My relationship with time has always been a little wobbly but since the pandemic, wobbles have turned into free-falls and bumpy rides through the land of “what is time anyway?”
This is my way of saying I don’t remember when “that morning” happened. Was it spring, summer, fall, winter? I don’t know. But it’s easy to flash back to the moment.
There he is, one of our CC Strummers, a big teddy bear of a guy, gripping a giant coffee in one hand and his ukulele in the other. You can’t miss his mischievous Cheshire Cat smile because it kind of lights up the room.
Then he speaks.
“Cali, something wonderful happened to me this morning.” Pause…pause…pause… He leaves me dangling over the edge of this conversational cliff as I mentally scroll through the possibilities here.
“Okay, okay…so what happened?” I finally ask.
“I WOKE UP!”
Well I hear this and burst into laughter, like snorting kind of laughter. (I thought he was going to say he got laid…)
Please tell me how do we miss “the obvious?” That of course…we woke up this morning. But it doesn’t take long for my ha-ha-ha to level out and kerplop into the mortality thing.That IF we have the good fortune to wake up one more day, the rest is gravy. That we are renters in this apartment building of life and sooner or later we have to turn in the key. So being here NOW is a pretty big deal.
These little flashes of whooo-whooo happen once in a while and I try to capture them for keepsies. When I was a kid growing up in Washington D.C. I loved to catch lighting bugs and slide them into an empty mayonnaise jar. My father used a screwdriver to poke air holes in the cap so they could breathe. The next morning I woke up. The bugs did not.
It’s taken a long time for that lesson to sink in. Once a flesh and blood moment of “aha” is snared in a net of words, well…poof. It loses it’s electrical charge. I still scribble in my journal anyway because I can’t help myself. But in this case, I decided to write that waking up thing into a song so I would remember. Really remember. And that’s how “This Morning Something Wonderful Happened to Me (I Woke Up)” came about.
When I started performing my song at gigs I noticed something very interesting. Other people had the same reaction that I did when I first heard the words. They laughed, like “oh yeah…right…” And then they didn’t.
But now they sing along. Every time. With joy! Who can ask for more?
It’s the yin and yang of life, made visible. A little darkness in light; a little light in darkness. “And maybe all is well, even when it is not.” (Yep, I wrote that into the song).
With the help of Michael Kohan, The CC Strummers’ video-creator, editor-extraordinaire, the bass player too and several CC Strummers who cheerfully played in the sand box with us, we have come up with a marvelous visual expression of this deeply felt observation. CLICK HERE to watch and please share it with your peeps!
Here today, gone tomorrow! Whoop it up folks!
This Morning Something Wonderful Happened To Me (I Woke Up)
is from my ukulele CD, Smile, Smile, Smile.
Ask Alexa to play it for you or check out Amazon and Apple Music.
Anonymous
Just wanted you to know that I am getting lots of replies to the video I sent yesterday and people LOVE it! My cousin said she was going to start every day with that video and I replied to her “The best thing about that video is you don’t even need to watch it, if you’re like me, the song is now stuck in your head forever!” It’s the truth, and other times I’ve gotten an earwig I get a little crazy after awhile. Not so with “This morning something wonderful happened to me”. It just makes me feel good! When it started running through my head again this morning I had an epiphany__Today there are people all over the country, actually the world, feeling good because I shared your song with them. Wow!
Anonymous
You are doing so much to make the world a better place. Clearly you’ve found your purpose and passion and what makes you special, and now your mission is to be a blessing to others. God isn’t finished with you yet, so stay well and focused on what’s truly important in this life, and surely you’ll be spreading joy for many years to come. There’s more to life than genetics!!
Anonymous
I enjoyed this so much. I often joke with my group that I planned my lesson at 3 a.m., which is often true. The song says it all. I loved the production. I thank you again for encouraging me, 10 years ago, to start this venture. I have met so many delightful and talented people along the way and they , in turn, have made my life full of joy.
Anonymous
I read your blog! And, boy, did it help me put all of life’s problems, annoyances, challenges and frustrations into perspective! I really needed that!
Anonymous
Loved your song! I was listening to it just now and when it was over, heard from another room my husband quietly singing “I woke up” – we both agree it is a wonderful thing to wake up and you have written a catchy sweet song to celebrate it. Your voice is so clear and true. Well done!
Anonymous
Music & humor are the BEST medicines! Thanks for making it happen!
Anonymous
Wow. You are just SUCH an amazing writer. Why haven’t you written a book yet? I am soooooo serious!
Anonymous
This morning Mama’s Hospice nurse was here and when she was leaving I could tell she was really down. We have become so close, it was easy for me to tell. I asked her something
Honestly, I think you have a winner with that video! Between the great song, and the way you sing it with your Strummers, it’s so much fun to watch. And I dare anyone to try to sit still and not sing along__can’t be done! And once done, you start to feel better, possibly even great! Now that’s good medicine!!