Sometimes I get so caught up in little things.
I obsess about tiny details — oh I missed this, oh I was late for that, oh I didn’t say that right.
But like a wise man once said, 1) don’t sweat the small stuff, and 2) it’s all small stuff. 😉
In this song, Midnight Oil describes what sounds like a family lineage with a history of living through hardships. But the song feels so hopeful, so optimistic, so filled with the confidence that comes from having weathered those hardships.
It really helps me see beyond tiny details and see a bigger picture.
My father went down with the curse of big cities
Traffic tolls and deadlines, took him to his peace
Now Bob Dyer glued us to our seats
And lawns were always victa neat
Whilst menzies fawned at royal feet do you rememberWhen my mother went down, it was a stiff arm from Hades
Life surprises and tears you like the southerly
She always welcomed the spring
Always welcomed the stranger
I don’t see too many around like thisI hope virtue brings its own reward
And I hope that pen is mightier than any sword
I hope that kids will take it slow
I hope my country claims its ownIn the valley I walk
I cried, yes I cried, I was down, then I crawled
Mercy’s arms — she comes
When I was down there
In the valley I walk
Do you read me, they couldn’t hear me
In the valley
The line that gets me is that second line in the last chorus (last stanza above). I just often feel like a kid who’s kicking and screaming, no, I can’t do it, I can’t do this, it’s too hard.
But then without realizing it, I find myself doing something I thought was too hard, pains that seemed too great didn’t feel quite as bad.
No, I don’t need a rescuer. I’m fine where I am.
Sometimes I need a little help, yes — but all in all, I’m doing all right. I can survive another day.
And that’s quite good enough.