via Daily Prompt: Enthusiasm

Tuesday night our family gathered around the good ole HD television set to watch the Tony Bennett 90th Birthday Party. Savannah and I watched the Michael Buble opener, but Ron was running a little late and didn’t arrive until the main show started. The music was awesome! I can only hope that at 90 I can walk across a stage since I will never be able to croon like Tony.

However, during one of the little interview snippets that were sprinkled throughout the show, he said something that caught my eye…I mean, ear. He said that he intentionally chose songs that were timeless, classic and would not go “out of style.” That’s my paraphrase of his words, but it really made me think about his songs for a minute and they really do live up to that benchmark. Wow…what a legacy.

Which also made me think, wow…what if every artist used that standard? Wow, how impressive would music be if everyone sang lyrics that uplifted and radiated the joy of life. How unusual would it be? I’ve told the story several times to friends that when my daughter was around 3, I permanently switched my car radio to the local Christian radio station. It was almost all we listened to in the car until she was in high school and it’s still my favorite place to land when I’m searching for tunes. My reason 17 years ago was she asked me to explain why some of the off color jokes of the radio announcers on a local country station were funny. Since I didn’t want to explain the birds and the bees to my baby girl just yet, it was an easy switch to make. The motto of the Christian station was “music that the whole family can enjoy” and that really resonated with me. The awkward jokes were replaced with “Love on Your Family” call ins. It was a choice that I have never regretted. We started out singing “The Cartoon Song” – yabba dabba luyah – and carried right on through to “Mighty to Save.” Classic, timeless, uplifting music…

What choices do we make and do we make them for classic reasons or because we are in the moment and it’s the popular thing to do? Isn’t that the difference between “Pop” music and classical music? “Ave Maria” has stood the test of time. “The Circle of Life” resonates with our very core being. “The Best is Yet to Come” is what we all hope for.

As I start looking toward 2017, I am going to try to be more intentional in my choices by opting for things that are timeless, wholesome, and will make me proud of my life when I turn 90.

Have a Tony Bennett kinda day today! Be Awesome!