Day 18 Sing, Sing a Song

Yesterday, I wrote about the need for silence and some of the benefits silence can bring to one's life.

However, too much silence may lead to dark and dismal thoughts. Remember the Simon and Garfunkel song, Sound of Silence? The song speaks of darkness, people who try to talk and can't speak, a nightmarish world - set to beautiful music.

Just like most things in this world, you can have too much of a good thing.

Silence brings many good things, but too much silence may turn our thoughts inward and become harmful and destructive.


Most of us do not have the ability to escape the world of noise permanently, nor do we want to be in eternal silence. When silence doesn't suffice and there is still a need for something more, something that will lift our spirits when resting in silence isn't the right answer we become seekers, seekers of that which will speak to our inner selves.

We can find that something. There is something we can do - sing! 

Sing a song of good things, happy things, things that make you smile, warm your heart, bring back loving memories.  A song that spoke to me in that aspen forest in Central City was a John Denver song - Cool, and Green, and Shady.

As children we sang freely/ whenever our heart filled with joy.  As children joy was easy to come by. Some of us had that joy crushed, but it seems to me that there is always a seed, a kernel that still wants to burst forth in unfettered song. It's part of the reason why so many of us love The Sound of Music. The opening scene of

Maria singing at the top of her lungs on that mountain make us want to join her in her spinning joyfullness. We love Maria's sense of wonder - it hearkens back to when we were children ourselves.

That's what singing does. It takes us back to that place where we could sing to our heart's content and didn't care if anyone or everyone heard us. It brings us to a place where we were innocent, trusting

Then, somewhere along the way, someone wounded our singing self, sacrificed that joyous child with criticism.  "Stop that cater-wallering," "Does she really think she can sing? My god, that was awful, I'm so embarrassed."

Those type of words are daggers to our innocent hearts. Meanness, emotional injury and responsibility tried to cover our sunshine and maybe succeeded for a while. We zip our lips shut and refuse to sing in public or we sing low - so low no one can hear us.

But song persists and we sing in the shower and in the car.  There we are the only judge and we judge ourselves worthy.  But worthy or not, we hide our joy from others; why risk being slaughtered again?

The shame of it all is that singing can bring healing. Whether we compose and let our feelings out, or hum and make sounds that are pleasing to our ears only, just the act of singing or chanting frees us and will lead us to a magical place within if we let it.

Yet the lie that we tell ourselves because of that prior wounding persists. We think, no believe, we can't sing when in fact we've closed our mind to it; shut our mouths, blocked our throats. "I can't sing, I'm a monotone."

Really? True monotones rarely exist. If you vary pitch in any way - you are not a monotone and you can sing, given the right environment, the right encouragement, the right stimulus. Take a look at this Ted Talks and see what can be accomplished with a room full of people who receive basic guidance by a master and create something wonderful, amazing, and simply beautiful.

The Bible tells it's readers to "Make a joyful noise..." That is your right as a human being - to make joyful sounds that lift you out of the doldrums and take others with you to a place where simple "ooms" and monosyllabic chants become akin to that of angels singing, speaking, sighing their love, peace and joy into every cell of your body.

People often tell one another to have a positive attitude, but for someone struggling with a deep sacred wound to their innocence this directive can be difficult, lacking guidance. Want a more positive attitude - put on positive music. Who cares if it is your child's Raffi CD or some acapella fun. SING!

Let the music you make by singing have a larger role in your life. Tell the naysayers to back off. Don't believe a word they say, those party poopers.  Experience  happiness, fun, and joy again.

Joy, joy that springs from a place deep within and brings a happiness and peace that transcends understanding. 

Just sing, sing a song!