FUN TIME BALANCES REGRET AND REMORSE

A fun time is the break in the clouds, a ray of sunshine on an otherwise darkened day.

How’s that working this week? We all having a fun time yet?

If not, why not? Maybe we need a new soundtrack, new songs for this space in time? (Thank you Ten Years After.)

1.

The band Mandolin Orange plays a haunting song. The first lines set the tone:

Well, I’ve carried the world on my back with no more to obtain
The fire in the sky, a dim light in my eye that’s long faded
And I’ve stood where heroes have fallen their names turned to stone
Yet I remain nameless, the best friend the hero has known

Now I’m saving my strength for running
These days I’m saving my strength for running

I saved my strength for running 10K, 15K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. I even ran a Hood To Coast once. I’ve run to the store, made runs to Paris and London, run towards the light.

Then I porked out and decided I’d hold the door open for other runners. After I got strong my new job was barricading the door so others could run out the back. You know, just in case.

The song Cavalry is tinged with sadness, but still reaffirms that life is for the living. It reminds me of that famous line from Shawshank Redemption.

2.

Devil Makes Three has a song called Shades that seems to understand the current drift.

If this is a too familiar bar-rag feeling, you might want to regroup:

But I don’t come ’round here to meet nice people anyway
And what the hell am I doing drunk in the middle of the day
And I can feel the departure of all my hard earned pay
But with the shades drawn everything just drifts away

What is it about letting things drift away? There goes the money, there goes the love, and eventually, if you don’t check yourself, there goes your life. What’s the answer to the big question when you’re drunk in the middle of the day? Is that how you meet nice people? Not likely.

3.

The Wood Brothers song Loaded stays on theme:

All alone on my knee with my dreams of the past
But my aim is till true and my draw is still fast
My heart pulls the trigger
It doesn’t wait
Who wants a heart that hesitates

I was loaded, loaded
Have to say I was loaded
Sometimes the tip of my tongue is the barrel of a gun
And it’s loaded

Too often a fun time is what happens before the regret sets in. Why not end things earlier and plan the next outing instead of wallowing in remorse? Maybe you’re too loaded, not going places to meet nice people. Or maybe your world is too heavy on your back. It happens.

This has been going around social media lately:

“The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. The charity MIND have a 24 hour helpline: 800-123-3393. Please could any two of my Facebook friends just copy and repost to share the helpline far and wide. Just two. Any two. Say done.”

I’m adding Washington County Mental Health Services.

“For crisis services call 503-291-9111
The crisis line is open 24/7/365“

These days are ripe for singing a different song. Do you have one?

Leave a recommendation in comments. If it fits, I’ll add it to the list.