Raising It Up!
The best songs are transparent. The level of complexity may vary, and there’s a spectrum of literal to abstract, but with the good stuff you can always feel a clear intention. As in music, so in life.
“you were my best four years” — literal
“one particular harbor” — picture
“seasons will pass you by; I get up, I get down” — evocative
All so different, all so beautiful. Like our lives.
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Does that work for you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Me too.
Perhaps there’s another way to think about it. Let’s try this:
Short term – goals rule. Long haul – systems will get you there. Both are important, neither is sufficient by itself.
Is there a practical link between the two? Something you can do right now that will generate better results? Glad you asked! It’s actually very simple.
Let’s all do this in 2018:
1. Create five affirmations of constructive habits in the form of gratitude statements.
2. Speak them morning, noon and night.
3. Actually do the hard work that leads to transformation. Ha! I promised simple, not easy. I also promise that it’s worth it.
That’s it! Let’s do this thing, and I’ll meet you back here in January of 2019 for a celebration of our success.
Here are my 2018 statements. I’d love to hear yours.
1. I am grateful for healthy habits.
2. I am grateful for the habit of speaking kind and loving words.
3. I am grateful for the habit of prospering.
4. I am grateful for the habit of expressing appreciation.
5. I am grateful for the habit of trusting God.
Mighty blessings my friends for a wondrous 2018!
P.S. Bonus affirmation in a slightly different form: ‘more outdoors, less internet.’
Can I get an amen?
A lot of Boomer generation folks are finally waking up to the idea that we’re going to, yes, die. I don’t know if we were the first generation to think we were immortal, but we certainly have tried to extend our childhoods as far as possible. That’s over now, as we see our parents through their last phases and find ourselves burying friends, too many friends, our own age.
I can be a selfish man, I admit it, but in these days I’m finding that the idea of serving is coming forward a little more, and I’m gradually letting go of me. The perennial Boomer question, ‘what do I really want?’ is being supplanted by a different question: ‘God, what do you want?’ Hey, I’m as surprised as anyone! But grace beckons and you know what? It’s a relief.
The beautiful little irony is that “putting away childish things” opens up more freedom to be childlike instead. Born again, indeed. Thank you, God.
Click here for sheet music. All rights reserved, but feel free to play it and sing it! Just please give credit, and let me know how you like it. Mighty blessings.
(c) 2017 Mike Davis
It’s Christmas Eve and all we need
is a blessing for this house
Peace and plenty is what we see
for everyone … for everyone
so Christmas Spirit come tonight
bring us love and light
and bless this, bless this world, holy world
We are waiting for love tonight
to be the blessing of this house
We are ready to hold and shine the light
for everyone
so Christmas Spirit come tonight
bring us joy and light
and bless this, bless this world, holy world
Christmas Spirit come tonight
bring us peace and light
and bless this, bless this world, holy world
our holy home
Hold us in your arms
Be the loving arms
Christmas Spirit come tonight
bring us love and light
and bless this, bless this world, holy world
(c)2016 MikeDavis
Now let us greet this lovely child who will
change us all forever
Peaceful and still, the night is ready
for the child who changed the world
He shows the way, no greater love
could ever be imagined
the scene is set, our souls await
the child who will change the world
Love has come here tonight
we open our hearts to the light
We welcome the light, welcome the light!
Now be the light, be that lovely child
who will change the world forever
The night is still, the light so quiet
Go change the world
be the child who changed the world
you are the . . .
(c) 2014 Mike Davis
Christmas time is the perfect time
to welcome the light
and remember that love will never leave us
The stars and the moon in that cold night sky;
the baby’s eyes so bright
and his mother smiling, knowing
that love has come tonight
Real love, real love by the light of that star
Amor real, such a beautiful, beautiful child
Amor real, a la luz del sol divino
Christmas is love. Love and light
Long time ago the stage was set
in the beginning was the word
The wonder and the mystery of all that is
In the vastness of the universe,
in the quiet of the void
the world stood still for an eternity,
and the sound of love was heard
Amor real, a la luz del sol divino
Christmas is love. Love and light
Someday soon we’ll see the truth
that love is all there is
And the glory of the light that shines
will show us the way
Sweet baby Jesus lead us,
we will follow your light
such a beautiful, beautiful child;
such a beautiful night
Christmas is love. Love and light
Christmas is love. Love and light
Beautiful child, be the light of love
Imagine that you’re a young author. You’ve had a couple of successes, but lately you’ve had a series of flops. Your publishers are threatening to drop you. You have a big family and a lot of overhead. You’re in debt up to your ass, and Christmas is six weeks away. You’re desperately casting around for a book idea, something that you can write in time for the holiday. And oh yeah, you’ve got to self publish. Uh oh! You’re gonna have to borrow some more money. You’re cutting it exceedingly close here: it’s make or break time for real.
The really tough part is that you’re blocked creatively at the moment. Your past, present and future are haunting you (foreshadowing type hint, ahem) and there seems to be some kind of magical realism drama playing out around you: your friends and family, everyone you meet, really, start showing up in the guise of, well, spiritual beings in human form. Are they real? Are they specters, ghosts and phantasms? Never mind, they’re pretty interesting, and every one of them has a message for you. Write them into the book!
I won’t go any farther than that. Suffice it to say, this movie does not end like you might expect. It made me want to stand up and cheer, though, I will say that.
Ok, one little hint: it brings a new and much more profound meaning to the phrase “God bless us everyone!”
Merry Christmas, my friends!
One of the endless and enduring fascinations of my life has to do with the structures of songs.
Songs are like little buildings: some of them are airtight and graceful with smooth lines and a floor plan that makes practical sense. Beatles, Motown.
Some songs follow a dramatic arc rather than a traditional song form because they’re in service to a story. LeMis and all its brothers and sisters. And you can call me crazy, but I think of Buffett and Springsteen as the bridge there. They create what are essentially miniature short stories using simple song forms.
Some songs are more on the hodge-podge plan, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, among others, have written some songs whose floor plans meandered about like a crazy gingerbread house or the country cabin in Wheeling that your uncle has been adding on to for years. They were great songs, of course. YES or Bela Fleck? Forget about it. Greater still, and you needed a map to get through them. As a matter of fact, it’s not a coincidence that musicians refer to the form of songs as the road map.
After all, if you’re a musician and you find yourself in a playing situation where someone puts a new chart (musician speak for sheet music) in front of you, what’s the first thing you do? Scan the road map.
You want to see where the various sections lie, which parts repeat, and whether there might be any unusual little signposts along the way, or maybe a musical snare or tricky turn to trip up the unwary.
It becomes second nature after a while, and for a working stiff musician like me who’s spent much of his life playing pop, rock, jazz and country music in a bunch of situations, a knowledge of the architecture of songs is an essential.
Did I just mix my metaphors? Never mind — architecture, road maps, it’s all good, and the rules of songwriting are more like the pirate’s code from those Johnny Depp movies. You know, more like a guideline, really. Shit, I did it again.
Ha!
I know what you’re thinking. It’s supposed to be the other way around, right?
Like this: “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Either way, or both ways, I really like this idea. You may have noticed, though, that the whole ‘universe making it happen’ thing sometimes takes form in unexpected ways.
Like, oh, I don’t know, challenging you to learn something new in order to move forward. And leading you to the right teacher at the right time.
Or bringing up issues and emotions that you thought were already settled. And cracking open your heart to a greater understanding of those issues and emotions.
Or putting obstacles in your path when you were expecting an easy wind at your back. And putting the tools into your hands to move those obstacles.
Or pushing you to your breaking point. And reminding you that your breaking point is still a long way off.
Or plunging you into the dark part of the forest because that’s how the road winds on its way to the light. And shining that light just when you thought the darkness was too much for you.
Good one, Universe! Very funny!
Here’s one thing that always turns out to be true though: the stairs are better than the elevator. Make a decision, make your move, get stronger and get ready for the miracle that’s been inside you all along anyway.
Why? Because just as a drop of water is a part of the ocean, it is simultaneously the entire ocean. Always has been, always will be. A seed is part of the crop and it is simultaneously all the food and all the flowers in the world. Always has been, always will be.
And you …
God speed, fellow travelers. We’ve been home all along.