I've made no bones about the fact that I've been feeling pretty down this year. Pretty dark. I've tried to avoid writing too much about it here, but inevitably it's seeped in. A few things have happened over the past month or so that have made me realise I need to sort myself out, before I end up in a very bad place. And so I'm trying very hard to change my ways...
Back when I wrote radio adverts for a living, I had a client who described their business as "One of the pleasures of Batley". I kept trying to get them to change their strapline, but they were having none of it. I always wondered what the other pleasures of Batley might be. Presumably Robert Palmer would be near the top of the list.
Life would be so much more exciting
If we could live it day to day
We could at least adjust the lighting
To illuminate the way
Wise words from Batley Bob there. (The song also includes one of my favourite Robert Palmer lines, "She had a dimple in her favour".) Words which lead us nicely into this new feature.
The problem with Self Help advice is that so much of it is tailored to hippies and Pollyannas, words that some might apply to Joni Mitchell... though I'd disagree. After all, she's looked at clouds from both sides now, and this was her conclusion...
Now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
In this series then, I'm going to look at Self Help advice through jaded eyes, try to scrape away the rainbows and unicorns, and find the truths contained therein. Truths I hope can help me change my ways. I don't want to be the grumpy old man shouting at people in the supermarket anymore. I don't need a gun, I need a guru... and who better than the philosophers of modern song to guide me through my quest?
Billy Idol - I Don't Need A Gun
Roger Miller wrote a ton of songs, including King Of The Road and England Swings. This was apparently his favourite, and it contains a line that perfectly sums up where I'm going with this...
You can be happy if you've a mind to...
Ah, that Roger Miller song is rather lovely, brought all sorts of wonderfully bizarre images into my mind!
ReplyDeleteLook forward to your further finds and musings in this series, I think we all need some of it too. So true what you say, it's only us who can change - and it requires a re-set in our way of thinking, which is hard, but definitely worthwhile. I find myself saying this to Mr SDS a lot too; he gets so wound up by all the things he can't change, often little things (to me anyway) in the scheme of things. and I hate to see it because it's so futile, it's not going to affect anything except him (and me!) - he just needs to focus on where he can make a difference and accept/move on from the rest. But I know it takes work, it doesn't come naturally if you're that way inclined.
Keep yourself on track Rol and I really wish you well with everything.
I've recently finished reading Jimmy Carr's book Before snd Laughter. Now I'm not a huge Carr fan or anything, and it was a very cheap charity shop purchase. However, I've been surprised. It's helped me get some perspective on my life and where I am (and where I'm not). I can't say it's stopped my low mood, but it has given me another perspective on that mood which has helped. It might only be a temporary help, but I'll take what I can get.
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