You’ll recall that a few days ago, I received this

Which quickly turned into this

I’m a huge Billy Joel fan. Always have been. So while I really love the “Back to NEW Orleans” CD, the Billy Joel has been my go-to favorite for over 48 hours now.

It’s been out of my car only twice. Once to upload onto our home computer iTunes playlist, and the next day to upload onto my laptop playlist.

What surprises me is the song that immediately became my favorite. I was certain it would be “My Life” ~ remember it as the theme to Tom Hanks’ and Peter Scolari’s “Bosom Buddies”? Now that was a fun show to watch.

Or even “New York State of Mind”… because that pretty much sums me up most of the time.

But no. The song that has captured my attention more than any of the others is Track No. 7: “An Innocent Man”. And it’s not just the music that does it. It’s the lyrics. In the 1990′s the song was already a decade or so old. But I could relate to it. I always felt like the one he was singing to ~ a girl so afraid of getting hurt that I never even gave love a chance.

But now I’m listening to the song differently. Now I’m seeing that it’s not just about being open to a relationship; it’s about being open to the world. Billy Joel is the World, singing its serenade to me and beckoning me to let go of the past, of my hurts, of my fears and open the door to new possibilities, to new goals and achievements and dreams.

I have stopped blaming The World for not giving me what I want. I shouldn’t let one small piece dictate how I see the entire puzzle. There’s so much more that is fundamentally good and I have to stop looking behind me and tripping over my own feet.

It’s time to look ahead and see the horizons. It’s a beautiful world… and I want to be a part of it.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!