The doctor is running late. The road is gridlocked on your way to work. Your flight has been delayed. Frustrated? Probably. Stressed? Maybe. Or perhaps you’re dreading the workout, the run, the long walk, chores around the house, or yard work? Does it have to be this way? That’s up to you.
No, I’m not offering a way to make unanticipated, unwanted delays and waits disappear. I’m offering something more powerful. A way to make such delays and waits, usually unavoidable, or monotonous activities not only less frustrating, less maddening, less stressful, but perhaps even desired and hoped for. Why? Because you have something so worthwhile to fill such a void, something that you eagerly anticipate and look forward to, to learn to love to live in the moment, so that you appreciated the time such delays or activities afford you to partake of this ray of sunshine and joy in your life: MUSIC!
Rediscover the music of your past, or music that perhaps might be new to you, in a manner novel and new. Collections of hits and hidden gems grouped in fun ways that make you eagerly anticipate every coming playlist and song. You listen to collections of “word” based songs, genres, and themes as you’ve never heard before. The inspiration for these playlists came from a TV commercial a decade or so ago, that played 3 or 4 songs based on a word. I don’t even recall the word, but imagine “dream”, playing “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (Everly Brothers), “Dream A Little Dream” (Mel Torme) and “Dream On” (Aerosmith), and I thought, what about some of the other great dream songs they could have used in their montage, such as “Teenage Dream” (Katy Perry), “Dream Weaver” (Gary Wright), or “Dream Warriors” (Dokken), and many more… thus I started, back in iPod days, creating “word” playlists: dreams, crazy, life, moon, walk, and so many more (over 100 and counting already)
So I have to offer a disclaimer: my only formal musical training was in the form of in home organ, yes organ lessons as a kid in the ‘70s. Yet I had the fortune to spend my formative years in the musical nirvana (Seattle grunge band notwithstanding) of the ‘70s and ‘80s, what has now come to be defined as the years of “classic rock”, with music of the 60s still permeating the airwaves during those days as well. I had the fortune of having brothers, cousins, and friends with a great love of music as well, helping me broaden and expand my horizons musically. I have owned over the years thousands of “albums”, in the form of cassettes (though never 8-tracks!), vinyl albums, CDs, and eventually digital purchases on iTunes. And now with the advent of streaming music services, my access to music is endless. While I haven’t had the distinction of being to as many live concerts as some of my friends, I have been afforded the luxury of seeing some of my “heroes”, including Billy Joel, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Styx, Def Leppard, Tesla, Yes, Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Queen, The Who, The Beach Boys… much of it greatly supplemented by my attendance at Live Aid.
Live Aid was THE concert of the ‘80s. Everyone who was anyone performed at this 16 hour concert, simulcast from Wembly Stadium in London, and JFK in Philadelphia, where I attended along with my two brothers and my uncle, who had been at Woodstock at the age of 16. At just $35 a ticket, the concert was the deal of a lifetime. Check out:
or purchase the DVD/video – you won’t be disappointed. Some say Queen’s performance at Live Aid was the best gig ever. Their set included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Hammer to Fall,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and their finale “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions:
My hope in the journey we are about to embark upon, if you so choose, is not only to inspire a greater love and appreciation for classic rock and pop music, mostly of the 60s to 80s (with a little oldies, easy listening, country, grunge, metal, rap, and show tunes thrown in), but even more-so to inspire people to get back to listening to music, perhaps of their youth, or perhaps new to them, to love having the time to listen, to alleviate boredom, and perhaps even allow others to find joy in delays and waits, allowing for more time to enjoy amazing music, to not be able to wait for the next song, or the next playlist to be released.
You do not have to have the paid version of Spotify to listen to the music. Spotify is available for free, though you do get ads with the free version, and playlists are shuffle played, so you do miss out on the time I spent trying to create a meaningful order to the music – my chance to play DJ. While I think Spotify is a bargain for what you get, unlimited access to millions of songs with the ability to stream or download, I make no money from Spotify, and subscribing to their service is entirely up to you.
Since I’ve moved to the South, I drive, even in 100 degree heat, with my sunroof open, windows down, and music up. I not only don’t mind my commutes to work or the hospital, I actual enjoy and look forward to the drives, awaiting in anxious anticipation of giving a better listen to the amazing sounds that await me, no longer by turning from station to station, loading a tape or CD, or even searching through my iPod, but streaming seamlessly from my phone. And if the traffic slows, I actually smile, as I know I will be able to listen to perhaps one more amazing song before arriving at my destination.
Revival: a new presentation of something old.
also, classic southern rock song by the Allman Brothers:
Live in the moment.
Enjoy the moment.
Love the moment.
Listen to the MUSIC!
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