Dear legs...

Dear legs.
You are very short.

Why are you so short?

You make wearing jeans

or any sort of legged thing

quite difficult.

It's not too hard to hem a pair of trousers;

I have accepted this is something I must always do.

But I get frustrated that

the knee section of the jeans falls below my knee

due to my truncated thighs

and then the calf section of the jeans

starts at my ankles

and then the ankle section in the jeans 

is almost non-existent

due to being lopped off in the hemming process.

So nothing fits as it should.

I am learning to be thankful that 3/4 pants and skirts

are sometimes full length on me,

helping to save a few dollars here and there.

And good old leggings always do the job.

But in general

you have taken the fun out of clothes shopping

and have turned it into a bit of a nightmare.

Sometimes I don't know whether to cry or laugh

when I look in the mirror in the change room

and see inches and inches of extra leg 

covering my feet and trailing behind me.

Or when I try on a 'short' and pretty dress

only to discover that it covers almost all of me

and I look (not to mention feel) rather silly.
(Sometimes I also feel silly when I have to climb up

onto someone's kitchen bench

to reach the water glass in their high cupboard,

hoping like mad that no one will catch me in the act.)

But dear legs

You and I are going to walk many more years together

So I had best get used to you

And stop complaining.

Thank you for carrying me everywhere we go.

You are a trusty pair of legs

regardless of your length.

But if you should suddenly decide to grow

against all the odds
I shan't complain.

Love Lissa

The small steps continue...

The simple joys I experienced in one day.

This morning

Tea with my best friend,

Still in my dressing gown.

Honesty, laughs and love

Shared all in just over an hour.

This evening

Walk into a room of strangers

Play and offer my music.

Such a warm reception,

New friendships made,

Lives changed.

Rush back to say goodbye.

A dear friend is

Going away for a year.

She's decided to give

All her time,

Her energy and resources

To another country in far greater need than ours.

Selflessness.

An inspiration.

A late night dinner

With friends

Sitting on the kitchen floor

By candlelight.

So much food and fun.

Treasured times forever.

Simple joys

Found in the everyday.

In Relationships. Love.

And music.

And meaning behind it all.

A firm foundation never shaken.

Simple joys

Are often the most profound.

Oh why don't you try living inside this head, this head of mine...

I wrote this big, babbling and blabbing post about identity and the creative process and my frustrations with it all today. But then the lyrics of a song I wrote came to mind and I realised that this is why I write the music that I do - to express stuff that I find difficult to say otherwise!

Lies

There are thoughts deep inside
That my mind says to no one else

If exposed they'd cause an incomprehensible mess

There are things in my mind

Of which I try to remind myself

But the doubt prevents you from thinking at all

Oh why don't you try living inside this head, this head of mine?

Oh why don't you try living inside this head, this head of mine?

There are words like "I can't" and "I'm not" that keep pulling me down

But I guess I choose to engage in battle

The point of what I do...

I read this quote today...

After six or seven performances of any song, you begin to perform it rather than feel it.
Graham Nash 

I had to stop for a moment 

and catch my breath.

I do NOT want to stop feeling my songs 

when I sing them.

I don't want to lose grip 

on the reason I wrote them 

in the first place.

I must remember who I wrote these songs for

 so that I am moved 

to sing from that place

every time.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking 

but so far I think I've managed

to not lose sight

of the reason for my music.

May I perform well - yes.

But may I feel more and more deeply

every time I sing to an audience...

otherwise I believe

I will be doing them

a great disservice.