Okay, so that sort of thing may have worked, sounded good, for poetry or song lyrics of some kind. As a writer, I get that. I am just capping off this month dedicated to all things related to love and relationships
with a way out of the heartbreak that can sometimes result when something comes to an end, as these things seem to.
It is not me, Tina Turner, or Bryan Adams minimizing what love is, what it means, or how it feels when it is gone. It’s just an offering of hope, at least that’s how I see it.
***
When the feeling is ended
There ain’t no use pretending
Don’t you worry, it’s only love
When your world has been shattered
Ain’t nothing else matters
It ain’t over, it’s only love And that’s all
When your heart has been broken
Hard words have been spoken
It ain’t easy, but it’s only love
And if your life ain’t worth living
And you’re ready to give in
Just remember that it’s only love Yeah, that’s all
You can live without the aggravation
You gotta want to win, you gotta want to win
You keep looking back in desperation
Over and over and over again
“We wanted to make a record with more lyrical depth”.
Bryan Adams told Rolling Stone Magazine.
Sounds like the perfect place for:
This is a song from the album of that same name, which was released on my brother’s birthday, the day and year he was born, and my brother’s name is the same but just not spelled that way.
What a coincidence.
***
Life – thin as a thread Sometimes you’re lucky Sometimes you’re better off dead
Your first breath is taken and in to the world you are cast You long for tomorrow while living each day as your last
Well I know what your heart desires But you can’t take it with you Into the fire
Now you’ve done all you can Your life’s at the crossroads You watch as it slips through your hands
So stand on the mountain and shout in vain at the sky But nobody hears you – the words only echo inside Oh shelter the flame – it may expire Risin’ up from the ashes Into the fire
Just hold on to your life down to the wire Oh out from the dragon’s jaws Into the fire
There’s a moment in every man’s life When he must decide what is wrong and what’s right
You could wait for your dreams to come true But time has no mercy Time won’t stand still for you
Well I know what your heart desires Crawlin’ out from the wreckage Into the fire
Here I go…into the fire I know…what your heart desires
Bryan Adams, singer/song writer from Canada, may not be known to all. His biggest hit to date was likely “Summer of ’69” but it’s “Into The Fire” the song that first struck me when I heard it on my brother’s video tape of Bryan Adams music videos.
We used to watch that video of videos over and over again, when we were growing up. My brother’s musical tastes have moved on since the 90s.
Bryan Adams recorded the entire album in his recording studio, in his own Vancouver home, by the sea. It was known as Cliffhanger. This I never likely would have learned, if I hadn’t gone to do a little extra research for this prompt. So glad I did.
The raw lyrics in this song are shown above, but to me I remember his face moving forward to the mic and away again, once a line had been sung. The background was dark enough behind him that I could see this when we watched throughout the 90s. The image of “into the fire” caught my attention, even then. It illustrates that life is hard. It can be painful. It made me pensive and it makes me cry.
Today is Canada’s 147th Birthday and so I wanted to celebrate by bragging about why I love my country. I don’t usually brag about anything, but Canada is worth it to me.
Okay, so I don’t like maple syrup or poutine, (yes, I realize this could get me kicked out). There are, however, plenty of things I do love in their stead. Here are just ten.
1. My Oma and Opa chose Canada and they came here and worked hard to make a new life. They raised a good family and that is how I came to be here at all. I love that they were welcomed here and that they were given the chances to make all this possible. They were proud to be Canadians and to raise their family here and I am proud because of them.
2. I love our flag. The red and white always made such a bright contrast for a visually impaired person like myself. Maybe my favourite colour is red because of this and my earliest memories of the main symbol of our nation.
3. I love the music Canada has produced. I love artists such as: Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Chantal Kreviazuk, Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Blue Rodeo, and Alanis Morisette. These musicians represent Canada with their beautiful voices, their moving lyrics, and their distinct sounds. I love them for making me smile, making me cry, and for helping me deal with the hard things in life.
4. I love the literature of my country. I love brilliant writers such as: Lucy Maud Montgomery, Margaret Atwood, and Alice Munro. When Alice won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature I was so very proud and I felt honoured to be a woman, a Canadian, and an aspiring writer.
5. I love the land itself. I love how vast and sweeping it is. I love all the open space and our Canadian north. I love how we value nature and all its natural resources. I love the Great Lakes and the St. Laurence River and the oceans surrounding us. I love the Prairies, the Rockies – from the lush forests to the expansive Arctic .
6. I love the places I’ve traveled and the ones I have yet to explore. I love Niagara and its power which awes me every single time I stand at the railing overlooking the Falls. I love Toronto (Ontario’s capital) for its acceptance of all humans (coming off of 2014’s World Pride celebrations) and for the mixture of cultures and countries it houses all in one city. I love the Maritimes out on our east coast and Vancouver Island out on our west. I love having a little piece of another language and culture right in the middle of all the English-speaking provinces. Quebec is where I received my beloved guide dog all those years ago. I hope to see as much of Canada in the years to come as I possibly can.
7. I love the pride Canadians have in this country and as a result, in themselves. Despite the things the rest of the world think about us and the stereotypes that exist; it is true we are kind and welcoming, for the most part, and are known for it all around the world. We do come off quiet and reserved in contrast with some other countries, but as a quiet and reserved person I feel I am living in the right place. In fact, in my opinion these qualities are highly under-rated. We may not treated our native peoples properly over the years, but it is because of them that Canada is what it is today. I hope we are on the way to making it right and to righting the wrongs of our past. We disagree about the environment, politics, and when it comes to Canada’s role in foreign matters and militarily. Sure we have our problems and don’t always agree. We are by no means perfect but these disagreements just make for a successful democracy.
8. I love how this pride extends to our sports teams. Again, I could get kicked out for admitting I am not quite as enamoured with the game of hockey as the rest of the country, but I do love the image of a backyard or pond rink in winter. I have good memories of Saturdays at the arena with my family or late night roaming an empty one with my siblings while my father played. My brother loved playing hockey in his youth and my father loved being a part of a team as goalie. My family are not Leaf fans or any other Canadian team in particular, but what hockey means to our fellow Canadians it means to us too.
9. I prefer baseball over hockey. I love The Toronto Bluejays and no…I am not just saying this because they happened to win today of all days. I remember sitting tight between my father and brother in our basement, on the couch when Joe Carter scored the home runs to win the 1992 and 1993 World Series and I could hear the pride in their voices as they cheered. The Bluejays are our only team here and we have high hopes for them making the playoffs this year. Going to a game at the Sky dome is an experience in fun and an atmosphere of high energy and enthusiasm.
10. And last but certainly not least, I love the health care we are lucky enough to have here. Again, many could voice their complaints and sure nothing is perfect, but I know of what I speak. I am proud of innovators such as: Dr. Frederick Banting and Tommy Douglas for insulin and universal health care. I know nothing in life is completely free, but after all the surgeries, hospital stays, and medicines my brother and I have needed over the years I am thankful for the universal health care we have. I would feel forever guilt-ridden if I had caused my family to end up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for the care I required. Not all countries around the world would have payed for all the care me and my brother received over the years and my family would be so far in debt if we weren’t living in Canada.
So there are just ten reasons why I love being Canadian. I will now enjoy a wonderful firework display from the comfort of my front porch with my nephew and be thankful I live where I do and enjoy the freedom and the beauty I enjoy.
Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians today and I want to wish my neighbours to the south an early Happy Fourth of July. We all need to be grateful for the blessings we have and celebrate our countries and how lucky we truly are to live where we live.
Her Headache 