I made it to the gym. Not willingly. However, doctors orders! Literally. As those of you who know me, you are aware that on November 6th, 2021, for no reason at all, a piano fell on my leg shattering my fibula and breaking my tibia. A rod through my leg and 6 “Herman the Munster” bolts later, that I should mention protrude out of my ankles and leg lol it appears my leg is still broken. I met with my surgeon the other day and he reviewed my new x-rays. Sure as shit, my leg is still broken. He should me my X-ray from my initial accident. He asked me to look at the area that looked like shattered glass. I did. He said “that was your shattered bones!!
He asked me if I have been going to the gym to use a stationary bike. I said “no but I’ve been in the pool a lot”. Yikes that didn’t sit well with him. Geez give me a break. Lol. Well I mustered up the energy and got myself to the gym. Something about the doctor threatening I may require another surgery! What a meanie.
So Here I am on a stationary bike, listening to Journey and posting on Facebook. My mom asked where I was going as I left. I said I was heading to the gym in the hopes of losing 10 pounds and 14 inches in 30 minutes. Her reply. “Oh brother!” Lol. That poor woman is still putting up with my nonsense after all these years lol.
Any way send good vibes for a 30 minute miracle. As for the piano….well it’s still in my brothers basement. Know one can lift it. Damn the bad luck. If it was outdoors we could’ve used that evil thing for firewood lol. What can I say? Sometimes you just have to find the humor in the challenges we go through.
I went for my first walk in months this morning. It was chilly but absolutely beautiful. On my playlist was Michael McDonald. I love all of his music including his songs when he was with The Doobie Brothers.
As I listened to the lyrics of “Ya Mo Be There” I found a sense of comfort knowing that no matter what I’m going through right now I have a “Higher Power” that will always be there. Sometimes I don’t feel that way but today as I listened to Michael belt out this tune, I had a sense of comfort. Who knows, maybe it was just being outside with a blue sky above me surrounded by hills still covered in snow.
I’m sure many people don’t realize what the meaning of “Ya Mo B There” means or even understand the true meaning of the lyrics.
The actual spelling of the song title is Yah Mo B There. Yah is a shortened version of Yahweh, which means God in Hebrew. So the title literally means “God will be there” and is interpreted as “God be with you.”
Ingram and McDonald spelled things differently so as not to scare anyone away. Good idea! The title has perplexed people since 1983. Another fast fact, the idea behind the song was the religious teaching that nothing can save mankind except our Father in Heaven.
I’m not sure if anyone reading my post believes in a higher power. However, those who do have their own interpretation. For some, higher power is God, for others it’s the Universe. Some refer to their higher power as the outdoors, a sunset, the ocean….regardless what your belief is we can all agree that we have a higher power who can save us, guide us, comfort us and when the world around us is as zany and crazy as it is today, we have a higher power that can even restore mankind.
With that said, Ya Mo B There merits a share today. Happy Sunday.
When we go into the inner desert, we appreciate for the first time just how much unnecessary baggage we carry around. We see and gasp at the incredible artificiality of our old way of life, the flimsiness of our old values, the duplicity of our old self. The process is harrowing because it rips away everything by which we’ve defined ourselves. But this desert dying, this going under, is a necessary condition for the kind of “ineffable joy” and “wonderful light” that suffused Francis at the end of his time in the pit.
—from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters
Today is my sixth month anniversary. Six months ago, I was on my walk. It was Sunday. I was praying that day asking god to intercede in my life and help me to land on my feet again spiritually, emotionally and physically. I was so tired of the anxiety, depression, PTSD, a negative mindset as well as the constant fear and worry that had taken control of my life.
This coming May will be five years that I returned from San Francisco. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve isolated myself in my room ever since. Life happens sometimes. Challenges arise, traumatic experiences happen. Health problems, relationship problems, job loss, finances…..Life as we knew it can change in a New York minute.
That Sunday, I made the decision to take my life back. I won’t bore you with the details. Some things are just meant to stay private. However, I will share I have been working diligently to take control of my mind, body and soul and spirit everyday. The result….I’m happy again. I love life again….and I’m grateful. I have a whole new perspective. I see the blessings in all things even at a time when we are all forced to be in isolation. I’m learning every day to create a better me. You too can create a better you the minute you decide to take control of your life. Good times will happen as will bad. Happy times will happen as will sad. It’s how we choose to react to every situation. Personally, I chose to react poorly.
Six months ago, I chose peace, love, serenity, joy, health, family, but more importantly life! I choose to live my life in a state of gratitude opposed to depression. It’s been six months ago today that I prayed asking God for help. He heard me that day because today is my anniversary and every day I find myself looking forward to the day as well as what the future will be that is right in front me. With any luck, the light that shines in my life will exude and shine brightly on those I encounter everyday. Life is good! It always was. I just failed to recognize it.
Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more people than anything else. From it stems all forms of spiritual disease, mental and physical illness. We become spiritually sick.
As we look at ourselves, we can easily see resentment as a question of “getting even” for a wrong done to “me.” If we continue to relive old hurts, it is a resentment that bars the sunlight from our soul. If we continue to relive hurts and hates, we will only hurt and hate ourselves. We must let go of resentments; Clearly, we cannot afford them. Let go and let the sunshine in.
(This Photo was taken at a hotel lobby I was at in Spokane, Wa)
Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing.The signals our bodies use to tell us we need to cleanse ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally are multifaceted and often mirror symptoms we associate with illness. If we heed these signs, we not only feel better quickly but also stave off poor health before it can start. These quick fixes for common ailments can get you started.
1. Applying pressure to the acupressure point between the thumb and forefinger can release blockages causing pain, tension, and fatigue. You can relieve a headache naturally by squeezing for 20 seconds and releasing for 10 seconds, without letting go, four times.
2. To breathe freely, irrigate your nasal passages with a neti pot and warm salt water. As you clear and soothe the sinuses, congestion associated with allergies or infection will gradually disappear.
3. Apple cider vinegar is a powerful purifying and detoxifying agent. Soaking for 20 minutes in a warm bath infused with two cups of apple cider vinegar pulls toxins from the body and can clear blocked energy.
4. The foods you eat can have a profound impact on your outlook and mood. Eating a small yet satisfying meal rich in complex carbohydrates can lift your spirit and help you let go of feelings of anger, irritability, and depression.
5. Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing because concentrating on the breath enables you to refocus your attention inward. You can ground yourself and regain your usual calm by taking a series of deep belly breaths as you visualize your feet growing roots that stretch miles down into the earth.
6. Though tuning out can seem counterproductive, a few minutes spent lost in daydreams or listening to soothing music can help you see your circumstances from a new angle when you feel frustrated.
7. If you feel ill health coming on, brew a wellness elixir. Simmer three sliced lemons, one teaspoon freshly grated ginger, one clove freshly minced garlic, and one quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper in five cups water until the lemons are soft and pale. Strain a portion into a mug and add honey by tablespoons until you can tolerate the taste. Drinking this potent mixture of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal ingredients three times each day can ensure your symptoms never progress into a full-blown illness.
Grief is unbearable. Then it fades, only to come back at a moment’s notice. It catches you off guard. It sends you to bed. It sends you to dark places until, God willing, you get up and try again. – Maria Shriver
I love Phil Collins. I especially love the lyrics to this song. It’s one of my favorite Genesis Songs. The lyrics really touch my heart. Relationships are hard. Sometimes things go awry. Maybe your spouse cheats on you, maybe there’s a betrayal, sometimes life happens and you drift apart and rather than try and work things out you allow your resentments of the past to dictate the demise of your once happy home or relationship. The next thing you know you’re alone and missing that special someone but like the song “you keep it to yourself”. Left wondering “Wouldn’t it have been easier to realize that the old days were gone and tried to create new ones?” In other words let the past go and try to find the happiness you once shared together again.
Recently I heard of a young woman who’s husband was cheating right under her nose with her neighbor and friend. I’m sure she’s devastated. I heard this song today and thought of her and her young children. Betrayed and alone and probably missing the man who brought her so much pain. My prayer for her is that god will heal her pain as well as the pain her friend caused to her own guy. Life is not a game and neither are relationships. Heartache is real. And from my own experience heartache really sucks. Being cheated on is the worst.
The beauty of this song is that despite being alone and missing his partner he realizes that those days are gone and it’s ok to move on. He realizes the relationship has come to an end. He succumbs to the fact that it’s ok to move on. What a great song. We’ve all been there a time or two and while the pain is real it eventually gets better the minute we let go and move on.
“In the midst of all the violence and corruption of the world God invites us today to create new places of belonging, places of sharing, of peace and of kindness, places where no-one needs to defend himself or herself; places where each one is loved and accepted with one’s own fragility, abilities and disabilities. This is my vision for our churches: that they become places of belonging, places of sharing.” — Jean Vanier in Befriending the Stranger
And, on this solemn day of memorial in the United States, remembering the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the many that perished that day, may we all pray and work for unity, understanding, love and peace.
I was on my way home with my youngest son from an art festival on Saturday. We were listening to music. A song by the band “YES” came on. My son shared one of his favorite songs was “I’ve Seen All Good People”. I had to agree it was my favorite also. When my kids were young I would play the beginning of the song over and over. I was surprised to hear my son share a story of when he was on a trip in Oakland.
Derek shared he was at a restaurant with friends. He heard this song playing and became distracted. The owner of the restaurant was at their table welcoming the group to his restaurant. He looked at my son and commented that clearly his mind was somewhere else. Derek told the owner that he could hear this song playing. It reminded him of hearing it repeatedly when he was young. He shared it was one of his favorites. The owner began to cry. He told Derek that it was his brothers favorite song too. His brother had passed away when he was a teenager. Derek was so moved by the story as was I when my son shared the story with me.
We played the song on the way home. I have to admit, we played the beginning over and over. I told my son I was really curious to know what the meaning of the song was. We looked it up on Wikipedia and Song Facts.
“I’ve Seen All Good People” is a song performed by the English progressive rock band Yes. Written by Yes members Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, it was first included on 1971’s The Yes Album and has appeared on several later albums. The first part of the song, titled “Your Move“, was released as a single. It became a top 40 hit in the United States, which helped the group build momentum
The tune uses chess as a lyrical metaphor for navigating interpersonal relationships. It has received positive reviews from several critics and has been considered one of Yes’s best-known songs, with AllMusic‘s Mike DeGagne stating that “the harmonies are resilient from start to finish” and that the track “still stands as one of their most appealing” works. Music criticRobert Christgau has also singled it out for praise.
The first part of the song, “Your Move”, alludes to the game of chess as a metaphor for male–female relationships. Examples include the phrases “move me onto any black square”, “make the white queen run so fast”, and “the goal is for us all to capture only one”.
A reference to John Lennon’s work is in the lyric “send that instant karma to me”, with “Instant Karma!” being a single released by Lennon in 1970. Also, the sentence “All we are saying is give peace a chance” is heard in the organ part before switching to “All Good People”, referencing another Lennon song, “Give Peace a Chance“. More generally, Anderson has stated that the line “’cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time” was an attempt to say that he would “do anything that is required of me to reach God” and that he wants the listener to feel “in tune and in time with God.” Just before the three-minute mark of the song, at the final part of “Your Move”, the chorus of Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” can be heard in the background. – Wikipedia
This is an anti-war song. The term “I’ve seen all good people” is ALL the people, including the so-called enemy.
The line, “Don’t surround yourself with yourself” refers to self-righteous behavior; “Move on back two squares” is a chess term meaning to retreat and rethink your position. The lyrics also refer to the queen, which is the most versatile and powerful chess piece. It talks about how news is captured for use by the queen, which uses forces to take control and manipulate troops against the enemy. War is like a game of chess.
With the line, “Send an instant comment to me, initial it with loving care,” this song references “Instant Karma,” which was a song recorded by John Lennon a year earlier. Lennon was a huge influence on Yes, who covered The Beatles song “Every Little Thing” on their first album.
The lines: “Just remember that the gold is for us to capture all we want, anywhere, Yea, yea, yea” refers to the rich and powerful victimizing the weak and poor. The US was taken off the Gold standard by Richard Nixon August 15, 1971 the same year this was released. – Song Facts.
LYRICS
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
Take a straight and stronger course
To the corner of your life
Make the white queen run so fast
She hasn’t got time to make you a wife
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And its news is captured
For the queen to use!
Move me on to any black square
Use me anytime you want
Just remember that the goal
Is for us all to capture all we want (Move me on to any black square)
Don’t surround yourself with yourself
Move on back two squares
Send an instant karma to me
Initial it with loving care (Don’t surround yourself)
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
Don’t surround yourself with yourself (Don’t surround yourself)
Move on back two squares
Send an instant karma to me (Send an instant karma to me)
Initial it with loving care (Don’t surround yourself)
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And its news is captured
For the queen to use!
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (All we are saying)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (Is give peace a chance)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (All we are saying)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (Is give peace a chance
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And it’s news is captured
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
After reading about the meaning of this song, I couldn’t help but love the song even more. In my opinion, we should all strive to be better. We should also strive to be closer to God. Besides the fact this song is anti-war song, it also encourages all of us to step back and reflect on our own selves opposed to judging others. I feel we have become a nation of so much fighting and pointing fingers. The lyrics also encourage us to strive for peace. Interestingly enough, I feel our current situation with our president is very similar to the Nixon era. There is absolutely no peace in this country.
I love how “YES” uses a game of chess as a metaphor to get their point across. I’m not sure why I’m sharing all this on my blog tonight. Possibly because I can really resonate with the meaning. I would love nothing more than for everyone to find a sense of peace not only in their own lives but with others. Who knows. All I know is I love this song. I love that I’m able to share that same love of a song with my son Derek. I love the beat. I love the lyrics and I love the meaning.
This tune is a classic. It was released in the 70’s. It was a hit then and in truth is still a hit in my eyes so many years later. I’d like to encourage you to listen to the song. Who knows, maybe you too might be touched and find yourself wishing for a little bit of peace too. Like the song, I’m sending a little good karma your way. Initialed with loving care and I hope you will do the same for me. ❤️❤️❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
fiercefabulousfunny 