Friday, July 01, 2011

When I Was A Boy


I absolutely love the magic of music. The way it can take you to places you have been in the past, places you hope to reach in the future, or even help you embrace the pure beauty of the moment you are living.

Last Sunday the kids and I were on our journey home from a fabulous mini-vacation to visit my mom and brother aka Grandma and Uncle Chris. Our first major trip just the three of us, hmmm... now that I think of it, it was just a Mom and her kids kind of weekend in more ways than one. As we drove through the Grapevine, the excitement of the morning caught up with both of them and they dozed off in the back seat. As we drove, I had Josh's iPod on shuffle and fell in love again with old favorites as they sang out. It is always funny to me how I can hear a song so many times and still uncover something new. My true favorites tend to be those that keep having deeper meaning and connections.

On this particular day Dar Williams came on singing her live version of When I Was a Boy. I have listened and loved this song before, but somehow the lyrics became clearer and yet still uncertain. As the song ended I chose to listen again, finding more meaning, and then again. As I slowed down to listen, to understand, the traffic slowed us down as well. Construction on the road brought us to a crawl and I peered at my two sleeping in the back. It seemed as though she was singing about them, about me. It is hard to recreate this moment in words in such a way that can capture the feelings I had, for that is one thing about music and it's charm. The connections you have with it are yours, and the magic you feel is different than what it may be for someone else. For me, I love how this song takes me to my past, my present, and my future. As I watch Mason and Ellie I see them finding themselves. I love when Ellie is a boy and when Mason is a girl. I love that they feel and experience both. I know that one day the world will have them define themselves a bit more, but for now they are utterly free. I love that I Was A Boy too.

Have a listen for yourself...


1 comment:

coycatz said...

Hi Jen...Didn't know you had a blog. I really love this heartfelt post. I can relate to similar feelings in my own life...Love the song too. I'd never heard it before.