Lessons in Gratitude Day 96

I was up a little earlier than usual this morning visiting briefly with Michal as she prepared to drive back up to school. She was a little anxious about getting back on the road and back into her week at school. I made her stop for 5 minutes and watch the video of Kirk Franklin’s song, “I Smile.” (Check it out in Lessons in Gratitude Day 76 http://walkinyourpower.com/blog/?p=312) I encouraged her to stop long enough to watch it because, more than simply listening to the music, watching the faces of the people as they sing, watching them smile, is part of what makes the video for me. She watched it, even though she was a bit distracted, and perhaps got a small smile out of it. Later on she posted on her Facebook page that she was still smiling. That made me smile too.

I watched it myself a few more times today. There’s power in the music and in the faces of the singers. It lifted my mood as it always does. It’s funny to have something like that. I don’t get tired of it. The truth is, the song resonates with me at so many levels, particularly in terms of where I am in my life at the moment. “I smile, even though I hurt, see I smile.” One of the things that touches me is the amazing capacity that we humans have that we can smile even while in the midst of difficult, sometimes even tragic, catastrophic times. Something seems to dwell inside each of us that finds its way up through all the layers of stuff in our hearts and eventually makes its way to our faces, and we smile. Now I don’t mean to pretend that things can’t get so hard and that a person can’t be in such pain that it feels like they will never smile again. And sometimes in people’s desire to make things better for someone they love who is suffering, they might actually pressure, push that loved one to stop crying, to smile, to feel better.

I have experienced times not too long ago when I didn’t feel much like smiling, but even in the midst of some real emotional low points, somehow I still smiled and even laughed occasionally. Over time as I’ve worked to feel better, I find that I smile a lot…every day. Some days it’s easier than others, but now I have enough presence of mind to know that when I’m feeling bad, I need to do something to shake out of it. Music is a great antidote for me. The power of music activates the power of the smile and gets all the endorphins and other energy-lifting byproducts working together to bring me out of whatever it was that had me down. The music doesn’t necessarily have to have a “feel good” theme or lyric; I used to get just as happy with a really great, up-tempo Latin rumba or conga or other song that gets me off my duff and on my feet. I don’t even understand many of the lyrics but it gets me moving and puts a big ol’ smile on my face (Try Tres Deseos (Three Wishes) by Gloria Estefan for example.)

I might sound like a broken record (pardon the pun and the almost archaic reference) but I am so grateful to have music as such an integral part of my life. It plays such a significant role in lifting my spirits, giving me a means of expression and simply putting a smile on my face. It is something I do not and will not take for granted or cease to appreciate. I long for the day when I am inspired to once again write my own songs, but in the meantime I’ll play some of my old tunes and favorites penned by others. And, I’ll smile.