January 22, 2010 ~ The Sunny Side of The Street
I happen to love jazz. Vocal jazz, to be specific. Lately I’ve bought a few new CDs, and even checked some out from the library, because I need things around me to make me smile. Props, I suppose they are, but who doesn’t need propping up now and again? Jazz makes me happy, keeps me humming, and puts a smile on my kisser.
I was listening to one of my new tapes, this one by Steve Tyrell, and when the second track played “On The Sunny Side of The Street” I was struck by the funny, simply lyrics:
I used to walk in the shade with my blues on parade
But I’m not afraid . . . this rover’s crossed over.
It started me thinking about the times when we choose to stay on the darker side, the shadier side of life – disregarding the fact that we can make the choice to move ourselves – our attitudes, our outlooks, our minds - to brighter quarters. Tough times are going to come – that’s a given – but so much of life is about choices and how we decide we’re going to handle something, whether we’ll be reactive or proactive, whether we’ll seek joy in the midst of sorrow, whether we’ll search for a glimmer of light in the darkness – or whether we’ll let life and its circumstances overwhelm us and mow us down with all its trouble.
That song has it pretty close, but I love the way the scripture says it:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ~ Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
See? Same thing almost. Just direct your feet (your thoughts, your heart, your mind, your energies) to the sunny side of the street! It’s your choice, but as for me – well, this rover’s crossed over! See you on the sunny side!
On The Sunny Side Of The Street, courtesy of YouTube:
Dear Lori,
I have read your first two articles and the first article has touched my heart about your physical suffering and your 2nd article about choices is really true in my experience. You may want to read my articles in seedsofdreamsorg.blogspot.com and these articles may be help to you.
Ed