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There's Nothing Like Today
Several years ago, I heard a rendition of "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" from Annie. Afterwards I was struck by how emblematic that song was of our culture's obsession with the future and our resulting inability to be present, which of course is where we need to be if we want to experience peace and contentment. In our culture, everyone wants what they don't have now and looks to the future for a "better" life. We are constantly bombarded by messages in the media and from our peers that promote this dependence and resulting frustration. It is a real challenge to build a life that is free of this samsara-producing way of looking at ourselves and the world around us.
And so I thought, we Buddhists need a song, an anthem, that speaks to our perspective, that supports the Buddhist way of looking at the world and ourselves. Being a composer (www.RonHirschMusic.com), among other things, I decided to write such a song. The lyrics and a YouTube video of me singing the song ... mind you, I'm a rather weak singer ... while accompanying myself at the piano follow.
I dedicate the song to my fellow Buddhists, the larger sangha, who are walking the path, often with little support.
TO HEAR SONG, CLICK ON THE YouTube VIDEO BELOW.
There’s Nothing Like Today
Scarlett said, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Annie sang, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.”
But I’m alive today and
Want to feel at peace today.
Thinking about the future
May lift my spirits,
But what happens when tomorrow comes
And things are just the same.
No, I need to find peace in the present.
If I can find joy today
I can be joyful everyday.
There’s nothing like today.
There are so many problems I face today,
But I still have so much to be thankful for, and
That’s where my thoughts need to be.
There’s my little boy, so cute and cheerful
There’s my mom who loves me still,
There’s the sun and moon and stars and
All the wonders of nature
Every moment, whatever I’m doing,
There’s something to take joy in
If I am present, not worrying about
What happens if tomorrow or
What happened in the past.
Chorus
Sometimes I beat myself up, and feel blue.
But when I give myself a big hug
I feel the love and compassion
I have for myself.
Sometimes it makes me cry
When I feel all that love
Flowing inside me.
And when I love myself as I am,
I can accept my life as it is today.
I can still have my hopes and my dreams,
But I take joy in being alive today.
Chorus
© 2012 by Ronald L. Hirsch
And so I thought, we Buddhists need a song, an anthem, that speaks to our perspective, that supports the Buddhist way of looking at the world and ourselves. Being a composer (www.RonHirschMusic.com), among other things, I decided to write such a song. The lyrics and a YouTube video of me singing the song ... mind you, I'm a rather weak singer ... while accompanying myself at the piano follow.
I dedicate the song to my fellow Buddhists, the larger sangha, who are walking the path, often with little support.
TO HEAR SONG, CLICK ON THE YouTube VIDEO BELOW.
There’s Nothing Like Today
Scarlett said, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Annie sang, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.”
But I’m alive today and
Want to feel at peace today.
Thinking about the future
May lift my spirits,
But what happens when tomorrow comes
And things are just the same.
No, I need to find peace in the present.
If I can find joy today
I can be joyful everyday.
There’s nothing like today.
There are so many problems I face today,
But I still have so much to be thankful for, and
That’s where my thoughts need to be.
There’s my little boy, so cute and cheerful
There’s my mom who loves me still,
There’s the sun and moon and stars and
All the wonders of nature
Every moment, whatever I’m doing,
There’s something to take joy in
If I am present, not worrying about
What happens if tomorrow or
What happened in the past.
Chorus
Sometimes I beat myself up, and feel blue.
But when I give myself a big hug
I feel the love and compassion
I have for myself.
Sometimes it makes me cry
When I feel all that love
Flowing inside me.
And when I love myself as I am,
I can accept my life as it is today.
I can still have my hopes and my dreams,
But I take joy in being alive today.
Chorus
© 2012 by Ronald L. Hirsch
