My Gen X Playlist: Hands – Jewel

This past weekend we went to an open house in our neighborhood. We aren’t looking to move or buy a new place. We were curious about our neighborhood’s real estate market and wanted to check it out.

As we perused the house, we bumped into another viewer who confided that she lived down the street and kindly offered to answer any questions we had about the neighborhood. We laughed when we admitted we lived in the neighborhood as well. We chatted a bit and exchanged pleasantries. She was warm, pleasant and down to earth. We walked away with the thought, “Wow. What a nice person.” As we walked home, we saw her on her balcony watering plants. She waved at us with a big warm smile. She definitely fit the good people category.

I think that’s the kind of people that I enjoy being around. Good people. And good people come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t have to be outgoing and chatty, quiet and unassuming can also fit the bill. No one personality type corners the market.

It makes me wonder what vibe I give off when I meet people. How do they feel when they walk away? There certainly are times when I make the decision not to engage with people. I found I do this quite often when life/work stress are peaking. Over the past few years, I’ve found it’s easier to default there instead of the other way around. And that’s OK if that’s how I want to engage the world. But I think I’d like to tip the scales back the other way. Could it be uncomfortable at first? Sure, I imagine so. It’s difficult to flip the switch on something that’s been my norm for the past few years. I just need to lean in, no matter how different it initially makes me feel.

I’m thankful for our brief encounter with our neighbor at the open house. Small touch points can have lasting impacts. Our neighbor unwittingly sparked that in me. Much appreciated.

Jewel released Hands in 1998. At one point, she was homeless living in a van. This song was inspired when she made a decision for change.

Jewel wrote the song following an incident in which she considered stealing a sundress after getting fired from various jobs due to kidney troubles, and she decided that her hands were better suited to writing songs than stealing clothes. Written as one of the last songs for the album, the lyrics express how the smallest decisions have the power to make change.

– Wikipedia

Jewel stealing a dress is a different crossroad than mine, I agree. But I do like the thought that the smallest decisions have the power to make change. How we choose to live life really is in our own hands.

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these

I won't be made useless
Won't be idle with despair
I'll gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn't steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn't ever after

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

In the end, only kindness matters
In the end, only kindness matters

I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken

We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's mind
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's heart
We are God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's eyes