Serendipity is such a cool part of life.
And I find, the more I am open to recognizing it, the more it happens.
This morning I was feeling drained, and ready to have a slow day. The online retreat I attended this past weekend was intense, and more than 12 hours spent on Zoom made it a little depleting. But I am grateful for having made the connections I did there. Having been to several events before, in-person, I know that the day after returning should usually be kept easy, while getting back into the regular routines of life and integrating the experience.
So, this morning after Perry Como the cat successfully cajoled me into the living room to play with his “Da Bird” toy with him and, after feeding him, I was glad to sit and have a cup of coffee slipped in front of me by Sweety. Then I exchanged a few emails with a brother, and a dear friend I’d spent the weekend with at the retreat. He was updating me on forest fires threatening some of our friends.
Then, after a pleasant, online meditation Sweety and I took in, I checked out Facebook. I saw a friend and former colleague had tagged me in a post about a song she encountered in a yoga class, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
And, not long after, with a groan I acknowledged to my sweety that, yeah, we would need to rake and bag the leaves today, as tomorrow is supposed to bring snow. The wet weather would make the job more unpleasant, especially since I usually grind the leaves up for compost with the Leaf Hog (which, after 18 years, was falling apart in my hands today and has multiple, compounding deficiencies so may need to be retired).
Dylan wrote “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and the song became a massive hit. Since then, it has been covered by numerous artists. In particular, I remember one by Guns N’ Roses that our oldest lad used to play a lot; it is a lit-up version of the original, with Axl Rose wailing out the vocals. Eric Clapton also recorded a reggae-infused version, which bears almost no resemblance to today’s rendition; I don’t care for his at all.
The cover my friend shared is by RAIGN (aka, the British singer-songwriter and producer Rachel Rabin). Her version is more down-tempo and mystical, and matches the slow and quiet place where my spirit has been abiding today. The ethereal sounding, synthesized melody and beat are captivating. The drum sounds have a primitive effect to them and recalled some of the music that a facilitator played during one retreat segment.
Hearing this track brought me back to the weekend gathering and beautiful time spent with some men I know well (though we’ve never met in person), and some I’d just met for the first time.
Now you know a little about why this is my song of the day for today. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy.
Here’s the audio for the song from RAIGN’s official YouTube channel:
Song of the Day for Today 