Back to the Gypsy: Lufkin Daily News article
 

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HOEPFNER: Back to the gypsy

By DENISE HOEPFNER
The Lufkin Daily News

Saturday, June 23, 2007

I'm riding back from New Mexico, on that long stretch of highway between Roswell and the Texas border. This is one of the more boring parts of the drive, just flat lands and a bunch of nothingness as far as the eye can see. Not much to inspire anyone, really.

I set my iPod to my Stevie Nicks playlist and go into daydream mode as I listen to "Gypsy" and stare aimlessly out the passenger window, Stevie's gravelly voice serving as my own private soundtrack.

After a few minutes of staring at the expanse of patchy, dried fields, my eyes begin to focus on the individual details of the scenery. I notice some type of flowering cacti growing amid the juniper and weed clumps, their bright pink flowers almost defiant in their attempts to beautify their surroundings. I notice random patches of wildflowers painting the otherwise drab landscape with vivid bursts of color. Beautiful. It scares me a bit that by at first dismissing the entire view, I nearly missed these rebels of nature which refuse to let their colorless surroundings mute their vibrancy.

I like their attitude.

———

I give up on the playlist and set my iPod to repeat "Gypsy" since I keep replaying it anyway. The song has been my obsession for the past few weeks.

My best friend, who loves music as much as I do, and I once had a conversation about how some songs seem to lie dormant until such time in your life when they become relevant. Suddenly, you really hear the lyrics for the first time and wonder how something written years ago so perfectly captures what, at that moment, lies deep within your soul. That's the awesome thing about music, we agreed.

Two years ago, when I wrote about turning 40, it was the lyrics to another Stevie Nicks song, "Landslide," that best reflected that time in my life:

Can I sail through the changing ocean tide,

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Now, as my 42nd birthday nears, the lyrics to "Gypsy" best echo what's in my heart:

... And it all comes down to you,

Well , you know that it does.

Lightning strikes,

Maybe once, maybe twice.

Oh and it lights up the night,

And you see your gypsy ...

To the gypsy that remains,

Who faces freedom with a little fear,

I have no fear,

I have only love.

I can relate to this song, about a woman trying to reclaim what's left of her "gypsy" before it's gone forever.

Why is it always so much easier to give up something than it is to fight to keep it? Our dreams, personal goals, and yes, our "gypsy," fall to the wayside when the pressures of daily life present themselves.

We're meant to grow up and accept our responsibilities; take our places in the world and act a certain way; conform to a specific mold or be thought "odd." Or so society says.

But should society dictate who we are or should we?

In her lyrics, Stevie acknowledges our fear in facing the freedom of being ourselves, and reminds us when we replace that negative emotion with a positive one —love — the journey takes on a whole new meaning.

I'm not afraid of taking another step into my forties, but I am afraid of getting old. There is a difference. Old settles for the safety of the status quo. Old is afraid of risk. Old is without wonder. Old sees lightning strikes — those life-changing moments or people capable of shaking things up — as threats instead of miracles. Old waves goodbye to its gypsy without fighting, without regret and without realizing the enormity of what was lost.

She is dancing away from you now,

She was just a wish,

She was just a wish...

And her memory is all that is left for you now...

The freedom of being yourself, or of getting back to yourself — of embracing your gypsy — might be frightening, but I think the alternative is much more so.

I believe Stevie's right: The choice between keeping your gypsy alive or letting her become a memory "all comes down to you."

I like her attitude.

———

I'm experiencing a bit of déja vu in writing this column because I'm again approaching another birthday without a mapped-to-the-minute life plan. Who am I kidding? I don't even have a specific overall plan. It's a somewhat sobering thought. I'm an adult after all, and adults plan things.

Then again, if someone had asked me two years ago where I would be today, I wouldn't have guessed I would be doing what I'm doing now, much less could I have planned it.

Maybe keeping my heart and mind open to every person and every possibility is — for me at least — the best plan.

Maybe that's my gypsy.

Yeah. I like that attitude.

Pretty cool~ she maybe not knowing what the song really meant for Stevie actually has a pretty neat outlook on the song!
Jenni

THAT WAS BEAUITFUL. I will always adore stevie nicks for this exact reason. Her beautiful songs and lyrics evoke powerful emotions, and just touch peoples hearts. Diferent songs, lyrics and phrazes mean diferent things to diferent people at diferent times. and THAT really is amazing and truly Magic.
As allways Livia, thank you for sharing:)

I think this is a wonderful interpretation of Gypsy. In spite of knowing Stevie's thoughts behind this song, this woman's take on it is similar to how I feel about it when I listen. Thanks for finding this.

"After a few minutes of staring at the expanse of patchy, dried fields, my eyes begin to focus on the individual details of the scenery. I notice some type of flowering cacti growing amid the juniper and weed clumps, their bright pink flowers almost defiant in their attempts to beautify their surroundings. I notice random patches of wildflowers painting the otherwise drab landscape with vivid bursts of color. Beautiful. It scares me a bit that by at first dismissing the entire view, I nearly missed these rebels of nature which refuse to let their colorless surroundings mute their vibrancy."

This sounds wonderful! :)