Man In The Mirror
10.13.12
Its been almost exactly a week now since my feet reconnected with Italian soil & yet I haven't had the right moment to journal... that is until now of course.
needless to say, it's been an adventure (how can it not??) with a TON of traveling all throughout the southern tip or 'boot'/'heel' of Italy.
as we currently drive to Orvieto for some wine tasting with a Ciao Andiamo authentic-off-the-beaten-path excursion, i find myself getting lost in the vast countryside & those 'infamous' rolling hills.
Its been almost exactly a week now since my feet reconnected with Italian soil & yet I haven't had the right moment to journal... that is until now of course.
needless to say, it's been an adventure (how can it not??) with a TON of traveling all throughout the southern tip or 'boot'/'heel' of Italy.
as we currently drive to Orvieto for some wine tasting with a Ciao Andiamo authentic-off-the-beaten-path excursion, i find myself getting lost in the vast countryside & those 'infamous' rolling hills.
in this tranquility my mind almost instantly went to a time, almost 13 years ago now, when i first met Italy during a college study abroad program at the Villa Corsi Salviati (an experience that forever changed & inspired me). i remember sitting outside in the courtyard admiring the early night when the sky turned from a soft blue to a mesh of the most rich purples to a sweet cobalt. i remember wondering why i didn't do this more often back home in the states...
& in ways, i can't help but wonder the same now. although, yes, in general i have definitely gotten HEAPS better at 'stopping to smell the roses' the truth is that i've also allowed myself to get completely lost in work. regardless of it being my passion, there always needs to be a balance.
a couple weeks ago at Kensington Church they spoke about taking a good look at yourself, facing the 'man in the mirror' & then ended the service with a powerful live version of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror'. knowing those lyrics all too well, i heard them differently that day...
"I'm going to make a change
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference,
gonna make it right
As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their need?
A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
And one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya know?
Cause they got nowhere to go, that's why I want you to know
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love
It's time that I realize
There are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be, really me, pretending that they're not alone?
A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed out dream
They follow the pattern of the wind ya see
Cause they got no place to be that's why I'm starting with me
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
Cause when you close your heart (You can't close your, your mind)
I'm gonna make a change
It's gonna feel real good
Come on (Change)
Just lift yourself
You know, you got to stop it yourself (Yeah)
Make that change
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know
Change, make that change
maybe it's something in this fresh Italian air,
or something about getting married and beginning our own family & covenant,
or maybe it is just the quiet hum of the drive allowing me to hear God's whispers more clearly...
whatever it may be, lately i have been taking quite a good look at the wo'man' in the mirror & realizing more so then ever that
it IS time to make a change.
it IS time to live more fully.
it IS time to make this world an even better place,,,
one camera click-heart-step-breath at a time.
a couple weeks ago at Kensington Church they spoke about taking a good look at yourself, facing the 'man in the mirror' & then ended the service with a powerful live version of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror'. knowing those lyrics all too well, i heard them differently that day...
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference,
gonna make it right
As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their need?
A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
And one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya know?
Cause they got nowhere to go, that's why I want you to know
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love
It's time that I realize
There are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be, really me, pretending that they're not alone?
A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed out dream
They follow the pattern of the wind ya see
Cause they got no place to be that's why I'm starting with me
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
Cause when you close your heart (You can't close your, your mind)
I'm gonna make a change
It's gonna feel real good
Come on (Change)
Just lift yourself
You know, you got to stop it yourself (Yeah)
Make that change
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know
Change, make that change
maybe it's something in this fresh Italian air,
or something about getting married and beginning our own family & covenant,
or maybe it is just the quiet hum of the drive allowing me to hear God's whispers more clearly...
whatever it may be, lately i have been taking quite a good look at the wo'man' in the mirror & realizing more so then ever that
it IS time to make a change.
it IS time to live more fully.
it IS time to make this world an even better place,,,
one camera click-heart-step-breath at a time.
xxoo,
ksen