I sat down to see what would come out of my finger tips this evening…..Nothing. Blank screen with the stupid blinking cursor staring back at me. House was silent…duh, that was my problem. So I turned to my new favorite upgraded 8 track/cassette stereo system (Pandora and blue tooth Bose) and scrolled til I found what worked. ‘Born on the Bayou‘ and ‘fortunate son’ by CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival for the youngins’) All of a sudden my brain started pinging like I hit tilt on a pinball machine (old school candy crush-also for the youngins’) My youngest daughter turned me on to my new favorite go to music source as well as all the wonderful accessories filled with today’s technology. Nothing has knobs or dials anymore….or rabbit ears for that matter. Everything is flat, smooth and shiny with no texture.  Anyway, back to the point, Music Music Music……

I have never met a soul that didn’t like music. I grew up to a wide variety, however, when our dad was home or within ear-sight, our “racket” was shut down immediately. I listen to all genres of music I guess because of the diverse exposure in childhood. I can remember sitting in my dads old pickup truck and him allowing me to pop in an 8 track of Dolly Partons ‘Butterfly’ or Elvis Presley greatest hits then later that night he, Uncle Gil, who had a hook for an arm (lost in the war), and the rest of ’em sippin’ on some home brew, we’d listen to them all sing Dean Martins ‘Five foot Two‘ while playing the spoons, jug and comb. The song choices usually got worse as the night went on so we were herded up to bed.

Having older sisters in the 70’s I was enlightened with some of the greatest music ever created that still stands as a rival to any music made today. Being a teenager in the 80’s I was part of  the greatest explosive rock bands and rebellious spandex big haired music go head to head with the coolest Hip Hop rappers of all time that will never be recreated no matter how much they try. By the 90’s I was having kids and started hearing the new generations twist on music clear into today with my grandchildren and young nieces. I find my self every now and then say “turn that racket off”, I can’t help but laugh when I say it because it is a great memory associated with music.

When I need my brain distracted from something  or have some serious house cleaning to get done, I will choose my Kid Rock or Eminem station on pandora then blast the volume and clean like a mo-fo or dance like I’m J-Lo. If by chance the kids happen to be home or stop over, well they have no choice but to join in because I’m not stopping until the demons are gone.  The music doesn’t go off until I have exorcised every last one of them out of my mind and house. They do not view it as odd, only as, yep there goes mom again. If its nice out and windows are open then the neighbors say the same thing.

When we are all chilling together, everything from Skynyrd to Five Finger Death Punch is played. Music is a common bond that everyone can enjoy and converse about or say nothing at all but be totally comfortable and happy. Have you ever been driving on a road that never ends or just sitting at a stop light and “that” song comes on the radio? What do you do? Immediately reach to turn it up and sing like nobodies business. The best is when who ever is riding shotgun loves that song too because then it becomes a duet-lighters in the air-the crowd goes wild- best concert ever played. The feeling is something that brings you to a place that is nothing short of euphoric. It is a spontaneous moment that leaves you completely and genuinely happy for that brief second. The opposite happens too. A song will come on that bring tears with raw emotion because it takes you to that moment that your heart was broken or someone you lost loved that song. A song can rip your heart in pieces over and over again no matter what the time span of hearing.

When you are alone with your lover and want to set the mood, music is always a vital key for lighting the fire. It could be Barry White or Bryan Adams and everything in between but the music will spark a primal urge and movement deep inside all of us. Many of us probably wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for music. I know my two oldest daughters wouldn’t be………If you are ever wondering how to rekindle an ember or start a new one, from my own experience of being married for more then a couple decades,  I will give a suggestion that still works for us. Put the lights down low and your birthday suits on with some George Jones and friends in the surround sound and just see where the music takes you. We may not listen to George and his friends as much as we used to but when we do, the music will always move us the same way as when we were young.

Music is the soulmate to emotion. It moves you like the moods of a river. It bleeds like a broken heart and can mend it faster then it breaks. It sends you to places like nothing else in this world. Humans are made up of emotions and music is the pied piper.