Do you ever feel like sometimes you’re just having “one of those days?” Maybe it feels like all of a sudden everything’s come crashing down; or perhaps it’s just that you’ve had to face yet another disappointment in life. You don’t want to be in that negative place, but your head is spinning, your thoughts are going a mile a minute and you’re just trying to make sense of it all. You’re not sure exactly what you’re feeling, but you know you’re feeling something, and you have a compelling need to figure out what it is.
Sometimes I just need to clear my head and for me, music is one of the best ways to do that. I think most people would agree that music is an incredibly powerful form of therapy. Whether it transports us to a place far, far away or jolts us into the reality of where we are right at that moment, a good song can put it all in perspective and make us feel like everything’s going to be okay. Sometimes a song will remind me where I’ve been, where I am now and where I should be going. Sometimes it will bring me to a place of great clarity, profound realization, or sometimes it will simply remind me that I just need to get over it.
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So I decided to put together a sample list of some of my favorite songs when I need a little time for reflection. Some of them are very personal to me, perhaps marking pivotal times in my life, such as Fireflies (written by the brilliant Lori McKenna); or meaningful moments, such as Heavenly Day, the song to which my wedding party and I walked down the aisle (as a side note, Patty Griffin said that this was the first love song she ever wrote, and it just so happens that she wrote it for her dog…I can’t tell you how much I love that); or anthem-y songs that make me just want to sing along, like Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine or Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw (speaking of Tim McGraw, have you seen his transformation as a result of going Paleo? Wow! That reminds me: I need to go workout now…). Finally, some are just songs that move me or give me a little hope.
Most importantly, songs like this help remind me that I’m not alone in this universe, that someone else out there went through it before me, and that if they made it through, then there just might be some hope for me after all.
1. This Too Shall Pass by Tyler Stenson
2. Here’s Where the Story Ends by The Sundays
3. New Slang by The Shins
4. Chasing Pavements by Adele
5. Only Living Boy in New York by Simon & Garfunkel
6. The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
7. Nemesis by David Gray
8. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Aretha Franklin
9. Dreamboat Annie by Heart
10. Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine
11. Fireflies by Faith Hill
12. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1 by The Flaming Lips
13. Live Like YouWere Dying by Tim McGraw
14. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers
15. Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin
This is my list, but music is so subjective. What are the songs that get you through trying times?
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