Going to get super serious here for a minute, but I think you will find it is worth it…

I have been struggling as of late while at work. Well, not just at work, in life in general. Can I blame it on the August heat?! Anyway, struggling to stay focused/driven and be productive, mostly as a function of the state of the oil & gas industry. The future is uncertain and there has been change in our office. We have been very blessed up to this point. It is the nature of the business though, and there is not much I can do about it besides pray and do my best work. Despite my efforts, it has gotten me in quite the funk that feels akin to other times of life change and uncertainty. It makes me question my life decisions. Should I have chosen this path? Picked this major? This career? Then the gremlins really start to come up. I start to look around me and feel like I should be more ‘successful’ at this point in my life and wondering why I am not happier. This is something that rears its ugly head every now and then. When the negative always seems to outweigh the positive. Then I get blessed with hearing a song like this one:

(Hey thanks, YouTube, for the vid).
I cling to the songs that speak to me and listen to them over and over. It reminds me of what is important. It grounds me and helps me to keep moving forward.

I have conveniently posted the lyrics below for you so you can dive right in. I know, I am just so nice like that. If you do not know of Mike McClure, you should. So wonderfully good and I am very excited for you if you are just now hearing of him. Great song writing. This has been the summer of Mike McClure as I have been listening to all of his music. I came to know Mike McClure when I learned of the band The Great Divide while in undergrad. Whenever I hear a Great Divide song it takes me right back to my college days and makes me yearn for less responsibility (is that very millennial of me?).

“I am just a poor boy
I don’t got a dollar to my name
But I have a love inside
That don’t lead no blame
I know your wicked ways
I know I can get down there too
But you don’t need to point your finger at me
Cuz I won’t point mine at you

It’s the trials and tribulations
All the awkward situations that the livin’ brings
And it’s the tryn’ and believin’
There’ll be flyin’ after grieving
And in the end we all must earn our wings
I got a good ole soul
It’s just got a few dings

And I have found that judgement it does nothing
But it puts a weight on me
And I’d rather walk upon the water
Than go sinkin’ like a stone into your sea
I’m trying to lighten up
And leave all that behind
I ain’t found nothin’ worth much more to me
Than my peace of mind”

I have always found negativity to be extremely heavy baggage, figuratively speaking. It is important to not let these thoughts and difficult times weigh you down. They also blind you from seeing the pretty, bright, positive things that make life better. Lucky for us, as my mother always says, “you wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how little they did”…someone else probably coined that first, but I always remember my mother saying that to me. EVERYONE has their own …stuff…they are wading through. You can not know their story unless you walk in their shoes. The point is, this life is your life and it is the only one you are going to get. In this life, there are seasons. In the seasons, there are days. I am taking this difficult season one day at a time, living them, and learning through to the next season. Well, trying my best anyway. What songs have helped you get through your tough seasons?

Until next time, dear readers. Walk in love.