The other day Dale and I were riding in the car and Helen Wheels came on the radio. As we were unpacking the groceries we had purchased Dale was singing (as he so often does, it’s lovely) and I noticed that he wasn’t saying Helen Wheels, he was saying L.A. . . . something. So I asked him – do you know the name of that song? And he said, sure, L.A. Wheels. Ummmm. Nope.

And that conversation got me thinking about misheard song lyrics. There are whole websites devoted to the topic and it’s so easy to get accurate lyrics now anyway. Not like when I was a kid and I would record from the radio on my tape player and then play it and pause, play it and pause, as I wrote down all the lyrics until I had them memorized. Ahhhh yes.

Anyway.

Today I will share with you three stories of misheard song lyrics from our family archives.

1. Kyrie by Mr. Mister. I loved loved loved this song when it came out in 1985. I listened and listened but couldn’t figure out what the heck they were saying. I ultimately decided it was give me a laser which was, of course, ridiculously incorrect. Still, it made for a lot of laughs and not just back then because just the other day one of my dearest college friends texted me and reminded me of this one as she had just heard it on the radio. Back in 1985 she thought they said, give me a lay, sir.  At least my version was clean.

2. Surfin USA by The Beach Boys. This one is a Dale story. And, let’s face it, when it comes to Dale and misheard (or mis-sung) song lyrics, we’ve got some great ones. I mean, you don’t sing in a rock ‘n roll band for 45+ years and not blow the lyrics now and again. Surfin USA is my favorite of his, though, because, while the line is huarachi sandals, too, he sang it wear out your sandals, too. Ummmmmmm. No. It would take a lot of surfin to wear out your sandals. Just saying.

3. Hakuna Matata from The Lion King. Hannah was 2 in 1994 when this movie landed in her life and she adored it. Really really. She sang Hakuna Matata at the top of her lungs and was utterly adorable. Especially when she sang Phil lost my feet instead of philosophy for that line, it’s our problem-free philosophy. The first time she did it I cracked up and I kept cracking up every time after. We didn’t know anyone named Phil and I don’t know what might have happened to his feet but she was convinced those were the words.

Do you have any stories of misheard song lyrics? If you do I’d love to hear them!

If you wrote a post for this week’s Three Things please share it below, too.

I want to preface this post with a statement:

I do not consider myself to be any kind of expert on the subject of race relations. I have not studied it extensively and, living where I do, I am rarely confronted with race issues. Also, I do not presume to speak on behalf of anyone other than myself.

Now that I’ve put that out there, I want to say that I’ve been thinking about race relations quite a bit lately. My consciousness, if you will,  has been raised because of things I have read and seen and heard and today I want to share three of those things with you.

First, something I have read. Actually it’s two somethings, both written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. We Were Eight Years in Power and also Between the World and Me. Both can be difficult to read, at times, but both are so very very important. Powerful and eloquent, they opened my eyes in a profound way. Do I agree with every point Coates makes? No. But do I have a new understanding of race relations as they are now after reading this books? Absolutely.

Second, something I have heard. The most recent podcast from This American Life called Three Miles. Here is their description of this episode: There’s a program that brings together kids from two schools. One school is public and in the country’s poorest congressional district. The other is private and costs $43,000/year. They are three miles apart. The hope is that kids connect, but some of the public school kids just can’t get over the divide. We hear what happens when you get to see the other side and it looks a lot better. It’s about an hour long and I was captivated for the entire time.

Third, something I have watched. It’s less than 5 minutes long and I hope you will indulge me and watch it. It moves me to tears every time I see it and it explains, in a very powerful way, the concept of privilege.

So. Those are three things that I think help illustrate racism, white privilege, and oppression. I don’t know how we fix this but I do know that talking about it without getting defensive and listening to each other without being dismissive is a good place to start. I’m sure that I’ve said or done things in the past that could be considered racist but I truly believe this: when you know better, you do better. So whether I’m reading, listening or watching, I’m really just seeking out a way to know better so that I can do better.

Be kind in the comments, my friends.

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below.

Going on day 3 with those first-of-the-year posts and today I’m going to take about intentions. NOT resolutions. Just 3 intentions that I have set for myself for 2018.

1. I will continue to do my best to live an authentic life. This one is about living a life that is fulfilling and happy. It’s about sharing happy stuff and keeping the negative stuff private. It’s about honesty and integrity and learning and growing. It’s about continuing to incorporate my previous yearly words – joy, grace, shine and peace – while adding this year’s word – kind – to my ever growing arsenal of finding ways to cope with the world. It’s about creating and meditating and doing the things that make me add to the good in the world.
2. Dale and I sat down on New Year’s Day and creating a list that we have called 18 for 2018. There are fun things on there (travel somewhere new, eat at 2 new restaurants) and home improvement things on there (paint the bedroom, figure out a plan for the front yard). There are some lifestyle improvement things on there like taking walks together and some private things, too. I’m looking forward to setting up a way to track our progress and hoping we can stay the course for the year.
3. I’ve pretty much avoided the doctor since my beloved primary care physician retired two years ago. I can’t do this any longer and I need to do things like schedule annual physicals and stuff. I’ve made headway on this one already by calling yesterday and making an appointment with a new doctor for later this month. I hate the thought of going but I owe to myself and my family to do it.

So, those are my 3 things that are loosely connected and all about being happy and healthy in 2018. Do you have a list of intentions? I’d love to hear about the things you are going to focus on in the coming year if you do.

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below.