Battle Songs

Ok, so I almost didn't get round to writing this blog today and you know what...I almost don't care, almost. I didn't think I had the time, but apparently I do. The biggest problem with an impromptu blog is I don't know what I want to write about, so the content is likely to be all over the show. I'm just writing about stuff as I think about it. This blog is for me by me though, so it's pretty much anything goes as long as it's interesting to read (not necessarily coherent) . After all this is my practice.

So there...hmp!

You ever have a life battle before? Whether it be a bully, an abusive employer, self doubt or even a rough test, it doesn't matter...these are the battles of life. It's that time when everything you knew, or thought you knew, was being challenged. It may not be your choice, you may have done nothing to deserve it; you're just the rabbit in the headlights, but it's time to fight or flight. What do you do? Who can you turn to? Battles can break us, but if you survive one you'll come out a better version of yourself, scarred but ready for more. Too many and you might end up looking like slack jawed dough, but the journey would've been fulfilling. That's the thing about warriors, their careers can end in a second, but just like any other job the more they experience and survive wars the better they handle themselves in the next one. They have tools too, the tool I'd like to talk about is the battle song.

Vikings were sensitive souls.

The battle song can be a song that suddenly speaks a new language that makes sense. It's a song that gets you motivated during tough times to take the next step good or bad. For me, that song at the moment is Ready to Start by Arcade Fire.

Ok, so hipster culture aside, this band has gotten me some very tough times...and even some not so tough times. How I know that this song has become my battle song is because where before I would just jive to it cause it sounded good, it now speaks for me. You've probably experienced this before at some stage in your life, but the feeling of a song speaking through you, to you; that feeling is such an emotionally powerful force that it can single handedly keep your mind focussed on the outcome of your battle. Whenever you hear it you can't help psyche yourself out and smile as you pretend to punch your fist through the imaginary barriers in your civil war.

Ag, so basically what is your battle song? Have you ever had one? Share how it feels.