All The Little Things

As I am sure you have heard riddled into songs throughout the history of music, "all the small things" are often what make the most impact. I would like to take a moment and apologize for the extended abscense. As a dad, I'm sure many of you can understand that May and June are kind of busy season. Between kids events and the start of summer and family travels, I have unfortunately neglected you as readers.

I am going to take a slightly different approach with today's blog and get a little personal. Over the past few days I have spent some time reflecting on some of the "little things" in my life and some memories that I have shared with loved ones throughout the years. I found it fitting that many memories that I recall when doing so are centered around music. Whether singing, listening, or just genuinely enjoying it with others, it sometimes even has a way of captivating every one of your senses. It forces you to remember even the earliest of childhood memories. There are plenty of fleeting moments in this life, but for some reason, the ones that you can put a melody to seem to stick with you.

I recently lost a loved one, and I couldn't help but reflect on the memories we shared throughout my childhood and later years. It's funny to me though, of all the things I remember and reflect on, the memories that stand out to me the most are the little shows my cousins and I would put on at Christmas. Between skits that we wrote ourselves, to songs that we would fit into the script. They really are fond memories. But as I replay the years, that never really ended, it just changed as we got older. Skits turned into songs written by us or played at family gatherings, the gathering around to enjoy the time together never really changed.

While songs have the ability to bring sadness, sorrow, or heartache in times like this, they also have the ability to bring comfort. I can honestly say that I had a very "in your face" experience with this fact. While I was sad to lose someone, I had a 17 hour car ride of just flipping through various songs, new stuff, old stuff, sad songs, happy songs, whatever I felt in the moment. I felt peace and comfort as I drove to say a final farewell, almost as though the randomness of my playlist was telling me not to worry or be sad because all was right in the world.

In conclusion, spend some time over the next few days thinking about the moments, fleeting as they may be, that have shaped you as a person. While doing so, think about the people that were there to witness them all. Finally, try and think of the music of that time and the songs that brought you the most joy. If you can do this, you will always know where your happy place is and can always remember to enjoy the little things! Happy hunting.

~The Mindful Musician