Transition – Five Songs that Make Me Think
I’ve been going through a transition in my life for a few months now. It started a couple weeks after we brought our newest daughter Caitlin home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after a rough start to her life. By all accounts, the experience of seeing her fight through such a tough situation had both a saddening and inspirational affect on me.
It made me realize that life is short, and it is important that I make the most of every day.
It made me start to think if I was really living up to my full potential.
It made me question whether or not I was on the right career path.
It made me wonder what the future has in store for me and my family.
It made me reflect on my past.
I don’t know about you, but when I get in a thoughtful mood I tend to listen to a different kind of music than I normally do. In general, I’m not a very emotional person, so I think it helps me to connect emotion to thought by listening to certain songs. What songs?
Here’s 5 Songs I’ve been listening to that make me think (and feel something):
Hey Jude – The Beatles
Father of Mine – Everclear
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
Hurt – Johnny Cash
I’ve got a lot of things to be thankful for in my life, and I am genuinely appreciative. I’m going through a tough transition period, and I’m sure everything is going to work out fine. These songs, and a few others, help me work things out in my mind, so that I can focus and continue moving forward with a good attitude. They may seem slightly depressing – conflicted thoughts often are – but I’m the kind of person who needs clarity, vision and purpose.
How do you deal with transitionary periods in your life? Do you have some favorite songs that help you think?
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Comment by Chuck on 14 September 2008:
The “living up to my full potential” question is an interesting one; however, I find it most interesting to seek the answer from those closest to me.
When I’m moving through transitions like this I prefer the quiet introspective moments. Music, while associated with memories and such, is a distraction for me. My answers and peace come through the silence.
Thanks for the thought provoking post.
Comment by Orlund on 14 September 2008:
Whatever you decide to do remember what you do is not as important as who you are. What happens around you and to you is not nearly as important as what you learn and how you grow from it. I hope everything with your daughter Caitlin turns out good. I have prayed for her and will continue praying.
Comment by Ed (zoesdad) on 14 September 2008:
Funny, you’re moving through a transition and I’m in need of one. I’m stuck in a rut. Music always seems to help me–not necessarily to deal but to distract. I suppose I’m like Chuck in that regard. My problem is that I don’t seek the silence.
I suppose to answer your question–I deal with transition by putting my nose to the wheel, focus forward and deal with it. Move on and ahead. Keep on!
Ed (zoesdad)s latest discovery was..Superstitious
Comment by Jeremy on 14 September 2008:
Thanks guys. Chuck – I like the silence too, but at times, it just makes me numb (I do need it though to help my brain organize and “file” things in their proper places).
Orlund – thank you for the prayers for Caitlin man! We really appreciate that.
Ed – I know how you feel man – being stuck in a rut is one of the hardest things for me to deal with too. Normally, I’m a nose to the grind stone kind of guy as well. Like the movie Meet the Robinson’s says “keep moving forward.” I think the challenge for me lately has been the anticipation of things changing for many weeks.
I start a new job tomorrow that I’ve been preparing for nearly a month. Sometimes, it’s better to just make the change to have less time to think about things, but I guess that causes a different set of stress and problems.
Part of me is really excited for the change, while another part is worried about how our life will change with the new circumstances. We’ve always had one of us watching the kids (I owned my own business for the past 2 years), and now we’re going to have to rely on family and a nanny to help us.
I’m sure that once things get going it will work out fine.
Comment by Phil on 15 September 2008:
I don’t talk about it on my blog (her request), but my wife is NICU nurse. I’ve heard such stories of sadness and desperation. I’m glad your daughter has battled through her first few weeks.
As for dealing with transitionary periods? I don’t deal with them. I tend to shut down. So, I’m not very good at change.
Songs that help me think? “Hey Jude” is one of them definitely. Also, “Harvest Festival” by XTC, “Wonderful Life” by Black, “Nails in my Feet” by Crowded House, and “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison.
Phils latest discovery was..Bee Charmer
Comment by Charlie on PA Tpk on 15 September 2008:
For me, songs with long instrumentals strike chords with me. “Low Sparks of High-Heeled Boys” remains a favorite of mine, either with headphones on or on a long drive at night (besides commuting).
Transition, for me, seems to come more frequently than most. “The more things change, the more they stay the same” is the expression, but rarely do things settle with me for any great length of time. I think the times that are the toughest for me are those when I try to resist change, try to keep in one place.
Charlie on PA Tpks latest discovery was..Remember
Comment by Tara R. on 19 September 2008:
I love Cash’s version of ‘Hurt,’ so powerful, so full of emotion. Good luck working through the transitions.
Tara R.s latest discovery was..To sleep, perchance to dream
Comment by Matt on 24 September 2008:
This is a great post…and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to comment on it sooner. I know exactly how you feel.. And I turn to music the same way some people turn to sweets or coffee. I use it to alter my mood. Sometimes I actually want to feel a moody, so I’ll put something on like Damien Rice “O” or “Trinity Sessions” by Cowboy Junkies. Other times I want to get myself into a better mood (I’d most likely turn to Bob in this case).
But the period in your life that you are describing is one I am very familiar with. And still very much entrenched in. For whatever reason, I can’t seem to draw the same inspiration from any type of music that I could a couple of years ago. It just doesn’t have the same effect on me that it used to. Maybe I am getting too old, or too tired. Or maybe, like you, I need to suck it up and initiate a major change in my life that will make me feel excited again. I don’t know. But I find it unfortunate and hope that one day I’ll be able to experience that same, care-free “I can do anything” feeling I’d get while driving with the top down on a summer day and listening to “Waiting In Vain”.
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