Review by Actress and filmmaker, Penelope Read

Review of Words and Music, The Story Behind the Song

Penelope Read, actress and filmmaker

By Rebecca Hosking

As I read this, I felt as though   Rebecca was in the room with me, so conversational was her style, yet her eloquence pulled me up sharply with its aching honesty.  The ideas and images she writes about are so vivid, the metaphors so apt, that everything she says is easy to understand and inspires empathy. The overriding message of this story is one of positivity, in fact, much of Rebecca’s writing is inspirational.

I especially liked the idea that even the bad times can be made useful, by incorporating the feelings into a song! ‘As I trip over myself and try again’ (In Over My Head)  In ‘A Hard Dream To Sell’, Rebecca urges us to follow our dreams, even though it’s difficult to combine dream-chasing with reality.

I enjoyed  ‘Riding Shotgun’ – it is full of the courage it takes to launch off on your own.  It ties in well with A Hard Dream to Sell – we have to carry on with that dream-chasing and change it into reality.

My favourite of all is ‘Safe Haven’ – many of us have a happy place – our den, the garden, the beach, but the idea of a safe haven within oneself had never occurred to me. Rebecca has offered me ‘ a doorway into a corridor’. Brilliant metaphor!

This story behind the song is achingly honest, not least in ‘Trouble Comforting ‘ – perhaps we heal ourselves, in helping others. The idea of impermanence is reassuring – even the worst pain passes in time, even if we have to ‘stumble through it’!

I’m so glad I discovered both the songs and the story behind them.  Rebecca has made me think, inspired and comforted me.  I will remember her words.

Penelope Read - Actress and Filmmaker, Trained singer who took up acting in 2006.Experienced in TV, Film, Corporate events, Murder Mysteries, and commercials

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF WORDS AND MUSIC BY REBECCA HOSKING

Reflections, thinking small to make big changes.

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Reflection is a great tool for self-improvement in my humble opinion. We are all guilty of pointing fingers and complaining about what is wrong in the world when in most cases the things we complain about we do have the ability to change because quite often we are usually guilty of what we are vocalizing, ourselves.

It is easy to point out what is not working, but implementing change is not always as easy as it seems. I have said this before and will reiterate it here, our brains function on habitual routines. The best way to seek change is to set up a regular routine and before long it becomes a habit that is as natural as breathing. It is that simple but, we have to start somewhere. The hard part is creating the change before it becomes a habit.

If we are honest with ourselves we can hold a mirror up and ask truthfully is this annoyance caused by me? Reflection is a tricky thing. If someone hurts us or we feel slighted, are you reflecting what someone did to you on the wrong person? If a repeated action of deceit affects us in our lives it is easy to fall in that pattern and automatically assume everyone is going to do the same thing, before anything is done at all. Often times we, in fact, enforce the behavior by our attitude towards the innocent party, creating their defenses to react to your behavior. That person becomes the victim of your own reflection.

We can also be the culprit of the things that annoy us the most, we see it easily because maybe we do it as well? It is not easy to be fully honest with yourself, no one likes to admit their own failures. However, it seems failures are the stepping stones to success. Trial and error is the process to finding the best fit, should we say? You cannot fix something if you do not understand what is broken. An analysis of truth must be reflected in the mirror, then change what you do not like about yourself to create a better you. Then others see and react and follow suit; you created the cycle for a positive change.

May seem confusing but it is human nature and no one is immune. However, we can use it to our advantage in a complementary way instead of negatively. Being the control freak that I am, I understand that we can not control the actions of others, but we can control how we react to them. Change starts with the individual, be the change you want to see and lead by example.

One voice can make a difference and soon habits start to form and changes trickle down to

more and more people before you know it, you are a cause of a movement. It all started with a habit you formed in combating something you did not like about yourself. Make that movement count, put more favorable energy out and we get it back 10 times fold. As easy as it is to argue with someone and demand them to think like you do, that can be replaced with an eager ear, waiting to listen, or a helping hand looking to help someone in need, or a simple handshake and smile, can create an entirely new outlook that is rewarding on so many levels.

I believe! All we can do is try, right? What is the worst that can happen? But the best case scenario is a better world for future generations. Changes happen globally when we start locally!

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