|
I was born to go barefoot, wear old jeans, and beaded earrings. I love Kumbaya. I'd really like, in all sincerity, to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I'd like to hold it in my arms and keep it company. ♫♪ Coca Cola! ♫♪Wait.
Damn insidious consumerism. I'm trying to get my hippie on and suddenly there it is, the urge to pop a coke top and take a nice refreshing sip.
Give me a moment to shake that off.
Back on topic: I realize that it's terribly uncool to love those things in this era of high heels, skinny jeans, and bling. I don't like hip-hop or techno-pop. I try to be cynical and angry but I can't control my smile.
Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to ride shimmering, white unicorns over perfect, pastel rainbows, not at all. It's just that I love the earth. I love people. I like to sit down criss-cross applesauce and dream in the sun.
I even believe in free love. No, I'm not talking about the kind that takes place with strangers in never-been-washed sleeping bags while tripping on ACID or smoking pot. I'm talking about the kind of love that reaches across the things that divide us, like religion and politics, that cost nothing to give, that simply IS regardless of whether or not we agree.
And I wish my favorite sappy songs hadn't been turned into commercials.
It's okay for me to be uncool. I'm middle aged and couldn't be cool if I tried. My use of the word "cool" is most definitely uncool. I realize that.
I have a friend who's 80-something-years-old and he wears jeans and skate shoes and greets people with a grin and "hey man." He's not cool either but he's somehow perfect.
I was born in the wrong era or maybe I'm meant to be that distant echo of the past in this present one.
I not really sure if I'm cut out to be a journalist, which is occasionally my job. I don't want to create controversy or fan flames or scintillate or titillate. I like to help people tell their stories. I like to debate and provoke thought. I love to immerse myself in different points of view, to try to stand in other people's shoes.
I have no desire to convert anyone to anything. I'm definitely not cut out to be a salesman.
I'm a square peg in round-hole world, but, finally, at long last, I'm okay with that. For the longest time ever I thought there was something wrong with me because I wasn't getting with the program. I can't tell you how many times I've been labeled "rebellious." But, am I really rebellious? If it's rebellious to question and examine then I'll happily own that label. I don't want to baa my through the years, believing whatever I'm told "just because."
For the record, I'm not someone who flies in the face of convention simply for the joy of it. I'm simply full of wonder at this world I live in. I want to understand it and the people who inhabit it with me.
So there you go. Now you know the truth of me. I'm a closet hippie who wants to teach the world to sing, Kumbaya!
©Just Kate, April 2010
Enjoy this blog? Receive alerts when new blogs are posted. Just click on either the "Follow" or "Subscribe" button to the right.
Posts
17comments:
Post a Comment
Annette, Trust me, I get it! I'm love people but I'm also a quasi-hermit for a reason! People can be downright exhausting. There's a world of difference between what I yearn for and what is and I can be just as pissy and icky as the next person. We all have our moments, yes? :)
I LOVED skinny jeans in the 80's but I've been over it for a long time. The thing that makes me cringe is seeing men wearing them. ICK. When I see it I try to avert my eyes.
I'm going to finish making enchiladas for mi familia then I'll settle in and watch Idol and Glee while LOST goes to TIVO. I'm not much of a TV fan but tonight's my night, yo! I'm going to unwind, kick back, and just veg a bit. I'll probably end up in a hot bath eventually, too.
I'm a huge fan of you, Annette. You know that, right? You inspire me and never fail to make me smile. xoxo & ♥
Barefeet, sunshine, warm breezes and cool green grass in the company of friends laughing, enjoying life and talking about everything under the sun, not always agreeing, yet always listening and sharing... Sounds like a fabulous time to me. =)
Katy, we've been through this before the fact that you think you are NOT cool makes you the coolest. =)
Haa! I remember sewing the legs of my jeans so tight that I HAD to put on my socks before the jeans otherwise I wouldn't be gettin' no socks on. LoL
In the past you've described yourself as Bohemian, I think that is just a fancy word for cool hippie! ♥
I was feeling silly when I wrote this, obviously. :) I loved that old Coke commercial. For the longest time, I thought the song was a jingle. I didn't realize it was an actual SONG. So, there's that and then there's also the very real fact that I do think consumerism is insidious and I wish they'd just leave the music alone. I know, I'm contradicting myself. Such is life, yo!
And, yes, it sounds like good times to me, too. You're my home-girl! *grins*
Bohemian, yes, I am that. I like the word "hippie" better.
Love you, girl!
:)
Does being a journalist mean you have to play devil's advocate? Or can it mean that? Because sometimes that can be fun. As long as one doesn't get into trolling, I guess.
I feel like we're in the matrix and those who don't fit into the round holes - those square pegs of us - have taken the pill that lets us see things.
Seriously - I see all of this as a Big System, designed to run with greased wheels in lock-step with those who want us to settle down to the grind, like proper ladies and gents.
Huh. You've got me thinking again....
I love knowing people that love themselves- not in a narcissistic way, but in an accepting way. These (and you are definitely one of them) know that it's cool to be uncool, hip to be hep, and the bee's knees just to be themselves.
I love the reference to The Matrix and having taken the pill that lets us see things. :) Sometimes it does feel like that.
I was labeled a black sheep by my family and it was a fair label. I never fit in with them. Anyway, for the longest time I felt like there was something wrong with me because of it. Now, I feel like there's something RIGHT with me. At the very least, I am what I believe I was designed to be, by God.
And, seriously, God save me from ever being "proper." lol It sounds terribly, horribly boring.
Oh, admit it, Tim. I know you wear skinny jeans that are so tight you have to make ballerina toes to get your feet in, then lay down to get them on, inch by tiny inch, until you're squeezed like a sausage!!! =D Okay, that's just WRONG. I can't believe I ever wore them but I most definitely did. It was an 80's thing. Seeing men wear them creeps me out. *shudders*
I didn't used to think it was good to be me. I spent most of my life apologizing for it. Thankfully, finally, at long last, I'm over it. :)
P.S. I do enjoy playing Devil's advocate. I can generally argue any side of an issue and frequently do it explore other people's thoughts, which is fun. But I never want to be in an adversarial position, which is what often happens if I'm not careful who I'm talking with, and it's a near certainty in online journalism, a format that allows people to respond anonymously and offensively without any accountability. I hate that.
If I were writing print journalism it would be different. People could stew on their own without attacking me, or they could write a letter to the editor, which, of course, requires a name and address. People are MUCH MORE CAREFUL when they have to own their words and conversations are therefore more civil. Unfortunately, print journalism appears to be a dying thing.
I definitely feel a great deal of resonance with you, too, Ileene. And the thing is, there are many things about which we do not agree! I love and cherish friendships that can withstand differences! We both have a passion for animals and a shared sense of spirituality, but we're very different politically, I think, and it doesn't matter. :) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that!
LOL! I still love it when you call me Boo! =D
Anyway, this is exactly how I always imagine you... barefoot in the sun and ready to talk about whatever. I love it! :)
I love that! You didn't ruined the song, you played with it. :) I only hate the use of songs in commercialism because it turns the song into a sales vehicle, a way to get inside a consumer's head.
When I was singing on a church worship team a few years back we sang a song with the lyrics, "It's all about you, Jesus," and I was playing around and sang, "It's all about ME, Jesus." I earned a stern look and several smiles, during practice. Then, Sunday morning, I was just singing and not even THINKING about it and I sang, "It's all about ME, Jesus." LOL The girl I was singing with looked at me with wide eyes and I just smiled and kept right on going. Now, whenever I hear that song I sing, "It's all about ME, Jesus." I think it cracks God up, because he already knows that we all pretty much do think it's all about us, anyway. :)
All that to say, I getcha! xo
Great to see you, Tai! =D Yes, I know the song by Train and I love it! I started singing it as I was reading your comment.
Someday we'll have to sit 'round a campfire and sing in hoodies and jeans!
Post a Comment