Obstinate was the prompt for week 29 on RealWomenRealSongs. This got me thinking in several different directions. Often being obstinate is a bad thing. You are over the top in your insistence that something should be a certain way. You’re way is the right way. And yet, there are times when you need to take a stand and not be such a push over for the sake of keeping the peace.

Cary usually posts several really interesting quotes that relate to the prompt every week. For Week 29 Oscar Wilde really stood out.

“My great mistake, the fault for which I can’t forgive myself, is that one day I ceased my obstinate pursuit of my own individuality.”
Oscar Wilde

I am not sure a what point in his life he made this statement. Given the hardship he endured towards the end of his life, the statement struck me as beautiful. Beautiful in its passion, fatalism and courage.  What will happen, will happen. The future is ultimately unknowable. To compromise yourself because it might make your life easier is never a sure bet – so think long and hard about what you might be giving up in the process.

The song I ended up with is one about my son. Leo is obstinate. It is by turns infuriating and adorable. It is hard to know how much to encourage or discourage this quality – or even if it is possible to do either.

Peace, love and chocolate milk,

Beth

Moon in Leo
Beth Cahill and Graham Duncan

You always pick the movie, I never get my way
My life’s so full of hard knocks, at least since yesterday

I’m going out to the backyard build me igloo
that doubles as a spaceship, fly myself to the moon

If you could play by my rules, you’d see my heart is true
and it’s set on you

Moon in Leo, Moon in Leo

You always want to play pirates, I never get to play Mars
I would have loaned you my flashlight for that whole chocolate bar
OK so I broke your tea set, it was an honest mistake
You see I got this new baseball and it just got in the way

If you could play by my rules, you’d see my heart is true
and it’s set on you

Moon in Leo, Moon in Leo