Flipping through radio stations the other day, I heard two songs back-to-back. Both followed the same basic pattern: 2-3 verses, each a list of life's small annoyances, the choruses describing each artist's response to the annoyances. The verses could have been interchanged easily (lyrics-wise, at least), a fellow driver's road rage, a stolen parking spot, lost car keys and cell phones.
The choruses, however, ended in very different places. The first fantasized about life on the beach, pretty girls serving cold drinks, complete relaxation. (Except for the pretty girls, it doesn't sound half-bad, does it?!) The second pointed to the simple fact that even though life can indeed be downright annoying, most of us are blessed beyond measure, and anyway God uses rough moments to break our impatience.
The juxtaposition of the songs got me thinking. Frankly, at first it made me laugh, because the very fact that I was analyzing their similarities and differences reminded me overwhelmingly of a paper I had to write senior year of high school comparing King Lear to Citizen Kane. But in all seriousness, it made me pause: how do I react to the minor irritations of life? By nature, I do not tend towards outward complaint, but that doesn't mean my heart is always grateful. Yesterday at 8pm, three hours into a five-hour trip and two hours into the screaming backseat chorus, having dozed for maybe a total of two hours of the past 36, I was wholly ready to hand in my mom card, as it were.
So, we all have those bumps in our days that drive us crazy. I guess it comes as no surprise that Blake Shelton would prefer a day at the beach to his dentist appointment. (That's the guy who sings "Some Beach," for those of you that don't follow the country music scene.) I'd prefer the beach to the dentist, too. But what did I say last week? "Content whatever lot I see?"
To Francesca Battistelli, I just have to say: I don't think you can write off getting a speeding ticket as a little irritation, since in fact you were breaking the law and the ticket was deserved. But you're right: in the middle of my little mess, I do forget how big I'm blessed!
The choruses, however, ended in very different places. The first fantasized about life on the beach, pretty girls serving cold drinks, complete relaxation. (Except for the pretty girls, it doesn't sound half-bad, does it?!) The second pointed to the simple fact that even though life can indeed be downright annoying, most of us are blessed beyond measure, and anyway God uses rough moments to break our impatience.
The juxtaposition of the songs got me thinking. Frankly, at first it made me laugh, because the very fact that I was analyzing their similarities and differences reminded me overwhelmingly of a paper I had to write senior year of high school comparing King Lear to Citizen Kane. But in all seriousness, it made me pause: how do I react to the minor irritations of life? By nature, I do not tend towards outward complaint, but that doesn't mean my heart is always grateful. Yesterday at 8pm, three hours into a five-hour trip and two hours into the screaming backseat chorus, having dozed for maybe a total of two hours of the past 36, I was wholly ready to hand in my mom card, as it were.
So, we all have those bumps in our days that drive us crazy. I guess it comes as no surprise that Blake Shelton would prefer a day at the beach to his dentist appointment. (That's the guy who sings "Some Beach," for those of you that don't follow the country music scene.) I'd prefer the beach to the dentist, too. But what did I say last week? "Content whatever lot I see?"
To Francesca Battistelli, I just have to say: I don't think you can write off getting a speeding ticket as a little irritation, since in fact you were breaking the law and the ticket was deserved. But you're right: in the middle of my little mess, I do forget how big I'm blessed!
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