This post is excerpted from Simple Acts of Moving Forward.
Do you ever feel like this? Something inside me feels light today, as if my soul needs to bounce around the room. I feel restless, but I can’t think of any way to relieve it.
Music is a great gift to us. We should use it a lot—in fact, it should be part of each day. For centuries people of faith and substance have sung to God every day, some of them several times a day. Music is soul language; it reaches us in ways we will never be able to explain or appreciate fully.
In the midst of a hectic day, it can be good to drop everything long enough to sing a song. It’s easy to merely listen to a song, especially if you’re in the habit of turning on the radio. But it’s even better to sing. When you sing you’re exercising a part of yourself that doesn’t get much attention, and you air out the dull, toneless self that forgets how good it is to dance. In fact, even better than singing a song is dancing your own little dance. Best of all is to sing and dance at the same time.
I used to sing a lot when my business was music. I hardly sing at all anymore, but I’ve developed the habit of memorizing certain songs that are easy for me to sing to myself as I’m walking. They make good use of what voice I have left, and they are generally positive songs that shore up what I believe about life.
Of course, a person can’t always burst into song in the middle of a board meeting. (Well, now that I think about it, would it hurt that much?) But there’s always someplace you can sneak to for a few moments to sing your little song. It can be a prayer song or a stupid song or a nostalgic song or a totally made-up-off-the-top-of-your-head song. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make much sense. It especially doesn’t matter if you can’t carry a tune. The real singing happens inside; the physical singing merely helps the inside voice to wake up and make some noise.
Sing for no reason at all except to take a break and give yourself a lift.
A Little Prayer for the Next Step
Help me sing often and with much gusto.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
I was very disappointed after receiving today’s (2/8/2010) beautiful reflection on An Act of Joy: Sing a Song, that the promo code Simple10, to purchase the book expired in January. I’m hoping you offer another code!
Thanks so much for the Days of Deepening Friendship e-mails. I have really been blessed by them.
Sheila
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I’m reading “have a little faith” by Mitch Albom. He also wrote Tuesdays with Morrie.
This book is in the same vein as Tuesdays. One of the people he meets with is a Rabbi who is always singing. Maybe a whole sentance, maybe just a word in a sentance but he always breaks out in song.
One song he sang to Mitch when the Rabbi was asked how he felt was “The old gray Rabbi, ain’t what he use to be, ain’t what he use to be …
I thought how joyful he must be to break out in song.
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I always seem to have a song in my head & heart. I am an ok singer, but even more my grandmother (Nana) told me never to change – keep a joyous outlook in life! I am in a Cursillo Retreat group, and we are preparing for our April Woman’s retreat. As one of the ways I like to prepare – I only listen to the Rosary and Catholic Music instead of the radio. I find it a great way to connect to my faith and prepare / focus myself on my faith.
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