Living Wide Awake
Written by Wendi Kelly - August 10, 2009
8 Comments
As the world goes by, all I know is I want to live Wide Awake…
~Christine Kane
That quote is a small piece of lyric to a new song off of Christine Kane’s new CD Wide Awake that has been running through my mind like a mantra for weeks now. It plays constantly in my mind-while I am awake, when I am talking to others, reading books, writing…even when I am sleeping I can hear it in my dreams, playing like the theme song in the background.
Regular readers of this blog know that this year has been one of many challenges…one of many losses.
I also know that I am not alone in that. A lot of my friends are unemployed, spending their time worried about job searching, cutting back on their already tight budgets, figuring out new ways to stretch a dollar, changing relationships… finding that they have had to redefine who they thought they were.
That’s OK. Some times in our life we have periods like that.
We can’t spend every day on the beach, dancing in the sunlight. That’s not reality.We don’t always get to choose when the bad ones are coming. Sadly, bad things do happen to good people sometimes.
What we do get to choose is to embrace life. All of it. The good, the OK, and the bad.
Here is something I have come to understand over the past few months, from my own rough couple of months, and in talking to others. Sometimes, when the going gets rough, when illness strikes, when job loss happens, when relationships sour, when folks start the long drawn out process of messy divorce…any number of things…
They stop living.
They start waiting.
Waiting for life to get better so they can go back to living again. They grind their heels to a halt, they stop having fun, they stop looking around, they stop appreciating the wonder and beauty and simple joys around them and they wait… for happiness to come back.
They stop seeing. They wait with their eyes closed to the the amazing world around them.
As the World Goes By…All I Know Is I…Want To Live Wide Awake….
YES.
Life is too short. I want to live wide awake. I don’t want to miss one vibrant rainbow colored moment of it. I want to celebrate life. I want to run. The best way to beat death? Live your dreams until your last breath is dragged out of you. The best way to beat depression? Laugh til the tears stream down your face. The best way to beat poverty? Share with the world, be generous, love until your heart overflows and do what you love with unbridled passion. The best way to be happy? Be grateful- and notice everything around you that there is to be grateful for.
The best way to live Wide Awake? All of the above….
and?
How do you live Wide Awake?
And on a more personal note…Christine, if you are listening, thank you. Your CD came out at the exact time it was meant to. It arrived in my mailbox the week my precious friend was ready to let go and move on to the next world and every song spoke words of encouragement and strength and hope. Wide Awake kept me going, Break let me mourn, and I’ll Be Your Angel reminded me that we never really lose anyone. And the others…well…let’s just say they reminded me of who I am. Never doubt that what you do is a hell of a lot more than just entertainment.
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Read the Comments
8 Outstanding Responses to "Living Wide Awake"
Kelly on August 10, 2009 at 1:30 pm • Permalink
Wendi,
Driving home today I heard the song “Waiting on the World to Change,” and I was thinking this exact same thing. In what ways am I waiting on external things instead of making my own way? Can’t do that to myself. I click on my email, and there’s you reminding me, too. Thanks. I appreciate the extra kick today.
Beautifully said—I can tell how much of your heart is in these thoughts. I hope you’re doing a bit better every day, Wendi.
Off to live wide awake now.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly´s last blog ..Zippy Tips From a Busy Week
Joanna Young on August 10, 2009 at 2:35 pm • Permalink
Oh Wendi, what a beautiful piece of writing. Living wide awake is a powerful compelling mantra, and something we each of us have within our own gift. Thanks for the reminder. Hope you’re okay x
Joanna Young´s last blog ..The Art of Paying Attention
Wendi on August 10, 2009 at 4:21 pm • Permalink
Kelly,
I love the song, Waiting For The World To Change,
and you are right, it does have the same kind of pro-active message. It’s so easy to fall into a re-active mode. I’m doing better each day, thanks..Hanging out with positive minded people helps a lot.
Joanna,
Thanks, It’s not only Christina that makes a difference, but each of us when we share our gifts freely with the world. We never know how our gifts can be used to make a difference to someone. It can change the world. I’m doing better than OK. It helps to have great friends who care. Thanks for being one of them.
Lance on August 10, 2009 at 10:01 pm • Permalink
Wendi,
And you’re sharing here tonight had me getting out some of the Christine Kane music I have…good for the soul.
Living “wide awake”…what an awesome thought…even in those days when it’s hard to crawl out of bed. I’m living wide awake by creating the life I want…and I’ll take the failures along with the successes…. (some days that’s easier than others…)
I hope you’re doing well Wendi, and know that it’s good to see you here today…
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
Tom on August 11, 2009 at 2:04 am • Permalink
Thank you so much for this! My worries are not that great, when viewed from the side, but the mind has a way of magnifying them, and you reminded me that the dark really only exists to remind us of the light.
Tom´s last blog ..Medvedev takes aim
Barbara Swafford on August 13, 2009 at 2:40 am • Permalink
Hi Wendi,
What a beautiful post. I like how you said some people stop living and wait – wait for life to happen again. But as we know, while waiting, life is passing us by.
I also agree with what you said about being happy – “The best way to be happy? Be grateful- and notice everything around you that there is to be grateful for.” Too often we think we don’t have anything to be grateful for when times are rough/tough, but if we take just a moment, we can find more things than we ever could have imagined.
I pray all is well in your world.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..Looking Into The Future
Karen Swim on August 25, 2009 at 6:04 pm • Permalink
Wendi, such beautiful and heartfelt words. First, big hugs of support and prayers that your crooked places will become straight. Living Wide Awake for me means allowing myself to feel and acknowledge the pain knowing that it too is a part of life. All of it is life, all to be celebrated joyously. Pain reminds me that my heart is alive and that I am blessed wit the capacity to care enough to hurt. So yes, living wide awake, embracing it all makes those smooth places even brighter.
Karen Swim´s last blog ..How Bulletproof is Your Reputation?
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