Have you asked yourself what is the purpose of life? That question has always been with me.. I remember that question showing up as a young adolescent at church camp, "Happy Hollow." With age and perspective, life looks so different from here. This song is a message that I wish my 16, 34 or 43 year-old self could have really known. So often I stood in opposition to situations that I felt were unfair and my subsequent behavior and stubbornness only made things worse. 😔
I developed the idea for "Water Goes Up" one morning on the treadmill while listening to a podcast. The podcast covered many things but as Martha Beck told a story taken from Taoism she said, "Go up when the water goes up and go down when the water goes down." I immediately heard a tune and started humming what became the chorus to "Water Goes Up." I think it was around April when this song showed up, just as we began living with COVID. All songs and the writing processes are different but this song felt urgent and overwhelming in that I needed to finish it. The song and tune kept circling around in my mind as an "ear worm" for hours, days, nights, and weeks on end. At one point, I had a vision of a person sitting in the sand as water moved around and threw them. Then, one afternoon while driving to Home Depot, an expert oceanographer started talking on the radio and gave me the idea for the second verse. I cannot tell you what she said but in my view, it was grace and synchronicity in action. I am incredibly grateful and amazed as lyrics and melodies come and go.
In the fabric of the way we live life, we have lost so much of "normal." It's hard to quantify all of the losses we have lived through since March of 2020. My family members lost careers and their livelihoods vanished unbelievably quick. This song is dedicated to all of us. Through all of the suffering, pain, chaos and change we have shown the resolve of the human spirit. What is your purpose? Why are you here? The answer is different for each of us but also the same. My wish for you and me is that you are "stable and strong enough to let the water move through." Remember this, when the water goes up, go up and when the water goes down, go down.
Sending peace and love your way today. 🤟🏻🌏
Gina G. Glidewell
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