BENNIE,  Your phone call this week has been on my mind.  I completely understand how you feel, some days you wake up and question your self worth.  I have been doing that for fiftynine years two hundred and seventytwo days.  We all do.  There are two intertwined emotions that can jump up and are hard to shake: doubt and fear.  Anyone who claims not to experience them are in denial or they are compensating with another behavior, usually by bragging or picking on someone else.

So, I have another song to share with you.  It is one of my theme songs.  I realize that it is ALWAYS playing in my head, but often is drowned out by those bad vibes I let creep in – especially from other people.  I never knew where the song came from until today.  I looked it up because I only know bits and pieces of the lyrics.  The song is I Whistle a Hapypy Tune and I found out it came from the Broadway musical The King and I.  The King and I was based on Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam. I have never seen the play or the movie, so I have no idea how it got into my head.

Whenever I feel afraid
I hold my head erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect
I’m afraid.

I can hear you saying it: “Cheesey”.

You are right, it is cheesey, but amazing how a few words can stick.  I don’t even know the melody, but I sing it anyway, I’m singing it now.

Just like the encouragement to “keep your chin up” is equally cheesey, it works. I can’t say it eradicates the dark seed of doubt, but it sure changes things. Little practices can have big results.

Make believe you’re brave
And the trick will take you far.
You may be as brave
As you make believe you are

You may be as brave
As you make believe you are

The other thing that is important to remember, I think you are fantastic.  It is ok to feel the way you do, but when it starts to get you down, just whistle.

Love, Boomer.