When I worked at a radio station a couple of years ago, we would get a lot of new listeners in December. Come January we would want to keep those listeners, so we asked them to try us out of the next 30 days and see if they weren’t inspired and feeling more positive. Fun, upbeat music can be very powerful. And really, almost any song can be inspiring. Now that I’m home with my daughter, I’ve found that singing throughout the day can make dreary or dull days more festive and sunny.
Let me show you.
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ – Oklahoma
When I get up in the morning I open the curtains to let the Florida sun in. Unfortunately for all of us, so many times in the summer the rain has the upper hand. Or if the sun is shining but it’s a Monday, chances are my husband pushed snooze on his 3 alarms and he is still snoring, while my toddler is screaming for breakfast. Instead of cursing at my husband or the rain (so tempting) I start singing an old Broadway classic.
Mr. Groggy complains that he woke up inside a musical, but who’s fault is that?
Put on Your Sunday Clothes – Hello Dolly!
As previously mentioned, south Florida summers can go from sunny to rainy in the blink of an eye. It has been so rainy here lately, that it is tempting to stay in pajamas all day and just slump around the house. Yet I find that if I spend a few minutes in front of my mirror getting all prettied-up I feel that much better about my day. Also, it is hilarious to watch my 14-month-old try and brush her hair with my comb. After I’m finished choosing jeans and a top, brushing and braiding my hair, my daughter and I usually toddle over to her room and go through the same process again with her. Of course, she loves taking out all the clothes in her drawers, then putting all of them back in. Though it takes a while, we usually pick out an outfit she likes, and we are ready to “Strut down the street and have our picture took.”
Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies, Piernas, Pies – Unknown
Mid-day well after breakfast, but before lunchtime, my toddler and I climb onto our big comfy couch and have story time. Lately she has really taken to the two bilingual storybooks my cousin got her. One is a book with the words to the song Head and Shoulders (Knees and Toes) on it. Of course, we sing our way through this book, badly translated though it is. (The actual translation of the Spanish is Head, Shoulders, Legs, Feet, but it rhymes better than Rodillos, Deditos de los Pies).
Superwoman – Alicia Keys
In the afternoon, while my daughter is down for her two-hour nap, I like to attempt to get the housework done. I’ve assigned each region of the house for a different day (much like the Wash on Monday nursery rhyme), and if I’ve gotten even ½ of my to-do list for the day completed before she wakes up, I feel like a hero. Because,
Even when I’m a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I’m a Superwoman.
I did it my way – Frank Sinatra
No one under 10 likes to go to bed before 8pm. At least not anyone I know. At the end of our day, when we are putting the toys away, I start singing to my toddler, “And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.” It’s her signal that bedtime is quickly approaching. It’s almost funny that the moment I start singing this she has started to run away and hide so she won’t have to go to bed! But the Sandman cometh. Off we march to her room while I hum the final words.
Shema / random Chris Tomlin songs
My toddler is no longer nursing, but she is in love with milk. After her bath, and changing, when her princess pajamas are snugly on, we cuddle together and she pulls her blanket to her chin. She looks down at me and I hand her a cup of milk, and then I sing, “Hear O Israel the Lord thy God is One God… Hallelujah.” My husband is Jewish, not me, even so I love the sound of the Hebrew & the English words. If my daughter is still awake, I follow that up with a hymn I grew up with, or another song. Its astounding how many songs pop in my head when I stop to think of it.
Do you sing to inspire an attitude adjustment in yourself?
