52 lists in 52 weeks// week 39

If you didn't already know my love for music (which is what sparked last week's list), you are no longer in the dark about it.

I think music is one of the most powerful things out there.

Music and smell.

Both of these are pretty good ways of retrieving old memories (whether you wanted to or not). The whiff of a certain cologne takes you back to what an old boyfriend use to wear. The smell of bacon being cooked can transport you back to Christmas mornings. It's a strong feeling. As is music, which is the bigger picture here....
After all, isn't that why commercials use songs? The catchy tunes help you to remember the product being sold. But when the song brings you back to a distant memory, it's even better.

A while back while we were driving a good ole 10 hours to go skiing, we played tons of music. 10 hours worth I guess. And some of the songs brought up past events. So with nothing else to do but listen and think, I thought of another list......


List 39: Songs and the memories they bring back.

The Beatles- All My Loving.
My mom didn't sing my lullabies when I was little. Instead she'd sing me songs from The Beach Boys and The Beatles. This one was my favorite. I catch myself singing this to my niece whenever she can't sleep. It's just a peaceful song that brings back the love from being little.

The Beatles-Hey Jude.
Yup, another Beatles song. This one reminds me of my best friend Leigh. Crazy enough, I hadn't heard this song until she sang it to me. And when she got to the "better, better, better, BETTER" part, I got a little freaked out by her sudden loudness. Turns out, that's how the song goes. And now we emphasize it in remembrance. And it still brings a smile to my face.

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell-Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
I use to spend Sunday afternoons (after church) with my dad. During one of our father-daughter day dates as he was driving me back home, this song came on. Of course, we all know the words, so he and I belted it out, loudly and badly. But I remember smiling the whole time. It was a good ending to our weekly time together. Looking back on it now, it's a good reminder of the fun we use to have together.

Fleetwood Mac-Tusk.
Another reminder of my dad's silliness..... We once were in the parking lot, listening to Fleetwood Mac, when this song came on. I thought it was weird. It was one of his favorites. Since I was in that awkward teenage phase and easily embarrassed, he decided it would be fun to roll down the windows, lock them, blare the song and sing at the top of his lungs. While I was mortified, eventually I couldn't hide back my laughter. I ended up crying from laughing so hard. Another great memory of my hysterical, don't take things so seriously, dad.

Plain White T's-Rhythm of Love.
During the first year of my relationship with Steven, this song got big. We even used it in our year one video. Every time it plays all I can think of is our first year together and all the fun and adventures we shared. In a cheesy way, it kind of brings me back to when we were first starting to fall in love with each other.

Cher-This is a Song For the Lonely.
Our first year at college, my best friend Leigh and I use to watch a lot of tv. It was one of the things that kept us sane. And on one terrible day, Leigh turned on the tv and a commercial was playing with this song as it's background music. For some reason it made us laugh (well later it made us laugh, at the time it just seemed to make us feel more miserable and pathetic). But now whenever I hear that song I think of my bestie and how we've gone through some shitty times, but also some wonderful ones. And we've endured them all.

Amazing Grace.
This was one of the songs played at my dad's memorial service after his death. It's still somewhat hard to hear it, even 10 years later. It's such a beautiful song, full of God's promises and love, but it still has that sour taste. Overall, I still love it, and sometimes play it for memory sake. But in the back of my mind, there's always my dad.



Next week's list:
I've said before, I try really hard to keep this space a positive place. I'm not the most positive person, so sometimes it's hard to keep that tone, especially when in real life I'm more pessimistic. But since I really want to be a happy-go-lucky, optimistic person, I try to start here.
With that being said, I've come up with a a bit of a different list for next week. And it starts now.

List 40: Throughout the week, make a list of good things that happen. Whether they are small, or large, take note. Write them down. Then, after the week is over, go over them, save them, put them somewhere safe to remind you later. I feel like so many good things happen, but sometimes we just seem to let the negative overpower them. So let's break that!!

See you next week!!

xoxo
kellie