Wednesday; March 13

As I sit here in my office, I have music going in the background. In all honesty, modern music abandoned me a while back, so most of what I listen to dates back to my childhood and adolescence. (Yes, they did have music back in the 20th Century … and it was pretty good music.) When I am typing along, I will hear a song that takes me back to a time or place and, at least for three minutes, I get to bask in the good times of yesteryear. In a sense, this is the soundtrack of my youth.

Interestingly, there is another soundtrack that keeps playing over and over; but this one has nothing to do with tunes. The sounds are the words that people said to me and around me as I was growing up. My emotional soundtrack is a lot calmer than the musical one it parallels. I hear the voices of calmness and peace. I can tune into the words of encouragement and the expressions of love I heard. Sure, in the distance, I can hear some of the din of unrest, but my primary soundtrack is filled with hope and happiness.

What soundtrack are we laying for our children today? Are they hearing raised voices and constant outbursts of anger? Are they building a playlist of hopelessness and despair? When it comes to music, most of us get to choose the songs we like, but when it comes to that emotional soundtrack, we may have to listen to what is being played quite loudly around us. Let’s do our children a favor, let’s provide them with an emotional playlist that will serve them better and provide them comfort in their later years.

Think About It!

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