happiness and sheer
silliness that we should all embrace as if our heads were on fire and we badly
needed water to douse its flames.
Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
Deliberate, full of intent, determination and showing that
we never give up… If any song has a way
of embodying these few feelings then Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on Prayer’ is it. I
remember this song from my childhood and recall feeling pretty darn ‘super
hero’ powerful whenever I listened to it.
To me this song is the ultimate expression of the eighties if only for
the fact that I felt like weeping buckets when Jon Bon Jovi eventually decided
to let go of his luscious locks.
Belinda Carlisle-
Heaven is a place on earth
This is a strong song with a title that fits the content and
the meaning of the song. I remember being super ill in hospital as a child with
pneumonia, languishing in my bed, feeling ragged and incredibly sick, that is
until I heard this song playing on the radio. I remember immediately feeling as
if a cloud had lifted and that my world was a better place.
Don’t you worry –
Swedish House Mafia
When it comes to this particular song I am awakened not just
on a sensory level but on a cellular level. If songs were a type of hydrating
liquid that trickled into the body, this would be it. This song pours into my
soul leaving every last cell feeling energized and uplifted. I had initially dismissed this piece of music
as boring house music. I can never understand how or why I did this. Then came
a day when I gave this song a good proper listen and my entire impression of it
changed. One of the most interesting things about this song though, is that I
seem to attract it into my life. If ever I am driving and thinking about this
song, it somehow inevitably plays on radio.
Carly Simon – Let
the river run
If there is any song that sounds like hope rising this is
it. There is a yearning, wistfulness and a sense of optimism that somehow keeps
swelling and swelling, taking you higher and higher until you reach a pinnacle at
the very end. Most movie buffs will
remember this from ‘The Working Girl’ as the kind of music that makes you want
to raise your coffee mug in salute of all things great in the universe.
Johnny Clegg and Savuka –
Great Heart
There are certain pieces of music that deliver a kick of
emotion to the gut and there can be none as more patriotically provocative than
Johnny Clegg’s ‘Great Heart’ from the movie Jock of the Bushveld. This piece of music is exciting, bold and
rhythmic in the way in which it is composed a true masterpiece for anyone
aching to join in on an earthy, rhythmic celebration of life. Another favourite Clegg song of mine is none
other than ‘Cruel, crazy, beautiful world’ another one that really makes you
sit up and take notice, especially for the wistfulness in the message.
Enjoy my selection of favourites!
Disclaimer-
Please note that the links shared in this article are in no way my intellectual
property, but purely selections made off popular search results as found on the YouTube
platform.
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