Some people compare their lives to a book or to characters on television of in a movie. I like to compare the stages of my life to different songs. I even write my own words. Maybe it’s my Tennessee roots, growing up near Music City and the “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” but I am convinced some of my songs would make a great country-western hit.
When I was single, and wanderlust was the only lust in my life, I wrote a song called “Love Don’t Stick To My Teflon Heart.” I still have the lyrics typed on a piece of paper somewhere in a drawer. Maybe one day I will finish the song, pitch it to an agent and let things fly where they can. But now that I found true love the ending of my song may be different. How about “Love Don’t Stick To My Teflon Heart, But Baby Now I Am Stuck On You.”
There was a brief period of my life when I was feeling a bit blue but not really sure why when everything seemed to be going just fine at work and I was on top of the professional food chain. Maybe that “teflon heart” was feeling a bit rusted. So, I started taking long walks to clear my head. One day walking along the shore in Maine on a brilliantly sunny Sunday I dreamed up, “What Am I So Blue On This Bright Yellow Day?”
When I was undergoing cancer treatment, I wrote “Heal Me, Cure Me, Make Me Whole Again.” And later after my recovery, “I Loss Some Parts, But Got A New Start.” Music was very therapeutic during my treatment. Pop on some headphones; click on the Ipod and tune out the world around you. Words and lyrics were equally important. I kept a diary, wrote down my experiences and let my thoughts and emotions fill the pages. If you have a friend facing treatment, I highly suggest giving her a playlist of music and a diary as a gift. When you are facing cancer, your life is ruled by doctors, deadlines and drips. Music and words are a creative release.
There are songs that touch our lives in many ways. How many of us ladies have identied with “I will Survive” after a break up, or “We Are Family” dancing with girlfriends? Then there are the wedding songs and dedication songs that commemorate occasions. I walked down the aisle with my father to “Moon River” to meet my “huckleberry friend” and walked back a married woman with my husband, David to “Iko Iko.” David picked out our first dance song, “The Way You Look Tonight.”
I married a sweetheart of a man. Sometimes I have no idea how he puts up with me. “I’m a Hard Headed With a Soft Hearted Man.”
My husband David is a Grateful Dead fan and listens to their songs all the time. I have thought about writing a song called “I am Living with a Man Who Loves the Dead” or “Living With the Dead and Learning To Love It.” I am always “grateful” when he changes the tunes to something I like.
Songs truly reflect stages of our lives. They can make us happy, sad, angry, calm. They talk of love, loss, fighting, survival and victory. I love listening to old spirituals and gospel, written to inspire, heal and hope. I love the reggae beat and its talk of “cool runnings” and “every’ting’s going to be all right.” I grew up listening to Southern rock and love its kick butt, kick back attitude and sound. I’ve learn to love opera and its anthems of love, sorrow, hope and patriotism. Don’t even get me started on Broadway shows and songs. After seeing my first Broadway show at the age of 4, “Mame,” I was hooked on theater and on growing up to become an “Auntie Mame.”
These days I am humming a bag of mixed tunes. Mainly happy. Often defiant. I sing of rebirth, reinvention and breaking through barriers. I sing of coming out and breaking through my cancer shell and speaking my mind, “I’m Coming Out. You Joining In?” or “Hey, Big C, You’ve Got Nothing on Me.”
So the point is this: If you looked deep into at your soul now, what would be the theme and tune of your song? Would it be happy or sad? defiant or desperate? downbeat or upbeat?
If you don’t like what you are hearing, maybe it’s time to have a talk with yourself, change the lyrics and find a new tune.
What’s the song in your heart today?
i love your thoughts, reflections and look forward-not backward philosophy – so very, very healthy and productive. The song that is always in my heart now and forever is
DEEP PURPLE
Melanie, you are the best. Everyone should read what you write.