Day 4 - A Song That Makes Me Sad - A Better Place to Be

Loneliness can be a terrible terrible thing.  Not so much the "ohhhh....there is nothing on TV and its too late to call anyone...I wish someone would entertain me" kind of lonely, but the debilitating loneliness that comes from feeling unloved or unlovable.  It is the feeling that no one understands or could ever understand you, or would even be willing to try.  It is the feeling of complete isolation, even when in a crowded factory, or office, or school.  It is the feeling of despair when you ask, "would anyone even notice if I were not here?"  or worse yet, "wouldn't the world be a better place if I were not in it anymore?" 

It is a very dark place to be, and unfortunately, so many people are in that place.  These folks are all around us.  Some are able to put on a fake smile and blend in a bit.  Some use anger as a defense against the pain of these feelings and some turn to religion.  Others surf the edge of the crowd, hoping that maybe just once, someone will notice them and invite them in.  Some just go through the motions of living, because they just do not know what else to do.  Still others submit to the despair, and either give up on living or take action and put an end to their own misery.  Those are the ones we finally end up noticing, just a little too late.  Like I said, it is a terrible, terrible thing. 

The song I selected for today is by one of my favorite storytellers, Harry Chapin.  If the name rings a bell, it is because you may be familiar with another song he wrote called Cats in the Cradle.   I doubt that it ever got any airplay on the radio.  It really is not that kind of song.  My brother Mike introduced me to Harry Chapin many years ago.  His cassette tape was always in my car, and it was excellent listening on long road trips.  Some of his stories were fun and silly, some were sad but all of them were engrossing.  A Better Place to Be is the story of three very different lonely and damaged souls who crossed each others paths.  I have been each of them at various times in my life and would not wish that one another.  Moreover, the song is sad for me because, these folks are all around.  I am reminded again by listening to it that the hand that I extend, or fail to extend, may be the one that makes all the difference in the world.  Who knows, I could use it myself again someday.

(Please bear with the recording, it is from a live concert in August of 1980.)

One final thought.  So the song ends with the watchman apparently leaving with the waitress.   I wonder what happens after that.  Does the cycle continue or are they able to break it together?  I wish I knew the answer to that one...