Thirty Days of Thankful - Day 12 - Music

Note: Today is day 12 in my series "30 Days of Thankful."

Hey you, I gotta tell you my long time friend
I think of all those years you saw me through tears
And the good times that we spend
311 - "Hey You"

There are few constants in life. Friends come and go. Relationships start and end. You move. You change jobs. One day things are great the next they're terrible. For me one thing in my life has always been there, no matter what - music. So today, I am thankful for music.

I've always had a special place for music in my heart. When I started playing clarinet in middle school, I had a newfound appreciation for polka music and listened to the polka show on a local am radio station after school every day. I loved the Motown music that my mom played at home. The classic rock my dad jammed out to.

I got what was THE best job in high school at Camelot Music. There I learned that the world was a bigger place than high school (thank goodness) and there were people like me who liked all kinds of music - not just what was popular on Jammin 92. Everyone I worked with there liked different types of music. I learned about rap, classical, jazz, country, new age. It was incredible. I was like Roxanne the music sponge and I learned to appreciate so many different types of music.

Music is so intertwined in every aspect of my life. I start the day out listening to upbeat music when I get ready for work. I make a point to listen to a throwback mix on my lunch hour. When I work out, my iPod provides the motivation for me to push myself farther. If I can't express the way I'm feeling about something, I'll send a song to someone and ask them to listen to it to better understand my point of view. It sets the mood for good days and bad. It lifts me up in a way that no person can. It gets me. No matter what I'm doing or how I'm feeling. Music has got my back. Now and forever.

Music has gotten me through some tough times in the past, and I'm sure it will get me through some more in the future. But I'm thankful for every memory I have associated to music - good and bad.