We were going out for an hour. Not a ‘biggie’ 🙂 Just a short drive to our local Cactus Club for a drink and some snacks; my wife has been off work for a few days due to an excess of stress in her life. I wanted to cheer her up.
“Have you heard of “Fats” Waller dear? I asked her as we were getting into the car.
“No…”, was her reply.
“Well, I was working though my record collection and came across a “Fats” Waller LP made in 1959. It contains a tune he performed in 1939 called ‘Your Feet’s Too Big!'”, I continued. “It is a delightful tune about someone he would otherwise adore were it not for her big feet! Many of his musical hits were like this, whimsical, silly, and fresh. However, in order for ‘one’ to appreciate the subtleties and joy of his music one must be ‘open.’ Only with an open mind and an open heart is one able to ‘receive’ the joy of his music.”
Please click following link to hear the song on youtube –Â Your Feets Too Big
A little while after we returned from Cactus Club I brought up a blog entry I wrote last Christmas. It is entitled “Life is a Gift’ and was a story about someone’s new found love with a humming bird feeder and the joy it can bring. My wife happened to sit beside me as I was finishing the blog entry and came upon the photo of a humming bird in mid flight. [Note: You can locate this blog entry by simply clicking on the SPiritquest ‘Blog’ link and scanning. Or simply click here – Life is a Gift]
I ‘clicked’ on the photo to begin playing the delightful tune which accompanied the picture and asked, “remember this song dear? I sent you this blog entry some time ago.”
“No, I do not think so….” my wife replied.
“It is a beautiful and gentle song about the hummingbird. Listen how sweet it is!” I said. “Do you remember listening to this piece dear?
“No, I cannot remember this song.” my wife replied.
“It was a story about our visit to Mark’s parents, on the big island. I remember that you found something negative in the story dear.” I continued.
“Yes, I do remember this. It was not a story about our trip, it was a story about me.” she objected. “I did not like that I was the focus of the story.”
“Actually, it was a story about the hummingbird. It is about the beauty and joy that the universe gives us every day. Those moments of love and happiness which exist all around us… simply waiting for us to be ready to receive them, because we are alive and present. I phrased the story in the context of a story about the hummingbird; that tiniest of beautiful creatures which we are blessed with once we create the necessary environment for it. After a simple bird feeder was introduced onto our patio, we were blessed with the visit of this beautiful creature.”
My wife grew silent, and smiled softly. As I was speaking the song began, with some beautiful guitar rifts. Then the girl began to sing her message… about the hummingbird. “The beauty is there for those who are ‘present’ to receive it.” I continued. “Don’t get caught up in the daily bullshit dear. We, each, are responsible for our own feelings, our own stress.”
“No… there are ‘stressors’ in our life,” was my wife’s uncertain reply.
“This is true; however, only we are responsible for how we react to these stressors. It is not easy; but, we must rise above that which would make us unhappy. One should remember that there is only Peace, Love, and Forgiveness. These three simple words embody everything that we need to be happy and to experience joy. Peace, Love, and Forgiveness. Giving of self.
Being in the present moment.