I was displaying the words Don’t Panic on my iChat and facebook stats yesterday. It prompted questions from lots of friends. I remembered the line from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. That’s the motto, Don’t Panic. However, I think I was referring to something a little closer to home.
Now and then we all have a tendency to dwell on the small things. Nitpick them to death and suddenly we end up blowing them out of proportion. I can’t imagine a person on this planet that has not done that at some point or another. Though we tend not to tell others when it happens. I suppose it’s only when we feel a connection or comfortable with someone else that we let them into our weird little worlds and unload those moments. I think when we’re able to do that, it means we should be willing to move another step in a friendship or relationship. However, that’s certainly not always the case.
I did reconnect with a friend yesterday. One that has been pushing me to do some acting. But I kinda took last year off and didn’t really connect with him, nor did I pursue the whole acting thing. It’s not a primary goal, but he’s connected and wants to help. During the course of the meeting I had with him yesterday we got to talking about our recent personal lives. He’s getting married which is fantastic! I’m happy for him. Before it happened though, he had to present his fiance with a decision. It was either him or taking on more work and saying goodbye. It worked for the both of them and I’m happy for him, he deserves it. Of course he asked me about my recent developments and lent an ear.
Often that may be all we need, an ear, when things aren’t going well. Especially if it’s with someone we’ve already got a rapport with.
Which is what started happening yesterday while stuck in the mess of traffic. I got to doing too much thinking. It would have been really handy to have had this song with me. Sometimes it’s the most simple of messages that can cheer us up. Like the singing of a bird. That’s the beauty in Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds. The message of every little thing gonna be alright is based on the viewpoint of birds singing their song. They’ll continue to do it whether we’re happy, sad, angry, depressed, despondent, excited, doesn’t matter. They sing.
While I’m not heavily steeped in the reggae style, I do know that I like the groove here. The offbeat or rather upbeat hits of the chords to play off the beat of the drums is a telltale sign of grooving. It provides a good base for bobbing while singing. I will plead ignorance to knowing the title of the song. I actually originally thought it was called every little thing gonna be alright. Imagine the insight of the lightbulb going off in my head when I listened a little more closely to the lyrics. It still held a great message but how it was delivered made a bigger difference.
That’s the sign of some great songwriting, getting the message as simple as possible with a clever twist to make it as powerful as possible. Bob Marley certain had some mastery with that.
What have you sweated lately? Did every little thing come out alright?