Its times like these that blogging really helps. My Dad is back in hospital, and this time my level of preparation as far as advocating for him is concerned, is very high. I am prepared for doctors to have no idea of his recent health, or his drug allergies, normal behaviour or ability to eat, walk and communicate. I saw this quote tweeted today, and it is very suitable in this situation:
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. - Arthur Ashe
Realising you are in a different place to the people trying to help and being able to gently let them see their information is, to put it bluntly, hopelessly wrong, is a neat trick. So I feel like this time I've been able to help Dad far more than in recent hospital visits. This is good.
What has been a fairly big downer is the overall emotional impact. I realise after this episode of drama-filled days, that I need to insulate myself better emotionally, or develop a better emotional fix-up strategy. Or something!
I haven't had much time to research, but my thoughts are that what I have is an overload in my system from the 'bad adrenaline' of being told "Your father's been rushed to hospital, his vital signs are bad!" among other negative and stressful things in the past 48 hours. On a side note, in 2 years of caring for Dad, I've only ever heard "vital signs" used on a TV show, and as it happens, there was nothing especially alarming about Dad's blood pressure or oxygen saturation levels. They were not perfect, but they did not inspire the kind of panic that being told 'vital signs are bad' causes! This seems to me to be almost malicious on the part of the nurse giving my sister that message, but I digress.
Stressful couple of days, no end of stressfulness in sight as hospital visits tend to be non-stop shift changing advocacy head-against-brick-wall days and nights. Then, just when you relax, they send him back to the nursing home and there is another round of draining advocacy to make sure they give him the extra care temporarily. So generally its a long haul of extra time, physical and emotional energy outlay.
For which, despite having done it before, I am simply NOT prepared. Those stress hormones deplete my happy hormone stash, bring a load of extra toxins as by products into my system and swim around having a negtivity party. This is not on, and I'm out to change it, today, right now would be perfect.
As you do when you're feeling stuck, I phoned a friend. She made the excellent point about dealing with stressful reactions and worries. She said just don't let the thoughts take over, think about other things. My brain flip/flopped and translated that to a message for myself to not try to stop having stressed out thoughts, but to simply go out of my way to have positive happiness reinforcing thoughts.
Unless of course, like me, you are totaly exhausted. In that case, stop writing the therapeutic blog and sleep.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
My City Of Ruins - Uplifting, Yes it is!
I realise now that one of the things, perhaps the most important thing, about Bruce Springsteen that resonates with me is the way he celebrates misery.
That sounds a bit harsh doesn't it? I think it is justified, and not at all negative. There are people who need to wallow into their grief, to enlarge their troubles to larger-than-life experiences and who find comfort in the ability to revel in the hard times.
In my own experience I am happiest when my happiness is so all-encompassing that I could burst. And if I must be sad, or angry, then I want to live it big too.
My City of Ruins encompasses all that for me. Haven't we all experienced that moment of:
"My soul is lost my friend. Now tell me how do I begin again?"
I know I have.
And then, in the live performance, who can argue with all that "Rise Up" going on? Between the sax and the vocals there's no arguing with the persuasive urgency to join in, rise up and join in to celebrate the ghosts.
"Are we missing anybody now?" is followed by the eerie silence of the entire band and audience stilling, to take a moment to feel the ghosts. The respectful silence of the arena, until Springsteen speaks those words "let me hear you" is masterfully orchestrated, and the energy created by those moments shared stillness is intense.
When he sings "My City's in Ruins, you know he's not talking about a physical city" it is so apparent that the grief is deeply felt.
I take comfort too in that those who've passed have 'made that change of town now'. For me that brings more peace than any other way of expressing the change from the physical to the spiritual. Or perhaps it is just hearing Bruce Springsteen say it that makes it ok. The longer that passes since his concert, the more I realise that he is a master magician, weaving his craft of musical magic through the audience. The words are important, yes, but so is the man speaking them.
Links to my previous Springsteen posts here:
We Are Alive
My Tour Experience
Energy Much?
Motivational Thursday
That sounds a bit harsh doesn't it? I think it is justified, and not at all negative. There are people who need to wallow into their grief, to enlarge their troubles to larger-than-life experiences and who find comfort in the ability to revel in the hard times.
In my own experience I am happiest when my happiness is so all-encompassing that I could burst. And if I must be sad, or angry, then I want to live it big too.
My City of Ruins encompasses all that for me. Haven't we all experienced that moment of:
"My soul is lost my friend. Now tell me how do I begin again?"
I know I have.
And then, in the live performance, who can argue with all that "Rise Up" going on? Between the sax and the vocals there's no arguing with the persuasive urgency to join in, rise up and join in to celebrate the ghosts.
"Are we missing anybody now?" is followed by the eerie silence of the entire band and audience stilling, to take a moment to feel the ghosts. The respectful silence of the arena, until Springsteen speaks those words "let me hear you" is masterfully orchestrated, and the energy created by those moments shared stillness is intense.
When he sings "My City's in Ruins, you know he's not talking about a physical city" it is so apparent that the grief is deeply felt.
I take comfort too in that those who've passed have 'made that change of town now'. For me that brings more peace than any other way of expressing the change from the physical to the spiritual. Or perhaps it is just hearing Bruce Springsteen say it that makes it ok. The longer that passes since his concert, the more I realise that he is a master magician, weaving his craft of musical magic through the audience. The words are important, yes, but so is the man speaking them.
Links to my previous Springsteen posts here:
We Are Alive
My Tour Experience
Energy Much?
Motivational Thursday
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Setting Achievable Goals - Life lesson Day 3
I've been very pleased with
myself since the great Thursday of happiness (aka motivational
Thursday) Since then,
less than a month ago, I have managed to transform the look of 2 rooms that we
use every day, the entry and E's space.
This week I've started on a third project, the 'Front Room'. This room used to be the living room. At one stage, when our roof was leaking and yet to be repaired, it was our bedroom and living room, many years ago. Now it has given itself over the main residence of the decrepit cat of all blindness. He hangs on in this little spot, we've kicked the children out of the room, so the TV went back upstairs and its no longer the living room. In a stroke of opportunistic genius, I've decided to transform it into my husband's 'cave', alongside the cat :)
However before I can get carried away with the idea of a home to put the thousand screwdrivers, nuts, bolts and other man-stuff that hubby leaves lying around all over the house; the whole room needs a thorough cleanup. A daunting task, as its been allowed to turn into a bit of a cesspit in recent months.
I spent a few days pottering, using the simple principle of leaving the room better than I found it, and not achieving a great deal. I really had no idea where to start. The solution came to me more as a desperate idea than a full-blown certainty. In order to give myself somewhere to simply BEGIN, I decided to break the cleaning down into sections. Normally I'd clean the floors first, but in this situation that seemed pointless as the floors were basically acquiring flotsam from the junk falling off the piled up surfaces. So I took my phone and photographed every surface area that was junked up. Sadly on its last legs (like the cat), my phone managed to make every photo a hazy milky tone. Here's an example:
It does a wonderful job of highlighting the junk, even with the surreal effect.
Surprisingly, as soon as I'd taken the photos, I was resolved to tackle all the surfaces first, and to finish as many as possible today. I remarked that it would be a miracle if I got through them all.
I should have had more faith because as I write this, all 5 areas of the room that were the same and worse than this have been totally cleaned off. The Wrecking Ball soundtrack helped, and it took the entire album to get through it all. I have one tiny nemesis of paperwork and fiddly rubbish in the bottom of the green 'Trofast' drawer in this picture. After finishing this blog, I'll be working on that till bedtime!
I've exceeded my expectations for the day, all by simply breaking down the job into smaller pieces that were not so daunting. There were still hurdles along the way, and plenty of interruptions and breaks. Having the photographs helped to keep me focussed on how I'd progressed, and finishing off one discreet area at a time was terrific motivation to move on to the next area and the next. I even did a lot of bargaining with myself, deciding I was going to stop when I finished the top of the bookcase, and was so inspired by finishing that I kept going and started on the couch, then moved on to everywhere else!
Even the deep freezer had a mountain of stuff piled on it.
Now I'm feeling invincible and ready to have the whole room spick and span tomorrow, ready for its new life as the 'cave'!
We put up these little storage racks in a random spot temporarily as having them in use somewhere was better than all the component parts lying around :) Plus they are now filled with things, mostly all the tiny bits of Lego lying around.
And the most wonderful bonus of the exercise was that I found the first ring hubby ever bought me, it is more sentimental than my wedding and engagement rings and had been missing for over a year!
I haven't set the goals for tomorrow's instalment yet, but I'm sure that making the job smaller with manageable sections will be the backbone of how I get through it!
This week I've started on a third project, the 'Front Room'. This room used to be the living room. At one stage, when our roof was leaking and yet to be repaired, it was our bedroom and living room, many years ago. Now it has given itself over the main residence of the decrepit cat of all blindness. He hangs on in this little spot, we've kicked the children out of the room, so the TV went back upstairs and its no longer the living room. In a stroke of opportunistic genius, I've decided to transform it into my husband's 'cave', alongside the cat :)
However before I can get carried away with the idea of a home to put the thousand screwdrivers, nuts, bolts and other man-stuff that hubby leaves lying around all over the house; the whole room needs a thorough cleanup. A daunting task, as its been allowed to turn into a bit of a cesspit in recent months.
I spent a few days pottering, using the simple principle of leaving the room better than I found it, and not achieving a great deal. I really had no idea where to start. The solution came to me more as a desperate idea than a full-blown certainty. In order to give myself somewhere to simply BEGIN, I decided to break the cleaning down into sections. Normally I'd clean the floors first, but in this situation that seemed pointless as the floors were basically acquiring flotsam from the junk falling off the piled up surfaces. So I took my phone and photographed every surface area that was junked up. Sadly on its last legs (like the cat), my phone managed to make every photo a hazy milky tone. Here's an example:
It does a wonderful job of highlighting the junk, even with the surreal effect.
Surprisingly, as soon as I'd taken the photos, I was resolved to tackle all the surfaces first, and to finish as many as possible today. I remarked that it would be a miracle if I got through them all.
I should have had more faith because as I write this, all 5 areas of the room that were the same and worse than this have been totally cleaned off. The Wrecking Ball soundtrack helped, and it took the entire album to get through it all. I have one tiny nemesis of paperwork and fiddly rubbish in the bottom of the green 'Trofast' drawer in this picture. After finishing this blog, I'll be working on that till bedtime!
I've exceeded my expectations for the day, all by simply breaking down the job into smaller pieces that were not so daunting. There were still hurdles along the way, and plenty of interruptions and breaks. Having the photographs helped to keep me focussed on how I'd progressed, and finishing off one discreet area at a time was terrific motivation to move on to the next area and the next. I even did a lot of bargaining with myself, deciding I was going to stop when I finished the top of the bookcase, and was so inspired by finishing that I kept going and started on the couch, then moved on to everywhere else!
Even the deep freezer had a mountain of stuff piled on it.
Now I'm feeling invincible and ready to have the whole room spick and span tomorrow, ready for its new life as the 'cave'!
We put up these little storage racks in a random spot temporarily as having them in use somewhere was better than all the component parts lying around :) Plus they are now filled with things, mostly all the tiny bits of Lego lying around.
And the most wonderful bonus of the exercise was that I found the first ring hubby ever bought me, it is more sentimental than my wedding and engagement rings and had been missing for over a year!
I haven't set the goals for tomorrow's instalment yet, but I'm sure that making the job smaller with manageable sections will be the backbone of how I get through it!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Getting off my arse! Inspired to Exercise!
You might by now realise that I have a sizeable hoard of inspired feelings happening as a result of going to three Bruce Springsteen concerts. He and the band put on such marvellous shows and have such incredible positive energy that it’s hard not to bring home life lessons to apply. I already mentioned my amazement at Springsteen's energy in this post.
The most glaringly obvious lesson for me was that of health. As I sat on the first night I was amazed at the incredible vigour and energy of this man. It wasn't until later that I found out he was 63 years old! I was stunned, thrilled, and quite honestly put to shame at the pitiful state of my health by comparison. It was a sobering thought, as my own Dad, who was 63 when I was just 17, was possibly just as fit and vigorous at the same age, playing Badminton fixtures and doing hard physical work without breaking too much of a sweat. I have been complacent and lazy. There is no other way to describe it. I have indulged in the first-world habit of plenty, used my boring desk job as an excuse for sedentary behaviour and suffered the health consequences including rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure.
It seems obvious that turning forty this year is a sure indicator that theoretically my fittest years are behind me, and those to come will be harder health wise. I see no reason therefore to make them harder yet by holding onto all this excess weight, or to ever again blame my circumstances for what is quite simply, poor prioritising.
These revelations haven't all come from concert-going. Earlier this year I had a conversation with my doctor about the value of health. I saw him in January after gaining considerable weight spending almost five weeks by my father's beside in hospital when he had pneumonia. I sat around on my arse enough in December to gain 10 kilograms. This didn't count Christmas foods as we had a salad picnic in the backyard on Christmas Day, because my father was still in hospital. It was just too much arse sitting, and probably too many sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria.
The result of this weight gain was an increase in my blood pressure, that required more medication. In January, I was given a form to have my cholesterol tested, in 6 weeks time, and told to go back home and make every day count with my diet and exercise. In that 6 weeks I lost 5 kilograms, my blood pressure improved, and I was walking on the beach and doing tai chi regularly with no excuses. I thought I was doing well. I aim for a raw diet (I miss, but that’s the idea), high in Kale and Cos Lettuce, and theoretically low in empty carbs and sugar (no bread, and little pasta or rice). That’s just the type of food intake that works for me. My cholesterol came back at a spectacularly healthy 3.5 and my doctor was thrilled, told me to go home and keep doing what I was doing.
March didn't prove quite so fruitful, my weight has hovered, I've missed Tai Chi classes, and I didn't go to the beach at all. Seeing Bruce Springsteen in Melbourne became as much a mission to get in 3 hours of non-stop dancing and jumping and arm waving as it was about the show! I was certain I needed that time, in the GA standing area to get the absolute most out of my experience. Sitting down for so much of the Brisbane concert really grated on me as a wasted opportunity (shame on your oldies who insisted my daughter and I stop dancing!) Going back for a second session of exercise for Melbourne night 2 was a no-brainer for my health!
The Melbourne experience of 2 concerts and spending time with my exercise conscious friend taught me that I was more capable than I thought. I hadn't jumped up and down for years because of arthritic pain in my achilles. Yet mid-concert I found myself jumping up and down with excitement, and then again a few days later, playing in the park with my children!
I’m finding it very easy to keep up with the persistence to exercise and to eat healthily because of the realisation that there is such a large gap between my fitness, and that of someone more than 20 years my senior. I think that part of the inspiration comes from the Joie de Vivre that exudes from not only Bruce Springsteen, but the E Street Band, and indeed, the crowd at his concerts! I have been doing Tai Chi with a 92 year old, managing to just keep up with her and had never felt the same urgency to step up the pace. Tai Chi isn't really a discipline that encourages hastiness, although it has increased my fitness, it is surprisingly energetic, but very non-competitive.
Sharing my enthusiasm and determination with friends has provided me with some extra moral support to stay focussed this week. Two of my friends are now exercise buddies, both from Melbourne, who are keeping me company on my fitness journey through texting reminders to walk, and motivating each other to keep at it, even on a 'lazy' day.
So far I don't seem to have achieved any shift in weight at all for the past 6 weeks or so, however, today a friend commented that I'd lost weight; she reasoned that I'd had 2 workouts at the concerts and that muscle weighs more than fat! I love her thinking! My skirt is doing its best to fall off over my hips, which is good enough for me, and the stubbornness of the scales is motivating me even more to see them shift back under 90 kilograms.
My big goal, which will take quite a bit to achieve, is to be 80 kilograms by my birthday at the end of winter! It’s been 8 years since I was that weight. Having written down these goals, I realise that I am going to call in the assistance of a personal trainer, to at least help with planning a realistic strategy, in keeping with the wise words of this article, which notes that successful people do not simply repeat an activity over and over again, but seek expert feedback on their performance. The article has contributed a great deal to my motivation, and partially inspired this previous post about 'Motivational Thursday".
I'm looking forward to checking my progress in a few weeks time. At the moment I'm walking every day, and doing Tai Chi at least 4 hours a week. Whether my diet intake is strict enough to make a difference remains to be seen. I think I mostly eat healthily, however there is always the temptation of sweet biccies and too much dairy. This uncertainty is the reason I'm going to employ the principles of seeking expert feedback on my progress from a personal trainer, because a good trainer will give assistance with a food diary and be able to provide advice on nutrition as well as moral support.
I'll probably send the occasional tweet about exercise and update the blog if there is any significant news or change to the routine. I'm still a complete twitter noob, but you can find me here if you want to follow my day to day updates.
I would love to hear your experiences with illness, exercise and health. Did anyone who went to all 10 Australian concerts spontaneously find themselves feelng fitter and more well I wonder? I know I came away standing taller and with a greater sense of belief in myself :)
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Motivational Thursday (Bruce!) - the results
I was surprised at how easy it was to get stuck into the Entry just the way my friend suggested!
Here are the results of what I called The Motivational Thursday Project. For anyone who missed it, this was motivational Thursday.
Part way through. Still quite a bit of chaos.
This was moved from the main wall to make room for the new Expedit shelves.
Wall waiting for shelving.
Front corner less chaotic, and with temporary curtain!
Voila! New shelves filled with all our stuff! (and a bag packed ready for the trip to Melbourne!)
Today I steam cleaned the rug and tidied the last junk off the pine hutch. It feels great! Inspirational music today was Shackled and Drawn.
Here are the results of what I called The Motivational Thursday Project. For anyone who missed it, this was motivational Thursday.
Voila! New shelves filled with all our stuff! (and a bag packed ready for the trip to Melbourne!)
Today I steam cleaned the rug and tidied the last junk off the pine hutch. It feels great! Inspirational music today was Shackled and Drawn.
Friday, April 5, 2013
We Are Alive - Solves a Mid Life Crisis
Bruce Springsteen changed my life as he sang the words, "my body gone stone cold. There were worms crawling inside and out of me. my fingers scratched at an earth black six foot low, and alone in the blackness of my grave".
Those lyrics, and what followed shocked me to the centre of my being. I'm glad that I had never heard any of the Wrecking Ball album before the concert. To hear him sing "We Are Alive" in person for the first time was mind- blowing.
I was prepared for a great song. Silencing the arena, he'd introduced it as being about spirits that are passed on from generation to generation, about listening to the dead. I was ready to be impressed, as I had been by the entire concert. What I wasn't ready for was the transformative experience. Or indeed to hear the words "Worms crawling inside and out of me"!
Which was almost immediately followed by the joyous sensation of being alive, as people begin to call out in response to the words: "I heard voices calling all around me."
Suddenly all my concerns about mortality melted away and I saw how simple it was. Yes, its awful, our physical bodies decay, but our spirits, one way or another live on, continuously through those we love or those whose lives we've touched. So simple.
Gone were the frightening thoughts about my own limited time here with my children, or the very limited time remaining to my elderly and dear relatives. With his stark portrayal of being inside a coffin, already decomposing, Bruce Springsteen chases away the shadowy fears of death and brings the grim reality into the light. The humility of his singing brings us all together, reminding us all that ultimately our final fate is inevitable and shared, though we make the last journey to the grave alone. He shows us what we are afraid to think about, and then soothes with the reassurance that those who have passed are indeed alive in one way or another, not to mention significant in number.
During this song the entire audience are taken on a journey of respect and celebration. Beginning the song with the whole arena in silence, and at times shocked silence, then the catchy upbeat tune lifts spirits, chasing away the fears of mortality, replacing those fears with a huge sense of hope and purpose at being ALIVE.
I left the Brisbane concert feeling lighter than I had in years. Burdens had fallen away from me, replaced with a happiness that spilled over, as well as a sense of purpose to get on with living! I realised that there is no point in feeling alarmed at the too-short years allotted each of us, as the impermanent nature of life cannot be changed, all that we control is the genuine pleasure taken from each new day of living. We Are Alive recognises that the spirit of those who have passed continues on in us, that what we do is a reflection of what has been done before, and will continue past our time. Somehow, not only has he chased away the darkness, but he has laid down an inspirational challenge to be a part of being alive, to be mindful of those who have already left their legacy. After all, if the ghosts can sound so darned rousing "fighting shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart", then those of us who remain alive are capable of rising up as well!
The lyrics are incredible, and my realisation is that this man has answered for me a question I've been too afraid to ask myself; that is: "Whats it all about this temporary thing called life?" It is answered simply, in the words of this song "We Are Alive", "Its only our bodies that betray us in the end". Personally I am quite comforted by the idea that our spirit, one way or another will live on after that ultimate physical betrayal. I'm inspired to get out there and let my spirit shine through today, tomorrow and the day after that!
Those lyrics, and what followed shocked me to the centre of my being. I'm glad that I had never heard any of the Wrecking Ball album before the concert. To hear him sing "We Are Alive" in person for the first time was mind- blowing.
I was prepared for a great song. Silencing the arena, he'd introduced it as being about spirits that are passed on from generation to generation, about listening to the dead. I was ready to be impressed, as I had been by the entire concert. What I wasn't ready for was the transformative experience. Or indeed to hear the words "Worms crawling inside and out of me"!
Which was almost immediately followed by the joyous sensation of being alive, as people begin to call out in response to the words: "I heard voices calling all around me."
Suddenly all my concerns about mortality melted away and I saw how simple it was. Yes, its awful, our physical bodies decay, but our spirits, one way or another live on, continuously through those we love or those whose lives we've touched. So simple.
Gone were the frightening thoughts about my own limited time here with my children, or the very limited time remaining to my elderly and dear relatives. With his stark portrayal of being inside a coffin, already decomposing, Bruce Springsteen chases away the shadowy fears of death and brings the grim reality into the light. The humility of his singing brings us all together, reminding us all that ultimately our final fate is inevitable and shared, though we make the last journey to the grave alone. He shows us what we are afraid to think about, and then soothes with the reassurance that those who have passed are indeed alive in one way or another, not to mention significant in number.
During this song the entire audience are taken on a journey of respect and celebration. Beginning the song with the whole arena in silence, and at times shocked silence, then the catchy upbeat tune lifts spirits, chasing away the fears of mortality, replacing those fears with a huge sense of hope and purpose at being ALIVE.
I left the Brisbane concert feeling lighter than I had in years. Burdens had fallen away from me, replaced with a happiness that spilled over, as well as a sense of purpose to get on with living! I realised that there is no point in feeling alarmed at the too-short years allotted each of us, as the impermanent nature of life cannot be changed, all that we control is the genuine pleasure taken from each new day of living. We Are Alive recognises that the spirit of those who have passed continues on in us, that what we do is a reflection of what has been done before, and will continue past our time. Somehow, not only has he chased away the darkness, but he has laid down an inspirational challenge to be a part of being alive, to be mindful of those who have already left their legacy. After all, if the ghosts can sound so darned rousing "fighting shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart", then those of us who remain alive are capable of rising up as well!
The lyrics are incredible, and my realisation is that this man has answered for me a question I've been too afraid to ask myself; that is: "Whats it all about this temporary thing called life?" It is answered simply, in the words of this song "We Are Alive", "Its only our bodies that betray us in the end". Personally I am quite comforted by the idea that our spirit, one way or another will live on after that ultimate physical betrayal. I'm inspired to get out there and let my spirit shine through today, tomorrow and the day after that!
Bruce Springsteen, a Renewal of Energy
So if you've been following my blog, you've noticed by now that the Bruce Springsteen concert in Brisbane on 14 March had a huge impact on my outlook.
This blog is about energy, which is something I feel a renewal of since then. So there will be quite a few updates along the way that focus on the concerts and songs. A great deal of the blog will continue to focus as it has previously on the significant projects in my life, that of my domestic environment, and increasingly now, the physical energy of becoming more healthy.
It has taken me a long while to work out how to arrange my writing about this inspiration, not only because I don't want to stuff it up, but because there is just so much, all encompassing yet very specific. I'm hoping other Springsteen concert goers know what I mean here.
What I decided upon was to write a song-by-song review of the impact. Not running through the songs by the setlists for each concert, but through the songs roughly in the order that they pierced my consciousness and changed my outlook.
But first here is a summary of events, to put all these individual songs in some kind of context.
Bruce Springsteen, the accidental inspiration. Yes, that’s right, accidental. I was absolutely a Bruce ‘virgin’, having no idea that the 'booing' sounds were actually the sounds of ‘Bruuuucccce’, not the grouchiness of those experiencing a one hour delay in performance start time! My husband bought the newly released tickets as a surprise for me, and what a gift! I had wanted to go to the concert, but tickets had sold out before I could book them in early December, and there was also (surprising to me now) no-one to take with me. Playing a Springsteen CD one evening, my 8 year old started dancing around the kitchen. When I asked her if she liked the singer, she said "oh yes very much" and I was thrilled that if new tickets became available I had my concert-going company right in my own home! Luckily, new tickets were released and we were on our way!
For the concert on 14 March, my daughter and I were seated in the "B Reserve" area, 6 rows back in the raised seating area, dead centre to the stage.
Sadly we were behind the seating 'barricade' that prevented me from rushing foward to greet the man himself on his forays into the audience. Right from the beginning though I was caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd with "We Take Care of Our Own", a song totally unknown to me lighting up the crowd. The whole show leading the audience through ups, downs, shouting and silence was an orchestrated showmanship I'd never experienced before. Seasoned Springsteen fans, perhaps were familiar, however for me it was a life changing experience of seeing magic in the form of a whole lot of enthusiasm and technical artistry work its way through the 10,000 strong crowd. My daughter noted solemnly that "you have to sing from the heart, Bruce Springsteen sings from the heart, and thats how I knew he is a great singer" She's a very insightful young woman.
My own experience was somewhat obsessive, twenty minutes after arriving home I read my first online review, soon to find the guru of all things Springsteen, Tomo, of Bruce Springsteen Croatia fame. Not long after I was following several Springsteen related Twitter accounts (what are they even called?) including Jake Clemons and Springsteen himself.
In the days that followed, I greedily absorbed all the information from his Sydney shows, until one afternoon, clicking on a link from a random Springsteen related Tweet, discovered that what I thought were sold-out shows in Melbourne actually were not. Hours later I was on the phone to my girlfriend in Melbourne pleading with her to trust me on how good the show would be and convince her to come with me to see the first Melbourne show with a GA ticket in the pit, where we could dance and hopefully be close-up! She agreed after 11pm and I was in crazy motion buying concert tickets, plane tickets and working out logistics for a 30 hour Melbourne stopover. And come Sunday night, my mind was blown. Instead of the gentle narrative of the Brisbane show, the audience was hit with a 3 hour wall of music. Barely pausing for breath, Springsteen, belted out song after song, and certainly didn't get all chatty with the audience as he had in Brisbane.
In fact the longest (and most uncomfortable) silence I remember was during Darlington County when he knelt on the platform right beside me for what seemed like a small eternity!
Monday morning watching balloons hovering over Rod Laver arena, both my girlfriend and I were keen to repeat the entire evening! Rushing through other commitments, I arrived back in Brisbane to convince my husband that our whole family needed a Melbourne holiday that started immediately! Fortunately he was keen to join in the enthusiasm, and new tickets were bought for Tuesday night, with our plane landing with just enough time to rush from the airport to the concert. After barely any sleep again, we set out for my third Springsteen experience. And I was not disappointed. Standing at the back of the GA area, we met a couple from Perth who were returning for Wednesday's concert; a man who was also going to Hanging Rock; a couple who between them seemed to have taken in the entire tour; and a large group of keen sign holding fans who clearly had several concerts under their belt. The house lights stayed on and the concert opened with "Badlands", everyone off their feet immediately and so much energy! The narrative was back, but with more audience interaction than Brisbane. Bruce even took the cap offered by Dave, who was standing beside me, before heading into the audience for a crowdsurf.
My experience was not quite over however, as I wanted for my husband to be able to share what it was like to see Springsteen and the E Street Band live. He rushed at the last minute to grab a 'cheapie in the rear of the stage' ticket for Wednesday's show at 6pm from the lawn outside the Arena, and spent the night on his feet dancing!
I feel blessed to have been able to celebrate turning 40 (in a few months time) with my girlfriend in such a unique way. The pleasure of being a part of the comraderie and spiritual renewal of a Bruce Springsteen concert will not be soon forgotten.
This blog is about energy, which is something I feel a renewal of since then. So there will be quite a few updates along the way that focus on the concerts and songs. A great deal of the blog will continue to focus as it has previously on the significant projects in my life, that of my domestic environment, and increasingly now, the physical energy of becoming more healthy.
It has taken me a long while to work out how to arrange my writing about this inspiration, not only because I don't want to stuff it up, but because there is just so much, all encompassing yet very specific. I'm hoping other Springsteen concert goers know what I mean here.
What I decided upon was to write a song-by-song review of the impact. Not running through the songs by the setlists for each concert, but through the songs roughly in the order that they pierced my consciousness and changed my outlook.
But first here is a summary of events, to put all these individual songs in some kind of context.
Bruce Springsteen, the accidental inspiration. Yes, that’s right, accidental. I was absolutely a Bruce ‘virgin’, having no idea that the 'booing' sounds were actually the sounds of ‘Bruuuucccce’, not the grouchiness of those experiencing a one hour delay in performance start time! My husband bought the newly released tickets as a surprise for me, and what a gift! I had wanted to go to the concert, but tickets had sold out before I could book them in early December, and there was also (surprising to me now) no-one to take with me. Playing a Springsteen CD one evening, my 8 year old started dancing around the kitchen. When I asked her if she liked the singer, she said "oh yes very much" and I was thrilled that if new tickets became available I had my concert-going company right in my own home! Luckily, new tickets were released and we were on our way!
For the concert on 14 March, my daughter and I were seated in the "B Reserve" area, 6 rows back in the raised seating area, dead centre to the stage.
Sadly we were behind the seating 'barricade' that prevented me from rushing foward to greet the man himself on his forays into the audience. Right from the beginning though I was caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd with "We Take Care of Our Own", a song totally unknown to me lighting up the crowd. The whole show leading the audience through ups, downs, shouting and silence was an orchestrated showmanship I'd never experienced before. Seasoned Springsteen fans, perhaps were familiar, however for me it was a life changing experience of seeing magic in the form of a whole lot of enthusiasm and technical artistry work its way through the 10,000 strong crowd. My daughter noted solemnly that "you have to sing from the heart, Bruce Springsteen sings from the heart, and thats how I knew he is a great singer" She's a very insightful young woman.
My own experience was somewhat obsessive, twenty minutes after arriving home I read my first online review, soon to find the guru of all things Springsteen, Tomo, of Bruce Springsteen Croatia fame. Not long after I was following several Springsteen related Twitter accounts (what are they even called?) including Jake Clemons and Springsteen himself.
In the days that followed, I greedily absorbed all the information from his Sydney shows, until one afternoon, clicking on a link from a random Springsteen related Tweet, discovered that what I thought were sold-out shows in Melbourne actually were not. Hours later I was on the phone to my girlfriend in Melbourne pleading with her to trust me on how good the show would be and convince her to come with me to see the first Melbourne show with a GA ticket in the pit, where we could dance and hopefully be close-up! She agreed after 11pm and I was in crazy motion buying concert tickets, plane tickets and working out logistics for a 30 hour Melbourne stopover. And come Sunday night, my mind was blown. Instead of the gentle narrative of the Brisbane show, the audience was hit with a 3 hour wall of music. Barely pausing for breath, Springsteen, belted out song after song, and certainly didn't get all chatty with the audience as he had in Brisbane.
In fact the longest (and most uncomfortable) silence I remember was during Darlington County when he knelt on the platform right beside me for what seemed like a small eternity!
Monday morning watching balloons hovering over Rod Laver arena, both my girlfriend and I were keen to repeat the entire evening! Rushing through other commitments, I arrived back in Brisbane to convince my husband that our whole family needed a Melbourne holiday that started immediately! Fortunately he was keen to join in the enthusiasm, and new tickets were bought for Tuesday night, with our plane landing with just enough time to rush from the airport to the concert. After barely any sleep again, we set out for my third Springsteen experience. And I was not disappointed. Standing at the back of the GA area, we met a couple from Perth who were returning for Wednesday's concert; a man who was also going to Hanging Rock; a couple who between them seemed to have taken in the entire tour; and a large group of keen sign holding fans who clearly had several concerts under their belt. The house lights stayed on and the concert opened with "Badlands", everyone off their feet immediately and so much energy! The narrative was back, but with more audience interaction than Brisbane. Bruce even took the cap offered by Dave, who was standing beside me, before heading into the audience for a crowdsurf.
My experience was not quite over however, as I wanted for my husband to be able to share what it was like to see Springsteen and the E Street Band live. He rushed at the last minute to grab a 'cheapie in the rear of the stage' ticket for Wednesday's show at 6pm from the lawn outside the Arena, and spent the night on his feet dancing!
I feel blessed to have been able to celebrate turning 40 (in a few months time) with my girlfriend in such a unique way. The pleasure of being a part of the comraderie and spiritual renewal of a Bruce Springsteen concert will not be soon forgotten.
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