music, music, music

a few years ago, at a staff in-service, the teachers had to take one of those tests that purported to show our favored learning style. The PE folks were obviously bodily-kinesthetic (learn by doing, moving around), the arts people were visual, the language arts folks were verbal etc. Interestingly, I scored high in music, second only to the choir teacher. Which is interesting and all, but why would I feel compelled to share this really trivial and uninteresting factoid?

It all goes back to the U2 concert last night.

Last night, to be honest, I wasn't so excited about going to the concert. You know when you see couples at a concert and you can tell which person is REALLY the fan and which one is there as the date? Well, I expected to be "the date."

And then we got to the show.

I had forgotten the feeling, the literal feeling of the bass line as it courses through your body.

I had forgotten the emotions that a song can evoke; the feeling of where you were when you heard it first, who you were dating, how it made you feel.

I had forgotten how much U2 was a part of my youth. The baby boomers had the Stones. We had U2. The Joshua Tree. Achtung Baby. and so many more.

I had forgotten how much music can make you move, make you dance in a way that sometimes feels completely out of your control.

I had forgotten the powerful feeling of singing a song together with tens of thousands of other people, sounding like the most awesome choir in the world. You are singing in unison, a song that-at the risk of sounding horribly corny-makes you feel like you can change the world and that you are....one.

Really, I think I had forgotten how important music is to me, and how much I miss it. Singing along to Lady Gaga while I cook dinner is not enough. I'm going to join the choir at church. That should help. I think I'm going to have to start working on some scales and playing some more piano. My music theory is really rusty. And maybe, just maybe, I will indulge my secret dream to play drums. There might not be money for that right away, but that's a goal. I think last night's concert just reminded me that there is an important part of my soul that I have been neglecting. Feeding my musical soul is just as important as the food I make every night. At my age, I know I'm not going to change the world with my song. Hopefully, however, I'll make my world a little happier and hopefully spread some joy around.