2.6.24

I’ve been stuck on a teacher thing the past couple days. I start to think I’ve moved past it, and then it turns out I haven’t.

Nothing earth-shaking, but it’s buggin’ me, you know? I can’t let it go, but I need to. Otherwise, I’ll make a habit out of getting hung up on little classroom things that are almost entirely out of my control. And that won’t be healthy.

Which makes me grateful for tonight’s song by OK Go. It’s from their 2010 album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, and it’s one of my all-time favorite getting-out-of-a-funk songs.

This Too Shall Pass could’ve been written by a motivational coach. The chanting refrain of “Yiu can’t keep letting it get you down” has brought me out of the depths of inner thoughts many times, and the relentless beat never fails to reawaken the better parts of me that take a back seat during times of high anxiety.

The song starts in media res, with one side of a conversation already having been shared. Clearly, the person who just finished speaking (the listener, presumably) has shared a tale about a heavy mental load that’s causing a struggle. Then the lyrics start up and kick right into healthy advice mode.

I got to see OK Go perform this song live a few years (13? What the hell?) back, and at one point, I swear every member of the band locked eyes with me as they sang, personalizing the lyrics even more.

These days, I have a friend and mentor who personalizes the message. She is always ready during hard times to remind me that this too shall pass. It’s something her father used to tell her, which is an indication of having a great dad.

So have I let this thing go that I’ve been struggling with. Not yet. Accepting that this too shall pass is not a cure-all or a way of easily dismissing or diminishing problems. But it is a an acknowledgment that a problem can be worked through, learned from, and moved past.

And I’ll get there with a bit more time. It’s almost time for sleep, and things tend to look different when the morning comes.

… You know you can’t keep lettin’ it get you down

And you can’t keep draggin’ that dead weight around

If there ain’t all that much to lug around

Better run like hell when you hit the ground