The following is an entry in the Thanksgiving Challenge 2021. The challenge is simple. Post something you are thankful for, 10 days in a row. Anything at all.
I am thankful for music.
And I know I'm not the only one if all the music videos on ActiveRain are a clue!
Music is on all day long in my house. First thing in the morning it gets switched on and it remains on all day, with the exception of the few times the news goes on (not my desire!). While I used to love listening to my BOSE system which had all my CD music stored in memory for easy shuffling, I was forced to give it to my husband for his workshop. Not because he wanted it, but because the technology in the device I bought 20 years ago is not compatible with today's TVs. And the wiring required for the old entertainment system speakers just doesn't work with my current setup. I really miss that system; the sound was fantastic, the remote worked from anywhere and didn't need to be pointed at the device, and I had access to all my own music with no ads.
But now we use the radio for the most part, or we use Pandora with the speakers of our receiver. We have a handful of saved stations and depending on our mood we might listen to the one that has all sorts of unique music we haven't heard before, rock, country or some other station. But bottom line, the music is always on in the background.
And the car! Let's not forget about the car. Not only do I always have music on in the car but because I'm not a fan of long road trips, if I'm on one, singing along with the music loudly is my coping mechanism. You've never heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" until you hear me belting it out after three hours in the car. I know every single word and all the inflections.
Of course then there is the question of genre. What kind of music makes the grade in my house? Almost everything! When I was younger a friend and I used to go to a fair amount of concerts, so whatever she got tickets for, I was game to try. Either with her, or other friends, some of the concerts I've seen have been:
- Peter Frampton (first concert ever)
- Pink Floyd
- ZZ Top
- Heart
- Rod Stewart
- Paul McCartney
- Willie Nelson
- Buddy Guy
- BB King
- Van Morrison
- Stevie Ray Vaughan (a month or two before he died)
- Andrea Boccelli (three times)
And when you add in all the Broadway and Off-Broadway shows I've seen, there's a ton of live music that has entertained me over the years.
And then there's the actual instruments. I took a few piano lessons as a teenager, but didn't actually enjoy playing until I bought a piano about 15 or so years ago. It's digital and I don't play as often as should, but when I do it puts a huge smile on my face. What fun it is to make my own music... and it sounds like my own because it often does not sound like what it's supposed to sound like! Haha.
And I also still have my flute from high school, although I haven't played in decades. And my guitar, which I just took out the other day for the first time in a long time.
So I am happy for music. All of it. Listening to the radio, singing along with it, playing an instrument, seeing live music. Music is also all around us. The clicking of a clock along with the humming of a heater and the tinkling of a wind chime. Listen to that! Or the singing of a myriad of birds on a spring day. Or the rushing of the wind. It's all music. And I am incredibly grateful for all of it.
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