I wanted to give you a song about money. I wanted to provide some insightful comments or a funny, witty story to accompany the video so as not to totally bore you. But for some reason, I just couldn’t do it. Not so much that I couldn’t find a song about money or a story to tell but because I really wanted to share this song instead.

Our Lady Peace has been a favorite band of mine for quite some time. I think since I heard this song, actually. I never really took the time to watch the video because…well, I don’t know. Probably because I had my own vision of what I thought the video should look like and for selfish reasons, I didn’t want to ruin that image. However, I couldn’t really provide you with a Money Tune Tuesday without a video so I sat down and watched it. Then I watched it again. And let me tell you, to me, it’s a pretty powerful video.

As someone who grew up completely disenchanted with life in my town and counted down the days until I could leave, this video really resonated with me. But I think what resonated the most is that the way I felt back then was not unusual, nor has that kind of dissatisfaction disappeared with subsequent generations. Not only that, the dissatisfaction crosses all kinds of socioeconomic boundaries. Rich or poor or middle class, we all have our insecurities, our dreams and hopes, and a burning desire to make more of ourselves than we feel possible. At the same time, we can feel trapped or limited by finances, peer or familial pressure, lack of confidence or anything else. And this last part? Doesn’t go away with age. In fact, I think that feeling of being trapped and watching our dreams die gets worse as we get older.

I concede that that does happen…if you let it. But we’ll get to that another day.  For now, please just enjoy Our Lady Peace’s “Innocent”. And if possible, please answer this question…why are Canadian bands so damn good?

It took a long time for this song to grow on me. The first 10 or so times I heard it, I couldn’t stand it. In fact, I couldn’t even make it through the whole song. Not just because it’s country; it’s because it was annoying. Then I stopped and forced myself to listen to it in its entirety. And you know what? It’s a pretty decent song.

What I like about it the most is that it’s made me think of what I would do if I had nothing left. Being the planner that I am, I’ve never really thought about the worst case scenario. So I’ve started asking myself questions: If I was on the verge of losing everything, how would I handle it? What would be my next step? How would I earn money? Where would I live? Would I be successful and finally have the push I need to go after my dream? Would I come out on the other side a better person? Who would support me and my family?

So. Many. Questions.

I like to think that the outcome of my worst case scenario would be a positive one (even if it meant moving in with my parents). There are so many people who’ve had their backs up against a wall and are blindingly successful now. I hope that I’d be one of them. At the very least, I hope that having nothing left would give me incentive to try really, really hard at what I believe I’m meant to do (of course, I’d need others to agree with me in order to, you know, earn money). Even if I fail, at least I’ve tried.

(And yes, for those keeping score at home, that is a bit of foreshadowing.)

I get that maybe this song made me think about things it didn’t intend to, but that’s what I love about music. It means something different to everyone.

http://youtu.be/EyFwMd_a6JI

Among some notable events on this day in history:

• Bob Dylan graduated from high school.
• RFK was shot (he died on the 6th).
• Ronald Reagan died.
• I was born.

Yes, it’s true. Today is my birthday. My 35th birthday (as my good friend Erin says “a speed limit birthday”). It is also Marky Mark’s birthday (Mark Wahlberg to the under 30 sect), Chuck Klosterman’s birthday (one of my favorite authors), Kenny G’s birthday (what’s up saxophone?) and a few other famous people (including a personal finance “guru” with the initials S.O. who we here at DMS do not particularly like).

So, in honor of my birthday, I’m going to share 17 things about me you didn’t know and maybe didn’t want to know but I’m sharing anyway (35 is too many. And I realize that 17 is not half of 35. But I can’t figure out how to share half a fact. So the video I’m using will count as that half).

1. I have had 3 major injuries: a broken arm I sustained while roller skating when I was 7; stitches in my left wrist from putting my hand through a glass door when I was 10; and a giant black eye sustained from getting hit in the face with a line drive when I was 16 (I was on the pitcher’s mound at the time).
2. Beyond those injuries, I have 2 scars. One from my c-section, the other from burning my arm on the oven while removing a baked potato.
3. I cannot whistle or snap my fingers.
4. I can tie a knot in a cherry stem with my tongue.
5. Games I am good at: Name That Tune, Beer Pong, and 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Games I am not good at: Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, and Poker.
6. My first concert was New Kids on the Block and Tiffany. I saw them at Westbury Music Fair. I still look back on this fondly.
7. The last concert I saw was Alan Jackson. I saw him at the Delaware State Fair. I do not look back at this fondly.
8. I have no tattoos.
9. The only piercings I have are in my ears.
10. I am the oldest of 3 girls. Explains a lot, doesn’t it?
11. I started talking before I was 1 (according to my mother). This also explains a lot, doesn’t it?
12. I could read books by myself when I was 4 (also according to my mother).
13. The most famous person I have ever met is Adam Sandler. The second most famous is Ed Begley, Jr. And I actually got to do a real interview with EBJ. It was pretty freaking cool.
14. At one point in my life, I knew how to play 3 different instruments: the flute, the piano and the guitar.
15. I was on “Romper Room” when I was about 5. My mother dressed my sister one of the female people who shares the same parents as me and I in matching gray Care Bear sweatshirt dresses. This remains one of the most horrifying fashion statements I have ever made. And I’ve made a lot.
16. My favorite color is blue.
17. With the exception of watermelon, I hate melon. Cantaloupe and honeydew most of all. I also hate oregano.

And now for the music. This is perhaps the most little known fact about me. While it is pretty obvious that I prefer rock to any other kind of music, and will listen to it all day, every day, my favorite song is actually Meatloaf’s “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” (not only do I know all the words, I also know all the words to the Phil Rizzuto interlude in the middle. I understand that this is bizarre). Because it’s my birthday, that’s what I’m picking for today’s money tune. It has nothing to do with money. And I don’t care.

Happy birthday to me!

 

A few weeks ago, my friend Travis guest posted for Money Tune Tuesday with Sick Puppies’s Riptide. In that post he talked about how important it is to know that the decisions you make are the right ones for you–even if those closest to you don’t agree. This is something that I struggle with in my own life, although it is getting easier for me to learn that what’s right for me may not conform to others’ opinions for my life but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Something else that I’m working on learning is that even though something like a new career is scary, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. For too long I’ve resided in the comfort of situations and jobs that don’t make me happy. The reason I’ve stayed put for so long due to fear and lack of confidence in myself and my abilities. After all, if I don’t think I’m better than mediocre or that I think I don’t deserve better than mediocre, that’s exactly what I’m going to get. And thus far, that’s exactly what I’ve gotten. But it’s getting to the point that I need to start facing my fears and believing the encouraging words of friends and family.

It’s getting to the point that, to quote today’s Money Tune, maybe it’s time to change.

Changing the course of my entire life is horrifically frightening. It keeps me up at night, makes it hard to concentrate on anything else and oftentimes, I think of anything I can do to avoid making some incredibly difficult choices. Given all of that, it’s no secret I’ve been turning to Sick Puppies’s Maybe as a source of comfort and inspiration. While it may just be a song and a video, to me, it’s much more than that.

See why: