I listen to music most mornings and early afternoons, from downloads/private streams of upcoming singles, EPs and albums to old and new favorites to Apple Music’s New Music Mix playlist, which uses past plays to predict potential new favorites—it’s more miss than hit, granted, but worthwhile. I also enjoy recent releases that I find on my own. Every Friday, aka New Release day, I dig into Apple Music’s near-hidden genres to sample the week’s virtual platters. I also surf my Instagram feed, which features an array of singer-songwriters—some I follow, others have purchased ads from the app. I click, listen, like and/or move on. None of that is wasting time, though I’m sure some might see it as such. For me, it’s enjoyment combined with research, and almost always tied to my next blog post. What should I spotlight? What singer is speaking most to my soul?
That said, the actual writing process can be frustrating. I suspect the same is true for many who blog. We write, rewrite, edit and inevitably damn ourselves when an error slips threw—er, through. Then, for all the effort we put into it, the post is read a handful of times while something we penned years ago is deluged with hits. (That happens to me quite often, at least.) There’s an inherent pressure in the process—and life writ large, for that matter. It’s why, from time to time, I take a step back and recharge.
“Self-care” is an open-ended term that’s tied to health both physical and mental. I eat my vitamins, say my prayers—and, often, commune with the cat. Some days, too, I lose myself in something on TV. Last month, for instance, I stumbled upon the twisty tale of time travel that is Hallmark Channel’s The Way Home, and while I’m sure some would scoff at its PG tone, lost myself in its intricate plot. When it’s not too hot, I walk to the mail center and greet the deer friends who live nearby. But when it is hot, as it has been of late, I drive!
It goes without saying, however, that music plays a vital role, too. Some days, I play LPs while reading the lyrics and liner notes, much as I did 40+ years ago. Another surefire sonic tonic to placate the palate is, of all things, YouTube. The website’s landing page is awash with videos I’ve recently watched, artists and channels I subscribe to, plus recommendations. I click play on a video and then let the algorithm do its thing. I rarely watch the videos, but sit back and relax—and, often, hang out with my aging feline friend. (He enjoys belly rubs, don’tcha know.) Other times, as I’m doing now, I write just for fun, using WordPress’ daily writing prompt as a jumping-off point.
Which leads to today’s self-care regimen: Clicking on the lyric video for Hayley Reardon’s “Good News.” It led to a slew of other songs, other artists, including Lillian Leadbetter, Jason Eady and Abigail Rose before arriving at Reardon’s hour-plus Live at Starseed Studios concert, all while I wrote the above. For those unfamiliar with the singer-songwriter, that’s okay—we live in a niche-driven world. Her songs and delivery harken back to other eras, however. When she released the set as an (audio) album earlier this year, I wrote, “There’s a late ‘60s/early ‘70s vibe to the songs with a dash of Shawn Colvin mixed in.” She has a way with words, phrasings and melody that’s balm for my soul.
The Old Grey Cat 