Have you ever listened to the John Denver song, Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stone?
Many people would just dismiss it as a ‘nice’ wee tune but for some reason, over the past few days, it has been whizzing around in my head. Perhaps it was because it was one of my Aunty Alice’s favourite songs (Alice passed away earlier this year) and I saw someone the other day that looked like her. Whatever the reason I couldn’t remember two of lines so I looked it up.
When you ask how I’ve been here without you I like to say I’ve been fine and I do But we both know the truth is hard to come by And if I told the truth, that’s not quite true
Some days are diamonds, some days are stone Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone Sometimes the cold winds blow a chill in my bones Some days are diamonds, some days are stone
Now the face that I see in my mirror More and more is a stranger to me More and more I can see there’s a danger In becoming what I thought I’d never be
It is so true, there are days when I get up, feeling great. The hair does what it should do, I don’t sneeze when I am putting on my mascara and the hem doesn’t fall down on my trousers. A diamond of a day! And then the mornings you feel like a stone! It takes ages to force yourself to get out of bed, the iron won’t work, your hair is six times its normal volume and you have run out of nail varnish remover and have to go to work with bright pink sparkly nails on one hand and electric blue on the other! A real dead weight of a day! So apart from drinking six gallons of coffee on those ‘stone’ days it takes a lot to get me going but the other morning I had a bit of a revelation, and it partly thanks to J Denver Esq and paryl thanks to a photo I remembered.
I was going through my morning routine; you know the look in the mirror and do the best DIY job you can on the face, when the last verse came into my head. I stopped and actually looked at my 49 ½ year old face and for no reason I started to giggle. The face that was looking back at me would have scared a werewolf away but when I actually looked at myself I realised that I was smiling. Now for those of you who know me, I do not do smiling before at least two mugs of coffee but for some reason there it was. A great big diamond of smile! How the hell did that get there?
Simple, as I have said, the last few weeks have been tough in many different ways but I think in that one silly moment I realised that I have survived physically and mentally from a few things that a few years would have knocked me for six. Yes there are still days when I turn into a raging werewolf with a drama queen temper to match but other days I am, what I call, pure Dolly, I may not look it but inside I am all sparkly and glam! I can cope with anything life cares to chuck my way whether it a diamond or a dirty great big stone, thanks to a lot of hard work physically in the gym, professionally at work and emotionally with support from family and friends the face in the mirror is changing to something I thought I never would be. A bit if a survivor!
Thanks Mr Denver I never thought I would ever say well done on a cracking wee song and thanks to GymGuyMark and Rae for this photo!
