I am normally one of those people who gets in the car and turns on the radio, does her morning getting-ready routine to music, reads with music playing in the background, and usually has music in her ears while she walks around the neighborhood. Then for much of the last year, I was so distracted I had to turn off the sound of everything so I could hear myself think. I learned to value silence. My favorite quiet time is sitting on the back deck with coffee in the morning, with just the music of the birds and the leaves rustling in the trees. That’s when I connect with myself for a few minutes. I call it my “gratitude meditation” time when I recall my blessings.
I have missed my other music, so I finally got my old stereo out of the closet upstairs and brought it down to the living room where I can listen to all I want. I got it in 1992, and it has a turn-table that still works. Frank Barone was right – there’s something about listening to old albums, with all their scratches, that is part of the experience.
And then yesterday I read an article in the May 2012 issue of Speaker magazine. It’s titled “The Healing Power of Music.” According to the author, Rita Young Allen, the body responds to music and can change your metabolism, circulation, blood volume, pulse, blood pressure, and moods. She quotes an oncologist who claims “sickness is a manifestation of the body out of harmony.” Researchers have documented the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing effects of music. They don’t understand exactly how this works, but it does…and has as far back as the Ancient Greeks.
I think they are right. Music has long been a source of joy for me, and I’m happy to now again let it work its magic on me. Oh…the next article in the magazine is on “embracing your inner rebel.” Hmmm……
So my new favorite version of one of my old favorite songs is Barrett Baber’s The Voice performance from Monday night, Silent Night. Check it out on iTunes or Thevoice.com. And let me know what you think. (I’d post it here but haven’t figured out how to do that.)