The Music of My Life

I was getting ready for the day this morning, following the normal routine, hurrying to finish up before my little one arose for the day and listening to the radio as has become my custom. As I listened to song after song, I found myself being taken on a wild roller coaster ride in my head as each song seemed to prompt a memory or propel me in time to a particular period of my life. All the way to work I thought about this musical ride I had been on this morning and how music is powerful, it touches us in ways that other stimuli cannot do. Even in January when I was basically deaf to the spoken word, it was only music that I could hear...its vibrations were the only ones felt in my ear at that time.

My memories and music go way back. I hear Elton John sing "Benny and the Jets" and I am instantly in the bedroom of my house in New York, nine years old, being introduced to other music, music different from that of my parents. The girls that lived across the street were older and wiser and taught me all about rock and roll.

I hear the theme song from The Greatest American Hero and remember that it was playing the first time I ever kissed a boy.

Hearing Journey belt out "Lights" and the memory comes flooding back of the first time I ever looked a boy and knew I would love him for the rest of my life.

Anytime Bon Jovi or Van Halen sing, I am propelled back to the sweet summer days, riding with my friend Kim up to the lake, t-tops off the Camaro -young, oh so young and really carefree.

Hootie and the Blowfish and the Black Crowes make me think of the year I dated my husband, and Toby Keith singing "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" always makes me recall the trip we took to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

Let James Taylor come on the radio and sing "Fire and Rain" and I think of two memories, sitting on the beach at sunset, and the one year anniversary of the death of my beloved Jake. Something about that song just touches all kinds of emotions in this old heart. Both of these evoke tears.

This morning I heard "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks and although the song has nothing to do with the situation, I had just heard it on the radio the morning before I walked into my workplace and found my co-worker in tears, despondent over her young marriage ending before it had really even started.

I hear Tim McGraw sing about living like you were dying and it reminds me of the weeks waiting on Hannah to be born and how that song was so popular then. It was a reminder to me each time I heard it to live every moment, search for happiness in every nook and cranny of the day, to literally be happy in the moment!

"Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls transports me to a morning in the kitchen not long ago, dancing around the room and hearing the words ring true for me more clearly than ever before.

Music is so important to my life, I can't imagine a car ride without it or even a day without it. There is music playing on my computer right now... Sting is singing about a moon over Bourbon Street, in what I can only surmise is an ode to vampires. At least, that is what I think of when I hear this particular song.

So tell me, what songs transport you to a favorite memory - I know you have one... share!

Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev