Forget your troubles, Happy days, Come on get happy, Are here again
You better chase all your cares away, The skies above are clear again
Shout Hallelujah, So let’s get sing a song
Come on get happy, Of cheer again
Get ready for the Judgment Day, Happy days are here again
“Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again”
Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand
In August my mother surrendered her battle with breast cancer. Many of you extended your arms wide and held my family in a secure embrace. You reminded me that I am still part of your beautiful community. I strive to exemplify what you all so gracefully demonstrated during my mother’s illness and upon her passing—unwavering friendship, compassion, generosity, and authenticity. Thank you.
This classic duet performed by Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand is a smash up of two jazz standards. The string accompaniment sets a languished pace where both vocalists display the emotional depth of their dynamic voices. My emotions are filtered through a lens of loss and the opening stanzas feel heavy with melancholy. Feelings of love and heartache vie for my attention like the voices of Judy and Barbara that overlap and fall together, distinct and powerful.
I’ve relied on my mom for a lifetime: holidays, random phone calls, birthday reminders, favorite recipes, hugs. I am fortunate to have had so much time with her. While I realize this, sometimes my sadness is overpowering. I am not alone. Many people experience tangled feelings that pull us away from staying rooted in the present moment.
The lyrics, like a gratitude practice, encourage us to see “clear skies.” Whether this means appreciating Iowa’s powder blue horizons or savoring a moment of peace, this is a message my mom had often offered to me. “Just go for a walk,” she’s say, “it’s beautiful outside.” I remember her advice to enjoy the day and trust everything will work out just fine.
As the second half of the song crescendos into a strong, convicted delivery, it shifts into certainty promising that troubles will be gone forever. “There will be no more from now on!” No way is grief that simple. Or life. Challenges abound. But perhaps nestled in the lyrics of this classic is wisdom to help work through it. What if the idea that “happy days are here,” is more like a manifestation mantra of hope. When we think it repeatedly, it shines through clouds of emotion like the sun. It breaks through.
Much like mom’s advice to, “get outside,” Barbara and Judy also want us to remember there is something greater we can believe in that leads to happy days. Pretending everything is fine doesn’t help, however, honoring sadness opens the doorway to those blue skies. It’s OK to feel grief fully and then let it go like a balloon that floats away. When I release heavy emotions, I allow space to heal. This practice over time changes my lens from grief to appreciation where I can see moments of wonder like the vibrant colors of autumn leaves. When I lean into the beauty of the day, it honors us both.