Something More

In honor of it being a Monday, I'm going to share something deeply personal and a little embarrassing. Let me start by saying that I take a lot of inspiration from music. That's not the deeply personal or embarrassing part. But it will give a little back drop on why I often like to include song lyrics in my blog. I think music has the ability to evoke emotion. It can make us happy. Or make us sad. It can calm us. Or music can pump us up. When my daughter was healing, we used music a lot to help soothe her and bring positive energy into the room. There are even music therapy programs that help children with autism and other behavioral disorders.

If you're going to work out, you're probably going to tune your iPod into something different than what the massage therapist is playing during your spa treatment. Right? Are there certain songs that you hear that bring back memories of high school, college, vacations, certain people, events, or periods of your life?

For me, there was a particular song that I listened to a lot during a particular phase of my life. In fact, if you were to have been driving in a car next to me at about 7:30am on a Monday morning, you might have pulled up next to me at a spot light and thought I was a crazy woman. Why? Because I very well might have been singing this song at the top of my lungs...with all the windows rolled up! That's right, a lot of base oozing out of my car and a very animated woman!...yes that is the embarrassing part!

The deeply personal part is related to the song. It's a song called "Something More" by Sugarland. It's a great song and one I still enjoy. Except now I can enjoy it from a different point of view. I'm going to break this song down and share what it meant to me. Perhaps there are parts of it to which you might be able to relate.  In fact, maybe you've been known to secretly sing this song in your car!

Something More...

Come on!
Monday, hard to wake up
Fill my coffee cup, I'm out the door
Yeah, the freeway's standing still today
It's gonna make me late and that's for sure
I'm running out of gas and out of time
Never gonna make it there by nine

Well, there aren't exactly freeways in Omaha. But nontheless, Mondays were much dreaded. Have you ever woke up on Sunday morning and started dreading that the weekend was halfway over and you couldn't enjoy your day because you only had Monday to look forward to? Mmm Hmm.  I know.

There's gotta be something more, gotta be more than this
I need a little less hard time, I need a little more bliss
I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might find what I'm looking for
There's gotta be something more

So, this was the "shouting part". This was the part of the song that I could feel in my gut. The feeling that there was "something more". The "knowing" that I was not fulfilling my purpose in life by doing what I was doing everyday. I didn't know what I was looking for. And I sure as heck was scared to take any chances!

Five years and there's no doubt
That I'm burnt out, I've had enough
So now boss man, here's my two weeks
I'll make it short and sweet, so listen up
Well, I could work my life away, but why?
I got things to do before die

For me, the five years actually became 17 years! I had a lot of different boss men and boss ladies over those years. I learned things good and bad from all of them. I attribute my own burn-out to the realization that I was doing something that I no longer felt a passion for doing.

There's gotta be something more, gotta be more than this
I need a little less hard time, I need a little more bliss
I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might find what I'm looking for
There's gotta be something more

And the loud, animated singing would ensue again!

Some believe in destiny and some believe in fate
But I believe that happiness is something we create
You best believe that I'm not gonna wait
'Cause there's gotta be something more
I get home 7:30, the house is dirty but it can wait
Yeah, 'cause right now I need some downtime
To drink some red wine and celebrate
Yeah, Armageddon could be knocking at my door
But I ain't gonna answer that's for sure

This part always brought mixed emotions for me. I could definitely relate to the part about coming home to a dirty house but feelin the need for downtime and a glass of wine! Any working woman with multiple responsibilities, family, and all the juggling balls can relate to this. The part that was a mystery to me for a long time was the "happiness is something we create" part. I wanted to believe that. But honestly, deep down in side, I felt really, really trapped (like the stars trapped in the spider web in the photo). So, guess what I did? ...I sang even louder!

There's gotta be something
Gotta be something more, gotta be more than this
I need a little less hard time, I need a little more bliss
I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might find what I'm looking for
Gotta be something more
(There's gotta be something)
Got to be, got to be, got to be more
(Gotta be something, yes)
Songwriters: KRISTIAN BUSH, JENNIFER NETTLES, KRISTEN HALL

You may notice that I'm referring to my reactions to this song in the past tense. So, what happened that changed? "Life" happened! And sometimes when "life" happens, it changes everything! I also believe that things happen for a reason.

My advice to you on this Monday...don't wait for life to happen! Don't let 1 or 5 or 10 or 17 years pass you by dreading Mondays! Take a chance. You just might find what you're looking for! What is your "something more"?

Love and Prayers,
Sondra