Nature Boy
“There was a boy, a certain strange, enchanted boy. They say he travelled very far, very far over land and sea. A little shy and sad of eye but very wise was he. And then one day, one magic day he came my way; and as we spoke of many things, fools and Kings, this he said to me. “The greatest joy you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”
Eden Ahbez (Kurt Elling version)
Children believe what they are told
As a child, I was told I couldn’t sing and like all kids I believed what I was told. It appears for many years those who loved me thought they were protecting me from myself because they loved me and they knew I couldn’t sing so they advised me agianst trying to save me the embarrassment. Despite this deep, deep down inside me was such a desire to sing I kept trying. Inevitably, I was told to shut up and give up hundreds of times. I was 48 before I heard another person offered an opinion to the contrary. I was attending a Mind, Body and Soul convention in Melbourne when this young lady stepped up and asked;
“Would you like to learn to play an instrument?”
“I don’t have an instrument’ I replied,
“Yes you do, your voice”
“I can’t sing”
“Yes you can, in fact I’m so certain you can sing I give you a bet. I‘ll give you a free lesson, if I can convince you, you can sing you agree to sign up for the term”
Accepting her challenge I took the lesson. OK it wasn’t pretty to begin with but Chris convinced me, with work, maybe I could sing. I paid for and recieved my term of singing lessons then a seismic shift of life meant no more lessons until 2017 when I had the courage and the time to pursue my dream again at age 56. The sad truth is I possess a fine voice, it wasn’t that I couldn’t sing, it was I didn’t know how to sing…and now I do! Never give up on your dreams.
It doesn’t have to be this way
I am currently learning Kurt Elling’s version of Nature Boy written for Nat King Cole by Eden Ahbez (an interesting character in himself). Kurt is a fabulous jazz singer who takes the melody places I don’t think Ahbez would have imagined it. For me this song is part of the learning process, expanding my abilities, it was my teacher’s choice. The lyrics, particularly the last line have really struck a chord with me which is why I am sharing them with you.
How often in our lives do we harbour secret desires, secret needs that just refuse to go away? I know in my case if I had killed off singing and stopped trying…Well just the thought of it feels visceral and emotional, I fear what might have been. It was never really was an option, sometimes our desires are so much part of us to kill them would feel like suicide. And it took 48 years for somebody else, a complete stranger, to believe in me so as I could believe enough to try and find the missing pieces. “Just to love and be loved in return”. Thank you Christine.
If you have a secret
If you have a secret dream, if you know the “who” you are being today is not “who” you really are, I understand you perfectly. The great news is it doesn’t have to be this way. Life can change in a chance moment. Tanja liked my voice and thought I could voice the videos for the course she wanted to create to live by. In helping create the Living Consciously course I was blessed with a great life teacher and a share of an unforgettable mission. Little did I know or, I suspect, Tanja know she was sharing the “love” or what a difference helping her request would make in my life. Now I feel like the boy in the song who’s “travelled very far”.
Share the love and the joy
My hope today is you might provide me with “the greatest joy of all”. Maybe today is that magic day “when he came your way” and shared with you this basic truth. “The greatest joy you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”. To paraphrase;
Your mission in life is to find your gift, your purpose in life is to give it away.
By giving away Your gift you will be giving love to whoever is the recipient. Share the love and the joy.
Change is a constant
Change is a constant, it is our ability to adapt and change in line with the person we want to be that will determine the level of satisfaction we feel with our lives.
In my life right now I sometimes wish change wasn’t a constant. There are times when my life feels like I am inside my washing machine spinning around finding my way through multiple cycles. Then I stop and remind myself every experience is a precious gift of knowledge, an opportunity to progress.
This is the essence of Andreia. I must have the courage to be who I am whilst overcoming my fear of the consequences. Those who have completed the lessons will recall fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. When you challenge the evidence to determine the real danger it simply disappears. Change is simple but it is far from easy, Living Consciously has changed my life and it can change yours. The lessons Tanja carefully explained to me so as I could help her explain them to others provide the building blocks. “Just to love and be loved in return”.
If you take nothing else away from this blog please remember; “The greatest joy you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”. Get busy the world needs your gift. If you want more click on the button below to begin your journey to Living Consciously.
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