And just when you thought you might have an idea where this was going, let me jump onto another train of thought ~ choooo choooo!
As it is for many others, music for me can be a powerful force. When the beat, rhythm or lyrics of a particular song resonate with me for whatever reason, the effect is singular. There can be a kind of soul connection that makes you feel as though you're not alone... that there is something inside you that is common with the universe... and someone else felt it too and put it in a song. Ya dig? ;)
Now that I went and got super spiritual for a moment, here's a glimpse into what's really on my mind tonight. I'm told that sometimes I'm too nice. Sweet, ain't it? It is indeed, but it's got me thinking. Throughout my life, I've heard this from so many different people at so many different times, and I can't remember when I came to the conclusion that being "too nice" is just not possible. What were all these people chirping about? Being sweet to people is something that is very easy for me... that has always been very easy for me. I am persuaded that most people are good-natured and mean well, and I want to be as kind to others as I'd like for them to be toward me. I also really desire for people to like me, which I realize is good only to a certain point; but being nice to people for me isn't something that's affected. It's as real as real gets. That's just me. Am I perfect in this? Absolutely not. Sometimes I let far too much time pass between a phone call or get-together with my bestie, or I go a week or more without talking to my sweet mom. And sometimes I can be unkind or even just downright mean. I am human, after all, lest any of you think that I think that you think that I think that I'm perfect. :P
That said, the more I consider whether it's possible to be too nice, the more apparent it becomes. I realize now that it's only harmless to be "too nice" to the extent that it doesn't cause you pain, because it is possible to be kind to a fault. It actually makes me happy inside to be kind toward people and to go out of my way sometimes to let someone know I'm thinking about him or her. The problem is that it doesn't always come back as issued, and there have been times when it was entirely rebuffed. That can be a bit painful. The question is, then, should I try to change that part of me? Or just bear it? And the truth is, I accept that I am what I am, and there's really no changing me. Yes, sometimes it hurts. But the smiles trump the frowns any day.
Joseph Joubert, a posthumously-published French author from the 18th century ~ the Age of Enlightenment, as it were ~ wrote, "A part of kindness consists perhaps in esteeming and loving people more than they deserve; but a part of prudence is believing that we sometimes place more value on people than they're worth." What this means to me is that to be kind to people does require loving them in spite of how much they may deserve it. But it is definitely prudent to not put people on such a high pedestal. People are people, after all... lovely and fallible.
Since I got that off of my chest, this post is sort of a 2-for-the-price-of-1. I started off talking about music, and now for your listening and viewing pleasure, I'll end this with these 8 songs from 2012, which were among the ones that 'got to me', if you will, for one reason or another. (There are seriously, like, 5 commas in that sentence... whooaaa...). Enjoy. :)
Gotye - "Somebody That I Used to Know"
Ellie Goulding - "Lights"
The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
Maroon 5 - "One More Night"
Mumford and Sons - "I Will Wait"
Youngblood Hawke - "We Come Running"
Jason Mraz - "I Won't Give Up"
Une partie de la bonté consiste peut-être à estimer et à aimer les gens plus qu’ils ne le méritent ; mais alors une partie de la prudence est de croire que les gens ne valent pas toujours ce qu’on les prise. ~Joseph Joubert
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