There is something comforting about the first few guitar chords of Redemption Song. It settles the anxiety, pulls the stress away. if you don't know the words, or the song, then you just don't know.
I just finished reading a biography on the life of Bob Marley, I stole it off my sister for my flight home from Nz. It took me two weeks to read properly, instead of my usual smash out a book in one or two days. Biographies are different, too much information, not enough story, and I ended up being annoyed at the author for not putting enough of Bob's wise words in it. Fussy? For sure. I really just wanted to hear his voice to confirm all that I had read. I wanted my own personal interview, complete with guitar and serenade.
What I did love, was his ability to see the bright side of life. Even when he was making no money from his music, battling cancer, growing up as a kid with an absent father or when his country was in the grips of political turmoil and corruption. He just stayed positive. Maybe it was all that weed. okay, yeah it was all the weed, lol, but as a man, and in his music, you can hear it and feel that his message was nothing but a positive one.
I'm tempted to rewrite the book quickly just so you know all the facts, but you know what, read it yourself :)
Combine the feelings of love and gratitude with reggae and Mr. Marleys' voice, and it works.
If Bob tells me "Don't worry, about a thing, coz everything little thing is gonna be alright."
I believe him.
Then I get on with my day.
First encounters with Bob Marley, were out of Uncles Boyds Record collection, I was 12, and it was the single 'One Drop'. It was on a 7 inch vinyl record, complete with the paper sleeve. My family did not grow up with Bob in the background. It was more Chicago, Eagles and Eric Clapton, and if Dad was getting really wild, Jimmy, Satriani and Thin Lizzy might make an appearance. So I literally had to wait til nobody was around to get my turn on the record player, which was located upstairs next to my parents room, thanks to the headphones for my personal Bob moment, because my Dad prob would've thrown it out the window. He would've said,"those dopeheads". The irony does not escape me considering his taste of music.
I soon brought a poster of Bob, I wish I still had it, but the parentals were not impressed with it so it got moved to the inside of my wardrobe door. I once corrected an Uncle who said Rastafari with a 'E" on the end. I told him "It's rastafari. you know like EYE." My dad heard me and gave me the Samoan dagger eyes, I went to my room and opened my wardrobe to be with Bob. Nobody understands you when you are 14 years old.
When hard times arise, and they do, it's easy to get caught up in the stress, stress is something that is not foreign to me, the last few months have been somewhat stressful, John is embarking on a new career, leaving the secure and faithful insurance job to do security work and eventually open up his own company. Having my lovely man home with me is stressful. Our truck decided to die a spectacular death the week before my trip to Nz, leaving John with all the kids, right on the holidays and having to find the thousands that its cost us to repair. Money and stress are the worst combinations. they leave you feeling edgy and almost in a state of despair. I am not usually a stressful person, if things don't get done, there is always tomorrow, but it seems my life motto needed to take a back seat, as things now need to be done today. Sitting around hoping for the best just doesn't cut it when there are kids depending on you to function. Function is a funny word, it could mean a fancy party with friends or colleagues, which would be nice, but now it means that the brain, and all it's intentions, has to meet the action. I always have the best intentions, but the action seems to get lost in day to day life. My resolve to work harder and be more active is almost enforced from the stressful times, it seems to push you into changing your situation. What other options are there? Push through and change something, or give up?
You can find a million Bob quotes online, most of them are beautiful and true in their own right. My fav is "You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only option you have".
Being responsible for seven little souls leaves me with no other option but to pull my head up.
To take a page out of the Book of Bob Marley, is to look at life from a different point of view. He was a rebel at heart, happy to go against the norm, always searching for a way to right wrongs, he told us to "Get Up, Stand Up", complacency was not an option, and so it should be for us, in all aspects of life, family, work, social or political, there is nothing wrong with standing by what you believe, even if it makes you different from the norm. I hope I can achieve what I want to achieve, grow some balls and get back into the workforce, lose some damn weight, DRIVE! My life is what I have made it, It's all mine, I embrace it in all it's chaos and crazy. Its not a bad life, we are comfortable, the kids have everything they need and we don't go without anything that we want. But for me, it's time to move forward and make my life different. The little things that I need to do will take more mental strength than physical. I am sooo weak. lol. but I'll get there.
So, my new motto: Be like Bob.
I'm going to be my own Hype man. Bob was, he fought for his own, made his music a success, worked hard, I can do that too, stick up for myself, fight for something different for me and my family. Funny because my only enemy is actually MYSELF. I know the saying 'You are your own worst enemy' and that is no more truer a statement, I am my own fault picker, self loather and critic. Protecting myself from myself? hmm anybody got any suggestions on how to do that?
Don't Worry, I'll just sing 'Three little Birds' xx
