I remember when you took a stand.
With the pearl of wisdom in your hand.
And a soul of desire.
You held your own against the world.
A lion’s heart in a little girl.
So unafraid of the fire.
But those days don’t last.
Sweet dreams die fast.
A stumble when you walk on the wire.
When all your friends start giving in.
The flames are burning higher and higher
(chorus)
Don’t give up, Andrea.
Got the whole world at your feet.
Just keep on – holding on This is where you need to be
All the days that you’ve been spending.
Spinning while your heart’s descending.
Like a stone in the ocean.
Sometimes when you think the world is ending.
It’s really just a new beginning.
The other side of emotion.
But I’ve seen your eyes -no compromise.
When you set your mind on a matter.
Be strong through the tears.
And your sight will clear.
You’re gonna get what you’re after
Don’t give up, Andrea.
Got the whole world at your feet.
Just keep on – holding on This is where you need to be
Don’t be surprised when the road divides.
Just take the one less traveled by.
by Michael J. Smith
The first time I heard this song I really liked it. When I realized he was speaking about someone named Andrea, I knew I just had to place my name in that spot (although it doesn’t quite flow the same) and this could be my own personal song. Of course that is not how Michael J Smith might see it, but it makes me feel stronger to just listen to it this way.
When I came back to Canada a year ago, I stayed with a woman who like me felt the whole “virus” situation was largely a hoax. She said she would never get the shot, because she knew she did not need it. She did get the shots in the end, not because she believed in them being beneficial, but because she did not want to give up her visits to the seniors home. As the line in the song says…..”when all your friends start giving in, the flames are burning higher and higher…..”
People have no understanding of the consequences of such a choice. For each person who gave in for similar reasons, they just keep giving permission for the nightmare to continue. This morning it became very clear to me, this is nothing more than a game. The board has been set up in a most devilish way, the destruction of everything many believed they were saving, the result of getting involved. What the majority did not comprehend, was that they had a choice to play or step back and watch. By playing, one must choose a side, something you don’t appreciate while you’re playing. Doesn’t matter which side you chose, once you begin to play, you lose some aspect of who you’re fighting for as soon as you step in.
I thought about Chris Sky who not long ago, blazed a trail across the country promoting our freedom was at stake. He of course was right, we have lost much of our freedom, more will be lost this fall as they initiate the “vaccine passport” and visually isolate those who haven’t got the shots by making them wear a mask. Essentially, this paints a target on our backs so to speak, making it very difficult to be part of society. Someone I was once close to mocked me last year when I said my concern was being forced to take the vaccine (which is technically not a vaccine), telling me no one would ever force me to. I wonder if she remembers telling me that. I wonder if she can see her mistake in not listening to my concern with a open mind. Would it have made a difference? Doesn’t matter really, does it? It’s difficult to be close to someone who makes you feel you should be ashamed of your opinions, but I will always love her and be grateful for all she was to me at a time when no one else was there. The gift of friendship at a time when I felt so alone can never be under estimated and it always will be how I see her…….as a dear friend. Even though it seems otherwise right now. People have to understand I am finally being me, something not seen for most of my life. No one gets to tell me how to think or feel anymore. That all changed the day I said goodbye to Malaika.
But I will not be bullied or manipulated into putting something in my body which does not heal, is not medicinal, not nourishing and does nothing to protect me or anyone else. I choose to stay out of the game!
Being forced into a situation because everyone else made a choice is manipulation. The only ones who cannot see this truth, are the ones in the game, fully committed to one side or the other. I don’t care which side you are fighting for, you are still playing and creating more opportunities for the rule masters to control you. Everyone inside the game is spinning, unable to see the only way out, is to not play.
So the song means just as much to me now as when I first discovered it. The difference is, now I hear the lyrics from a new perspective – one of timelessness, because we are always in flux needing to believe in ourselves. We can’t give up on who we are, what we believe and why.
Our differences of opinion do not make us enemies, we are just travelling at different speed, or have altered our course to suit individual need. Perhaps this is why we can’t hear each other at times. So focused on our own problems and the solution we feel is correct, we cannot focus on someone else’s ideas which are in line with their own problem solving. We have to individually find our way through this.
Me, I’m just preparing myself emotionally and spiritually for whatever it is I am meant to face. The game never was and never will be important.
The other day when I was walking to work, I heard this sudden shriek of excitement come from a passing car. I turned towards the noise, believing someone was trying to get my attention, but not knowing who was in the vehicle. The happiness was felt, and carried me through my morning.
It was not until I was walking home for lunch that I discovered it was the young daughter of someone who regularly comes into the thrift store. It was this young girl who squealed out her greeting when she recognized me. She said to her mom “I don’t know her name mom, but it’s the lady from the thrift store”.
I realize it is moments such as this which make my life whole. It’s those wonderful bursts of happiness which create the painting of my life’s most treasured gifts. The rest is just lessons leading to them. These moments are when I’m not in the game, but completely focused on God or Spirit, the world around me disappears as I centre on the joy. I feel deep inside I am in the right place at the right time. These are moments of love and they are all that matter…….