Music

Today's Why Wednesday post, believe it or not, is not a bad "Why?" It is not a "Why?" filled with contempt, disdain, and overall fury at the horrid state of affairs in our society today.

"What? Leah's being positive?" you may ask yourself. "Did I wake up in an alternate universe?"

I assure you my friend, you did not.

In addition to a positive "Why?" today's topic is also a "How?" of sorts.

But enough preamble. On to the post.

Every time I listen to a brilliant piece of music that speaks to my soul, I am left in awe.

Music's ability to give voice to those deep-rooted feelings in our soul, the ones we have no description for, is at once glorious and inexplicable.

Brilliant music has the ability to open old, closed over wounds of the heart and at the same time, heal them, sometimes without even using words.

I am always left baffled, amazed, and thankful by wonderful music. It is truly a sign that God loves us.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite pieces, Cantique de Jean Racine, composed by Gabriel Faure, and performed by the Cambridge Singers.

Last Friday Night

I have a confession to make.

I like Katy Perry.

There, I said it.

Yes, despite my judgmental
tirade about the state of contemporary music,
I like Katy Perry.
I'm really just a big hypocrite.

It's not something I'm proud of.

But I can't help it.

Her songs are just so damn catchy.

Plus, the video for her latest single,
"Last Friday Night"
boasts a REALLY impressive celebrity cast.
Enjoy!

Think Before You Speak

In the past four months or so I've worked at Starbucks, I've experienced no end of people who interact with me like I'm expendable, simply because I make their $4 cup of coffee. And if you've ever worked a job which requires you to serve something to another person, you've experienced it as well. No matter how many times I'm treated like a non-person, it always leaves me asking "Why?"

Why must you order from me and never once look me in the eye?

Why must you take on a snotty tone in your voice when I ask if you want your drink hot or iced, as if I should have read your mind for the answer?

Why must you blame me for not taking you $100 bill, when it's not my fault I don't have the equivalent of a bank vault in my cash drawer?

Why must you repeat your order to me like I'm a four-year-old, when I simply didn't hear you the first time?


Why must you treat me like you're better than me, simply because I'm the one who makes your coffee at Starbucks, or your Big Mac at McDonald's, or checks out your groceries at Walmart?

Just because I serve you something, doesn't mean it's okay for you to treat me like crap.

Just take a minute and think before you speak? Ask yourself this question:

Would you like it if someone spoke to you the way you're about to speak to me?

Unalienable Rights

Many of you know I'm not much for holidays. I tend not to enjoy a lot of the commercialism that goes along with many holidays. July 4th included.

This July 4th I won't go to any parties or cookouts, or see any fireworks.

I'll be working. (Getting time and a half!)

But I'll also be counting my blessings.

I'll be thankful that I have the right to say that the people running our country are a bunch of selfish liars.

I'll be thankful that I have the right to believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead.

I'll be thankful that I have the ability to have this blog.

To close, I'll leave you with an excerpt from The Declaration of Independence, signed July 4th, 1776:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

I Don't Feel Like Complaining

Yep. You read that right. I don't feel like complaining today. I can't think of anything to complain about to turn into a witty commentary on society. It just doesn't seem useful or productive today.

So instead of complaining, here's a list of things I enjoy:

Tasty frappuccinos from Starbucks
Coffee
Summertime
Best friends (Even if they live far away)
Sunshine
The sound of cicadas
My job
Pandora Radio
Having two days off in a row
Being positive for a change (believe it or not!)

Somebody Give Me Something

I was listening to the radio this morning,
and I realized something:
All songs are exactly the same.
I'm speaking in generalities, of course,
so there will be some variation.
But think about it.

Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus

For the past couple of decades,
songs have lacked creativity.
They follow this song structure,
and feature the same four chords
over
and over
and over again.

But when did it start being like this?
When did music stop being about
producing something new and different,
something that speaks truth,
something beautiful,
and start being about money?

Somebody give me something to listen to
that's worth my time,
that's worth the four and a half years
I spent studying music,
something that makes me think,
something beautiful,
something real and true.
Something that doesn't fit in a box,
something whose goal ISN'T just to make money.

Do It For The Children

For this week's Why Wednesday, I will address a very serious offense committed by countless numbers of parents against scores of innocent children.

The crime?

That's right.

CHILD LEASHES

Image of this atrocity courtesy of Walmart.com


Okay I get it. I get that it's difficult to control your gaggle of unruly children and keep them from running around all over creation like little demons out to corrupt God's beautiful creation. I GET IT.

But that's what it means to be a parent. It means holding onto your child's hand to prevent them from stealing things in the grocery store or running into old people or out into traffic.

Don't try and say
"Well it's a cute doggie or kitty or monkey or unicorn!"

NO.

Kids understand a lot more than you think they do.
They're smart.

Don't you think it'll only be a matter of time
until they discover that
the contraption you use to walk the dog
and the contraption you use on them
when you're out in public
are basically the same??

Just think about it like this. When they're adults and in therapy because they engage in unhealthy relationships, and their therapist says, "Well tell me about your childhood. What were family outings like?"

And they'll say, "All I remember is being put on one of those leashes for children."

And then the therapist's eyes will go all wide and they'll nod and scribble on their notepad like the secret of the universe has just been revealed to them.

So, parents. Stop being lazy. Because that's all it really boils down to. Did our parents get to put us on leashes? No, because they hadn't been invented yet, thank goodness. They had to do it old school. No leashes. No iPods to distract your children, no XBox or Playstation or whatever. They had to occupy us with card games and coloring books and stories, and they had to HOLD OUR HAND when we were in public.

So please, parents. Do it for the children. For the sake of the innocent little children.