Been down before, You just don't have to go no more

I always liked that line from Here Comes Sunshine. Like any robert Hunter lyric, it can mean a million different things, but I personally interpret it to mean - I have had enough darkness, depression and misery in my life already - and those days are over, I don't need to go through it any more. I wish that could be the case in actuality, because in real life, it always has a way of finding me eventually, but it is nice to think it any way, and it has been said that if you can think and aim for something enough, you can make it happen. Speaking of sunshine, I can't say enough about this light that is shining down on my screen now. I read in the paper that about 10 million people in this country suffer from depression through SADS, to the point that companies are actually spending money investing in lighting. In the first week of winter, I feel like it is summer time now. I am really feeling the music I sing, play, and listen to - and music to me is my avenue for prayer and experiencing some form of what is often referred to as God - and when that spiritual force is there for me, it makes everything else in my life - work, family, responsibility - much easier to bare. I look forward to working today, and I am not dreading it. Work is something to take pride in, something to make me feel good about myself, and it is an art, in the same way that music is.

By the way, one of the Four Agreements in the Ruiz book is "Don't take anything personally". Like all of them, much easier said than done, but something I am trying to put into place with someone I have to deal with on a regular basis. For the sake of argument, this setting may be an office setting, but again - only for the sake of argument. It seems to be working. I find that some people are "attention whores" (again credit Kia for introducing me to the term) who thrive on attention, even if it is negative attention - and can and will do anything to get a response from you so you can acknowledge their existence, which gives them a sense of power, even if it is only temporary. This individual was pretty good at getting a rise out of me when I was first faced with having to be around him, but once I recently realized that this was what he was trying to do with me and everyone else in this environmental setting, I discovered that I could either play the game, or realize that was his bad trip and not mine (there is a line from Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test where Ken Kesey tells a fellow hippie who is also tripping something to the extent of why should I be part of YOUR bad trip - what a classic statement!). One of life's many tests is seeing how well one can deal with a**-holes - and it definitely is an art to master, but I am working on it.

Today is Victoria's 45th birthday. She does not look 45 to me. I have always believed she is an incredibly beautiful woman, and her age definitely agrees with her. I got her a Cuisinart food processor from Costco for the occasion.

Finishing up with the lyrics I quoted - I find this to be an amazing and inspiring song, particularly the 11-30-73 version that is captured on Dick's Picks 14:

Here Comes Sunshine (Garcia/Hunter)

Wake of the flood, laughing water, forty-nine,
Get out the pans, don't just stand there dreamin'
Get out of the way, get out of the way,

Here comes sunshine, here comes sunshine.

Line up a long shot maybe try it two times, maybe more,
Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor,
Why hold out for more?

Here comes sunshine, here comes sunshine.

Askin' you nice, now, keep the mother rollin'
One more time, been down before,
You just don't have to go no more, no more.

Here comes sunshine, here comes sunshine.