Poets of the Fall – Stay, the oddest of cues
I don’t know about you, but today was an odd day, which doesn’t mean that it was a bad one, just odd. I have been working on Misfit at Heart since very early this morning, constantly reminding myself that I needed to write a new post… and soon. Then I heard it, Marko‘s voice singing like a whisper in my ear, almost taunting me:
It’s the little things, little things, little things
That make the world.
What does he mean by that? What is it that he wants me to write about? Don’t worry, I am not crazy – or maybe just a little – but like every other person I talk to myself every day… and sometimes, when I want to write real bad but nothing comes out, my inner-voices transform into Marko‘s voice and start singing. Nothing alarming really, just something to remind me that I am as sane as anyone reading this post.
Anyway, why is it that when I am facing my blank screen, it’s always the oddest of lyrics that come to mind first? Of course, the song Stay is not very odd in itself. It’s just that taken out of context what pops up in my mind becomes odd within my train of thoughts. But alright, I’ll take the bait.
Self-doubt
The more I listen to Stay, and I have listened to it about a hundred times or more, the more I can relate to every word. When I say relate, I mean that I have literally experienced the lying down at night wide awake wondering what I was doing with my life. I looked to the past, searching my memories to see where I had gone wrong or if I had at all. The truth is that, today, I have no regrets, because if I’d change one single thing in my past, I would not be where I am today and I love where I am. So, I am not wondering so much about the past but revisit fondly my memories instead. When I happen inadvertently to question my past choices, I let Joanne Rowling remind of this:
“It doesn’t do well to dwell on the past.”
Dumbledore in Harry Potter & the Philosopher Stone – J.K. Rowling
Stay does not go that way though, it is more about self-doubt, as I understand it, and you all know how many of these I’ve had. As I wrote on the About page and somehow paraphrasing very badly Jane Austen: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that any artist in possession of an uncontrollable desire to express him- or herself and an overpowering flow of ideas and imagination, must be self-absorbed.” In my mind, self-absorption leads inevitably to self-doubt, unless you are not an artist at heart, but if you do I guarantee you that you are. In this case, self-absorption goes hand in hand with questioning one’s worth. Personally, I do so once in a while nowadays to test my own strength and determination; it can be healthy if it does not become an obsession:
Flow with life down the drain
This little thing makes me think of my previous post and one of my all time favourite quotes:
Time isn’t made for waiting
Self-doubt about wasting one’s life, raise your hand those of you who never went through that!
See! See! You are not alone!
It is okay to doubt one’s worth in the middle of the night and it is okay to feel doubt now and again… as I said. At the same time, take care for it may bring too much comfort as well, for it is what makes one’s zone of comfort. Keep them close instead of at bay, for they will come in handy when disappointment knocks at the door. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. Comfort is not always good and you are worth way more than that.
No matter what you do
I think that there is more to Stay than meets the ear… and here I could quote even Gandalf to support what Marko is singing.
This is what I love with Poets of the Fall, there is always this little torch of hope somewhere if you care to look. At the end of the day, it does not matter what you do. Whether you are a rock-star or anonymous, you’ll make all the difference in the world with a kind word to an elderly, a smile to a homeless, a child or anyone in fact. The little things that Marko is singing about, that make the world, I call them connection.
It’s the little things, little things, little things
That make the world.
