SMILE AGAINST
AN OLD FACE
SMILE AGAINST AN OLD FACE
Reflections on a song by Birdy ~ Wings
(Lyrics follow)
This song is a reminder for me. That we (humans) get too far from the reason for our existence. Or deny it altogether. That too often, and for too many, life becomes less joyful, meaningful, and focused. We seem to let go of the idea of presence and love and gratitude and existing for the gift of it. As a recourse, we chase money and the physical. We exemplify greed and the hoarding of things that represent our accomplishments merely on this plane.
Nights like the one depicted (remembered) in this song should be plentiful and cherished. Not sparse and left for dead. Instead of waiting to celebrate life at the end of the road (retirement) or in those rare occasions we let go and forget about being adults for a brief moment. We must be more consistently carefree, ready and willing to embrace us and the deep value of a breath, a smile, a reflection on purpose.
I am ruminating heavily today on true purpose, not the confines of an adult mind. The “mature” goals we drown ourselves in because of what is expected. As opposed to cultivating our ideals. Harnessing the feeling of why. The expressions of why. Instead of crying over feeling empty or disconnected to what is expected of us in our careers and uncomfortable relationships. Ask yourself why growing with time gives the perception of less opportunities rather than more. Sadly and to be blunt, it is because we value days as numbers instead of treasures.
Life and love are too precious to merely go through the motions. Both carry us through our earthly journey. Without acknowledging their value our time here is wasted. They are blankets to be wrapped in and not crawled out from under. Wear them like a badge, flags, an honour. And yes, cherish them more than any other less tangible gift you can hold in your hands. Take stock of what you can store in your heart and soul and carry them with you from day to day.
Have you ever considered why children are so happy and joyous. Without the laugh lines that come from forcing a smile against an old face. It isn’t simply because they are physically youthful. It is because they are not jaded by the chains of being an adult. Trading the pleasures of life for the anxieties of self-imposed ladders of success that count steps and dollars, instead of experiences.
Children are in touch with whence they came and where they are going. They banter about, they sing, they dance, they capture their creative sides without abandon. There isn’t the push and pull of religion and politics with their given expectations. Or the rules of being an adult guided by the unwritten, unspoken rules of the book of being human. They are moved from within and they believe and have pure hope. Their faith isn’t scarred or misguided. Their ears hear the present for it’s literalness. But they also hear the voices that spoke to them before getting here and in volumes not heard by adults. They are receptive. They are thankful. They are playful. They are seers. They are driven by their hearts.
So today, I ask you to collect your child within and get to playing and living and relishing in happiness from the deepest recesses of your soul and heart. Don’t fall victim or prey to the voices that tell you how to feel, or to not see all the colours before you. Keep your ears wide open and your eyes as full.
You have wings … use them.
Not just today ~ but every s.i.n.g.l.e. day.
~ syd.did
Birdy ~ Wings
Sunlight comes creeping in
Illuminates our skin
We watch the day go by
Stories of all we did
It made me think of you
It made me think of you
Under a trillion stars
We danced on top of cars
Took pictures of the stage
So far from where we are
They made me think of you
They made me think of you
Oh lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
For the rest of our lives
I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts they slip away
My words are leaving me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just from the thought of you
Oh lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
If these wings could fly
Oh lights go down
In the moment we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side
If these wings could fly
Oh damn these walls
In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight
For the rest of our lives
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jasmine Lucilla Elisabeth Van Den Bogaerde / Ryan Tedder