Michael Stipe's a Genius

For those of you who know who he is, disregard. For those of you who don't know who he happens to be, he's the lead singer and writes just about all of the R.E.M. songs in collaboration with his two other band members.

Now, I don't know why I'm drawn more so to male poets than I am to women poets, but I am. There, it's out there; I said it. I suppose it has to do with that old gender notion that women are supposed to be loving, nurturing, poetic, gentle, etc. And that men should be strong, burly, spit, and consider any type of poetry to be girlie and to be avoided at all costs so as not to be considered "one of them."

So when I read beautiful, heart-wrenching lyrics written by men, their lyrics take on a little more meaning to me. My sincere apologies to Aimee Mann, Sara McLaughlin, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, Gretchen Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, the Indigo Girls, Alicia Keys, etc., because I love you all too! It's just that I sort of expect women to speak from and through their soul; we're more used to it and it's one of the few things in our society that "us women folk" are "allowed" to do.

In my pondering today on my way to work as to why I cling to food for solace, or comfort, or whatever - I happened to be listening to REMs song, "I'll Take the Rain." No matter what we cling to, whether it be self destruction in some sort or fashion, cutting ourselves (there's one I haven't tried yet!), alcohol, smoking, drugs, overeating, etc. - these things all seem to be our friends at first and therefore we cling to them.

When we make changes, it upsets us, pisses us off, upsets our entire equilibrium, we feel jittery and annoyed at everything and everyone. But eventually we get over that, and then our lives come back to us one hundred fold better than they were. So, as I was thinking of these lyrics and how they could apply to my eating (either over-eating or just eating not-so-healthy foods) REM's lyrics helped me realize that what I'd been clinging to simply wasn't any good, and that if and when I let go, I'll go through the dark tunnel described above, and I'll pe pissier than usual for a few days while my body detoxes, but I'd still rather take the rain:

I used to think, as birds take wind,

they sing through life, so why can't we?

We cling to this and claim the best

If this is what you're offering

I'll take the rain, I'll take the rain.