Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

If you watch “This Is Us” then you know that the woman behind today’s song is one of the stars of the show, yet she is not a member of the cast.  She is who young Rebecca yearned to be and who older Rebecca listened to on vinyl at the record store before driving to Laurel Canyon with Kevin to find the former home of her idol, Joni Mitchell.  It is hard to believe that she was only in her twenties when she wrote songs like “Both Sides Now” and today’s pick.  She had such an incredible insight into life at such an early age.  I know she is incredibly gifted, but I also wonder if some of her awareness came from her experience with giving a child up for adoption when she was 21 years old.  They reunited 32 years later and have been in each other’s lives ever since.

As for my comprehension about life, there are three things I know for sure:  One, Jungleland is the most beautiful song I ever heard.  Two, life is not fair and three, it goes by impossibly fast.  Devastatingly fast.  Tragically fast.  One minute we are playing games as kids, the next we are graduating from high school.  One day our mothers are taking care of us and the next we are taking care of them.  Or they are gone.  That is why I think today’s song is perfect for this particular Sunday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Happy Mother’s Day to all.  And for those of us mourning our mothers or the other women who ever cared for us in any way, may we find peace and comfort in our great fortune to have known such spectacular women.

“And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game.”

        (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Joni Mitchell:  “The Circle Game” (1970, written by Joni Mitchell).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.