Lyrics Post: “Get Back Up Again”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, Insight, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

So good, this message. Sung to millions of millions upon millions more children. Through a fun, full-length feature film called “Trolls.”

Oh so SO GOOD. Simple message. Face the music. Do your best. Keep going. Fall down? Get back up again.

“Get Back Up Again”
(from “Trolls” soundtrack)

I really hope I can do it
‘Cause they’re all depending on me
I know that I must leave the only home I’ve ever known
And brave the dangers of the forest
Saving them before they’re eaten
I mean, how hard can that be?

Looking up at a sunny sky,
So shiny and blue and there’s a butterfly
Well, isn’t that a super fantastic sign?

It’s gonna be a fantastic day

Such marvelousness it’s gonna bring
Got a pocket full of songs that I’m gonna sing
And I’m ready to take on anything
Hooray!

Some super fun surprise around each corner
Just riding on a rainbow, I’m gonna be okay

Hey!
I’m not giving up today
There’s nothing getting in my way
And if you knock-knock me over
I will get back up again
Oh
If something goes a little wrong
Well, you can go ahead and bring it on
‘Cause if you knock-knock me over,
I will get back up again

Oh, oh, oh, get back up again

I’m marching along, I got confidence
I’m cooler than a pack of peppermints
And I haven’t been this excited since
I can’t remember when!

I’m off on this remarkable adventure
Just riding on a rainbow

What if it’s all a big mistake?
What if it’s more than I can take?
No, I can’t think that way
‘Cause I know that I’m really-really-really gonna be okay

Hey!
I’m not giving up today
There’s nothing getting in my way
And if you knock-knock me over
I will get back up again
Oh
If something goes a little wrong
Well, you can go ahead and bring it on
‘Cause if you knock-knock me over,
I will get back up again

Get up, get up, get up
Get back up again
Get up, get up, get up

I’m okay!

Get up, get up, get up
If you knock-knock me over, knock-knock me over
I will get back up again”

GOODGOODGOOD

Writer(s): Pasek Benj, Paul Justin Noble

Thought Box

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, faith, Happy, Insight, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

The THOUGHT BOX.

Not sure where this idea originated, but it’s one I’ve used with the kids since they seemed open to it. I apply the concept to bad dreams, primarily…or at least that’s where it started. Now I apply it even more liberally, to things they are scared of, worried about.

Here’s how it works:

Close your eyes, and in you mind’s eye, imagine a small box. That is your Thought Box.

You control your Thought Box. You decide what gets to stay there. If something creeps in that you don’t want there, push it out. It’s your decision. It’s your mind. You control it.

Not sure how effective the process is for them, but maybe it helps a little. If it doesn’t help them, it for sure helps me use words as a strategy for coping with negative thoughts in the mind.

Not only does it work for them maybe, but I’ve been using it more of late in my own head too.

Work clouding my brain? Use the Thought Box. Too many issues to count? Revert to the Thought Box. Things you can’t control getting the better of you?

Thought Box.

You decide what stays there. It’s your mind. You control it. You control what gets to stay in the Thought Box.

Try it. I hope you find it useful.

Edge Redux

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, Happy, Insight, mental healthLeave a comment

Sometimes it’s razor sharp, tender to touch. Sometimes from the dark, from the deep it shows itself, the edge.

From the edge, on it, uncertain, something like despair. You reach out, call out, searching, hoping for relief. The mind chases, words racing in, filling every space.

The rubbing, grinding, down to an edge, leaving you unsure of yourself, uncertain. Surely you can find your way through, out somehow, not giving it, not giving up. Timeless, knowing the answer, getting these as before.

Scribble down, the babble down, then simply clear; the mind, in the dark, back from the edge. Respect it, don’t fear it, just know it, go along again. Go along with it again.

Super Lu

On By jeff ludlumIn family, Happy, Insight, parentingLeave a comment

My X-factor, as I often refer to her; at least I did, when she was little. The thought comes to mind still.

She is our third child and second daughter, a bit of a surprise (to me, anyway)…and then all the joy and beauty and sass and pure goodness I could hope for. I’ve said before, I didn’t think much about gender before our first child, our first daughter was born. What a gift and awakening. And then Number Three came along. A Second Daughter. Alleluia.

And this is her day.

Seven today.

She is strong and capable and smart and willing and able, able to be whatever she decides. And to my dying day, I am absolutely delighted to follow her path.

It’s gonna be something. And actually, it already is! She’s a wonder to behold, so much behind that smile, that look in her eye, such a delight!

I love how she dances, how she sings, how she draws, how she wags her finger at me, how she speaks Spanish with a Peruvian accent…how she sometimes calls me “…Jeff…”

Really, chica? I’m your Dad…

And so glad that is so!

Happy Happy Birthday, Super Lu~

God’s Work

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, faith, family, Happy, lifestyle, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

This concept comes to mind often for me. When am I closest to God? When am I doing what God wants me to do? When am I truly aligned?

Sometimes it seems obvious, immediate, powerful.

Like watching my son run along the beach.

Or standing in the ocean with him, teaching him to hold his ground and the water rushes in, rushes out.

The ocean often has that effect on my overall. Timeless.

But it could be something entirely different. Like blow-drying my daughter’s new, furry friend.

All snippets, all bits of being closer to God, just a bit, just a bit. And sometimes a bit more.

Beach

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, family, Happy, Insight, lifestyle, mental health, parenting, PlaceLeave a comment

Funny thing, the beach.

Timeless, the waves, the sound, the water never stops.

Here with family, a little break, celebrating birthdays. Time with the kids, our reduced family, COVID-style. Would that we could be a bigger group, but the pandemic demands a different path.

All the same, the beach is our friend. The ocean is our friend. Magical friends, they are. They create this simple yet so special, wondrous place, space.

The beach, the ocean, it’s one of those places that might bring us a little closer to God, if you let it, if you’re open to it, if you believe in that sorta thing.

I believe in that sorta thing. With my family, in nature, all the more aware of the infinity of it all.

The beach. Family. Timeless. Joy.

Family

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, faith, family, Happy, Insight, lifestyle, marriage, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

My mom used to say it, “family is most important.” It seemed like hyperbole when I was a teenager.

Of course family is important, I thought, but so is spending time with other friends, doing fun things, etc. Typical teenager thoughts, young person thoughts, natural. I thought at the time my mom was trying to convince us; as a parent now myself, I think I see a broader perspective.

As a parent I have this thought, and when it comes to mind I proclaim the same in my own head, “family is most important.” I think though, I’m not trying to convince anyone; I’m more making a sort of proclamation. I think maybe by saying it, stating it, it adds another layer of value, of meaning, somehow.

Maybe that proclamation is an outward expression to share the love a little more, and not so much convince.

That’s for sure what I feel. I want my kids to feel the value and the depth and the security of family. And I want them to know how much I value them.

Most important is family. It’s the foundation, if we make it so, if we let it be so. AMEN.

Lyrics Post: “Free Your Mind”

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, culture, Happy, Insight, leadership, lifestyle, mental health, parenting, social change, social justice, voicesLeave a comment

Quite unexpected, not really a genre I partake from too often; too often that’s where the gems lie.

Lots of folks know these ladies rock it, knowing the beats, words good too, message good too. Whether you’re en vogue or not, free your mind all the same. Maybe now more than ever.

“Prejudice, wrote a song about it.
Like to hear it? Here it go.

I wear tight clothing, high heeled shoes
It doesn’t mean that I’m a prostitute, no no
I like rap music, wear hip hop clothes
That doesn’t mean that I’m out sellin’ dope no no
Oh my forgive me for having straight hair, no
It doesn’t mean there’s another blood in my heir yeah yeah
I might date another race or color
It doesn’t mean I don’t like my strong black brothers.

Why oh why must it be this way
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow.
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow

So I’m a sistah
Buy things with cash
That really doesn’t mean that all my credit’s bad, oooh
So why dispute me and waste my time
Because you really think the price is high for me
I can’t look without being watched, and oh
You rang my buy before I made up my mind, OW!
Oh now attitude, why even bother
I can’t change your mind, you can’t change my color

Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow…

Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow… FREE YOUR MIND!”

Writer(s): Denzil Delano Foster, Gerald Edward Levert, Thomas Craig Mc Elroy

Number One Daughter

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, culture, faith, family, Happy, parentingLeave a comment

Silly title, really, “Number One Daughter”…we’re lucky to have two of them, two daughters, and they are equally magical.

But it’s the oldest’s birthday, so singing her praises just now, Number One Daughter, born that way, and how…

Such a joy, a gift, so blessed in so many ways, countless ways, here are a few,

ATTITUDE,

SENSIBILITY,

SENSITIVITY,

CARING,

LOVING,

SURE,

Of herself, of her place in our family, of how she wants to be, of what’s right and wrong, of the pose she knows she’s striking, showing off a new look…

When she was born, my attitude shifted, hadn’t thought about our child being a girl, beyond, “…I just want a healthy kid…”, and we got so much more. So much much more.

So here’s to our TEN YEAR OLD, say it in CAPS, no more single digits for this one, she’s off to the races, and then some, that one, watch her GO.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and hold you close all the days of your life, this my prayer for you, and happiness, and good health, and love, much love, and know that we love you beyond words, before words, and forever.

Happy Birthday, AGL~

“Pressure Is A Privilege“

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, Happy, Insight, leadership, mental health, parenting, social change, social justice, workLeave a comment

This idea, timeless. Let’s remember, often times it is so. The pressure we feel is from the circumstance we’ve put ourselves, the opportunity to benefit, to shine.

And so this particular pressure is a privilege. Let us rise to the occasion. Let us rise each day and give it our best. The moment asks nothing less; and perhaps we have nothing less to give.

Let it be so.