Stand and Fall
My good friend Bill Reid posted this on his blog the other day:
It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that know neither victory nor defeat. -
Theodore Roosevelt
It occurs to me, that this is a theme that has been pervasive in my life the last 6 or so years. . .the idea that I will not fail to stand with courage, take risks, and live life on my own terms. The song that became the title track of my first album was called "Stand and Fall"
Stand and Fall
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart. . .
I survived, I made it through
I learned to live with what was true
And I’m standing now with my hands held high
Or I’ll fall. . .
I’ll fall
I’ll fall in love with the world around me
Be just what I choose to be
I survived the winters cold
With the fire
Inside me
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
Free to love or free to hate
I believe in hope but not in fate
And though I think a Hand may guide it all
It’s up to me if I stand or fall
Stand and Fall win or lose
For me to claim or blame I choose
To stand or fall is up to me. . .
To me. . .
To me!
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
Free. . .
Free. . .
I lived the lies for many years
Now I stand and fall, embrace my fears
I’m not afraid to fail or win
The Fire within me
Won’t end. . .
This Fire will never end!
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
The credo that I have come to live by, is that whatever God there is in heaven, He gives us our greatest blessing by giving us the wisdom and strength and to grow, learn, and change. I will NOT fear to try new things, I will NOT cower with insecurity for what might happen. I will take risks, I will not be afraid to try, even if I fail. I will not live my life with regret for the times i have fallen, nor will I allow myself to be paralyzed by regret or guilt.
I say all this, as I am helping a friend thru a new chapter in her life. . .she is divorcing, having recently left a rigid, fundamental religious group (sound familiar?) and is trying to redefine her life in strong and courageous ways. I say this to all of you, friends and starngers alike. . .do not be afraid to define your life on your own terms. . .you may succeed, you may fail, but even in those failures, the seeds of renewal and wisdom are waiting to germinate, grow, and flourish.
It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that know neither victory nor defeat. -
Theodore Roosevelt
It occurs to me, that this is a theme that has been pervasive in my life the last 6 or so years. . .the idea that I will not fail to stand with courage, take risks, and live life on my own terms. The song that became the title track of my first album was called "Stand and Fall"
Stand and Fall
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart. . .
I survived, I made it through
I learned to live with what was true
And I’m standing now with my hands held high
Or I’ll fall. . .
I’ll fall
I’ll fall in love with the world around me
Be just what I choose to be
I survived the winters cold
With the fire
Inside me
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
Free to love or free to hate
I believe in hope but not in fate
And though I think a Hand may guide it all
It’s up to me if I stand or fall
Stand and Fall win or lose
For me to claim or blame I choose
To stand or fall is up to me. . .
To me. . .
To me!
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
Free. . .
Free. . .
I lived the lies for many years
Now I stand and fall, embrace my fears
I’m not afraid to fail or win
The Fire within me
Won’t end. . .
This Fire will never end!
I have built a fire from the coldness of my heart
It took the winter’s cold for it to start
Now I’ll stand and fall on my own terms
What you say does not concern me
The gods above may touch my hand
The rest is up to me
To choose what will be
I’ll never sell my soul away
Now I am free. . .
I’m free. . .
The credo that I have come to live by, is that whatever God there is in heaven, He gives us our greatest blessing by giving us the wisdom and strength and to grow, learn, and change. I will NOT fear to try new things, I will NOT cower with insecurity for what might happen. I will take risks, I will not be afraid to try, even if I fail. I will not live my life with regret for the times i have fallen, nor will I allow myself to be paralyzed by regret or guilt.
I say all this, as I am helping a friend thru a new chapter in her life. . .she is divorcing, having recently left a rigid, fundamental religious group (sound familiar?) and is trying to redefine her life in strong and courageous ways. I say this to all of you, friends and starngers alike. . .do not be afraid to define your life on your own terms. . .you may succeed, you may fail, but even in those failures, the seeds of renewal and wisdom are waiting to germinate, grow, and flourish.
posted by Thomas J. at 1/19/2006 09:22:00 PM
2 Comments:
i like your last point....i recently saw a broadway play and one line stood out.....
...and if i'm flying solo, at least I am flying free....
We all have to choose....are we going to live like we think we should, or like someone else tells us that we should.
Its not always easy.... but we all have to make the choice.
i am glad to hear you say that. . .i think it is sad that so many of us live our lives, trying to become what we percieve other people's expectations of us to be. . .I KNOW you know that. . .sometimes it is just a mind game we play with ourselves, and sometimes it REALLY IS other people's expectations. . .either way, to live our lives being dishonest to ourselves is one of th emost destructive things we can do for our selves and those around us.
Thanks for your thoughts!!
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