Shuffle comes up trumps

After a long day of peeking at the sunshine over the top of my computer screen, I headed out for a quick donner round Watson House (see earlier post!). I could’ve taken in the beauty of the surrounding scenery to the sound of chirpy bird song - but I opted for the music on my ipod instead.

I’m often surprised by the knack that shuffle seems to have of picking out the most apt or relevant music for my moment, and today was no different. After bouncing along - to Katrina and the Waves’ ‘Walking on Sunshine’, Cliff Richard’s ‘Do You Want to Dance’ (I like Cliff, OK?!) and McFly Ft. Taio Cruz’s ‘Shine a Light’ - on came ‘Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen’. I absolutely love that track. Ross downloaded it recently and, after not hearing it for years; I had to have it too. The song’s just as relevant now as it was when it was first released back in 1998 by Baz Luhrmann (you know him? He’s the bloke that directed ‘Moulin Rouge’). Luhrmann put the lyrics to music and produced a great video of the song, however the words were first written in 1997 as an article in the Chicago Tribune by a journalist called Mary Schmich. It’s good that she still receives some of the royalties from the song.

Anyway, it’s basically all about living life and not having regrets and stuff like that. Some of my favourite lines (or instructions!) are:

“Sing!

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss!

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.”

And

“Stretch!

 Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.”

And

“Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.”

And

“Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.”

I had an extra spring in my step on the way back to the house; the walk, the scenery and the song – a perfect combination for a pick-me-up after a dull day at the mercy of my laptop.