Given a chance and a rock see which one breaks a window...

...and see which one keeps me up all night and into the day."

Today, I am completely and fully immersed in Derek Webb. I rarely get to work by myself. Today I spent several hours doing some really horrid data entry, but the upside is that when I do this, I get to listen to music... REALLY listen to it, which is so rare in this day of multi-tasking. His lyrics are full of angst but they get me... every single time.

I got in the Derek Webb mood today because I was reading J.T.'s post about leaving home for a new town and a new job and a big steaming pile of question marks, and facing it all ALONE. So, march in, chin up. You know at least one person who's done this before, and I turned out OK (if a little worn around the edges). Sounds like Derek's done it, too, and speaks of it much more poetically than I.

J.T., this one's for you:

As I survey the ground for ants
Looking for a place to sit and read
I'm reminded of the streets of my hometown
How they're much like this concrete that's warm beneath my feet

And how I'm all wrapped up in my mother's face
With a touch of my father just up around the eyes
And the sound of my brother's laugh
But more wrapped up in what binds our ever distant lives

But if I must go
Things I trust will be better off without me
But I don't want to know
Life is better off a mystery

So keep 'em coming, these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

Hometown weather is on TV
I imagine the lives of the people living there
And I'm curious if they imagine me
'Cause they just wanna leave; I wish that I could stay

And to visit places from my past
But only for an hour or so
Which is long enough to smell the air
To tell the tale and find the door

So keep 'em coming, these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

But I get turned around
I mistake some happiness for blessing
But I'm blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I'm dressing

So I'll sing a song of my hometown
I'll breathe the air and walk the streets
Maybe find a place to sit and read
And the ants are welcome company

So keep 'em coming, these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes.
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes.