Perspective Art: A Flower Pretty in Pink

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Work of (He)art

"You have feelings for a reason,
and they are like signposts.
They aren't meant to be destinations."
(from a Letter of Love)

(ALL WORKS HERE ARE COPYRIGHTED.
ONLY USE WITH PERMISSION.
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Perspective: Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get You Down?

Have you ever heard the song Rainy Days and Mondays
by the Carpenters? I woke up this morning to rain,
and that song entered my mind almost immediately.

I share this because more than once I have been
aware of the influence of music. A few years ago
there was a song by Pink Don't Let Me Get Me
that in particular caught my attention.

It is a catchy song. It also has lyrics that if
you repeat them, can tune into your own insecurities
about yourself, and reinforce them.

I get the value of music, poetry, literature, movies,
etc. It's great to know that others are having their
own "moments." Maybe we feel less alone. However,
there is also a risk that we may get caught
up in it, and even years after being exposed to it -
especially on a regular (or catchy) basis, have it
pop back into our consciousness.

I wonder sometimes if people were more aware of this
possibility, if they would still create works like
this, and/or expose themselves to them.

The last thing you need to do when you're feeling down
is dwell in that place. There is power in the
acknowledgment of how you feel. However, a continual
acknowledgment will have you likely sinking deeper
into the very feeling you would likely rather be
without.

A catchy song, is just that - catchy. It will catch
you in more than just the music. The more you get
invested in what you are exposing yourself to, the
more you will likely be influenced by its message.
The key is to start to pay attention to what you
are listening to and absorbing.

Our conscious minds have so little to say about things,
especially when we are overwhelmed. However, when you
are able to catch yourself, you are able to put the
breaks on. You can change the song in your head, stop
reading the news, turn the movie off, and replace these
things with something that you'd rather have in your
experience.

The Carpenter song gives some positive message, however,
for me it is lost in the refrain and title. I tend to
latch onto the most negative parts of the song. Maybe
that says something about me, I don't know. However,
I doubt that I am the only one.

The fact is, I LOVE rainy days...especially since I
moved to southern California, where it rarely ever rains.

I am working on getting that song out of my head, in
part, by acknowledging it and, in part, writing about
it here.

You may think that I am advocating a change. However,
what I am advocating is an awareness of what is going
on around you, which might be influencing you. Once
you have this awareness, you have the opportunity to
choose whether or not you want to change it. Without
it, the opportunity for change is greatly minimized.

One last thing, is this "true" information? Who the
heck knows? I always tell people to check in with
themselves when it comes to anything. Maybe your
experience is different than mine.

All I suggest is that you check in with yourself,
and observe what's going on. If you like what's
happening, great! However, if you are uncertain,
then perhaps it is worth considering a different
perspective.

Oh, one other last thing, LOL. How do YOU feel
about MONDAYS? This week I am going to have
Ken Newman of Magnet Productions as a guest
on World-of-Perspective-Radio.com. His message has
to do with enjoying ALL of life, not just the weekends.
The name of the show is Thank God it's Monday:
Living Life as a Comedy Routine (click link for details).
If you have the time, I hope you'll tune in. If not,
the show will be available as a podcast for download
on ITunes afterward.

(In case you've never heard the Carpenter song,
here it is).