Song 1: The Simple Things That Save Us

Click the audio player above to listen to Michelle talk about the story behind the song. Or read it below.

The Simple Things That Saved Us- The Story
I wrote “The Simple Things That Save Us” thinking about all the little things that have added up over the years. The things that have literally got me back on track when I’ve felt like I’m really losing it. The people who have impacted me. The people in my life who treated me like I was worth more than I believed I was.

Looking back, I can see that so much of who I became was shaped by small acts of kindness from people who probably have no idea they changed my life.

I grew up surrounded by chaos. Mental health issues. Domestic violence. Poverty. Dysfunction. When those are the things you grow up around, it’s easy to internalise the idea that there is something wrong with you. That you’re not normal. That you’re not worthy of love or respect.

But along the way there were teachers, mentors, neighbours and friends who quietly challenged that belief. They didn’t rescue me. They didn’t adopt me. They didn’t swoop in and solve all my problems. They simply treated me with kindness and respect.

I can still remember looking into the eyes of some of my teachers and seeing something genuine reflected back at me. I saw myself through their eyes for brief glimpses. They saw intelligence, potential and worth in me long before I could see it in myself.

I spent a lot of time in sick bay, and Gladys, who worked in the office, didn’t treat me like a leper or a kid who needed to get back to class or go home. She looked after me with warmth and banter and made me feel like there was at least one place where I could just be - even if I had to pretend to be sick to be there.

Those moments mattered more than I can adequately explain.

I truly believe that if enough good adults consistently treat a child as intelligent, worthy, capable, interesting and deserving of respect, eventually that message starts to sink in. Even if it takes a long time for the seeds they planted to come to fruition.

I think it’s rather incredible how such small things can have such big impacts. A random act of kindness. A kind word from a stranger. Someone reaching out and just asking how you’re going, or if you need anything. A teacher taking the time to ask what’s going on in your life.

For me, it may not have been evident at the time. It didn’t stop the self-destruction, but it helped me hold onto hope until I got to the other side. At times, those small acts of kindness were like those orange floaty rings they throw out from ships (life buoys). They didn’t pull me out of the water, but they gave me something to cling to when I felt like I was drowning.

When I lived in Sydney, I was a long way from home, from my family. I was raising my five year old son on my own in the city. Chasing dreams - doing my absolute best to create a life I was proud of.  

One day I had come down with the flu, and I’d dropped my son Jack off to school in the morning, but by the end of the day I was so sick I could barely move. My whole body was aching.

I messaged another one of the mums I had become friends with, Nina, and asked if she would mind dropping Jack home for me. Not only did she do that, she kept him for a couple of hours so I could sleep and rest, and when she dropped him off she also brought chicken and vegetable pies.

She’s a vegan. That was a big deal for her - she said it was the closest she could do to making chicken soup.

I still cry thinking about that. I cried both while writing this passage and while editing it. 

But that day, it wasn’t just Nina’s kindness.

I got into the elevator with Jack and the pies, and a neighbour, Chris from level four, was in there with his labrador, Froid. Chris took one look at me and immediately went into his shopping bag to try and give me his pumpkin soup.

I didn’t take it, as I already had the chicken pies, but I was blown away by the gesture and incredibly grateful.

You think that was it? Nope.

My neighbour from the apartment next to me, Sarah, heard I was sick and got her Nanna to make me her famous lentil soup.

Then, if that’s not enough kindness to break you, I had regularly been watching football with Matt from level nine on a Monday, but being sick I sent him a text and cancelled.

Next minute, my buzzer goes off. Who buzzes? Matt.

“Hey, I’ve got some food for you. Buzz me in and I’ll drop it off.” He drops off spaghetti bolognese. “Here’s the sauce, and some cooked pasta. And here’s some extra pasta because you’ll probably need to eat tomorrow too.”

When he left I lost it. I howled solidly. Not because I was sad, but because I was overcome by the kindness of the people in my life.

Seriously, right now as I’m typing this I’m doing that ugly cry with a goose honking sound effect because it reminds me that throughout my life I have been lucky enough to meet the most amazing human beings. In amongst my awkwardness and feeling like a complete alien, I’ve still somehow managed to make friends and build community. While that says a lot about them, somewhere in amongst all of that, it says something about me too.

Sometimes when I am struggling, feeling like life is never going to get better and it’s all too much, I go through my phone and text someone I haven’t spoken to in forever. Just reaching out and checking in on them.

Because I know I’m not the only human alive who struggles, and I know that sometimes simply knowing someone is thinking of you and gives a shit about you can be the thing that keeps you hanging on.

Plus, it reminds me that there are people I love, even if I haven’t seen or spoken to them in years. I can get so hyperfocused on daily life and what is right in front of me that I can go six months without texting my best friend, let alone anyone else.

Never underestimate the impact of a small act of kindness.

When you're right at the end of your tether, it's the smallest things that keep you together.

Live Performance of the Song

Listen & Download

Click the audio player above to listen to the song. Or click the download link to download it to your own device.

THE SIMPLE THINGS THAT SAVE US

It’s the turn we take at the fork in the gravel road 

Those last five miles when you know you been missing home 

The arms of a lover when you don’t want to be alone 

It’s the wisdom and the hope in the stories we were told 

It’s the warm cup of tea on the nightstand going cold 

That one deep breath when you need and it shows

It might seem easy, 

But it’s hard to understand 

How something so small

That ain’t that hard to comprehend 

Can be our saviour, like the wind that changes 

These simple things that save us. 

The words of a stranger your heart needed to hear 

It’s the teacher that wouldn’t let your talent disappear 

The quiet strength that you find when you face your fear 

It’s the call of the birds that remind you of the coast 

The smell of rain you’re watching through the windows 

It’s the friend that calls just when you need it most 

Chorus 

When you need that break in the weather 

Sometimes it takes just a glimmer 

Of that sweet silver lining

That red in the letters 

When you’re right at the end of your tether 

It’s the smallest thing that keeps you together. 

Chorus

WORDS & MUSIC MICHELLE CASHMAN