Today I was graced by the loving kindness of dear friends. Coffee, conversation, and oodles of time for some serious catch-up. One friend, I have known for many years, met me at a coffee shop. Gloriously on my way home, I saw another friend, I feel as if I have known for many years, and we actually stood in the street chatting away and laughing. They were both heavenly visits and sorely needed.
Yes, I have a million things to do that I have neglected to do, because of this or that, but gosh it felt good to honestly listen to each other and really speak from our hearts. We were celebrating happy joys, caring about the sad, hard stuff, and tending to all of the minutia in between. This time was sacred in my mind.
How did I get so lucky? Why do I take it for granted? Why don’t I nurture it regularly?
Dang, my answer is that I am so busy doing stuff I don’t want to. Are you? Why do we spin so crazily on this earth and not take the time to pause and sweetly smell the flowers, like Ferdinand, The Bull, a favorite children’s book of mine. Love, friendship, and family are my necessary life affirming oxygen and yet sometimes, without paying attention, I quit breathing it in.
Once I got home, I chose to listen to a whole slew of submissions while I tried to work on some important action items. When I listened to the band, Ark Life, I stopped what I was doing and well, yep, here I am. They struck a chord in me and I can’t stop listening. The song, “What You Want To”, sums up my day perfectly.
Ark Life is a quintet out of Denver, with harmonious oohs and ahhs, and a skilled lead vocal. Ark Life is such a comforting familiar sound that you could swear reminds you of a band you have always loved. Although somehow, because of the clever lyrics and style, you find yourself sort of baffled. They are Anna Morsett (bass / vox), Lindsay Giles (keys / vox), Ben Desoto (drums), Jesse Elliott (vox / guitar), and Natalie Tate (guitar / vox). Many musical parts, that collectively, make one toe tapping, hand clapping, sing-along worthy sound that captures you from the first few notes. Their debut album, The Dream of You & Me, will release on August 19, 2014. Ark Life is where classic rock and roll meets folk. Truly a gift to my ears today.
“The thing that keeps you breathing, trust me
The thing that keeps you alive, roughly
the hardest to pinpoint and just be
is not what you should do
but what you want to”
Now, is the time for me to really commit to the people I love, the things I am passionate about doing, and simply relish every chance I get to connect with those that are dear and never forgotten, no matter how busy I get. This song helps me to think that way and breathe in my much needed life affirming oxygen, by doing…..what I want to.
