Wrap-up

Well, my happiness project fizzled out this month!  I really couldn't focus much on it much because life got a little bit too busy.  My December resolution will be to simply enjoy and embrace the happy holiday time with my family!  Then I'll be reevaluating and excited about starting a new year with some new resolutions.  I'm hoping to come up with some that are more tangible.  Those seem easier than focusing on more emotional goals.  Here's to a happy Christmas season!

Re-think

I'm thinking about how I probably should have taken November and December "off" from my happiness project!  I've been so busy with planning for the holidays and commitments with my kids that I really don't feel like I've been true to my resolution this month.  I did do some listening this week to relaxation-type music, which was part of my plan but it only happened twice!  I just have too many other things going on right now.  In fact, I've decided that next month will just be focusing on enjoying the holiday month.  I'll try and do a better job this coming week--yikes! it's Thanksgiving!--in keeping my focus on enjoying music.  Happy Turkey Day!

Classical Moments

Well, I didn't do very well in keeping up with listening to some kind of classical music every day this week but when I did, it was good!  Classical music is such a deep part of who I am.  Learning music history in my teenage and college days became one of my favorite areas of study.  I remember wanting to visit my favorite composer's places of birth and discover where they lived and worked.  I got to do some of that when I visited London back in the early 90's.  Having classical music available to listen to and play is truly a gift.  I am grateful to my mom, my piano teachers, and general music teachers for always encouraging me to listen to classical music.  I was able to learn a great deal of classical music on the piano as well; most of which is still in my fingers to this day!  I feel blessed to have such a great musical background.  It's priceless!

(The composer in the picture is Rachmaninov--one of my favorites to hear and play!)

The 80's

Well, the 80's was obviously my most favorite decade for music.  And the music defines me.  I listened to some Erasure, Depeche Mode and The Police this week.  Interestingly enough, as I was listening, tears came to my eyes so many times because so much of it reminded me of my mom!  I think the connection is that I was home and growing up during those years and she actually let me listen to that stuff!  Granted, the music I listened to was not what I would ever consider "bad", but I think my mom had a lot of patience with all of us and our music fads.  But this music is not just a "fad"--I still listen to it and was reminded this week how healing and comforting it can be now that I'm close to 40.  It brings back specific feelings and thoughts.  It brings back specific people and places.  I don't think there is anything like music that better connects us to our past.  I really enjoyed bringing out some of my fav's this week!  Did it make me feel happier?  Yes!

November 2011: The Power of Music!

Welcome to November!  I always love a new month!  This month I will be going back to my "roots" of music.  Music is the underlying current in my life.  It's what I know inside and out, it's what I've studied for decades--literally, and it's what I forget to fall back on when I need some healing in my life.  I forget how profound music really is.  It is a much better medication than medication.  Because I have been in a "healing" mode since my mom's death, I am turning to music this month because I don't use its' powers enough in my life.  I am going to be listening to a lot of music this month:  80's music, classical, modern, and everything in between.  I am also going to be working in some other things I like to do with music:  accompany my husband's singing, sight reading, and just using it as an overall healer.  This first week I'll be listening to music from my favorite decade:  the 80's!  This is healing in and of itself because it brings me back to those great days when life was so different.  I'll report next weekend!