The Sweet Sound Of Music

 

Music. I love music. I can safely say not a day goes by that I’m not listening to it.

Drive time. Work out time. Cleaning house. Cutting the grass.

Even writing… yes… writing.

Weirdly, having music going seems to free my mind. You think it might be distracting but I really (usually) find it to be quite the opposite. Don’t ask me to explain… it just works.

Let’s face it … in the ways of music… there’s a lot to choose from!

I think music is a personal experience for anyone who listens to it. We are shaped by it and often influenced as well. It can lift our mood, speak to our hearts, or often seemingly address some life situation we are in at any given moment.

Am I the only one who finds certain songs “speak” to how I’m feeling ?

With all the diversity of music in the world it’s hard to narrow down to one single genre and stay there.

Although… for me… I think I will always be a rock girl at heart. It’s definitely my preference to listen to almost (always) and it’s THE thing to get me moving.

Oh I can clean up pretty well and I’ve attended operas and classical concerts. I’ve been in the church choir.   I can dress down and be comfortable in a t shirt and jeans packed in with thousands of sweaty people at a rock concert.

Having kids I’ve been exposed to a wide range of music from rap, Christian,  country, industrial and everything in between. I love having young friends as well who share music with me I might otherwise not know about.

But at the end of the day.. there is something about rock that is always my “go to” music.

So when a friend recently did a Facebook post asking what kind of music people listened to that moved them during their workouts…well… I chimed in… but I jokingly made a disclaimer that I didn’t listen to “tame” music when I worked out. I really like having someone growling in my ear. It pushes me…challenges me…and some music just won’t let me back off.

When I’m running… there are songs that push me harder. I have songs that motivate me when I’m lifting… perhaps not as fast… but more… intense.

My music can and often, dictates my mood as well.  I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

Some of my favorite music memories involve my kids. (like…they let  me do stuff with them haha)

I took my oldest son and 4 of his friends to an out of town concert they wanted to attend. The band was one of those industrial, all black leather, heavy on the makeup and tripped out clothes. It was in a completely seedy night club…. you know the kind… where the door is falling off the hinges to the bathroom ? 😉

I’d listened to some of their music.. I referred to it as my angry music…ha… I still do.. it’s great for when I’m boxing.

Anyway, they wanted to go, so we took off, got a hotel room, went to the concert that night and came home the next day. They still like making jokes about when we all shared a room together 😛

Yes… me and 5 teenage boys. I should get a medal. It really was fun.

Or the summer I refer to in our house as the summer of “My Chemical Romance”. 

MCR was constantly blaring out of my sons room.  Black Parade had been released and it was off the charts popular, and My Chem was on tour in Project Revolution. It was one of those massive outdoor festivals and it was beyond stupid hot that day.  My Chem didn’t come on till that evening, right before Linkin Park.  I was afraid we’d die of heat stroke before the big main event.

We didn’t. We made it. It was a long, hot, fun day and My Chemical Romance put on a crazy show… it was soooo worth it.

Months later, we got to see them in a small venue that was close to home. We were packed in like sardines into this small outside theater they had decided to play “for fun”. We were close enough to the stage we could see them sweating… haha….but it was an incredible, energetic experience to be a part of. A crowd who knew all the songs by heart singing along? It was a total blast… and we were completely exhausted afterwards.

Music has the ability to transport us to another time, to evoke memories, to make new ones, to heal our souls, put us in a better mood, or challenge us in our workouts to give more of ourselves.  It speaks when we can’t.

What about you? Do you use music for working out? Do you have songs or artists that really get you going ? Do you agree that music can speak for us when we have no words?