So I had this entire post constructed about goals versus dreams, including quotes from John Lennon as well as from “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”, a list of personal goals like running half-marathons in Sydney and Melbourne, and a reflection on the importance of establishing professional goals with my principal and possibly with my division... but then my internet crashed as I tried to upload it and I watched with horrified understanding as an hours’ worth of effort got eaten by the ether.
Now I know how my students feel. Not that I didn’t before, having lost two entire chapters of a novel once upon a time, but the refresher is... a lesson in humility.
April observed that, having written it once it would be easy to recreate, but I think not. Writing my manifesto about my goals whilst in Australia is a one-time thing... at least until I get closer to going. Until then, “It’s time to move on... it’s time to get going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing... but under my feet, the grass is growing. It’s time to move on... it’s time to get going.” (Tom Petty)
Have you ever measured your life by the music playing in your head? It’s a real issue for some of us. The issue isn’t the music that plays... it’s when the music stops. Songs have defined the better part of my life, creating a kind of depth to the memories I have of each period. During my time in Vancouver, the music was frequently epic trance, dance music with vast heights and sudden drops. Still, songs like “On my Own” (from the original Les Miserables sound track), “Semi-Charmed Life” (Third Eye Blind), and “Foolish Games” (Jewel) define a pivotal shift in personal identity, as do “Wheat Kings” and “New Orleans is Sinking” by the Tragically Hip and virtually anything by Bob Dylan, Tom Waits (his early years, at any rate), or the Velvet Underground. My years living in Japan incorporated some new artist like Chris Ledieu, Tom Petty, and John Denver (“Annie’s Song” is still one of the most beautiful pieces ever recorded, but “Country Roads” was way more popular in Japan). I suppose I should have listened to J-Pop like everyone else there, but I just couldn’t stand the overly-cute teeny-bops with excessive make-up and a too-sweet overt sexuality that I found incongruous with the quasi-innocent school-girl personas the artists attempted to cultivate... and the girls were even worse.
I guess where I’m trying to go with this (and yes, I’m “taking the long way ‘round” – Dixie Chicks), is that I’ve been feeling the need to define myself again, and I’m wondering what the soundtrack of Australia will be. I know it will include some of my absolute favorites, as my VERY FIRST PURCHASE in Australia (likely even before a car to get to Muswellbrook) will be a guitar (April asked, “Why not just take one? We have eight!” and I replied, “Because I need to bring something back...”)... and there is no force on earth that could stop me from playing “Don’t think twice” by Bob Dylan, “Hotel California” by The Eagles, “The Weight” by The Band, or “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty in the evenings... by the pool. But I have to wonder what wonderful new songs will be “creepin’ in” (Nora Jones/Dolly Parton), what new voices will blend with the ones currently harmonizing in my soul? Does Australia have an equivalent of Stan Rogers? Of Don McLean? Of Bryan Adams? Of The Hip?
What songs play in the soundtrack of your soul? What songs remind you of Australia (those who have been there)? What songs should I take with me to share with those I meet, to leave a lasting imprint on the melodies of their lives?
Now I know how my students feel. Not that I didn’t before, having lost two entire chapters of a novel once upon a time, but the refresher is... a lesson in humility.
April observed that, having written it once it would be easy to recreate, but I think not. Writing my manifesto about my goals whilst in Australia is a one-time thing... at least until I get closer to going. Until then, “It’s time to move on... it’s time to get going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing... but under my feet, the grass is growing. It’s time to move on... it’s time to get going.” (Tom Petty)
Have you ever measured your life by the music playing in your head? It’s a real issue for some of us. The issue isn’t the music that plays... it’s when the music stops. Songs have defined the better part of my life, creating a kind of depth to the memories I have of each period. During my time in Vancouver, the music was frequently epic trance, dance music with vast heights and sudden drops. Still, songs like “On my Own” (from the original Les Miserables sound track), “Semi-Charmed Life” (Third Eye Blind), and “Foolish Games” (Jewel) define a pivotal shift in personal identity, as do “Wheat Kings” and “New Orleans is Sinking” by the Tragically Hip and virtually anything by Bob Dylan, Tom Waits (his early years, at any rate), or the Velvet Underground. My years living in Japan incorporated some new artist like Chris Ledieu, Tom Petty, and John Denver (“Annie’s Song” is still one of the most beautiful pieces ever recorded, but “Country Roads” was way more popular in Japan). I suppose I should have listened to J-Pop like everyone else there, but I just couldn’t stand the overly-cute teeny-bops with excessive make-up and a too-sweet overt sexuality that I found incongruous with the quasi-innocent school-girl personas the artists attempted to cultivate... and the girls were even worse.
I guess where I’m trying to go with this (and yes, I’m “taking the long way ‘round” – Dixie Chicks), is that I’ve been feeling the need to define myself again, and I’m wondering what the soundtrack of Australia will be. I know it will include some of my absolute favorites, as my VERY FIRST PURCHASE in Australia (likely even before a car to get to Muswellbrook) will be a guitar (April asked, “Why not just take one? We have eight!” and I replied, “Because I need to bring something back...”)... and there is no force on earth that could stop me from playing “Don’t think twice” by Bob Dylan, “Hotel California” by The Eagles, “The Weight” by The Band, or “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty in the evenings... by the pool. But I have to wonder what wonderful new songs will be “creepin’ in” (Nora Jones/Dolly Parton), what new voices will blend with the ones currently harmonizing in my soul? Does Australia have an equivalent of Stan Rogers? Of Don McLean? Of Bryan Adams? Of The Hip?
What songs play in the soundtrack of your soul? What songs remind you of Australia (those who have been there)? What songs should I take with me to share with those I meet, to leave a lasting imprint on the melodies of their lives?