Name Ten Things

Back in high school my friend Ashley I had the opportunity to be a part of the Olympia Free Choir lead by Kimya Dawson. Every Tuesday we would gather together at a member's house and sing songs to the tune of one lone guitar, usually songs written by Kimya's friends, reveling in the organic raw energy of our communal voice and sometimes enjoying gluten free brownies in a quintessential Olympian fashion. Anyways, one of our favorite songs to sing was by Paul Baribeau, entitled "Name Ten Things." It is one of those songs that just captures the human spirit, and I always loved the climactic build towards the end that left one in a state of inspirational euphoria.

As I think back to the lyrics now years later I still find the song incredibly powerful and applicable for reflecting on our life path.The song itself is a pure representation of living a contemplative life and being conscious of our blessings and our hardships. To embrace it as part of our identity and to not let it keep us from living a truly fulfilling life of love. In the three short years that I've been away from this Choir I have changed so much, but this transcendent song has stuck with me and helped me to consistently live a better life, true to the person I am and want to be.

Looking back today, on a day dedicated towards love, and listening to the message of this song I feel incredibly blessed to have lived the life I've lead. To have met such incredible people and been to some of the most beautiful places on earth, to be healthy and capable and to have the resources, people, and inner drive to accomplish the tasks I set out to do. I love my life.

And although life is not always easy, I try to follow Paul's advice and wake up every day smiling because I know that I cannot list the endless reasons why it's good to be alive and every day I get to continue on in this life leads me closer to celebrating and giving the love that is in my life. Today is such a great day to take advantage of this reflection, regardless of Hallmark's profit margin. So sit down and try to name those ten things that can draw you closer to the truth and the happiness you deserve, not wasting any time being sad or bitter about a lack of romance, knowing that I love you and there are many things to be thankful for. And hopefully I'll be one of those people you call to scream those songs with you in the future, celebrating  this life that we live.

Happy Valentines Day everyone <3

Love,

Sydney

                                                          Paul Baribeau's 

                                                     "Name Ten Things"

Lyrics:

Name ten things you want to do before you die and then go do them

name ten places you really wanna see before you die and then go to them

name ten books you wanna read before you die and then go read them

name ten songs you wanna hear again before you die
get all your friends together and scream them

because right now all you have is

time time time yeah

but someday that time will run out

its the only thing you can be absolutely certain about.

think of all the things that are wrong with your life and then fix them

think of all the things that you love about your life, be thankful you are blessed with them

think of all the things that hold you back and realize that you don't need them

think of all the mistakes you have made in your life
make sure that you never repeat them

because right now all you have is

time time time yeah

but someday that time will run out

its the only thing you can be absolutely certain about.

name ten thousand reasons why you never wanna die,
go and tell someone who might have forgotten

try to list the endless reasons why it's good to be alive
and then just smile for a while about them

soon the sun will rise and another day will come, soon enough the sun will set 

another day will be gone

because right now all you have is

time time time yeah

but someday that time will run out

that's the only thing you can be absolutely certain about.

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