Prompt: “Something that makes you smile”
Aside from grandkids, right? OK:
The flowers in my landscaping
Songs by Earth, Wind & Fire
My classmates
Memories of my dad’s personality
Knowing that I’ve meant something to somebody
The beach
Nachos at Chuy’s
Getting concert tickets
Eating those nachos before the concert
Prompt: “What you find beautiful”
Well, that’s pretty broad. I mean, I’m just like everyone else, I can give standard answers like God, nature, kids, kindness, etc.
I’ll focus on one thing I enjoy each day, without fail: music. And I’m not a snob. I like the once-popular stuff; I fully admit it.
Every day, as soon as I finish praying, I hit the music as I get ready for the day. I have about 2 dozen playlists and choose music that reflects my mood that day, or I listen to my go-to station on Pandora, classic rock.
I love metaphors in lyrics, a good bass line, hearing familiar voices, remembering life at the time the song was popular.
I love vinyl LPs but most often stream because of convenience.
My earliest memories are couched in Beach Boys songs of my brothers’. The newest artists that I enjoy are Young Gun and Silver Fox.
My favorite years for songs are from 1970 to about 1986. In 1986, I became a mom, and I had bigger things to think about each day.
Now, at least internally, I’m back to the girl who slathered oil on her limbs and tummy, lay on the picnic table or lounge chair in the back yard and listened to her black transistor radio. Only now, older, more likely to be smearing sunscreen, lounging on my back patio to the music coming through my Bose speaker.
But the music is mostly, blessedly, the same.
When I listen, I’m a time traveler. Scotty beams me right on up. When I hear those soaring introductions, like Brad Delp of Boston, “I lose myself in a familiar song. I close my eyes, and I slip away.”
I visit events and people from my past, I appreciate the beautiful or funny lyrics and dance at some point every day. And for this joy, I am grateful.
One Hoosier Life 