Today’s Prompt: You stumble upon a random letter on the path. You read it. It affects you deeply, and you wish it could be returned to the person to which it’s addressed. Write a story about this encounter. Today’s twist: Approach this post in as few words as possible.
My initial reaction is: impossible choice. Music is deeply personal and each day offers me the chance to choose new and old favorites again and again. Additionally, in my work I am always choosing music for rituals, life events and other activities. While I appreciate music that is specified for such things, I believe that popular/secular music has the potential to be used in ritual and try to choose songs that reflect the lives of the people I encounter. All music, even the types that may not resonate with me are offerings to the universe. Art is our act of offering our best selves to the spirit and if you believe; to God or a power greater than ourselves.
Music often expresses what I cannot, in a way I cannot. Although my undergraduate degree is in music, I utilize music as an avocation or adjunct to my work. I love that a song can transport me to a place I was when I was five or fifteen or twenty five, when the first few notes come drifting through the speakers. Music lulled my children to sleep as I sang “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof to them at night. Music takes me through seemingly insufferable workouts cheering me on. It accompanies me on long road trips. It lifts me up when I’m down or allows me some minutes of wallowing when I am processing the events that took me down. In the span of a playlist I can travel back in time and relive favorite moments all through a song. These reasons scratch the surface of why this writing assignment seems challenging to me.
So my twist is that for today, these three songs are the ones I choose from my infinitely overwhelming and exhilarating musical tarot deck. The music speaks for itself. I’m approaching this as a three song reading of my life today. Faith, Hope and Love. Today’s playlist is exactly that. Tomorrow’s will be different and might include Bright Eyes, Gogol Bordello, and Leonard Bernstein. I won’t know until I wake up.
Faith: Faith cannot grow without doubt. This song expresses that sentiment for me in a way I hope to embody faith. It is a struggle, a joy, a challenge and an important part of my life.Faith is about kind action and even in my struggles I am no less obligated to try to make positive change. Billiy Joel- River of Dreams
Hope: Warren Zevon is better known for many other songs. To me this song is about hope and about caring for those who care for us. It is an expression of gratitude. I hear it and sing it as a prayer. Warren Zevon Don’t Let us Get Sick
Love: My Uncle introduced this song and the whole show- Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, to me when I was a teenager. I picked this version, rather than my beloved one from the show because I hear this song as an anthem or hymn and because I still dream of a world where the words of this song become true. Jacques Brel If We Only Have Love
Grateful for the support of colleagues
Finding meaning in a challenge, (even though, if I am honest I’d rather things were easier)
Happy to have a moment to rest before the business and busyness of life presses on.
(Good night!)
This is the third week I’ve participated in Three Things Thursday, thanks to http://nerdinthebrain.com/three-things-thursday/
I’m grateful for the opportunity to do this each week. It makes me think about the highlights of my week and the things I am grateful for. So this week I’m grateful for warmer weather. Spring is making an appearance and the weather has been much kinder than the past three months. So happy to not be wearing my winter coat and so amazed at how warm 55 degrees feels in March compared to how it feels in October.
I’m grateful for coming home earlier in the week to find the new Erik Larsen book Dead Wake waiting in my mailbox. http://www.npr.org/books/titles/390474945/dead-wake-the-last-crossing-of-the-lusitania
It was a gift, from my dear husband! Several things to be grateful/thankful for. I’m grateful that there was a present in the mail. This is something that doesn’t happen every day.
I’m grateful also to those of you who read my blog, who like a post, who pass my blog along to others by reblogging, sharing, or adding me to your blogroll. Thanks for stopping by.
Snowflakes gently fall
Flowing, drifting, gracefully
each one is unique
like folks who drift in and out
of each others daily life
Today in Blogging 101 the assignment is to create a Blogroll. To the right of my posts there is already a list of blogs I follow. So, I thought I’d highlight a couple of them here.
Sharon’s blog caught my eye because of her quote form Paulo Coelho at the top. However she has lovely pictures on her blog, I love her categories, especially “Vintage and Ephemera.” It is kind of like a moment for contemplation and escape for me. https://sharonmcconnel.wordpress.com/
Only 100 words is an interesting concept and the stories offer me things to think about. Often a little surprise at the end, something to think about and a moment to read a story at only 100 words. What a nice gift to me when I need a break.I feel like I’ve accomplished something! Besides that I like the blog, although I haven’t met the person behind it, she offered suggestions to me that I appreciated when I first started blogging. It is sometimes a risk to reach out to others, and I’m grateful when someone does that for me.
Miss Understood writes Haiku. (Need I say more?!) Have to support other Haiku bloggers. Love the pictures that are matched to the Haiku. Nice blog to visit.
https://keepkaryn.wordpress.com/
SO- I like the idea of sharing what I’m reading so I may keep doing this from time to time. Hope the links work and hope you enjoy visiting these blogs.
Our assignment in blogging 101 is to read blogs and post comments on four of them. This seems like traveling to me. I got to travel to far away places, read of adventures that others are taking, see pictures that are inspiring and read what others like to read and why. What a rich experience. It is heartening and inspiring to see what other bloggers are doing and what interests others. It is inspiring/moving to read and to feel a connection to others I don’t know. I’ve enjoyed searching out blogs and finding things that spark my interest, give me something to think about and consider what I might want to write about next. Thank you to all the bloggers who I’ve read today. I could share many more but I’ve winnowed the bunch down a bit, not quite four but…
Some of them include:
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/our-favorite-books-and-why-we-love-them/
http://extradrymartini.com/2015/01/13/things-my-mother-never-did/
https://tabulacandida.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/fellowship/
http://friendlyfairytales.com/
https://thewanderingfeline.wordpress.com/
https://thewanderingfeline.wordpress.com/animal-photo-diary/
In our blogging 101 class the assignment was to meet/visit our neighbors. Well, my neighbors are deer and I do try to visit with them regularly, but they are not the wordy type, at least I don’t speak deer. I’ve faced the fact that they love me for the apples that tumble from our apple trees and the tiny valley at the back of our yard where they sleep. They are beautiful, quiet, and sometimes they sleep near the trees very close to our back porch so I get to see them up close and personal. It is winter in my part of the country so the most visiting I do with human neighbors presently is to say a hurried hello when we are shoveling/plowing snow.
Visiting five blogs was a wonderful adventure. I started with the Reader and chose topics of interest to me. Culture, fitness and health crafts and fashion, religion, and books for starters. Does anyone know of a twelve step group from book addicts? Love books and always have a stack to read. Just like having many books I also now have many more blog neighbors to meet. Actually more than five here because I’m interested in sewing again after a long hiatus. So here are some of the neighbors I found today. Cheers!
http://www.progressivechristianalliance.org/main/blogs/
https://threadtheoryblog.wordpress.com/
http://fitisafeministissue.com/
https://reflectionsformysoul.wordpress.com/
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