When I think back on my youth, I can’t pinpoint the first time I was “just plain tired.” Not “tuckered out” tired, “worn out and used up” tired. It had to have happened at some point in my life, most likely after I left home for the Air Force. That’s the way it is with a lot of us, right? You never realize what “just plain tired” is until you have the responsibility of having to actually get up and get out there to survive. No more sleeping in on Saturday mornings to wake up in time for Bugs Bunny. This is the real deal.
Let me tell you younger kids from the other side of fifty, it doesn’t really get any better.
But of course, there are always those things we find along the way that refresh us. Hey, maybe I’ve found writing as a release, but even more so you can see in my writing the things in which I’m interested and what I like to think about as distractions to the grind. Problem is, thinking (at least for me) uses a lot of energy. I get pretty excited about it sometimes; but I have to admit, it’s a lot of fun!
You’ll see some other things in what I write every so often too, like music. You can go ahead and pick the “Music” category on my blog to see what’ll be 25 posts (after I put this one up – for now) on music. And you can see some variation in there, although I must admit Supertramp, Pink Floyd, and Steely Dan do kind of fall into the same broad-ish category (the music I listened to when I was younger, maybe?).
And then of course there’s music of the Christian genre, and here I find something extra. Sure, sometimes I like to get the blood flowing, and this is where Supertramp might work for me. But there are times when I also need to be more fully refreshed – I need something more than the beat and good lyrics. I need the words that will remind me of life and hope and joy.
And Brian Doerksen – of whom I’ve written before (twice) – usually hits the spot. So this morning when I was pondering life’s ups and downs and its moments of refreshment, I was reminded that his song, “Faithful One,” fills all the boxes wonderfully. It’s the kind of song you recommend. Maybe not now (although here I am), but perhaps as something to keep around for when you or a friend are hurting. Or just to listen to for the peace of it all.
Either way, it’ll work when you’re just plain tired…if you let it.
If you have Amazon Prime, I recommend Doerksen’s Ultimate Collection. Lot’s of good stuff there.