What’s the Soundtrack of Your Life?
I’ve always journaled.
Of course, over the years, the topics have changed. I no longer care much about what Jonathan Taylor Thomas is up to (though, I wish him well), or if Kate and Leo will date IRL (that said, if you hear of anything, please hunt me down — I’ll be at the library.) And I know that Jon Keane is not my future husband (sorry, fifteen-year-old me.) But through every season of life, one thing has stayed constant in my journals: music.
Music has been a best friend, a therapist, a co-pilot. It’s been so important, in fact, that I started writing down lyrics and little quotes on the inside covers of my journals.
In my 2014 journal, the top quote (surrounded with stars and hearts, naturally) reads: “Music enhances every experience.”
And it’s true, isn’t it?
Let’s set aside for a moment the transcendent experience of hearing music live (God, is that you?) And focus on the day-to-day.
Some people say when they’re crabby or having a bad day, they go for a walk and it turns things around. To which I say, “Yes, AND listen to your very favorite songs on repeat.”
I’ve got playlists for every mood. Sometimes I want to lift myself out of a funk, other times I want to lean in and feel it all.
Off the cuff, here’s what I reach for:
When I’m...
Feeling self-doubt: America’s Sweetheart – Elle King
Overwhelmed: Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Nostalgic: Boys of Summer – Don Henley
Just plain sad: The Stable Song – Gregory Alan Isakov
And when I’m ready to shift gears...
Wanting to have fun: A Bar Song – Shaboozey
Feeling excited: Beautiful Things – Benson Boone
Mellowing out: Tadow – Masego & FKJ
Just plain happy: Letter to Lady J – Dispatch
It’s amazing, isn’t it? How much power music has over us? It’s incredibly healing and deeply personal.
We all have our own unique soundtracks. That’s kind of magical, if you think about it. You can tell a lot about someone by the songs they keep close.
So it’s not a mistake that music is a central theme in my novel, Lavender. It’s been there for me through everything.
The idea for my novel actually came to me after one unforgettable night two summers ago...
My husband and I were at a Dispatch concert, one of my favorite bands, and they were performing with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
It was, honestly, one of the most spiritual experiences I’ve ever had. People were holding hands, leaning on each other, even crying. No fights. No rudeness. Just this collective, emotional exhale.
Everyone filed out of the venue like they’d been given some unspoken blessing. And I thought: What if life could always be like this? What if music could shift how we treat each other? How we move through life?
I started writing the very next day.
Last thought, then I promise to cease my ramble…
I was running with my favorite Peloton instructor, Becs Gentry, yesterday (well, I was watching from my treadmill, trying to keep up.) She started talking about how “off” she’d felt lately, and eventually realized it was the absence of music in her life, at least the kind she would normally choose for herself.
And it made me think… we often forget how deeply music supports us… until it goes missing.
So here’s some homework (the fun kind): What’s your song right now — the one that lifts you up? The soundtrack of your life?
Write it on the cover of your next journal and come back to it the next time you’re feeling “off”. 💜
