Note: I first wrote it as a sort of teaching song, that theoretically my kids could sing to themselves; later I added the revised first verse as me singing to them.

Maybe your inner child would like to hear you sing it to yourself, too. 💜

“It’s Okay to Be Scared” Lyrics

It’s okay to be scared.
It’s okay to be sad.
I love me even
when I’m feeling bad.
No matter what happens,
I’ll take care of myself.
And when I need it,
I’ll reach out for help.

And whenever I’m scared,
I can use my mind
to investigate
what I’m thinking and why
and turn my attention
from “what if” to “what is”—
and notice what things
in this moment are gifts.

It’s okay to be scared.
It’s okay to be sad.
I love you even
when you’re feeling bad.
No matter what happens,
I’ll take care of yourself,
and when you need it,
I’ll be here to help.

I haven’t yet shared very much on this blog about my journey of leaving the fundamentalist religion in which I grew up, mostly because I have other things on my mind these days. But that story does deeply shape my perspectives.

This song is an honest snapshot of what I feel now towards the family members and other acquaintances in my life who are still suffering, unknowingly, under the oppression of their religion.

“If They Only Knew” lyrics

The people I come from,
their lore and belief,
the world I once savored--
I now see with grief.

They don’t understand me
and didn’t back then,
though I didn’t either:
they said my feelings were sin.

They think I’m a lost soul,
but oh…

If they only knew
life could be so much more.
They claim to have peace,
but their life is like war—
always defending
an old torture tale.
And now, when I look back,
that life was like jail.
I’m free now
to be me now
with joy now--
if they only knew.

Of course I don’t blame them
for what they don’t know.
This indoctrination
forbids them to grow.

And I’ll always love them,
but I’m sad for their pain
and the pain of the others
being hurt in God’s name.

I want a world where minds are free
and kindness is too…

(chorus)

“Remember to retire into this little territory of your own.”

— Marcus Aurelius

One of my all-time favorite coping strategies* is to have a lavish inner sanctuary—an imaginary place of refuge and safety—and visit it often.

I wrote more about this in my essay “Creating an Inner Sanctuary” as well as in my narrative poem “Self-help on a cloudy morning.” Now, here’s a song about it, too!

*(These days I’m less focused on “coping” and more on noticing and accommodating my needs, but I still benefit from spending time in my inner world.)

Tower Song lyrics

Sometimes my world feels overwhelming,
with people pressing in.
I start to question my decisions
and crack under my skin.
I want a door to walk through,
then shut for solitude;
but for now, I’m bound out here
in this loud inquietude. But…

(chorus)
Inside I’ve got a tower
in a castle made of stone,
in a kingdom in a magical
dimension all my own
that no one else can enter,
where I take care of just me.
Come back, my soul, remember
here’s your door; you have the key.

Because it’s my imagination,
no one else can see.
I make up whatever feels helpful
and change it as I please.
And when the world around me
feels rough, and close, and mean,
my world inside is where my mind
can start a whole new scene. For…

(chorus)

There’s a sadness room, a calm down room,
a scream room, lots of bedrooms,
a huge library, a pool, a beach,
gardens, forests, caves, and springs;
and rooms for all my past me’s—
there’s a child painting, there’s an angsty teen—
and helpers who are all actually me:
a nurturing mother, a wise crone,
flame-throwing soldiers, and the me on the throne;
and high above it all,
a tower rising tall,
with me till the end,
where burns the flame of my inner light
that’s mine to guard and tend. Yes…

(chorus)

I’d been trying to write a song about this for a while, because I needed one, but it wasn’t coming—until I saw this video by Brittney Hartley (of whom I’m a big fan), in which she talks (among other things) about the difference between these two extremes:

1. those who can benefit from having their circle of empathy expanded, who go about in a self-absorbed bubble, unaware of the deep suffering of others, and

2. those who are so aware of the suffering and cruelty in the world that they struggle with existential depression and nihilism (like, “is life really worth all this horrible suffering?”), so much that it hinders them from functioning enough to do what they can to make a difference.

For the latter group, she says, dwelling on suffering is not a good idea:

“You’ll actually do more to reduce suffering by focusing your where efforts matter the most, which is around you, than to be doom scrolling on the couch crying.”

— Brittney Hartley (in this video)

This is a reminder I need frequently—hence my song.

It helps me remember that my job is not to fix all the suffering in the world. My job is to tend to my own mind and my own domain of influence, making a difference in the world—fighting back against darkness—in the ways that I actually CAN, however small.

“Tend Your Heart” Lyrics

I thought it was a virtue,
a thing good people do,
to witness far-off suffering
reported in the news.
And yes, it gives perspective,
expands one’s empathy—
but those whose hearts stay broken
don’t need more injury.

Oh, tender soul,
your work is right here,
in what’s in your control.
Keep your sights on your sphere,
and safeguard the light
that’s unique to your heart.
That light is your weapon
to defy the dark.
So tend it, tender heart,
tend your heart.

I think the higher virtue
than staying all-aware
is guarding your attention
and spending it with care.
We need you at your brightest,
the best version of you—
so wherever your heart leads,
please follow in pursuit.

Oh, tender soul,
your work is right here,
in what’s in your control.
Keep your sights on your sphere,
and safeguard the light
that’s unique to your heart.
That light is your weapon
to defy the dark.
So tend it, tender heart,
tend your heart.

It’s okay to look away
when your heart can’t take the pain.
The darkness needs your light to shine
so be the keeper of your mind.

Oh, tender soul,
your work is right here,
in what’s in your control.
Keep your sights on your sphere,
and safeguard the light
that’s unique to your heart.
That light is your weapon
to defy the dark.
So tend it, tender heart,
tend your heart.

It’s also my first attempt of singing acapella with myself!

I hope the song can help you as it helps me. 💗

“I’ll Get to That When I Get to That” Lyrics

I’ll get to that when I get to that.
I’ll get there when I can.
It’s not smart to harass myself
for what’s out of my hands.
What’s more important 
than reaching that goal
is being kind to myself—
‘cause I’m the one whose life this is,
and I want to live it well.

Just do what I can really do,
not more than I really can.
It’s not smart to exhaust myself
for infinite demands.
Keep checking in with how I feel
and choose accordingly.
I’m not in charge of life, you know,
but I am in charge of me.

Being quiet means refraining from social chatter and instead allowing myself to stay quietly in my own headspace until I have something I truly want to say.

It means not anxiously tending to other people’s feelings to make sure they like me and feel at ease.

And, with some practice, it means cultivating a persona of steady, calm reserve that serves adequately to communicate warmth to others—I don’t actually need to do all that social chirping!

I still struggle to practice quiet sometimes, especially with certain tricky people in my life. I also now understand that this journey has a lot to do with growing up as a highly masked autistic female.

But anyone who has ever self-identified as a people-pleaser and/or an introvert will likely relate to this song!

“Quiet” lyrics

Like Narnia or Hogwarts
a world has opened up before me,
a whole new way of being
that’s magical.
So many words I always used
to soothe and reassure you,
but there’s a me I never knew
who’s actual.

    I’m free to be
    quiet, quiet--
    to let go of you and just be me--
    quiet, quiet, quiet.

What if I said nothing
to lighten your discomfort? 
What if you didn’t always know
what’s on my mind?
What if I didn’t try so hard
to shape your thoughts and feelings,
but left you to your own dealings
and me to mine?

    I’m free to be
    quiet, quiet--
    to let go of you and just be me--
    quiet, quiet, quiet.

I’ll give myself the gift
of privacy and respect,
and give it to you too--
I’ll be me, and you be you.

    I’m free to be
    quiet, quiet--
    to let go of you and just be me--
    quiet, quiet, quiet.

“Just Tend My Territory” lyrics

We all have a territory
Our very own domain to tend 
It’s the center of our story, 
The home of our experience.

		Oh, but why do I
		Find myself tending everyone’s but mine?
		Oh I’ll try—can I 
		Teach myself how and where to draw the line?

Just tend my territory
Listen to my needs here and now.
Stop overstretching, overpouring.
I can’t help them if I’m falling down.

Just tend my territory
Do the next thing that seems best to do
Within the facts I see before me 
Not the ones I’d like to be true 

Just tend my territory
Not what others think and feel
Just what reality is for me 
If they don’t like it, they can deal.

		And now here comes the fear
		Other people encroaching on my sphere 
		Stop, my dear, and hear 
		My own heart beating loud and clear 

Just tend my territory
Man the walls, no need to hide.
When others try to rule it for me,
Just slam the gates and stay inside. 

Just tend my territory
What it contains is not up to me.
So if they blame, judge, or abhor me,
I’ll say “back off” and let it be.

And just tend my territory 
Let go of expectations and demands 
That someone else will do it for me
‘Cause I’m the only one who can.

		I begin once again
		thinking life’s under my control and then
		My head begins to spin 
		Take a breath, let it out and then back in.

Just tend my territory 
Not what’s in the past anyhow
Nor whatever lies before me
But just what’s in this moment now.

Just tend my territory 
Be brave enough to feel my pain
Even what others are ignoring. 
Alone is better than insane.

Just tend my territory 
Not limited to others’ heights
But stepping up to all my glory,
My full awareness open wide.

Song background

(The below is copied from the post of my live video for this song.)

I wrote this song while expecting my youngest child and thinking a lot about the uncertainties of the future.

Now, I sing it to her often, because it’s her most-requested lullaby. (She calls it the “I Don’t Know Song,” and my original name for it is “[her name]’s Song.”)

Even though the words are directed to her, the song is really for me: it helps me when I’m feeling worried about what the future may hold—especially in these fast-changing times.

There’s a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that I love and refer to often:

“The best way of taking care of the future is to take good care of the present.”

I believe that. The best thing I can do for my kids’ future (and my own) is to take the best care of us that I can in the present.

That does include planning and proactivity—but not excessive worry, rigid insistence, or blind denial about ways the future might go.

I want to hold my children and my other blessings in life with an open hand of grateful wonder, like one would hold a baby bird—not clutching them tight in my fist, hurting them (and me) because I’m afraid to lose them.

I want to let the future be what it will be, while lovingly and carefully tending to what is in the present.

As an “exvangelical” mom trying to parent thoughtfully and build a secular spirituality, I think this is the very best path I can take.

“I Don’t Know What Your World Will Be Like” lyrics

I don’t know what your world will be like, my dear;
I don’t know what life has in store.
But I know that my path led to you, my dear,
and I’ll help you get started on yours.

Tomorrow will be what it will be,
so I let it go.
But for as long as you’re here with me,
I’ll hold you close.

I know life’s never just we want, my dear,
and I know I’m not perfect by far.
But I’ll try to be just what you need, my dear,
and take care of your little heart.

Tomorrow will be what it will be,
so I let it go.
But for as long as you’re here with me,
I’ll hold you close.

I’ve made audio files of my songs available for download (for free) through a simple Dropbox folder. (Eventually I aim to release an album through the regular music channels, but I’m not there yet.) You can:

• Go directly to my “Anna Eplin Music” Dropbox folder

• Or click on a song title below to go straight to the file for that song, where you can play and/or download it (using the download button in the top right section of the player screen). I’ve also included links to the corresponding video posts on this blog.

  • Droplet — musical arrangement & production by Allen Kelly

    • lyric video post here

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • What Is Just Is — musical arrangement & production by Allen Kelly

    • lyric video post here

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • I Don’t Know What Your World Will Be Like — musical arrangement & production by Allen Kelly

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Climb Out

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Shut the Door

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Shattered

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • I’m a Real Person

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Hold On to You

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Fade Out

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Hard Time Song

    • live video post & lyrics here

  • Inner World Song

  • Quiet

  • Just Tend My Territory

Now, I sing it to her often, because it’s her most-requested lullaby. (She calls it the “I Don’t Know Song,” and my original name for it is “[her name]’s Song.”)

Even though the words are directed to her, the song is really for me: it helps me when I’m feeling worried about what the future may hold—especially in these fast-changing times.

There’s a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that I love and refer to often:

“The best way of taking care of the future is to take good care of the present.”

I believe that. The best thing I can do for my kids’ future (and my own) is to take the best care of us that I can in the present.

That does include planning and proactivity—but not excessive worry, rigid insistence, or blind denial about ways the future might go.

I want to hold my children and my other blessings in life with an open hand of grateful wonder, like one would hold a baby bird—not clutching them tight in my fist, hurting them (and me) because I’m afraid to lose them.

I want to let the future be what it will be, while lovingly and carefully tending to what is in the present.

As an “exvangelical” mom trying to parent thoughtfully and build a secular spirituality, I think this is the very best path I can take.

P.S. My sibling made a gorgeous musical arrangement for this song, which I aim to get posted soon, with an accompanying lyric video.

“I Don’t Know What Your World Will Be Like” lyrics

I don’t know what your world will be like, my dear;
I don’t know what life has in store.
But I know that my path led to you, my dear,
and I’ll help you get started on yours.

Tomorrow will be what it will be,
so I let it go.
But for as long as you’re here with me,
I’ll hold you close.

I know life’s never just we want, my dear,
and I know I’m not perfect by far.
But I’ll try to be just what you need, my dear,
and take care of your little heart.

Tomorrow will be what it will be,
so I let it go.
But for as long as you’re here with me,
I’ll hold you close.

(Shoutout to other mothers, since it’s Mother’s Day—you know what I’m talking about.)

It’s hard not to sink into despair at such times. Have you been there too?

This song is meant as a floatation device for those times of turbulent waters.

“Hard Time Song” Lyrics

It's been a hard time;
your mind's sky is black.
What blue skies you once knew
feel hard to get back.
You're drained and strained,
depressed and stressed.
You need some time
and space to rest.
But until then

Hold on and breathe.
Stay on your side.
Look for what comforts
and helps you can find.
Rally your strengths
and mantras of peace,
and hold on till this
hard time can ease.

This is the hard part—
you’re in it right now.
This is the time for
what grace can be found.
It’s not the time to high achieve
or solve big problems—they will keep.
For right now

Hold on and breathe.
Stay on your side.
Look for what comforts
and helps you can find.
Rally your strengths
and mantras of peace,
and hold on till this
hard time can ease.

Compassion to you.
Compassion to you
and mercies too
till sun breaks through.

Hold on and breathe.
Stay on your side.
Look for what comforts
and helps you can find.
Rally your strengths
and mantras of peace,
and hold on till this
hard time can ease.

Left to its own devices, my ego-mind is very busy-busy-busy. It tries to solve all of the problems, achieve all of the goals, make all of the words, and please all of the people. Since this is impossible, it also feels All Of The Stress.

But thankfully, it turns out there’s a higher, bigger mind to tap into instead, and the key to it is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of noticing experience rather than trying to control it.

Or, as in the last verse of this song, it’s a practice of trying to “stop talking and just keep myself company.”

When I can practice it, the result is rich quietness. That’s what I want more of—and that’s why I wrote this song.

Connections

Some connections my busy mind makes between this song and other things, including some things I’ve written about on here:

• reflections about where we look for safety, because I think that essentially, all that ego-mind busyness is a scramble for safety.

• my “Z” poem in my alphabet meditation series (among other learning poems), which includes the lines: “Climb up out of the fray / watch from a higher level / all the dramas of my day.”

• my recently getting diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and autism—no wonder my particular ego-mind is so busy!

• generally learning to be in my body and acknowledge my feelings, rather than intellectualizing them away.

What connections does this song bring up in your mind?

“Fade Out” lyrics

I’m busy, I’m burdened
writing the story of me—
how my day’s been, all that’s happened
in my autobiography.
And my plans and my worries
add to the cacophony.
I want to let it all go, for I know
what will be will be.

Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind.
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.

I think on my issues
and cogitate till my head aches.
But am I really thinking,
or am I just playing old tapes
with subliminal voices that whisper,
“You’re doing it wrong”?
Let me turn off the noise.
In this moment is where I belong.

Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.

Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.
Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.
Breathe and feel
what’s here, what’s real.

The more I stop talking
and just keep myself company,
the more I can be still
and listen abundantly.
Life’s so much vaster
than my little mind pretends.
So just let it rest
and attend my experience.

Let the words fade out
and fly away on the wind.
In the here and now,
let quiet come in.

“What Is Just Is” lyrics

The rain coming down
won’t listen to me.
And so it goes
with everything.
I strive and strain
to make things okay
but whatever will be
will just be anyway.

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

So many things
I’ve got to get done
So I just keep pushing
On and on
My head starts to ache
I yell at my child
My heart starts to break
It’s time to resign

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

I strive to protect
the ones that I love
But dangers abound,
Below and above.
All my best tries
are no guarantee.
This fear hurts my heart
Until I can see

that what is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
What was just was.
What will be will be.

I look at the world
And see so much pain
That I cannot stop
Just like the rain
What help I can give
Will come as I live
In tune with my soul
Not by fake control
May I learn to tend
This griever in me
This anxiety
Just breathe and be

For what is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

My brother has made a beautiful arrangement for this song as well, which I hope to post soon with a lyric video.

“What Is Just Is” lyrics

The rain coming down
won’t listen to me.
And so it goes
with everything.
I strive and strain
to make things okay
but whatever will be
will just be anyway.

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

So many things
I’ve got to get done
So I just keep pushing
On and on
My head starts to ache
I yell at my child
My heart starts to break
It’s time to resign

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

I strive to protect
the ones that I love
But dangers abound,
Below and above.
All my best tries
are no guarantee.
This fear hurts my heart
Until I can see

that what is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

What is just is;
it’s not up to me.
What was just was.
What will be will be.

I look at the world
And see so much pain
That I cannot stop
Just like the rain
What help I can give
Will come as I live
In tune with my soul
Not by fake control
May I learn to tend
This griever in me
This anxiety
Just breathe and be

For what is just is;
it’s not up to me.
I open my hands
and let it be.

Thanks for listening, and I hope this song uplifts you as much as it does me!

About the song

(This is from the original “Droplet” post with my live video for the song.)

I wrote this song as a tool for helping myself overcome anxiety. By default, my mind believes that it can and must keep everyone and everything under control in order to be okay. This means anxiety. Peace comes when I remember that all that hustle for control is unnecessary and, in fact, delusional. I’m not in control of life, and even my conceptions about it are extremely limited and illusion-bound.

I am only just a droplet of awareness in this vast, amazing river of life.

“Droplet” Lyrics

It appears to my little mind
that I make things happen all the time.
Every choice that I make carries brutal weight
to save or to sink—but I’m starting to think

that life is far bigger than what I know,
with complex connections in constant flow.
It’s like a great river going where it will go,
and the drop that is me can only follow.

So there’s no truth to shame or blame;
they are only tools in ego’s game.
It may fail to console, but I’m not in control;
and the saner I’ll be the sooner I see

that life is far bigger than what I know,
with complex connections in constant flow.
It’s like a great river going where it will go,
and the drop that is me can only follow.

So set down these burdens and yield to the flow:
as the river goes on, just breathe and know
that I’m not what happens; I’m not even a “me.”
I’m just a droplet of awareness in the river of reality.

And life is far bigger than what I know,
with complex connections in constant flow.
It’s like a great river going where it will go,
and the drop that is me can only follow.

Fittingly, a friend has been teaching me how to sing in a stronger voice—whereas growing up I was taught to sing for blending in with other people. So, the medium is the message here!

I hope you like the song (despite some imperfections—again, the medium is the message: I’m a real person who makes mistakes, not a machine or a puppet!), and I hope it will encourage you to live like your feelings matter too.

— Anna

P.S. Enjoy the dogs in the background. :)

“I’m a Real Person” lyrics

Always I tried to be so good,
the perfect toy Pinocchio.
Be flawless, doubtless, selfless—
but what I didn’t know

is I’m a real person:
my feelings matter too.
I’m here to live my life,
not to be here for you.
And I’ll keep singing this song
until I don’t need it
for what I thought then was wrong,
and now I can see it.
I’m not a toy—
I’m a real person.

My safety and my self-esteem
no longer come from what I give.
I have the right to make mistakes.
I have a life to live

like a real person:
my feelings matter too.
I’m here to live my life,
not to take care of you.
And I’ll keep singing this song
till it’s what my heart knows.
And all my feelings belong,
the colors and shadows.
I’m no machine—
I’m a real person.

Real life is messy;
real life is hard.
Real people can’t be
always on guard.
I am enough
just being me.
So let in the realness—
just breathe; just be

a real person
whose feelings matter too
and here to live my life
in whatever way I choose.
And I’ll keep singing this song,
my anthem of freedom,
for I’m where I belong,
with my own heart leadin’.
It’s time for me
to be a real person,
to be a real person.

I was reflecting on how those conditions can cause us to give up on getting our needs met. We begin to lean defensively away from life rather than proactively towards life, and anxiety makes us look helplessly at the massive problems that we can’t solve rather than at small, immediate next steps of self-care (eating, resting, bathing, etc.) that might still feel very hard but that are much more within our power—and which will move us closer to being fit to start addressing the larger-scale problems.

This song—and particularly the line “all is not lost”—was also influenced by the music album I mentioned in my “Winter Splashings” post, Restoration by RORY. She writes about her past struggles with the darkness of addiction and how she found her way to healing through the belief-hope that it was still possible to be restored to a life of meaning and joy. That resonated deeply with me, as I recalled my own dark times from which I emerged to discover in surprise that a life of health and happiness was still possible.

I would dearly love for this song to find its way to someone who needs it, for encouragement to hold on through the darkness and keep taking baby steps back towards life.

“Hold On to You” lyrics

There is a darkness
whose name is despair
that comes when you’re struggling
and gasping for air.
In times in the past,
you were left all alone
in torment and anguish.
But now you’re here and you are known,
and I am here saying to you:

     Things are hard right now,
     and you don’t see a way.
     Please hold on, my dear,
     and narrow your gaze.
     What can you do in this moment
     to take care of you?
     Keep on self-attending,
     for that’s how your way will break through.
     So hold on, hold on to you.

When you’re depleted, 
no will left to fight,
it seems like the darkness 
may choke out the light. 
But all is not lost—
that’s just in your head. 
I know it’s not easy,
but please hold on and see instead 
that I am here and you are too.

     Things are hard right now,
     and you don’t see a way.
     Please hold on, my dear,
     and narrow your gaze.
     What can you do in this moment
     to take care of you?
     Keep on self-attending,
     for that’s how your way will break through.
     So hold on, hold on to you.

The little one inside of you, 
the tender-hearted creature who 
holds your true feelings—
she’s still inside. 
And she’ll lead step by step 
as you let her guide.

    Things are hard right now,
     and you don’t see a way.
     Please hold on, my dear,
     and narrow your gaze.
     What can you do in this moment
     to take care of you?
     Keep on self-attending,
     for that’s how your way will break through.
     So hold on, hold on to you.

This is probably my all-around favorite song I’ve written (out of fifty or so now), and the produced audio recording that my sibling has made for it is even better; I can’t wait to share it with you, as soon as possible! In the meantime, here’s this video, for which I moved my keyboard outside for a much better background (and got a little microphone to help with audio, too).

“Droplet” Lyrics

It appears to my little mind
that I make things happen all the time.
Every choice that I make carries brutal weight 
to save or to sink—but I’m starting to think

  that life is far bigger than what I know,
  with complex connections in constant flow.
  It’s like a great river going where it will go,
  and the drop that is me can only follow.

So there’s no truth to shame or blame; 
they are only tools in ego’s game.
It may fail to console, but I’m not in control;
and the saner I’ll be the sooner I see

  that life is far bigger than what I know,
  with complex connections in constant flow.
  It’s like a great river going where it will go,
  and the drop that is me can only follow.

So set down these burdens and yield to the flow:
as the river goes on, just breathe and know
that I’m not what happens; I’m not even a “me.”
I’m just a droplet of awareness in the river of reality.

  And life is far bigger than what I know,
  with complex connections in constant flow.
  It’s like a great river going where it will go,
  and the drop that is me can only follow.

From there my mind went to the unthinkable losses I hear about in the news—wars, shootings, natural disasters, and other disasters. This song is about those, too.

💔

“Shattered” lyrics

The news hit like a flash flood--
devastation past belief.
In an instant, what was good
is shattered, and all is grief.

Pain like shards of glass to the heart--
hope crushed, ripped away--
how to go on, where to start?
Breathe in, breathe out.
That’s how for today.

And sometimes pain begets pain.
Tragedy meets cruelty.
The darkness outside presses in.
I’m shattered, I’m losing me.

Pain like poisoned fog all around--
gasping, lost, alone--
can I find a safe higher ground?
One step, next step--
go on, hold on.

And in the darkest hours
there are moments of grace,
glimpses from a lighter place
that show

that pain like ocean waves can come and go.
I’m wrecked, but I am strong.
I will let this deluge flow
and breathe in, breathe out,
go on, hold on.

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(Again, I’m going with the “good enough, moving on” approach—but I will explain one blooper in this video, in case you wonder: the word “advocate” is garbled because I’m trying not to laugh about my cat jumping through the background. 😆)

“Shut the Door” lyrics

I used to have to live like my mind was not my own.
Safety came from keeping peace.
I tied myself in knots around other people’s feelings
and shrank me to put them at ease.
But now I’m learning real safety starts inside.

Shut the door; pull the curtains
all around my mind.
They can cope with their feelings.
I must tend to mine.
Navigate by what I want,
not by what I fear.
I’ve got skills to protect me now.
I don’t need to stay bowed down—
just stay in here.

Real safety comes from tending my body and my mind,
speaking up for what I need,
standing in my right to make my own decisions,
and following my own heart’s lead.
And when I’m shrinking, all I have to do

is shut the door; pull the curtains
all around my mind.
They can cope with their feelings.
I must tend to mine.
Navigate by what I want,
not by what I fear,
living lights on, free, aware,
for I won’t find peace out there—
only in here.

I am working to make my mind a safe place
and become my own advocate and guide,
so that whatever happens, what hard things come,
I’ll be on my side.

Shut the door; pull the curtains
all around my mind.
They can cope with their feelings.
I must tend to mine.
Navigate by what I want,
not by what I fear,
living lights on, free, aware,
for I won’t find peace out there—
only in here.

Just stay in here.

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