Some thoughts on Ray

I would like to attempt to articulate the place in my heart that is awakened when I listen to Ray LaMontagne.  Forgive me if I ramble a bit, this one comes out a bit like a journal entry.
For those of you who are not familiar with this name, he is a singer/songwriter from New Hampshire.   His lyrics are so profound and have this magical quality to them of painting an image of healing and understanding which often can not be found organically within one's own mind.   Certain tracks come to mind for me when going through hard times in life (like break-ups, school stress, and general life stress) such as Old Before Your Time off of God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise, title track off of Til the Sun Turns Black, and Empty off of same record.  It is the former track which inspired this post for it is highly empathetic in my view of my life;  I've spent many days and nights wondering what it is that lies ahead of me and who will be there when I arrive, ignoring the fact that I am the one who matters when I arrive.  The quotation "Through the years I've known my share of broken hearted fools, 
'n those who couldn't choose a path worth takin'. 
There's nothin' in the world so sad as talkin' to a man. 

Never knew his life was his for making."      

is the line in that, no matter how many times I've heard it and know when it comes, it hits me and opens my eyes wider to the pains of living without reason and without pleasure or learning.  There are many things in life we can not control and many of those things which don't seem to have reason but it is up to you to learn from them, coming out more resilient.  It is a fine balance between forming a tough skin to keep out the hurt from others which weakens and healing from those wounds, learning to recognize the people and places which breed the pain.  As I'm writing this I'm stuck between the soft words of Ray's song Winter Birds and the unyielding cackles of the people next to me at Starbucks.  I fear I've lost my inspiration and have also run  out of time so I leave, imparting an existential assignment:  

Take any album of his (I recommend Til the Sun Turns Black for it's tumultuous emotions) and take a couple hours for yourself to lay down somewhere peaceful and let the music and words envelope and seep into you.

Music which inspired this entry:

Artist                                                     Album
Ray LaMontagne                                 God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise
                                                           Gossip in the Grain
                                                           Til the Sun Turns Black

Keeping Your Innocence

  As my first entry, I would like to introduce my view on the child within us and the joys of nature and our connection with other humans.  In the coming blogs, I will touch on this theme further so for now I will simply express it's importance.  The world around us is a scary place which will eat you and spit you out if you take it too seriously. If we continue ignoring the simple pleasures and instead obsess on the achievements of others, never taking full worth of the beauty around us and the preciousness of this span of 70 years we spend on this spinning rock in a mysterious vacuum, you run the risk of dying lonely and insignificant. In keeping in mind the simple joys, like literally smelling the roses (when's the last time you did?), the last 6 billion years of this Earth's growth into beauty remains valid.  

  I ask you to take just one day, or night if you see fit, and throw the worries of judgement off your back (to a legal and decent degree of course) and do the things that make you happy, like walking barefoot, singing, playing in the mud, finger painting, whatever simple joys that make you smile and possibly others grimace.                    

  

Everybody gets anxious in the elevator, or has a hard time sustaining eye contact with strangers.

I give you the following songs which inspired this entry:

Song Title                                      Artist                                 Album Title

Ghost of Corporate Future     Regina Spektor                Soviet Kitsch

Old Before Your Time             Ray LaMontagne &          God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise

                                                  The Pariah Dogs

Woodstock                              Joni Mitchell                      Ladies of the Canyon