My 3-Year “Get Better” (Song) Anniversary

“A reminder you could always be a little bit better than this…”

With the “Get Better” film streaming last weekend and booking another trip this week to see Frank and the Souls once more this summer, I was reminded that it must have been about three years ago, when I first heard Frank play that song. In fact it has been exactly three years ago today, during their show at the Fete de la Musique in Dudelange, Luxembourg on 14 June 2014. The amazing show and my first time at the barrier more than made up for a some crappy stuff I had experienced throughout the day.

In my concert recap for that show, I wrote extensively about this new song “Get Better”. How much it resonated with me and how much I felt like I needed to hear these words that night. How much I tried to soak it all in and how much I was hooked, because it was such a great tune,…

…but even more because I was once again in awe how well Frank is able to capture moods and moments that I recognize from my own life. To write songs that deeply resonate with me, at least from what I understood and remember from the lyrics after this one performance. [….] And I listened to it last night at this show and I tried with all my heart to soak it all in, because it felt like a song I really needed to hear at this point in my life. In a almost uncanny kind of way.

I can’t remember all the times I started a blog post with “I’m feeling off/weird etc.” in the past few months/year. Not exactly feeling bad or miserable, but not quite at my best either. I know I WANT to feel better and I think I might know how to get there. But it’s still kind of neat to think that this new song might be my “song for the road”, on the path of getting better!

Three years – and a complete “Positive Songs For Negative People” album recording/releasing/touring cycle – later might be a good time to reflect on how I’ve done with my plan to “Get Better”. 

Honest answer? My first impulse was to say I’m still the same floundering, self-doubting, anxious, slightly self-destructive Me that I’ve been three years ago. To say that nothing has changed and that I’m still stuck in some kind of dark limbo. But once I thought about it, I realized: that’s not true.

Yes, I still lack self-confidence. Yes, I’m still anxious too often and worry way too much. Yes, I still tend to spend too much time procrastinating and avoiding. But – and that actually is a BUT with capital letters – once I really started to look back through the years, there also were a lot of changes for the better. I got (a bit) more confident in my job. Earlier this year I finally started doing more for my physical health with joining the MPC program (The break I’ve had to take in May notwithstanding). I learned to be less hard on myself. I don’t beat myself up over insignificant stuff as often as I used to. I stepped out of my comfort zone quite a few times. I am more mindful. Or at least I try to be. I’ve learned to take better care of myself.

All in all I do feel like I have a – maybe only slightly, but still – more positive view of my life. I might not notice it all the time and I still might get dragged down a spiral of negative thoughts and self-doubts too often.  But luckily for me, I still only need to turn up the volume on this song and sing along and feel…

Better.
Understood.
Not Alone (because I’m reminded of all the people looking out for me).
More at peace with myself.
Stronger.
Happy (because in the end it’s just an incredibly awesome tune).

Thank you so much for this constant reminder, Frank!

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