Words of Wisdom

My writing bug is itching bad...I mean really bad. Inspiration decided to open its flood gates upon my thirsty mind. This post is related to the wisdom that guides you throughout life whether you listen to it or not. You know how you listen to a song and like it because of the chorus or the instrumentals or because it sounds good and you don't really listen to the lyrics? I mean truly listen? That happened to me the other day.

I was listening to a Kenny Chesney song called "Where I Grew Up". For those who don't know, I love country music and Kenny is my #1 favorite country artist hands down. His music is so chill, so relaxing, and many of his songs relate to many aspects of my life. Anyway, this song has a phenomenal sound and so much raw emotion. But when I actually listened to the lyrics the other day, it struck a chord in me. The first part goes like this:

"There's still marks on the pantry door of that little house
Where Mama used to measure us
I'm proud to say that's my home where I was raised
But that ain't where I grew up


See, I gained a little on Father Time
The summer my Granddaddy died
The first time I saw Mama cry
Man, that sure was tough


Felt like I put on a few years
Watching Daddy wipe her tears
In my little coat and tie standing in that cemetery mud
That's where I grew up"

When most people ask "where did you grow up?" they are referring to your house, hometown, state, etc. But here he points out major moments that were turning points in his life that pushed him in the direction of being grown up.  In this case, a little boy experiences death and seeing adults cry. 

"My senior year, a case of beer out on the river bank
Getting a head start on twenty one
That's the place that made me feel just like a man
But that ain't where I grew up

See I gained a little on Father Time
That night I crossed that center line
I bet I rolled a dozen times

Next thing I knew I was waking up upside down
Praying God just get me out
Then I hit my knees beside what was left of my truck
Hey, that's where I grew up"

This second verse moved me a little more. We jump ahead to senior year of high school, where kids, yes kids, with bright futures do really really stupid things. As the lyrics show, he couldn't wait to be a "man" by the way of under-age drinking and then driving while under the influence. He again makes the reference that even though he felt like a man, he hadn't truly grown up. What got me here is that his mistake should have cost him his life. Instead it cost him only his truck. He realized that he was shown mercy by a Being higher than him and gained more than his life back.

"See, I gained a little on Father Time
When me and her, had our first big fight
I said some things, I made her cry
She packed all her stuff


The boy in me said let her go
But the man in me said pull her close
It was time to find out which one I was
Standing in a doorway holding on to love


That's where I grew up
Oh, that's where I grew up".

This last part is my favorite. He now touches one of the most important parts of our lives...human relationships. There is no conflict free relationship. Everyone fights, it's just how life is. But it's how you handle it that really matters. A boy can win a fight, but it takes a man to say he's sorry. He realized that love was more important than a fight and now he had grown up. 

A lot of wise stuff like this has helped me navigate this maze we call life and as a bonus, I've compiled thoughts below whether they are from me or someone else.

"Your friends and family will be there for you when you are sick or down. Your job can't"

"What comes out of the mouth, proceeds from the heart."

"If your going to get drunk, get drunk only on the love of the person you fell in love with."

"If your going to cheat, cheat death and nothing else."

"BS may get you to the top, but it won't keep you there for very long."

"Chivalry is not dead, only a select few are chosen to wield it."

"Two little words can end conflict and three will  prevent a war."

"Cherish the time you have with those you care about because time can be a thief and will rob you blind."

"Time can also heal wounds, use it wisely."

"You can lose everything. Nothing is guaranteed. Your job, degree, car, money, people, and even your life."

"Boys do stupid things, make immature decisions, cross the lines, but a man learns from his mistakes, makes wiser decisions, avoids the lines, and says he's sorry. And yes a man cries."

"Give God the glory, realize there is a Creator and you are a creation, strive for that life, and surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life."

Thoughts, Musings, and The Season We Call Summer

I have a confession to make...I have been cheating. Now before y'all get in a uproar, let me explain myself. A writer is not like an average person (if one truly does exist) in that they must enjoy every option available to them. So the truth is...I have been cheating on my blog with my journal.

Call me old fashioned, but I like writing with a pen, paper, and in cursive. Sadly cursive is a dying art because it is slowly being eradicated from public schools along with many other things, but that's another topic for another time.

I've been journaling since I was a kid, but have taken a long hiatus because of my 154 word document page story I wrote throughout the my beginning college years, poetry as inspiration comes, some memoirs, and this blog. I picked it up again because I realized how much I missed it and because the passing of two friends, back-to-back years, both the same age, just got me thinking a lot. So much that I needed a private outlet to empty my emotional bank into when their dam had been breached.

Not all of it holds sad, heavy, writing, however. One is filled with poetry and happy, personal thoughts and the other pays tribute to life, love, and friendship. These, however, are not yet fit to be shared beyond myself and may never be.

Yesterday I found myself on the shore of Lake Erie at Lakewood Park. If you haven't been there, it's a beautiful place to be. Watching the sunset there made the list of Top 100 Things to Do in Cleveland on Cleveland.com. I tend to be less in the park and closer to the shore because to me, Lake Erie is like the complicated relationship I never had. Some days, the lake is so calm that the water is like glass. You almost don't want to touch it for fear of causing a Wrinkle in Time. I can lie on the beach and listen to her waves or sit on the barrier wall and gaze across her while catching a spectacular view of the Cleveland skyline. Some days, she gives up her haul of fish. Then, without warning, she'll turn into utter rage, sending rogue thunderstorms or chaotic snow that dumps in a confined area or even withholds her treasures from me.

Looking out over the lake in the summer, puts your whole world into a new perspective. To see the sun set, with a vast array of clouds, coupled by the various birds and a strong wind, is just an amazing picture of how the Artist Himself saw beauty and created this earth to compliment that beauty...man. To us, we see other people as ugly, worthless, inferior, hopeless, weak, and complete failures. But God put His hand into the blackest of voids and created something beautiful, more beautiful than beauty itself. Even if He was satisfied with Adam alone, the whole earth was already created for him. The same goes for all of us. If each of us was the only person God created, the Grand Canyon would still be grand. The Northern Lights would still be majestic. The Alps would still glisten with wonder. And the sun would still shine from sea to shining sea.

On a final note, Mountain Top begins in 7 days. Get Ready!