Turn It Up!

Usually when I travel I miss something, which is usually Smuckers crunchy peanut butter, and someone, which is usually my family, but the trip to Guatemala proved different.  I surprisingly didn’t miss anyone.  I did, however, really miss one thing:  music!

For whatever reason, I stopped to think about anything I had missed over the week and listening to music definitely made my number one.  It was odd how little music I heard over the week, so I got super excited whenever I heard some, haha!  And basically the first thing I did upon returning to the States was check out some music recommendations a friend had given me.  It also seemed especially odd to have not listened to hardly any music when I thought about how often I do listen to music.

Most days I play classical music in my office and then I turn on the radio for my short drive home.   As soon as I set my stuff down at home, I flip on my music.  I just have my ipod ready to go on shuffle mode :)  Then, of course, there are times I play it from my phone when I’m cooking  to use the radio for more variety.  The only time I don’t have music going, it seems, is when I’m running or when I’m driving to work.

Music is actually pretty powerful and can affect your mood and your thinking.  I’ve heard stories from people about this and, to a degree, have seen it in my own life.  I mean, a song may have a sick beat but then you listen more closely to the words and get seriously disturbed.  Delete!  Or you pay attention to the words and realize there’s a spectacular message in them, which is the best.  You have to realize that music is a form of art and the artist is trying to get a message across, so I think it is wise to be choosy on what you let into your head and heart.

That being said, I do like all genres of music except two, yet I listen to only a handful on a regular basis.  I listen to worship probably the most.  Lately, I’ve been waking up to a worship song in my head, which is a new thing for me but a thing I love!  I also love to get music recommendations to broaden my musical horizons, whether in a genre I don’t listen to a ton or by a musician I’ve never heard of.  Flashback to the mentioned friend giving me music recs to check out when back from Guatemala…   Plus, I wouldn’t have ever found who I think is the best pianist without asking a guy who he was listening to nor would I have ever learned of the best Christmas album without my brother’s suggestion to buy it. 

Another thing I noticed by not having music playing was that I hardly ever danced!  That’s almost depressing.  I love to dance and seem to move whenever I hear music but that’s another story. 

Bottom line:  I need music, and I’m always up for new stuff.