Wake Me Up In Nashville

So this Blog needs a video to show you the story. Wake Me Up In Nashville - Sam Palladio

This is an actor from one of my FAVOURITE TV shows EVER! ABC's 'Nashville'. It's fantastic and you should check it out!

This is Sam Palladio singing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. At the beggining, Sam talks of his grandfather Owain and how he was training for WW2 in Florida. There, he came across this woman from Nashville. They dated and fell for each other, but it couldn't last as he was on his way to fight. But he promised her that he'd give her one last goodbye. So, on the night train from Pensicola Florida, to Canada, he told the train conductor to 'Wake me up in Nashville'....

It got to 4am and the train conductor comes in...

"I'm afraid sir, its 4am, we've passed Nashville. I forgot to wake you up. I'm so sorry". 

So, he went to war without saying Goodbye to his girlfriend. Now, obviously all was not lost, year's later we were blessed with the creative soul that is Sam Palladio. But somewhere out there is a lady who's probably eternally upset that Owain Palladio never said goodbye. 

It just reminds us, that people come into our lives for different periods of time... sometimes fleeting, sometimes for a long time... Yet sometimes they touch us more than we thought and we also need to remember that we're valued by others, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it. People care about YOU. Even if they're not always there... perhaps they damn sure tried their hardest to be there but something just got in the way... Give them the benefit of the doubt. Like Owain Palladio, he tried... and that's a story that will be with him forever, it meant so much to him that he told his grandson. It touched his grandson so much, he wrote a song...

Next time you get annoyed when you told someone something in confidence about a struggle you were dealing with and they told someone else... perhaps they were worried... no it doesn't make it right... but perhaps they want the best for you and know the person they told could help you better than they can.

Next time someone says "I'm running late, sorry" consider maybe that actually, being late is better than not being there at all...

Next time you feel alone, just think of all the people you speak to, all the people who like your photo's, all the people who ask how you are... 

Think about the guy you haven't spoken to for a while because you think they're a little 'weird'... they do care. 

Kisses J 

xx

"What if I was an angel and this was a test"

Sorry for my absence! I've been holidaying in Los Angeles! And I've been doing a lot of thinking whilst out there. It's a completely different city, compared to London and compared to small town St Neots. Out there are tonnes of people trying to make it big in the City of Angels. They want to live, dream, love in Hollywood. But it's not that easy. With so many people chasing the same dream and only a few 'dreams' available... it ends with numerous homeless littering the sparkled streets. With cardboard signs and boxes to sleep on, rags to dress in and a shaggy dog for company, they do what they can to receive your generosity in the form of money. In my time there I saw signs saying 'Please give food, I'm hungry', 'Need food, work soon'. There's also the one's who just ask for money, in return they help tourists understand the metro ticketing system, which is more complex than it needs to be! But one sign I saw that stood out amongst the rest, (aside from the fact it was the biggest sign I'd seen)

"What if I was an Angel and this was a test". 

Well, what if it was... What if you had to give money to a homeless person, in order to get into 'Heaven'. Now I say it like that because I'm not religious. I have no qualms with people who are, but personally I don't believe. However, this person had a good point. Some people do believe and this could be the sentence that makes them dig into their pockets and help someone out. But then on the other hand, why don't people give to the homeless. Is it because we assume that their homelessness is their own fault, sometimes due to drugs and alcohol? Isn't that a bit shallow... Perhaps it could be because in their selflessness, they decided their wife and kids needed the family home more than them... Perhaps they spunked all their money on chasing their dream, hoping one day they'll make it big enough to pay back the debt they caused, hiring studio time and recording team so they can make that EP that they can sell on for $5 on the street. Perhaps, after his ex took all his money out of the joint account, and rent inflation, maybe that months pay just didn't cover it. We don't know everyone's story... We're never going to know everyone's story. But what we can do, is just try not to judge... Don't judge the people on the streets, begging for money to get by, when you're walking past with your designer handbag - you're fortunate, don't forget that. Don't judge the girl at work who goes out drinking every weekend - Have you asked if she's okay? Don't judge the person who's working 2 jobs - They might be trying to achieve a dream or keep themselves out of a hole.

There are two sides to every story.
Listen,
Learn,
Love.

"What if I was an Angel and this was a test?"
Religious or not, you can change the path you're on.

Kisses J xx