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My Gen X Playlist: Dreams – The Cranberries

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I made the drive into Los Angeles for a quarterly meeting. One of the speakers shared she started each day with a mantra. I can’t remember what it was, but it was a feel good positive phrase. I’ve never been open to these kinds of things in the past. My unspoken mantra was to put my head down and grind it out. I’ve just relied on that to get through my day.

But recently, there have been a few twists and turns and I’m finding my attitude and mental health taking a bit of a turn. So why not, I’d give it a try. I wasn’t consistent every morning. When I did remember, I’d recite a positive phrase before I dove into my day. It seemed to initially help a bit, but it turned out to be short lived. The pressure of deadlines and resolving issues quickly extinguished the ten minutes of feel good relief. I haven’t thrown the baby out with the bath water yet, but I’ve decided to give it a temporary rest. I unexpectedly stumbled upon something else.

My wife used to pick up coffee mugs when one caught her eye. We also started collecting Starbucks mugs from places we visited. Before marriage, I just assumed you had a set of matching coffee mugs instead of a hodge pudge of mismatching ones. And that’s what filled my bachelor cupboard. I did have one solo mug, though. At work, I used a coffee mug I received as a gift from my mentor. It is a beautifully crafted black mug that exudes strength and determination, exactly what I needed for my day. It was the perfect work mug for my black coffee, no cream, no sugar.

The other morning, I was about to pour myself a cup, then paused. Instead I opened the cupboard and looked at all of the colorful mismatched choices. My hand gravitated towards a colorful one from Hawaii. It was smaller than my normal work mug, but it gave off a good vibe and I smiled. Somehow, that provided a little lift. Since then I’ve been choosing a different one every day and it helps. Don’t ask me why, but it does. It works better for me than the hippy dippy mantra. Well, I shouldn’t knock it because I can understand how daily mantras could be really effective. We gotta do what we gotta do to help us get through the day. For now, mine happens to be rotating coffee mugs. Weird, but true.

While searching for a song, I came across The Secret Power of Cups in Movies and Television. Maybe cups have more understated super powers than I knew. I was reading some of the comments to the video and I totally agree.

This was way more interesting than I would have guessed

YouTube comment by UnicornsandDragons4life

I thought I’d choose a song from one of the movies in the clip. Since I’m Gen X, I pulled one from You’ve Got Mail. I had no idea that Dreams from the Cranberries was in the soundtrack. Here is a clip from the movie.

I know. Another Cranberries’ song so close to the last one. But this is a fan favorite. No harm no foul.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Oh, my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way
And oh, my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know I've felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more
Because it came from you
Then I open up and see
The person falling here is me
A different way to be

Ah
La ya
La la ya
La-ah-ah

I want more
Impossible to ignore
Impossible to ignore
They'll come true
Impossible not to do
Impossible not to do

And now I tell you openly
You have my heart so don't hurt me
You're what I couldn't find
A totally amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You're everything to me

Oh, my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way
And oh, my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
'Cause you're a dream to me, dream to me

Ah, la-a-la-ah, la la la
La-a-la-ah, la-ah ah ah
Ah, la-a-la-ah, la la la
La-a-la-ah, la-ah ah ah

24 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Dreams – The Cranberries”

  1. I ditched my “favourite” morning mug too, I was so dead set on using this sacred mug each morning that if for some reason someone else had used it the night before and it was still dirty, not getting to use it would somehow throw off my whole day…ridiculously insane! So I purposely started trying out all my other beautiful mugs in the morning just to force myself to be a bit more chill. (Almost all are Starbucks mugs as well, idky they make such good coffee mugs but they really do!!)

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    2. Had to giggle at this. I have 3 of the same Totoro mug that I like to use, but somehow my son finds ways to use them in the middle of the night. I feel too petty to tell him how it affects my mood when I wake up, not to find one in the cabinet. 😀

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      1. Lol I know how you feel but I’ve managed to let it go and I’m “super chill” now and idc which mug I use in the morning 🤐

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  2. It’s whatever little thing makes you smile, makes you go “ahh”, makes you feel a bit more settled or at ease. For me, it’s mostly the color of things. Coffee in my huge orange cup, tea in my dark purple cup. They are different shapes and that makes a weird difference to me as well. The purple cup is marketed as a ‘latte mug’ but I would never drink coffee from it – it just doesn’t taste right. I also have an orange ‘latte mug’ which I also only use for tea but only when I can’t be bothered to wash the purple one – but the tea doesn’t taste as good. How could I possibly ever start my day without my orange cup?

    I always forget, until reminded, that I rather like the Cranberries.

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  3. I was less surprised to see Anna Kendrick than Kyle Maclachlan in the video essay, but I guess they both are obvious choices. Great song choice… another fine one from the Cranberries.

    I guess the bottom line is, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone else, whatever you need to get on with te day works.

    Maybe: mugs with mantras?

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  4. I didn’t realize that Starbucks makes mugs. (I’m 100% Dunkin’ Donuts. ) Do they come with certain coffee orders, or do they sell them separately? Are they like collectibles – many styles?

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    1. They sell them as collectibles. Each city has their own design and artwork. We’ve picked them up at various places we visited. Over thanksgiving, my sister commented how much she loved the Boston mug as she drank her coffee from it. My wife picked it up after meeting my nephew (he’s in Boston for college). My sister is going to pick one up the next time she visits him.

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  7. Coindidence abounds. 🙂

    We have the best Starbucks Halloween monster cups, keep them up all year around. Also have a few Starbucks I’ve thrifted, which feel like the kids (one with a fox, one with books), and my eye is out for two -with a plane for my middle child’s partner, one for my son with maybe music something. 😀

    I’m off and on with mantras. Definitely prefer them over aspirational phrases, but I do like to choose one, or just one word, for the year. This year it’s mudita, which about finding joy in the joy of others. 🙂

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    1. I like the one word mantra. I looked up mudita just now and think it’s really good. It’s easier to remind myself quietly saying one word under my breath or hearing it my head. Thanks for this. I really appreciate it!

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