The Mindfulness Blog

Almost 50 years ago, Jackson Browne recorded the song featured in the title to this post, and it had tremendous lyrics. I don't know that I really understood what the song was all about, but I somehow knew that the singer/songwriter was trying to do something more than the typical rock 'n roll that was then featured regularly, on the radio.

Today, I'm a big fan of mindfulness and meditation (as well as music)-- particularly music that puts me in mind of things I really care about. For me, certain songs have a way of doing just that-- as well as certain lyrics. You might say I've got a perpetual earworm rooting around in my head.

Unpacking this particular song, and associating some of it's elements with mindfulness and meditation comes pretty easily. First, there's the character of the doctor, Someone trusted, competent, and easy to talk to-- like a few teachers and mentors I've had, over the years. Looking back, it's easy to see just how important they-- and their guidance-- really were!

Then, there's the me in the song-- the "my". For lack of a better way to describe it, the me is a soft me, not a hard me. It's not uniquely personal, or proprietary-- rather, it's somewhat amorphous and in a interconnected way, universal.

Lastly, there's the reference to the eyes, which literally enable us to see, but metaphorically, enable us to understand. That's where the connection with mindfulness and meditation really kick in.

Sometimes, we have to close our eyes, in order to better understand. That may seem counterintuitive, but it's really true!