You Still Have Something Beautiful to Give (Even If You Feel Broken)
A beautiful song about Marilyn Monroe to help you cope with the times you feel broken.

āSomething second-hand and broken…ā
Have you ever felt like those words describe you? Does it sometimes feel like youāre broken parts have become your entire identity?
If youāre living with chronic and/or mental illness, itās easy to become fixated on the parts of you that donāt work correctly. You often feel broken. Yet, you are much more than that. The truth of that is wonderfully demonstrated in a song from a TV show. I share the song today because itās one that reminds me that being broken isnāt the end.
Smash
Smash was an underappreciated TV show that aired for two-seasons. Revolving largely about around two competing actresses on Broadway, it was a fun, musical show that showed part of Broadway life.
There was a lot of excellent music on the show (and some real stinkers), but one song especially holds a significant place in my heart.
One arc of the show revolved around writing a musical about Marilyn Monroe. In researching the actressās life, the writing team, played by Debra Messing and Christian Borle, wanted to bring to the story Marilynās love for her baby grand piano.
Download Your Copy
When Marilyn received the piano, a gift from her mother, it was in less than perfect shape but destined to become an important part of her story. So was born the song, Secondhand White Baby Grand, sung by the incredible Megan Hilty. You will find the songās YouTube video at the bottom of this post.
Much of Marilynās brief life, she believed she was broken. In Smash, the baby grand becomes her symbol.
Marilyn didnāt always appreciate her ābanged upā companion, her words from her posthumously published autobiography, My Story. In time, the piano’s value meant more and more to her. Eventually, she found it again at an auction. Being in a much better place financially, she restored it to its original glory.
The best way to support a blogger is to share their content. Please share.
Value You
Most of us frequently undervalue ourselves. We feel broken and become fixated on our ābanged upā parts, losing sight of what we still have to offer.
The song, Second Hand White Baby Grand, gives a glimpse into what might have passed through Marilynās mind as she thought about her beloved piano.
My favorite part of the song comes at the end. The lyrics read:
āThat something secondhand and broken still can make a pretty sound
From Smash, Second Hand White Baby Grand Ā© 2013
Donāt we all deserve a family room to live?
Oh, the words canāt stay unspoken until everyone has found
That Secondhand White Baby Grand that still has something beautiful to giveā

We all feel broken sometimes. Feeling broken is part of life, or at least parts of us. Who of us didnāt feel broken at points in the chaos of our teen years. For those of you still in your teens, know that the chaos eventually subsides.
I feel broken every day. In addition to my body and brain fighting against me, many of the goals I reached for ended in epic failures. Businesses have come and gone, careers have begun and ended, and many relationships have crumbled.
Each defeat leaves you a little lower than the last one.
Even so, I refuse to give up. I may be bent and broken, but Iām still here.
If you feel that way, keep heart. There are things you can do to fight it when you feel broken.

When you feel broken
1. Focus on the positive
Imagine you own the baby grand piano mentioned in the song. What if it had a broken leg or a few broken keys? What would you think if the side was gouged or the paint peeling? Would you focus on the broken parts?
Or would you choose to remember itās original glory? Would you be happy with the beautiful music the instrument could still produce? Would those small imperfections still matter?
Personally, Iāve always wanted a baby grand, and I would be thrilled to have one even if it was more than a little imperfect.
You are just a valuable. Even though there may be parts of you that arenāt up to snuff by the worldās standards you as a whole are priceless. Focus on the music that is still in you, whatever that might be.
Also read: Bipolar Disorder and the Destructive Trap of All-or-Nothing Thinking
2. Practice gratitude
Another way to come to terms with your broken parts is to practice gratitude. Thankfulness and chronic illness are not friendly companions. After many days, months, or years of coping with illness, it sometimes seems impossible to be grateful for anything.
Yet, there are always reasons to be grateful. Every morning you wake up, every time you see the sun, every good meal you eat – those are all good reasons to be grateful.
Learning to be grateful in your everyday life also helps you to cope with your broken parts. Rather than focus on the parts of you that arenāt perfect, you can learn to appreciate the parts that still work well.
Perhaps youāre a good listener, or you have an artistic skill like writing or painting. Maybe youāre exceptionally good as being empathetic to those around you. Those are your strengths, and the parts of you that are beautiful. Again, any broken parts do not limit lower the value of you as a whole.

3. Refuse to give up
I love to read stories or watch videos about The Paralympic Games. The games celebrate those athletes with ābrokenā parts who refuse to let their condition limit them. Basketball, skiing, and tennis are just three of the many sports in the games.
As a side note, the next scheduled event is the 16th Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan between August 24 and September 5, 2021.
Whatās so inspiring about the Paralympics is how it shines the light on athletes who have broken parts. Yet, despite how severe those broken or missing parts might be, the athletes refuse to give up. Theyāre intent on continuing to compete, to still be athletes, no matter how ābanged upā their body might be. To me, thatās the epitome of tenacity.
Each of those athletes could sit at home and focus on their broken parts. They could endlessly mourn their missing limbs and refuse to look for the sun. It’s easy to feel broken.
Instead, as a group, they choose to forge ahead. They choose to prove how capable they are. Each athlete knows their value is not diminished by any damaged portion of their body.
That can be a hard concept to accept, but the same is true for each one of us. Even if our broken part is our brain, it doesnāt have to define us. We can find our own version of the Paralympic games to keep us going. We can accomplish valuable things, and those things are why we must never quit fighting.

Something beautiful to give
Living every day with a chronic illness makes it all too easy to focus on the times we feel broken. Every time you miss out on an activity, you canāt help but think of your broken parts.
Always remember, as we learned above, those broken parts donāt define you. You can choose what you will focus on. Itās up to you to decide what you will be.
Going back to our song from Smash, the last line of the song sums it all up perfectly.
āI still have something beautiful to give.ā
From Smash, Second Hand White Baby Grand Ā© 2013
You still have something beautiful to give as well. Do your best to show the world what that is.
Until next time, keep fighting.
