9 August 2021 – So often, I use song lyrics, poetry and quotes to connect with a situation and a person. I also use them to give advice and to show empathy. I don’t always know how another person feels because I’ve never been through the same things. However, when I am talking to someone or in a certain situation, I will often hear a song or a phrase that connects me to the situation and makes it easier for me to understand. If you are ever talking to me about anything for any period of time, you are guaranteed to hear something like that from me. Sometimes it is only a lyric, but melodies are still making memories every day. If you listen hard enough, they can also teach a lesson.

“Human” – Human League

One of the most important things we need to remember in every relationship is that the other person is human. We all make mistakes, we all hurt others, and we often need forgiveness. The bridge of this song says, “I forgive you. Now I ask the same of you. While we were apart, I was human too.” Our forgiveness of others is just as important as their forgiveness of us. More importantly, our forgiveness of ourselves is critical.

“Drowning” – Chris Young

When this song came out, the lyrics felt like my inner consciousness kicked me in the gut and reminded me to grieve. The main lyric I am talking about is “How you were taken way too soon. It ain’t the same here without you. I gotta say, missing you comes in waves, and tonight I’m drowning.” As I have said previously, I didn’t really grieve when Dave died because I had to just keep going. I like getting things done, and I wanted to keep going, and I was afraid to stop. I love the song, and the lyrics reminded me that I needed to stop and just grieve. There was a big issue, though. I felt like I needed to work. It came out about two months after starting a new job, and I felt like I couldn’t step back for even a minute. Instead, I held on for another 18 months before I finally allowed myself time away to grieve. Sometimes I am a little hard-headed.

“People Are Crazy” – Billy Currington

This song reminds you to be nice to everyone you meet and the value of a conversation to some people. But my favorite lyric is from the chorus, “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.” We all deal with crazy people in our lives. Some are strangers, some are co-workers, and oftentimes they are family. Despite the crazy, we need people in our lives. That’s why we also need God and beer.

“All Your Favorite Bands” – Dawes

I first heard this song at the oral surgeon with Shelby when she got her wisdom teeth out. As soon as we heard the song, we knew we loved it. The line, “I hope the world sees the same person that you’ve always been to me and may all your favorite bands stay together,” is one I wish I had written. Everyone should be loved enough for someone to say that to them. When we love others, we want them to be happy and all good things to happen to them. For Shelby, who loves her music, I hope all her favorite bands stay together. Well, at least the ones who haven’t already broken up.

“Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” – from “Hamilton”

The musical “Hamilton” has so many great lines, but the one that really had an impact on me is, “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known when I was young and dreamed of glory: You have no control who lives, who dies who tells your story.” We do not control our lives. We do not control how we are remembered. All we can do is live our best life and hope to leave more positive behind than negative. They say you die twice. Once when your soul leaves the earth and once when your name is spoken for the last time.

“Part of the Plan” – Dan Fogelberg

I love Dan Fogelberg. He sings two of my favorite songs of all time, “Leader of the Band” and “Same Old Lang Syne.” But it’s the lyric from this song that stuck with me. The lyric is “Love when you can, cry when you have to, be who you must, that’s a part of the plan. Await your arrival with simple survival, and one day we’ll all understand.” Life is confusing, and no matter how hard we plan or how good we are, sometimes it is simply loving, crying and surviving that we can do.

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – The Rolling Stones

I’m not a huge fan of The Rolling Stones, but they have great lyrics, and I like this song. We are so privileged, and we think we need to have everything when we really need very little. The main lyric of the song is a great reminder of that, “You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.”