
It's January 20th, 2025.
Considering the intersections of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the continued national mourning of the passing of President Jimmy Carter, and a fundamental exercise of US democracy taking place today, I turn to music to sort the myriad thoughts and feelings associated with all of this. Regardless where any of us falls on the sociopolitical spectrum we will need to continue taking care of ourselves and of each other. Might as well get a good start, and for me that means listening and movement. I’ve made a playlist, and I also recommend:
getting outside (even for a brisk walk in the freezing cold!),
calling your mom or another gender marginalized and generationally removed person important to you, and asking what life was/will be like when they were/are your age and what they think their mom’s/their kids was/will be like,
listening to or reading the great speeches from Dr. King, President Carter, and of other luminary thought leaders that have shaped this 249 year old government, including Onondaga leader Canassatego’s speech printed by Benjamin Franklin,
dancing, singing, yelling, laughing, or anything else that keeps you in your body and your feelings more than in your head.
That last suggestion is where my playlist idea came from. Activating your inner ear and vocal chords has a huge effect on your vagus nerve’s ability to spread good vibes to your parasympathetic nervous system.
There will be plenty of people writing about this day and its implications. I decided to add to all that noise with… more noise?? I started by making a list of music that popped into my brain when considering this day and its intersections. My prize possession hand made candy corn notebook (thank you, genius crafter and candy corn troller “Legend” Lee) was getting quite a workout but I realized pretty early on in this process that I also needed to ask people who think and live differently than I do. Ultimately the playlist I put together is a combination of feedback I’ve gathered from colleagues, friends, and family plus stuff I find particularly interesting, contemplative, celebratory, provocative, comforting, and everything in between. As someone who grew up crafting the perfect mix tapes for any occasion (where my Gen Xers at? - HEYO!) I can honestly say it’s terrible. Rotten terrible. The theme is too broad and I’ve not put any guardrails or guiding principles around structuring the content. Still it’s filled with amazing stuff that’s guaranteed to keep you off balance in a way that makes for more active listening. Play it on shuffle or don’t. It will still feel randomized because like all of us - IT IS.
Music fills my cup so that I can extend it to others. This playlist is just a place to start from and I hope it sparks interest, joy, contemplation, and wonderment in you. Comment and let me know what you think about any of these selections, what you would add, or how you’re choosing to spend this day.
Final thoughts provided by Virginia Woolf:
“Whatever happens, stay alive. Don't die before you're dead. Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't lose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life, and that's life itself.”
Thank you so much for this post! I'm very excited about your website and blog!!! :-)
Awesome playlist! But it def can't hurt to have this one as well... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=georoUtmpqk