We were sitting around yesterday, everyone doing their own thing. I had Spotify streaming in the background while I was cleaning up the kitchen.
Fritz was on the computer playing Roblox when “Both Sides Now” started to play. All the Shepkids should be familiar with this song since I often sing the first couple lines when the clouds are fluffy.
I’m stacking up the dishwasher and I noticed that Joni Mitchell was still singing. In fact this four minute song has been playing for almost ten minutes. I went into the living room and noticed that Fritz played it a second time.
“You like this song FreddyShep?”
“I do dad, what’s it about though?”
Out of my three children, Fritz has always been the one that hears and sees the beauty of things.
“Why don’t you turn off the Robolotix game (I like butchering words of things I don’t like) and Google “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell and read the lyrics.”
I stood over his shoulder and we ready them together. The song looks at clouds, love and life from both an imaginary viewpoint and a cynical viewpoint. As we get older we start to lose that daydream view of the world. Life beats us down and the romantic look at life turns dark and can fade away.
Don’t let this happen. Always let yourself see the whimsical side of things. The one line that sticks out is, “I really don’t know life at all.”
It doesn’t matter if your a kid playing on the computer or a dad washing syrup off a plate. We end up spending too much time analyzing life that we forget to live it. We really don’t know life at all!
My middle child and I spent five minutes looking at both sides of life. Fritz played the song one last time. That was the first time he heard it with a better understanding of looking at things from all angles.
Fritzy Boy starts his first full week of freshman year and turns fourteen on Tuesday. This is a big week for him. “Both Sides Now” was the perfect song to start the week to.
You know what else is perfect for starting the week?
Spumoni!
I’m seeing an end of summer pattern here. Saturday was National Soft Serve Day. It’s going to be hot this week in the Midwest.
Why not deal with the heat with ice cream products?
Speaking about this heatwave. Make sure you hit the nooks and crannies with some GoldBond.
GoldBond is a sponsor of the Morning Chalkboard.
