Thursday, November 6, 2014

Music

Short title I know, but really that's what I wanted to talk about today. See, the last couple of years I've made a video incorporating my favorite pictures of the year to the music of a song that represented my year. I don't know about you, but some songs can bring back some of the best and worst memories. Sometimes they can bring back things I haven't thought about in years.

Today for instance, a commercial came on the TV and had "You are my sunshine" playing. I teared up. Granted, I may be a little hormonal, but geesh! I don't just tear up for no good reason. It just reminded me of Grandma rocking me for comfort. I guess I'll give her a call tomorrow.

I also have this theory I like to call God's jukebox. I think that the universe listens and tries to communicate back and help you along. Case and point: The first time I noticed God's jukebox it was the day before my 18th birthday. I had forsaken my usual family get together in order to spend my special day with my boyfriend at the time. He was supposed to call me that day and we would make plans, but he never did. No one knew where he was. I was so angry and upset that he had yet again blew me off, but this time on my birthday! At this time I was working at a clock and rug store at the outlet mall and they had speakers outside that always played music. When I walked outside to lock up for the night and take the deposit to the drop box, "This will be the last time" by the Rolling Stones was playing. The Stones are one of my all time favorite bands and the song hit me like a ton of bricks to the chest. I stopped, listened for a second, nodded, and agreed. It would be the last time. Only I was stupid and took him back two weeks later, but I digress.

Another time God's jukebox struck me was in 2007. I came home for a weekend and had decided to move back home from Montgomery. A friend of mine and I went to a bar to see someone I had a past with before. I know, I'm a horrible person, oh freaking well. When we got to the bar, the band was playing "If you could only See" by Tonic. This song meant so many things to me when we had been "together" and I thought it was a sign. It was, but not for the reasons I thought. After downing a few, the band started playing "Turn the Page" by Bob Segar. This was my sign that it was past time to move on and literally turn the freaking page.

There have been many more times God's jukebox has helped me along my path (mine and my husband's wedding song, moving on from family issues...) Seriously, the list could go on and on, but those are a few that stick out vividly in my mind.

Wow, I got on a tangent there. Where I was going with this post is that I'm starting early in the song finding process. It usually takes me 2-3 days to narrow it down to one that A)is as long as the video I want B)has been released in if not the same year then within the last 2 years and C)sums up my year. Year before last it was "Mountain Sound" by Of Monsters and Men. That year we had a falling out with almost half my family, classes were getting crazy, Buddy went through at least 2 job changes, and it seemed like EVERYONE we knew was getting married. Seriously, it was the year of the wedding - 3 of our couple friends in 3 months - crazy I tell you. This song is upbeat and looking back at the end of the year I realized that our lives aren't anything like anyone else's so I didn't need to compare and I needed to slow down and breathe once in a while despite the chaos. Last year's song was "Round and Round" by Imagine Dragons. I had a lot more time to reflect last year. Plant ecology almost killed me, I made a lot of lifetime friends, I finally got my bachelor's degree, and then we started planning for the next step in our future. Looking back at the end of that year I was reminded that though we are all different we are all on this crazy life roller coaster, everything that you put out into the universe comes back to you, and that no matter what has happened you should hold your head up and wear your scars proudly. I can't listen to either of these songs with out the images of those years popping up in my head. They really fit perfectly.

This year I started making a list back in June of songs that would come across my Pandora list that I really liked. I thought this would help, but I think it's really complicated things. I have some really good ones, some really solemn ones, and some that may be a little to chipper.  This song, "The Stable Song" by Gregory Alan Isakov sounds like fall to me. It's folksy and feels like a hot cup of coffee on the porch on a cool fall day. Then there's this one "Take it as it comes" by J. Roddy Walston and the business. It's a little more catchy, but it's fitting.

I know I still have a month and these two are not the only ones on my list. I figured I would put this out for you and the universe and see what feedback I get. Do you have a song(s) that bring back deep memories, signify a life event, or even an entire year? What would you choose as your song of the year? What do you think about these two songs? I want to know!

Here are a few pictures of the week. Enjoy, blessed be, and have a great weekend!



Trail view

My awesome hat my lab mate Rain made :)

Of course its always the biggest furbaby that is the only one willing to snuggle.

Fall reflections



I snuck out of the office early enough (515!) to catch the sun set