My tendency to listen to blues music early in the day is well documented. I am not sure when it started. I do know that my habit spans across decades. The way that I explain my preference often includes words like hope, honesty, and being candid (brutally). As I listened to the blues while riding the Harley, I realized that there is more to the habit than I realized. While I enjoy blues, my observations that followed could fit across several music genres.
Music is something we do together. At a minimum, there is an individual, an instrument, and someone listening. On rare occasions, it may be someone alone. Usually, a community shares experience.
Blues music thrives on simple honesty. There is nothing subtle about what one listens to. It is direct. The words and sentiment are blatant. I find that raw emotions lie at the heart of the blues.
When the blues connects, I find that my heart is infused with hope. Initially, I looked for words only to discover that it was something quite different. Hope is the feeling that comes with two or more connect with honesty and positive intent. When the intent comes with love and compassion, energy emerges, transforming everything it touches.
The process all begins with community. Walking alone is helpful, if only for a season. Silence is never the final answer. Each prepares us for action. I find they also trigger a longing for being with others. I read how “the men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. [Then], Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: ‘Come as quickly as you can!’” (Acts 17.15) I know that Paul was reaching to community. His thirst for hope and energy could only be quenched when he was walking with others.
Today dawns, filled with “to do” items, goals, and the sound of the blues. The path is open, anything can happen. I am reaching for others. They are my line to connecting with what I have the potential to be.
