Saturday Playlist

Today is Saturday and a day to be in by myself.  As an introvert, this is like Christmas morning and a peach pie.  I soak up the silence and solitude, taking my time with every task, mundane or not. I give myself time to think my thoughts and relish the pauses in-between.  The day is cold and windy which makes it cozy inside, especially after the helter skelter swelter that it's been this week. Does anyone else suffer from physical maladjustment to the first onslaught of the hot & humid season?  I'm pretty sure it's a real thing; that first day I was as tired as as log. I could hardly move. 80 degrees and 90% humid--it just sends my innards into a frenzied lethargy. < -- that's right, think on that for a minute. Be it what you want.  Anyway, so today is grand and resets a few things for me.

After puttering around doing my busy or non-busy things, I decided to sit at the ol' piano with a tune rolling around in my head.  I began to play and it was fine and nice, even, when it suddenly reminded me of a favorite melody.  Most everything I play reminds me of something else that I love. At least I'm consistent, if unoriginal.  And this time it was my old favorite, the theme song from The Mission, arguably the most beautiful movie soundtrack of all time.  So I played that for a while and enjoyed it because it really is just lovely. In fact, just--here.  Just listen, please, for me. As a commenter noted beautifully, perfectly,

"The music, ironically, still survives in the jungles of Paraguay and Bolivia. May the single sheets of music who touched the hand of God retain their immortality."

 Watching the video of the orchestra play, I get a little weepy a) because any whose ears are graced will be sent to their knees, and b) I love watching an orchestra. I love watching musicians love the music they are playing. I don't know how everyone isn't blubbering all over themselves and their instruments. They must be really skilled to keep it together like that. And I feel a surge of envy in my heart. I have never played in an orchestra except when I was in the band for 3 years in Jr. High. I know band is super nerdy but let me tell you something. Truthfully, i loved it. I loved being part of a group that made music together--even music that sounded like a Jr. High band played it, with all its instruments.  It's magical and that's the truth, and I'm grateful I have that, at least.

Moving on!  Playing this theme sent me on a random path that connected to one I would not have thought.  It could be that this song is always playing in my subconscious or that the season is stirring up a pivotal time of year and moment in my life and this song was the theme song.  No Surprises by Radiohead came on next, and I indulged in a celebratory measure or two of the 10-year anniversary of when this song was first introduced to me after I was first introduced to Sean.  This song is eerie, beautiful, and sings of suicide(?) But it's happy for me because it is our song, and listening to it, especially now, takes me to that time and I get a little choked up.  Happy anniversary.

After I played that for a while and my eyes refocused, they landed on the sheet music before me which is an arrangement I am working on of Come, Come, Ye Saints.  This has been a long work in progress, and it is only recently that I wrote out the parts, but I've been working on it for at least a year, maybe two. After that length of time, it really starts to mean something, and this one is a goodie. It tells a wonderful story, heartbreaking, poignant, and full of hope.

Naturally, after I plunked around after finishing that one, I accidentally hit a chord or something that reminded me of Memory, from the musical Cats. This is funny because I have never seen the musical, am not a die-hard musical fan, and don't know the story whatsoever.  All i know is someone (probably a bunch of kids) in my family played it when I was young.  And it was the song my sister's little piano music box played that was a fixture on our piano in the living room.  I'd wind it and wind it and I like it fine but mostly this song is pleasant for me because it stirs up the memory of listening to it as a kid, near the piano of my youth, and all of the associations therewith.

And that was my playlist today. Super random, but I am connected to each song, and after it was done, I walked away fulfilled and am ready to do the next thing in my quiet-again solitude.  Happy Saturday.