I love to listen to music when I go for my daily walk. It puts an extra pep in my step. I have favorite artists, like Michael Bublé and Cheap Trick, but lately, I’ve been choosing surprise-me playlists, like ‘70s Top 10 Hits or ‘80s Road Trip. Often, it’s those channels, where I don’t know what’s coming next, that send me uplifting messages at just the right moment. 

One day, I was feeling down. I said aloud to my dad, “I wish you were here.” My dad was my hero. He was the person who centered me. He had a knack for clearing away the BS and reassuring me that everything was going to be OK. Wouldn’t you know, the first song on that playlist was “O-o-h Child” by The Five Stairsteps. The lyrics are:

Ooh child
Things are gonna get easier
Ooh child
Things’ll get brighter 

It was exactly what I needed to hear. 

I will embarrass my kids with this confession, but I was today years old when I learned how to create my own playlist on Spotify. Yep. And there’s no stopping me now.

My first playlist is Songs to Inspire WOW! Moments.

• “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts (This song had an eerie way of coming on at exactly the right moment. It happened so often, I started taking a photo of my radio screen.)
• “I Lived” by One Republic
• “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
• “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield (This song is my morning anthem, and I heard it on my way to Paris.)
• “Dancing Queen” by ABBA (No reason; I just like it.)
• “Brave” by Sara Bareilles
• “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw (This song has a back story.)
• “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot
• “While You See a Chance” by Steve Winwood
• “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw (This song reminds me of my son Nick.)
• “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross
• “The 59^th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon & Garfunkel 
• “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
• “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers

I’m sure I’ll keep adding to this list. What are tunes that inspire you and make you smile?