I have been thinking a lot about music lately. It's so amazing, isn't it? Life-changing. And during these last few weeks of chaos and uncertainty, music has brought me more comfort and peace than I have allowed it to in years.
The truth is I have been taking music for granted for a long time now. Being a professional musician is actually a great way to make you hate music.
Sad but true.
Sometimes when music becomes a job, you lose sight of what you loved about it in the first place. It becomes mundane and ordinary. It becomes hard and even unpleasant all in the name of paying your mortgage.
When the world shut down and I was forced to slow down, I started remembering that I have had all this amazing music in my pocket this whole time yet I never take the time to listen to it anymore.
There was a time, not so long ago, when you had to buy tickets to hear music. Then you had to wait for months until you could go to the show. When that day finally came, you had to get dressed up and go to the place with all the other adults, sit in a seat, wait for the lights and the chatter to die down. And then finally, you could listen to this music you had been craving for months.
You only had one shot. It was live. No recordings. So you had to be present. Listen. Take it all in. And the only way you could record it was in your mind.
As the days went on after, you could replay it in your mind and relive the magic and the wonder of that night. But as more time went on, it became harder and harder to recall the music. The memory would begin to fade and eventually it was like you were never there. So you had to buy another ticket, plan another night out, dress up, go to the room with the adults and do it all over again.
This was the only way to listen to music. This was the only way to get this comfort and beauty into your life. It took time. Dedication. Patience. And discipline.
With time came vinyl, cassettes and CD's. We could finally start to enjoy this music more often. But then came the iPod soon followed by smartphones and everything changed forever.
Now we have this beauty in our pockets at all times. Anytime I want to, I can pull out my phone and listen to some of the most amazing music ever written performed just for me, directly to my ears through my headphones. It's like my own little private concert. I don't have to buy a ticket. I don't have to wait for months. I don't even have to put on pants. It is always there. It is just waiting for me to hit play.
Over the years, my life had gotten so busy and crazy. Like all of us do as adults, I got caught up in making money and paying bills and I forgot that the music was still there. I focused on stress, fear, and anxiety instead of the device in my pocket that had all the answers I was looking for.
When the world stopped, I finally remembered it was there.
I can't tell you how much joy this phone has brought to my life over the past few weeks. I have totally been "the weird guy" walking down the street crying with headphones on because I can finally connect with this music in a way that I haven't in years. I have listened to my favorite Broadway shows, I have listened to concertos, I have listened to the guilty pleasure songs from my youth. It has transported me to another time and place. It has connected me with nature, God and my community. It has reminded me of the magic and wonder of being a kid.
Most importantly, it has reminded me that everything is going to be ok. When I choose to see it, I have everything I need. I have love, I have community and I have music.
There are many things the world is telling me I can't do right now, but there is one thing I can do.
Who knew the answer was in my pocket all along.
- Chris
The Power Of Chalk
Every day as I go out into the world during these crazy times, I pass by my neighbor's house. Their kids, doing what kids do, have put a simple, classic message on the sidewalk in chalk. It says "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Is it really that simple?
I don't know but it certainly isn't always that easy. Especially right now. I think it's safe to say that we all have a lot of worries right now. Can we really turn them all off and be happy just because some kids told us to with chalk? I don't know if I could do that even if Bobby McFerrin himself showed up and told me to.
But I will say this, every time I walk by that house I smile. I have a moment of peace. I feel connected to the world and I have a moment of escape as I sing a line or two from that classic song from my youth.
The chalk is working.
One day the rains came and washed the sidewalk message away. It created a blank slate on the sidewalk again. All that hard work those kids had done was gone. The beautiful colors were gone and the sidewalk was back to it's normal, grey self. It kind of felt like the hope was gone too.
But none of that seemed to phase these kids one bit. The very next day they had redone the whole thing. They recreated the sidewalk almost exactly as it was before the rain. The message of hope was back. Brighter and louder than before.
How many of us would do that? When all our hard work is washed away, it is so easy to give up and say "What's the point?" We take moments like this so deeply personal. We let it rob us of our joy and our hope.
But the truth is it was just a little rain. Rain always comes. If you are going to write a message in chalk on the sidewalk, you better be ready to do it again because the rain is coming. The rain will wash it away eventually. But if that message is important to you, you can go out and write it down again. As many times as needed.
As long as you still have the chalk, you still have the power to make a difference. No matter how many times it rains, the sun keeps coming out. When the sun comes out that means it's time for us to grab our chalk and go back to work.
The world needs us.