Scrubs that reintroduced me to the musician. He would guest as a busker playing some new music and retooled songs from his old band. They were from his 2003 album Man @ Work. I absolutely loved the music from Scrubs, and wish that there was a Pandora station for the Blanks (a real a cappella band who performed on the show as "Ted's band"). The show's station led me to Colin Hay. He seems so mellowed out, and that's what tonight's song is about.
There's a song of his called "Beautiful World." It's a really insightful piece that he wrote about getting older, settling down, and embracing a peaceful way of living. He likes swimming far out into the ocean. He then looks at the darker sides of life. Mass killings, the use of guns, victimization of women, and children. He prays to Jesus, and acknowledges that he'll have to patient, because of so many prayers triaged as higher priority.
He looks inward and still sees the persisting battles with addiction. He looks at parties where (as a younger man) he may have stayed there until the end, but now he sees it as a better decision to leave early with no regrets. Watching the sun come up, and watching it set... Enjoying a cup of Irish tea... They're all facets of embracing a more settled down lifestyle. He even mentions a woman at the end. He points out that sex and love aside, what matters is the companionship.
I feel that this a great example of how to mature as an adult. Over the years, I've seen how parties can differ based on the age of people there. How in their younger years, there may be more people with excessive drinking or getting high. When older (or just more mature), such substances may not be as necessary to have a mellow night, enjoying each other's company. Personally, I know some people who battled alcoholism and haven't fared as well as Mr. Hay, so I applaud his strength of will.
Seeing the sun rise also seems important about the maturity, and it may just be my naivete. In art school, having all nighters was part of the culture, and even afterwards, I do enjoy the peace and quiet during hours when many are asleep. But I try to follow the advice I found in a September 2014 issue of GQ. Male celebrities with ages ranging 25-65 were asked about age and what they've learned about living life. Norman Reedus mentioned that it's with all this technology and entertainment that we've grown out of synch with the rising and setting of the sun. Before all night instant messaging, and binging on Netflix, human beings spent thousands of years knowing that when the sun sets, it's time to hunker down for the night. Like an addiction, there are times that I fall out of this rhythm, but I tell you that some of my happiest mornings were when I'd wake up at 4:30, take the subway to the Charles River Esplanade, and begin running along the river as the sun first starts ascending over the horizon. At that point, art sales were low, and I hadn't started blogging yet, but there was a serene sense of peace as I'd run along the water and meditate as I watched cormorants dive. I'm hoping that as my career takes some clear shape, that I'd have both a sustainable job, that I can create web content and other art, and that I can have my early mornings on the Charles.
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