October 28, 2025
There She Is
There She is
a sun that rises up over my town
a promise I believe this time around
there she is
all around me
there she is
my sanctuary
You tend to not reevaluate yourself during stretches of happiness; you’re too busy being pleased; it’s when the season of pain comes to visit that the songwriter in me has typically shown himself. The past couple of years have been omni-reflective times for me. Those who know me, know.
As I saw one chapter of my life close and another open, I began to take careful stock of what I was bringing to anybody’s table (partner, parent, friend, son) as a single entity.
There was much for to work on, and in a perfect situation, I would have done that work alone. But that’s not what happened.
In a fortuitous turn of events, an accidental coffee followed by months of catching up & learning about one another, a new season of my life was born. I had stumbled upon an old friend from yesteryear, and our connection was simple, obvious & undeniable.
One morning in quiet solitude, I found myself writing those lyrics… ‘There She Is…’ like an old photograph or souvenir you’ve found in a box on the top shelf in a closet…
It had been a gift to be reunited with this connection, but we are new people now also… Middle age has found us and changes to our interiors & facades are evident. Needs, hopes & dreams have shifted. Some parts of the party are over (the messy ones). Some discoveries are yet to be mined.
‘…this looks like it’s gonna be yesterday but new’
As the song itself took shape, I began to realize that this was about more than a relationship. This was becoming a song about finding myself again as well. The mistakes I had made with everyone from my former spouse to bandmates to my kids had piled up high, and I had forgotten who I had set out to be as a very young man. “There She Is” serves as a turn key to what I suspect will be a flood of authenticity. I am headed towards material that I hope will dig deeper and honour those I care, and have cared about.
I am now realizing that I have the opportunity to become a bit more vulnerable, remove any masks that were obstructing my true grit/softness/honesty/reality etc. –
To close, this song is about recognizing beauty… in your life.
This world is caving in on itself… it’s cold & brutal & hard. Find your sanctuaries, take deep breaths, reflect some, but don’t spend too much time in that rearview. Somebody said ‘that’s not the direction I’m headed in, anyway.’
~R
Cred: Ashley Marston Photo.
