Here we are at week #18! The word prompt for this week was TODAY.
After thinking about the Smashing Pumpkins song with the word “today” in it, (“Today is the greatest…”), I set out to write a song about being present and living your life mindfully.
I’ve talked about my yoga and meditation practice before, and I guess it yearned to make an appearance in one of my songs. Funny enough, I had started writing the lyrics on Sunday, and then in Monday morning’s yoga class, Vivekan’s little Dharma talk intro touched on the very subject I was writing about: how to live a life without regret, (actually, that was more of the secondary topic, the main one being about attachment to the body, but I digress…)
I had so much to say about this, it was challenging to keep it concise. In brief, I wanted to say how being present and mindful will allow you to make sound decisions so you have no regrets. But I also wanted to express how everyone is on a different part of their journey, so even if we’re not that good at being present…er, keep at it. See? A lot of stuff. I had several pages of rewrites, and felt like I was treading dangerous “corny” territory. But I had to keep going, and take the risk.
The result is, well, a little sappy, but I think I got pretty close to what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.
Melodically, this required some rewrites as well! Again, sounding a bit corny, I wasn’t sure how to go from the verses to the chorus. In fact, the chorus had a completely different melody in the first round, but I didn’t like how it was flowing. So I stopped trying and gave it a rest. And after quieting my mind, and breathing (like it was my first time), I gave it another try, and the new melody just flowed out with ease. *cue endorphines* It’s good when I take my own advice.
Check it out…lyrics below the video!
Possibilities
Are you where you want to be today?
If you reflect on all you’ve done to date
Would you feel disappointed?
Would you feel dissatisfied?
Would you feel like you’re missing something?
And your life is slipping by?
We all have our paths to tread
At the pace we set
But we look a million miles ahead
Wonderin’ what’s next
If we slow it down and
Hear the sounds of peace
We open possibilities
Wake up & breathe like it was your first time
Be still, be present & quiet your mind
Do you feel joy inside you?
Do you feel alive?
Carry this in all you do
And everything will feel just right