Epi 54 – Give yourself permission to free your voice with Elisa Keeler
Copyright 2019 © All Right Reserved Living on the B-Side | Website Designed by Tracey White
The song ‘Another Day in Paradise’ by Phil Collins has been playing in my head on and off for a while now. Inspired by my podcast interview with Bonnie Hardie, who is currently homeless but not powerless, and her courage and strength to constantly show up, no matter what is going on in her world, has got me thinking; am I being ignorant or oversensitive when it comes to these issues?!
How do I feel about my own situation, and what does ‘Living Another Day in Paradise’ mean to me?
I guess to a certain degree I am aware that I have all I need to live a comfortable live – food, shelter, connections and safety.
Yet, when I read or see anything related to homelessness, I realise that I probably live with a large amount of ignorance. Why thought?!
Digging a little deeper into this, I noticed that ‘helplessness’ and ‘insecurity’ come up for me. Feeling helpless because I can’t do (much) about this in general, and insecurity because I am not sure where to start and help. So, when these lyrics in Phil Collin’s song come on:
“She calls out to the man on the street
Sir, can you help me?
It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep
Is there somewhere you can tell me
He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there”
I started to ask myself:
How can I challenge myself to not be ignorant or blind to what is going on, yet also not feel overwhelmed and or guilty?!
Awareness is always my starting point. Awareness on how I feel and react to hearing about this topic, for example when I see a person struggling or homeless person when I am out and about. THAT is giving me a great indication on where I am emotionally and mentally.
Then I need to start to educate myself on what bugs me the most and see if there is anything I can do to contribute to a solution or make things (a little) better.
I guess by writing this blog post I am trying to start doing my bit to highlight that:
1. There is a problem, and we all should at least become aware of it
2. With educating ourselves on this topic we can start to change ourselves and our behaviour and
3. Start to contribute more and more over time.
It is a journey for us all as a collective. We all CAN do something to help those in need, from a kind word/conversation, to educate yourself and take action (any small thing adds up and will be different for each person).
Phil Collins’ song definitely is a gentle but important reminder to many of us that we already have a paradise we live in and hence should try our best to extend a helping hand to those who need it.
PS: I would love it if you check out my interview with Bonnie Hardie – YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO DREAM A NEW DREAM and maybe buy her a coffee.
Love Music? Love expressing your life through it? Awesome, you are at the right place. It’s all about using songs/artists to share what we’ve experience in life.
Copyright 2019 © All Right Reserved Living on the B-Side | Website Designed by Tracey White