Music

As you can probably tell, I've added a playlist to my blog, I hope you like it!  It reminds me of my love of music.  If you know me, you know that I'm the type a person that has a song for just about everything, I have a constant playlist in my head.  Songs, like smells, elicit memories from different times in my life that make me nostalgic and happy.  I guess my love of music began as a child, I can remember a kayak ride with my cousin where my mom was teaching us camp songs, we loved it.  Or my dad putting on Elvis and all of us dancing around the family room, jumping on couches and playing the air guitar.  Music was an important part of my life growing up.

My love of music is grounded in many areas but the place where I truly embraced music and singing is camp.  Music was a huge part of the camp traditions.  We sang after every meal, during team meetings, to say hello, to say goodbye, and just about everywhere in between.  We made up songs, brought back old songs and continued with the new songs.  Music brought us together at camp.  Today, when I hear a song that is a camp song I am immediately transported back to the summer memories.

My teammates and I wrote a song for our annual
camp song competition under this tree.

My love of music continued on and as I grew up I learned more about songs and artists that I enjoyed.  My freshman year roommate was a huge music fan (also an old camp friend) and she turned me on to bands like Talking Heads and Belle and Sebastian.  From there my love of music has only grown, I listen to Joni Mitchell and think of a trip to the lake in college, or Bruce Springsteen and think of all of my cousins rocking out at the beach when we were about five.  James Taylor will always remind me of my mom and TAPS will be something I sing to my children as they drift off to sleep.  A good song or artist can inspire you, reinvigorate you, and energize you.  Music can make you laugh, make you cry, make you dance until your feet hurt.  There's a song for just about everything.  

How did you come to your love of music?  What songs or artists evoke precious memories?  What does music mean to you?  Take a moment today and listen to a song you love, I can assure you by the end of the song you'll have a smile on your face and your mind will be racing back to a musical memory.