Monday, August 6, 2012

Start From the Dark


Between work, travelling, buying a new car, trying unsuccessfully to get my son into an adult day program, my two (or three) World of Warcraft raid nights, random karaoke nights, following the London Olympics, catching up on Doctor Who, and all the other run-on-sentence-adding adventures, I’ve had no time to write. Even in my down time, I find myself either reading or vegging out on the TV, or now – God help me – playing SongPop on Facebook (It’s addictive. You’ve been warned); and Indigo sits, patiently twiddling his fictional thumbs.
My new Baby.

I will get there. Trust me. It’s been approximately two weeks now that nothing new has gone into Indigo, but I do sense some new material on the not-too-distant horizon. A quick break can be a good thing - giving the mind time to relax a little from the pressure of telling an intense and complicated story. I can now go back to it a little fresher, with a more objective eye. That’s the goal anyway.

Being busy for me is a good thing. It helps lift my mood. As my sis-in-law said today: A non-busy me makes my mind do “dark things.” It was really an apropos way to put it. 

One of my favorite Europe songs is “Start From the Dark,” and if you think about it – it truly is a good place to start. When you have "dark things" in your mind, no matter what they are - they can be a seed for creativity; a launching board for brighter things. 

Here are the lyrics, they’ve always hit home for me:

Thought you were ordinary
Would not amount to much
I guess they never knew you
You found the place they couldn't touch

Said you were nothing special
Always kept to yourself
You had to fight your own way
There's always been touch too much at stake.

What you gonna do?
'Cause you're just like me
What you gonna do?
Tonight, this is where we go
To find out who we really are
We've got nothing left to lose
Tonight, this is how we breathe
To put some strength back in our hearts
We've got nothing left to lose
We start from the dark

You'll never pass for someone
Who'll find a place in line
You'd sooner take that last breath
Than give away your heart and mind

What you gonna do?
'Cause you're just like me
What you gonna do?
Tonight, this is where we go
To find out who we really are
We've got nothing left to lose
Tonight, this is how we breathe
To put some strength back in our hearts
We've got nothing left to lose
We start from the dark
Start from the dark

Start From The Dark lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Now it’s time to take Abbey to the vet. Yay…

Here’s to keeping away the “dark things.”