Memory Lane + Soundtrack

Music is impenetrably tied to memories. The weather change, a few notes of a song, and I’m transported back to a simpler time. Nights and weekends were spent escaping the confines of a small town via open windows and slow drives down dusty back roads. Extra points if you managed to get lost. Many life lessons were learned with good friends, some of those lessons without a statute of limitations. Shameless.

20 years post-high school graduation, the memories still live rent free in my head, which today is mostly clouded with busy work and anxiety. Oh, but how I love to go back to those moments in time that made me me.

Photo by Stas Knop on Pexels.com

Admittedly, I had a wild side that I balanced with being top of my class and working hard to support myself. Untouchable. An interesting word which would eventually come back around to describe me in a different career. Although this may sound like bragging, I can assure you it’s not. It probably kept me safe on more than one occasion, even if it didn’t prevent the absolutely worst humans intent on harm. I’m still standing.

Song #2

My dissertation anthem. I believe I intended to write a different post near the end of this journey but I probably won’t remember what I was planning to say then so why not.

Music and memories, that’s where it’s at. Fairly certain I’ve published other posts along the same lines, get it, get it, but my tag skills are rough so it hasn’t been easy to find.

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I ask you –

Did you own cassette tapes?

What old song is living in your head?

Tell me about your anthem!

(The post Memory Lane + Soundtrack first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Hear the Thoughts

I enjoy reading articles like this, 5 Popular Education Beliefs That Aren’t Backed by Research.

Specifically, the myth about reading aloud and the myth regarding music. I have my own experiences. As a kindergartner, yes, I remember this distinctly, I would get called out by “student teachers” aka older kids that were instructed to read to us younger ones, and teachers because of my inability to process what was being read to me. To this day, auditory is not my learning style. I learn by writing or reading. Clearly.

I also recall certain peers not doing well when it came to reading aloud and I always had this sense of disappointment it was a mandatory activity that promoted anxiety (although I didn’t know that feeling at the time) and frustration. For the music myth, I have found that when I’m doing a monotonous task like entering time card info, then background music (often, jazz or a coffee shop mix) is relaxing and motivating to me. However, I know other tasks, like budget reviews, etc., are absolutely not the time for me to be listening to music. Fascinating.

Credit via IG

Then there’s quotes that just resonate with everything inside me. Recently, my ear buds died prior to the run I’d had scheduled and was really looking forward to, so I ran sans music. Unheard of (get it, get it). Despite the midday timeframe, there was near silence all around me. No one speaking, no loud booms, just silence. Truly, it was exactly what I needed because nearly everyday is punctuated by noise, a constant sound cacophony of stuff. I won’t get started about how it’s typically loud in my head, but the silence of that run was absolute bliss.

Sometimes I just need to hear myself think.

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I ask you –

Did any myth surprise you?

Have you ever run in silence?

Tell me how often you charge your earbuds!

(The post Hear the Thoughts first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

So Much in My Head

It’s fascinating to me when artists switch genres. It’s even more interesting to me when the period of time between hits is so extensive that many people don’t even remember they once had a hit.

For example –

Dallas Smith, Canadian lead singer of Default, recently released a country song. I never really know what prompts people to change music styles, but I guess music is music so it doesn’t matter. I will continue listening anyway.

Channeling my inner Anna Kendrick. …who some say I resemble which I take as an absolutely amazing compliment. Hello. Have you seen her? Come on! Or else they’re referring to my wild sense of humor and sarcasm which I still take as a compliment. Because she’s hilarious! To my point, it turns out not everyone has an inner monologue. I’m shocked, too. You know, the Jiminy Cricket inside your head that tells you ridiculous things, but also serves as your conscience. Right, some people have silence in their head. It’s very hard to believe.

I know for sure I have at least 3 competing voices in my head at all times. A dueling dialogue, if you will. A brain battle. A war of humor, curse words, and complete nonsense. Shall I continue? When asked, someone stated the lack of a monologue is why men can’t always answer the question “What are you thinking about?” If you ask me this question and I answer “nothing”, I’m obviously lying. My brain literally never stops. The record is always turning. And there’s no telling who inside is actually speaking. But, guaranteed, it’s someone.

Now that I sound like a real whackadoo, I shall finish this post and return to whatever else I was thinking about the whole time. Probably coffee. Or this paper that’s due.

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I ask you –

Do you have a monologue, dialogue, or something else?

Has anyone ever told you that you resemble someone? If so, who?

Name some other artists that switched genres.

(The post So Much in My Head first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)