Living the Dream
Creators: name: Heston, Thomas F
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019

description: I'm searching for the meaning,of where it's going I don't know the unknown.Searching for the feeling that sustains me,loving-kindness, let it flow in our life it grows.

So I push back the darkness.Fill up with kindness.Push back the meanness.Fill it up with loving.

I'm dreaming of the better things.That bring us all together; we share it lasts forever.Just seeing and believing; the nature that's connectingit brings out all the best things.

So I'm pushing it back, I'm pushing it back I'm pushing.Pushing it back, I'm pushing it back, I'm pushing.Pushing it back, I'm pushing it back, I'm pushing.Pushing back the darkness.

Yes, I am alive. I am alive, living.I am alive. I am alive, giving.I am alive. I am alive, living.I am alive, I'm Living the Dream.

And when it's time to goyou will know I won't just walk away.So when it's time to goyou will know my loving always stays.

I'm finding that feeling,that brings us all together so beautiful.

So push away the darknessand fill it up with kindness.I'm dreaming, dreaming of a better life.

So fill it up with kindness, fill it up with wonderIt's so beautiful the loving that fills up our lives.

I'm dreaming of kindness, of laughter, compassion.And when I leave here my love will be ever lasting.I'm living the dream.

 
description: Beyond Living the Dream. 

The genesis for this song came about during a personal health challenge. I could barely function, and most of my thoughts throughout the day concentrated on simply breathing. Sleep was almost impossible for several weeks, but I was still able to play the piano. During these moments of playing the piano, the music reaffirmed to me that our gift of life goes beyond the pain, suffering, and tragedy that exists in our world. Even in the most dire circumstances, life still has great meaning. Ultimately, a strong love pushes back against the suffering and overcomes it. Pushing back can be hard, and can be life's greatest challenge. But we can and must do so with great vigor. We can fill the void with our highest value and aspiration: love.

Where do songs, ideas, and art all come from? Many people say their ideas simply come from out of thin air or that a sudden inspiration comes from the universe. For me, some songs simply pop into my head, or I wake up singing a song that seemingly comes from a restful sleep or a beautiful morning (like Country Joy). Other songs, like Living the Dream, seem to come from a more organic source. 

While playing the piano, alone in the dark at night, finding a brief respite from my illness, Living the Dream gradually came into existance. It is significant to mention the specific piano from which this music arose. It is a Weber 6' Grand Piano, made sometime around 1905. The piano was purchased at that time by the Mollison family, and my grandfather-in-law, Van Mollison, learned to play on this piano. It has stayed in the family ever since, most recently with my mother-in-law Gail who played it often until she passed in 2017. Then, just shortly after my diagnosis and near the time of my darkest hour (1), the piano arrived at our home. To me, it became a miraculous gift from God, facilitated by several generations of family. It helped me experience a spiritual rejuvenation, a powerful energy that affected my soul just like a shot of epinephrine can jump start a fibrillating heart. 

This wonderful piano immediately found a comfortable home in our living room. It played beautifully from the start. The richness of the music was clearly greater than my limited piano-playing talents. That "something out of the air" came through the piano, through its history, through its family heritage. The love the piano shared with previous family members seemed to be soaked up and richly stored in its wood, its hammers, its strings, and its keyboard. From this came a song that is greatly life-affirming, a hopeful song that shows us that love is not limited by time. Love is unlimited; love is infinite. Love transcends our earthly existence and can be passed along from generation to generation. Our bodies eventually wear out, but our love never dies. Even the smallest ripple of love has a profound and eternal significance. Great joy comes from living the dream, from actively pushing back the darkness and filling it with light. What great delight and excitement this brings! It's truly the Good Life.  - TFH 7/22/2019

1. Little did I know at the time that much greater health challenges were ahead