For Hannah, my first soul mate.
A very wonderful woman I knew lived her life by music and the words that resonated through her radio and Zune on an hourly basis. Music was never really something that I would utilize for anything more than a car ride, or as an introverts’ tool to hide from those around me. When I met her, and for years after, I learned that music can start the day, the words are genuinely important, and those words can stay in your soul for years. It can bring back the voice of your best friend, help you reminisce about a happy moment on an island thousands of miles away, hear how young you sounded as you learned about life and how to live it, picture the times you danced like no one was watching. This amazing woman had a thing for music, and her lessons about it have stuck with me since- I am using this post to gift those lessons to all of you. I hope they help.
Lesson number 1:
Pick a song, an album, a playlist, to start your day with, each day, and play it while you get ready, while you eat breakfast, on your drive to work. Turn that volume up so the neighbors start singing along they can hear it so well, and so the cars in front of you know you’re on your way. Sing along, bang your head, and feel everything that song is telling you. Let this morning music start your day off right. The trick is, you have to smile and feel the joy the entire time these songs are going because if you don’t this won’t work. And I don’t mean smile inside, you have to put a smile on your face as you sing those lyrics and that smile will reach its way into you, and your day will start well. You will be happier, more willing to face the trials of work, school, whatever you have waiting; it will be easier, I promise.
Lesson number 2:
You just have to dance. None of us think we can, but who cares? You have to dance, not all the time, but every once in a while. I know that each of us has a song we listen to that has the power to make us want to move. Don’t resist that urge because it’s one that heals, and will make you laugh and your soul feel lighter for hours after. Dancing is important, it’s something we have been doing for generations; it’s lasted because it feels good and right and easy.
Lesson number 3:
The words are important, too. I know this is probably common sense for everyone, but like I said, if I knew what every 20th song was about and could sing along, I thought I was doing pretty well. So, the words are the mood, they tell you a story, and what’s better than a short 3-minute story capable of giving you all sorts of different emotions in less time than it takes to make a sandwich? Now that I know, it’s fun to listen to a song and think that it was made just for me, and my life, based solely on the words that talented artist has created. The words push us closer to other humans and their humanness. That connection is what encourages us to share a song and hope our friends understand that what we are sharing is a piece of us.
Lesson number 4:
When other people sing, applaud them for it inside and out – it takes a lot of confidence to sing in front of others and if someone is willing to sing in front of you, that’s a compliment. It means they are comfortable enough around you to know they won’t be judged if they’re off-key or pick a song that you wouldn’t listen to or an artist you don’t like. Speaking as someone who is off-key constantly, I appreciate it when someone just lets me belt out an Avril Lavigne song without giving me that “you’re a crazy” look. Thanks to all who have seen that version of me at three in the morning when things start to get a little Alice in Wonderland-ish at work.
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There’s a gentleman in Albuquerque who used to stand on street corners in a scarf and suede jacket playing the violin with his eyes closed. He wouldn’t look at the passersby, he never collected money, all he did was play and give a bit of his soul to those on their way to life. He was a true lover of music. Now, anytime I pass by a corner where he played, I smile and marvel at how unifying music is, and how much magic it truly has.
Until next time.
Whitney
Veterinary Limbo 