Nailed it!

This morning, I plugged my iPod into my car and tapped "shuffle." Some days, this results in more "next track" requests than actual music, because, let's be honest, while I love the music I have chosen to have on my device, I'm not always in the mood to listen to (screech along to) all of them. Today, though, the iPod delivered with a feel-good morning commute soundtrack. My day started on exactly the right note.*

1. Home (Phillip Phillips) -
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone

I find something so reassuring about this part of the song. Also, it's right in the wheelhouse of my alto-ness, so I can almost feel like I'm sort of on key as I sing along. At least I'm not straining to (not at all) hit a high note I have no chance at ever hitting. I wasn't feeling particularly alone this morning, not lost, not wrestling with any confusion or chain of thoughts leading to irrational fear. That doesn't mean I don't welcome the reminders this song offers.

2. Letter to Me (Brad Paisley) -
And, oh, you got so much going for you, going right
But I know at seventeen, it's hard to see past Friday night
I wish you'd study Spanish
I wish you'd take a typing class
I wish you wouldn't worry, let it be
I'd say have a little faith and you'll see

This isn't actually my favorite part of the song ("And I'd end up saying have no fear, These are nowhere near the best years of your life'), but I love the sentiment behind this entire song. It makes me nostalgic. It makes me wonder what I'd say to myself at seventeen. This morning, I was also drawn to this part of the song, especially the last part. I can't count how many times I've worried needlessly. It makes me think of that adage, asking how many things you've worried about actually came to pass. Another great reminder to start the day.

3. Don't Blink (Kenny Chesney) -
I've been tryin' to slow it down
I've been tryin' to take it in
In this here today gone tomorrow world we're livin' in

The message of this entire song is one of my favorites. It's so true. It all goes so fast. It's easy to get caught up in it, life speeding past in a blur. Every word of this song resonates with me. This part is how I try to live my life. Slowly enough to be present, observe, remember, be grateful.

4. I Won't Give Up (Jason Mraz) -
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am

I love every single part of this song. It's one I can (and have) listened to multiple times in a row. I love the hope, the commitment, the quiet determination. This part, hands down, is in my top five favorite song lyrics of all time. It's not a lesson with a definitive end and a final exam. I think it's what life *is*. This constant progression of life rolling forward, shaping who we are, and learning how that forms and reforms who we become.

5. The House That Built Me (Miranda Lambert) -
You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can.
I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am.

This song transports me right back to my grandparents' house. It's a time machine. It also reminds me about where I've been since I left that place in my life, how lost I found myself, how far I've come since then. It comes across so melancholy, but really, it doesn't feel that way to me. I feel strong and at peace. Like in "Home," if you get lost, you can always be found. Like in "I Won't Give Up," I had to relearn who I was and who I had become.

6. Hey Pretty Girl (Kip Moore) -
Life's a long and winding ride
Better have the right one by your side
And happiness don't drag its feet
Time moves faster than you think

Oh, man. This song. This is what love and romance boils down to, for me. It makes me catch my breath. The first time I heard this song, all I could think is I hope that's how my husband has thought about me in those deep, quiet parts of his mind, because it's how he makes me feel. One thing I know for sure is that I have the right one by my side. I hear that and I smile, because I've never been more certain of anything.

*That pun was totally intended. I'd pretend to be sorry, but we all know I'm not.