Gratitude Practice 2020 Day 49: The Healing Power of Music
Today, I stumbled upon an article from ClassicalFM.com sharing new research about the healing power of music. While my soul has always known this truth, my nerdy brain really loved reading this information. There is a huge part of me that really just wants to live inside a big brassy movie musical... complete with carefully
choreographed dance numbers, swelling crescendos, dramatic heart pumping bridges, reflective thoughtful ballads, and catchy dance numbers...truth is...the nerd runs real deep and I kinda want it all. I loved the good old days of mixed tapes and the skill it took to both record songs on the radio and then painstakingly mix them together. Burke, the ever romantic, gifted me a CD of themed music each week of our courtship and they are some of my all time favorites. I love a good hair band. Let's get real...I love a bad hair band...ACDC, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and to my dying day I will stand by complication CDs sold at truck stops and gas stations as a forever wise investment. I love the big bosomed big haired big voiced forever wearing sequins Diva's of days gone by and their handsome classy dinner jacket wearing big band crooner counterparts. I don't shy away from twangy country both old and current and I'll hang with the gritty angry girl artists...all day...long... love me some Alanis, some Pink, some Brandy Carlisle, Beyonce, Madona, Lady Gaga, Adele, Alicia, love me some sweet miss Lizzo. And there is zero shame in attending NKOTB (that's New Kids On The Block for the non-fans) concerts as a grown adult women...ask me how I know. I like Cake...both the band and the dessert. I consider ABBA a true gift from God. I'll Avett Brothers all day long. I like Johnny Cash, James Taylor, CCR, Steve Miller Band, The Beatles, Queen and on and on and on... Recently, I've been known to belt Disney ballads in my kitchen like my life depended on it complete with wooden spoon microphone and tiny side kick singing backup. Would happily challenge anyone to a Frozen II song battle any day of the week because...we are all heading into the.... unknown! Then the symphonies and concertos. The soundtracks and the greatest hits...and I truly believe there is a special place for limited choral music but I draw a hard line with anything featuring an organ or heavy synthizer, no thank you. Music just makes everything better no matter your age, race, background or the amount of money in your banking accounts. I'm totally real that the hits that frequent my playlist are limited in scope and probably depth and so many may even consider them completely lame...and I'm totally okay with that. Music is both very personal and very powerful and I'm so very grateful for the soundtrack it provides to my life.
Grateful to know it takes 13 minutes for music to help you focus and 13 minutes for music to help you release sadness and 13 minutes for music to help you relax....and only 9 minutes for music to trigger happiness. I'm grateful for the digital playlist I'm currently curating called "Surviving 2020" and how it's systematically helping me to focus, release sadness, rage, relax and re-fuel. So until my lifelong dream of living a Rogers & Hammerstein or Lin Manwell Miranda-esk production happens my humble growing playlist will absolutely work just fine.