I recently received some new music from my cousin. Though we have similar taste in music, she often has music I have never heard of and for the most part would never come across. She's kind of like a hipster in this way that she always has new music but could care less if it's popular or everyone knows. So, I guess she's nothing like a hipster. Instead, she's just someone I'm related to that likes good music and is always happy to share.
Yeah, that's it.
Though I could list the 20 or so songs I received from her, the one that stood out was "Between The Raindrops" by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield. I like Lifehouse. I have one or two songs of theirs and they have a good sound. I do not however LOVE them to the point I feel a need to find more songs. One or two will suffice. This song stands out, however, because of Natasha Bedingfield.
She happened into my life in my first year or so of college around when the song "These Words" came out on the radio. The song was energetic and lively and clever. I fell in love immediately. I bought the album Unwritten, which is where you'll find that song among many others that I loved just as much. One by one, more songs from the album were put on the radio and released as singles. I loved them all.
Then she came out with another album near the end of my college career and I bought that too. Listened to it from start to finish and though I didn't love them all, there were a good many that still became favorites, but it just didn't capture me like the first album. And that's okay. But with the second album being a bit lackluster, I didn't really follow her much after that.
Then this new song with Lifehouse was brought into my life.
Her voice brought me back to my first year in college when she was still so new to me and the music world. Her voice in this "Raindrops" song is strong and filled with personality just as I remember it to be. It also has an energy and positive chords that are very much associated with her for me.
I don't mean to make this seem like a love letter to Natasha or even her music; rather it's a love letter to music in general. It can transform your emotions or make you recall not only a memory of a different time but also of a different self. Of course, I've changed in many ways from my first year in college, but it's amazing how much of that same girl/woman/person is still inside me somewhere that is no longer on the surface. It's amazing that the simple act of hearing Natasha's voice brought me back to that person, even if only for a moment. It was a wonderful feeling of home that has changed in many ways. The feeling of home has changed just as it should. Seasons change. Cities change. People change. Relationships change. Change is not a bad thing, but that doesn't mean it can't be difficult.
There's a wonderful image I was told once of a clever way to think about your past. Imagine you're in a boat, rowing across a lake to the other side; you are facing the shore you left behind, but moving toward a new shore. That is how I visualize my past. It's not bad to look back at your past, the good and bad, while still always moving toward to the future. Do not stay stagnate in the past but instead, remember everything while moving on.
Hearing Natasha's voice brought into focus a time in my life that made me smile while recalling many different emotions: sadness, friendship, frustrations, fear, excitement and love. It's a wonderful gift to have been given! A chance to remember everything while continuing to move on.
It's fun to glance back!
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