“For we need a little music, need a little laughter
Need a little singing ringing through the rafter
And we need a little snappy, happy ever after
We need a little Christmas now. . .” (from “Mame” by Jerry Herman)
The Christmas music that blasted from every store since before Thanksgiving has now ceased. Corny and annoying as many carols are, I miss them. More accurately, I miss the anticipation and childlike wonder, the mood that these seasonal favorites provide when they suddenly disappear for a year. But then, I need a little music, not just at Christmas time, but every day.
Don’t get me wrong–attempts to be more comfortable with silence have been a constant preoccupation. However, after nearly forty years of sitting quietly in daily meditation, I must also turn on Mahler, Joni Mitchell, Native American flute music, or whatever matches my mood, to stir me into action each day. As I write this, I listen to KUSC, my favorite classical station for “Mozart in the Morning,” which provides a rich background for my daily tasks. Music takes me to an enchanted inner silence where I do not feel alone and distracts me from the worries that often plague me when the darkness of winter becomes too oppressive.
Having been silenced too many times for being a woman, small in stature with a curious mind, a gift for speaking up and singing spontaneously, I was often told (verbally and nonverbally) that I was too loud, too forceful, too intimidating. Frequently scolded to “tone it down,” when I was young, I learned to go silent when I wanted to yell out; to swallow anger, dismay, questions, and loud belly laughs that might disturb anyone. Many years of inner work helped to relinquish these engrained early messages. Empowered by music, I was lifted out of the old patterns of restraint and permitted to be myself. I have come to know music as the voice of God who repeats “I love you” in the notes, stanzas, crescendos, and lyrics of countless composers and musicians.
It is the end of December. The doldrums of the Christmas season have perhaps set in at your house. I feel it in the air. Many people want to move on and be done with all the false merriment. Resist the urge. Put on some music you love today. Sit down, cover up with a blanket, and listen mindfully to one great piece or favorite album, a forever gift flowing over the soundwaves of time.
Seeking Wisdom 