I Still Wish Upon a Star

Image courtesy of Flickr CC user simech

Hello Lovelies,

One of my many cherished memories as a child was watching the Disney version of the story “Pinnochio”, actually any Disney movie, really. “Pinnochio” was like many Disney movies, that were not only enjoyable but also taught us many life lessons. No one can forget the iconic scene where Pinnochio’s nose grew every time he told a lie to the blue fairy, so much so that his nose sprouted leaves!

But the part that stuck with me most from that movie, isn’t that Pinnochio became a real boy or anything like that, but the part when Jiminy Cricket tells Pinnochio about wishing upon a star.

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you”

Lyrics from “When You Wish Upon a Star” copyright Bourne Co. music Publishers

As a young child I remember looking up at the night sky and wishing upon the first star I saw. Sometimes they were outrageous wishes that a child makes, like wishing for a pony or an endless supply of chocolate, but as I got older the wishes began to change and sometimes it was a wish for help and guidance or perhaps to do well in exams or something of the sort.

As a child, there was something magical about wishing upon a star, the belief that if our heart truly desired what we were wishing for, that it would come true. When I didn’t get the pony or the endless supply of chocolate, I was not disheartened, I didn’t feel let down, nor did it lessen my belief in the power of wishing upon a star, not at all. I told myself that the reason why my often outrageous wishes didn’t come true was due to the fact that it was not truly my heart’s desire, my mind wanted those things, but my heart did not.

This became a turning point in the types of things that I wished for. I moved away from the material things and started to think what it was that my heart truly desired and you know what, more often than not, those wishes actually came true. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence and the magic of wishing upon a star isn’t real. Perhaps it’s just a way of focusing on what our heart truly desires and taking the steps towards those things.

Maybe the magic is real, maybe it’s not.

I however, choose to believe in the magic, even if it’s just a way of holding onto a part of my childhood.

I believe in magic.

I believe that when we wish upon a star, anything that our hearts desire will come to us.

Even now, I still wish upon a star, my wishes now mostly consist of wishing for the health and happiness of my family. Still, every time I look up at the night sky, the first star I see calls forth these words,

Starlight, star bright,

First star I see tonight,

I wish I may,

I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight…

Enjoy,

KK

© Katherine A. Kovács and The Writer Within, (2013-2017). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovács and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Feed the Birds

Source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Pauls_Cathedral_in_1896.JPG

Hello Lovelies,

Words are powerful.

Whether they be spoken, written or expressed in song, words evoke a range of emotions.

Happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, excitement, wanderlust, calmness, a sense of peace or even agitation and restlessness.

So many emotions, with just a few words.

But they need to be the right words, in order to evoke the desired emotion.

Words can call forth memories, reminding us of better times, or perhaps of sadness.

Yet the power of words is sometimes lost.

Lost in translation perhaps or beyond the understanding of the audience.

You see, in order for the words to be powerful enough to evoke the range of emotions, they first must be understood. If the words are too complex for the reader (or listener) then the power of them is lost. If the words are not in the language of the reader, then again, their power is lost.

Music however, is different. Music is a language all of its own, instinctively understood by all, no matter their age or language(s) spoken.

The notes, the key, the instruments used and so on, are the words, understood by those who can hear it.

Even the very young can understand and interpret the language of music. Some are more fluent in this language than others, for some this language comes naturally, for others it is something that is developed over time.

Even an infant can interpret and respond to the language of music, through the expression of emotion.

Don’t believe me?

Take this for example….

My youngest, who is now four, has always been particularly fluent in the language of music. Even as an infant baby he would cry when certain songs were played and express happiness or content when others were played. He would sob (not scream and cry, but sob) uncontrollably if someone was to sing to him “rock-a-bye baby”. He was the one-year old who would be listening to a Disney CD and would also sit sobbing quietly, tears streaking down his cheeks when the song “Baby mine” from Dumbo would play. As he got older he became more able to express the feelings evoked through music by saying Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” made him sad, but also like he wanted to cuddle and sleep.

Have you ever heard a piece of music that evoked such strong emotions that you just couldn’t handle it? A piece that hit you “right in the feels?”

For my youngest and I, that song is “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins.

There’s something about that song, it’s a combination of the music and the words, combined with the imagery of the old bird woman that gets me every time, no matter how many times I hear it. I can’t even sing along without getting choked up, which can be a little annoying when it is one of my favourite songs.

The beauty, the pain.

“Though her words are simple and few,

listen, listen, she’s calling to you”

“This song makes me cry,” he said from the backseat as we listened to the soundtrack in the car. All I could do was nod in agreement, because for some reason, it has the exact same effect on me., no matter how many times I hear it.

I’m also that person who chokes back tears during musicals, especially at the theatre. Sometimes they’re happy tears, sometimes not, but always they are an expression of thanks. Thanks that I can experience and interpret the language of music and words.

Words are powerful tools for evoking emotions.

Music with the notes, key and instruments are just as powerful, perhaps even more so, as they can be understood by many.

So when music and words are combined, either for an audience or perhaps to bring out the emotion in the words as you write, music is a great and powerful tool.

Feed the birds.

Feed your creativity.

Use music to find the right words.

Because music and the right words have a power that we can’t always explain.

Enjoy,

KK

© Katherine A. Kovàcs and The Writer Within, (2013-2017). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Katherine A. Kovàcs and The Writer Within with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Quoted lyrics © Songwriters: Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman

Feed the Birds lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company