Songs to Write By

This is how I want to feel

I sat down on the ground. Grass and dandelions stuck themselves to my bare legs, and I felt the warmth of the sun. I grabbed my laptop from my bag and started writing.

I’d been on my way to pick up my daughter from school, walking the familiar route I take every afternoon. My 20 minutes of peace between work and family. I usually listen to a podcast, but that day I had music on.

And I think the music worked some kind of magic. An idea parachuted into my mind, and I couldn’t wait to start writing.

As I sat in the grassy park, I saw myself from the outside for a moment and felt a little stab of joy. Look at me being all writerly! This! This is how I want to spend my time. This is how I want to feel.

Pressing shuffle

I often forget about music. I get caught up in the hustle and don’t remember how easily it can add beauty to my day. How quickly a song can take me somewhere else. It happens with prestige tv sometimes — you know, those perfectly-chosen songs they play with the end credits now instead of theme songs? Some of those just soar. (I’m looking at you, Better Things and Somebody Somewhere, layering beautiful music on top of your brilliance.)

Photo by Daniel Absi on Pexels

That day in the park, I pressed shuffle on my Apple Music and let it take me wherever it wanted.

Here’s where I went:

“Wheels of a Dream” from the musical Ragtime – I’m a lifelong fan of Broadway shows, and songs like this sweep me right up. I turned the volume a touch too high to drown out the loud guy on the bench across the park, complaining about always having to buy beer for his friend.

“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift – This felt appropriate because I was starting a writing workshop the next day where we were going to write about our eras, inspired by Taylor’s songs and lyrics. I listened with a tinge of nervousness, wondering what I would discover in the workshop. (Spoiler: amazing things)

“La Candela” from the movie Encanto – Does this one count? It’s not mine, it’s my daughter’s. Though it is by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who I love, so I guess I can’t complain. Skip.

“Prologue” from the musical If/Then – Yes, that’s more like it. Did anyone else see this show? It feels like they didn’t, but Idina Menzel deserves some recognition for the way her voice blows the roof off the theatre.

“The Family Madrigal” from Encanto – Kids’ music again. Stop it, shuffle! Skip.

“Ring of Keys” from the musical Fun Home – Hmm, I’m sensing a pattern here. It seems shuffle knows something about me. This one is lovely and perfect. I listen to it several times.

Making space for creativity

As I sat there writing and listening to these songs, I thought about where inspiration comes from. Is it because I had a quiet day with no meetings? I had been kinda bored, but maybe I don’t understand boredom anymore. Having that slow kind of day clearly made some space in my brain, settled it down. And then I filled the space with music. And then the ideas snuck into the spaces.

Happy with this realization, I wrote a few more sentences. Then I brushed off the dandelions and walked the rest of the way to the school.

These Are Nice For Us

• For a deeper dive: The universe popped this relevant piece into my Notes feed today – “The Power of a playlist,” a guest post by Katy Wheatley on Katherine May’s The Clearing.

• Some random news: The bullets on the list in my Word document randomly turned giant the other day, like 5 times the size. I’m going to call them cannonballs from now on — it’s catchy. What, one weapon-y name is better than another?

• Today’s laugh: Check out this brilliantly funny post - “There is Nothing Sexier Than a Man Signing a Field Trip Permission Form” from Kerala Taylor.

Wondering where the newsletter name comes from?

It was my friend’s birthday. We were having dinner at a fancy-but-not-too-fancy restaurant. I brought gifts and sprinkled little sparkly confetti all over the table. We were sipping wine and telling funny stories, and she looked at me and said, “This is nice for us.” I replied, “It is nice for us.” Now we just say it anytime that feeling pops up — comfort and fun and connection. Nice for us.