A NEW PLAYLIST

A NEW PLAYLIST

Music has always been a part of my life. When I was three I played records (remember 78's?) on our small machine. Most were probably cowboy songs, because my dad was a big fan of cowboys. (He'd worked in Colorado in the 1920s, so that would explain why he was enamored of all things Western.) My playlist included Tex Ritter for sure. Hank Williams came later.

My grown-up tastes are eclectic. For a long time I couldn't listen to anything but jazz--mostly the cool jazz of the 1950s. Then, as often happens, tastes change and I went in for classical (a misnomer, because that's a particular period, not a general category)--and there my choices ran to 17th and 18th century composers. But later, I fell in love with the 15th and 16th centuries as well. This playlist was--unbeknownst to me--a godsend: "classical" music is considered good listening while trying to learn, and the Baroque period is best of all.

In my teens, I actually liked some of the music of the fifties, but not rock 'n' roll. Could never get my head around why that was good or fun or appealing to listen to. What is now called Easy Listening was more my style. These were intended to calm me.

And then there were the Hollywood musicals--or the Broadway musicals--and I was hooked again. Here I found great word play--Alan Jay Lerner and George Gershwin two of my faves.

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The above history is prelude to my current Playlist: Songs to Work To.

If you've been keeping up with Thursday's Child, you'll know my youngest child is now living with me here in Northeast Indiana.

And if you've ever, even once, moved from one place to another, you'll understand the scenario:

--boxes everywhere
--boxes stacked three or four high
--furniture trying to shoehorn itself into the available space
--soft goods--clothes, bedding, pillows--piled wherever there's a flat surface
--multiple lamps, electronics, office supplies, dishes trying not to look lost

Somehow, what is supposed to stay (not be sold or donated) has to be looked at, sorted, decided upon, and finally (if all goes well) find its niche. This is not a quick process, and sometimes not even enjoyable.

Without especially planning how to manage, my daughter and I have evolved a series of songs to help with the work.

"There's a Place for Us" (West Side Story) - we get the feeling items are singing to us as we look for a shelf or drawer or corner for them; we sing it ourselves.

"A Few of My Favorite Things" (The Sound of Music) - open a box, find some of the treasures we've stored away, sometimes for years; remembering what it was we liked about that piece, or remembering who gave it to us, or where we bought it. (Was that the time we visited the Smoky Mountains? Or was that when we went to Peru on a pilgrimage?)

"Que Sera Sera" (The Man Who Knew Too Much) - this is our go-to tune for times when it seems nothing is moving forward--not our country, not our pandemic society, not the sorting/discarding or the  displaying/storing decisions. 

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So far--thinking positively here--all is going well, if slowly, and we look forward to a day when every single thing, favorite or not, will be in its place.

In the meantime, you might hear a chorus of "Whistle While You Work," (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) if you drive down our street. Feel free to whistle along!