Blog 31 – 5.19.15

People who know me know how much I love words. And those who know me as a man of letters, a poet, and a writer are often surprised to learn that I am a music man. My daughter, Emily Elaine White, who left this world three years ago just shortly after her thirty second birthday was a musician and a singer/song writer. Her mother was for many years a professional singer. Music not only has powers to sooth the savage beast but it opens doors as nothing else can.

If you want something to stay with someone put it to music. I still remember the alphabet and the days of the month and countless other pieces of information because someone put them to music and sang them to me. Advertisers have known this for years and wrote catchy jingles to make of our subconscious minds flashing billboards for their products. I never smoked a cigarette and never wanted to because I smoked enough of my parent’s cigarettes second hand as a child to get more than my fill. But I know, “Winston takes good like a cigarette should” because I heard it sung to me often as a child. Even Fred Flintstone his wife Betty and his best friend and neighbor, Barney Rubble, sang that song to me.

Many of us were branded for life because of a catchy jingle. Your favorite, soft drink, beer, bread whatever can often be attributed to a commercial you heard repeatedly that was planted in your brain and still plays repeatedly.

Music opens the door to our inner self and slips messages right by the guard at the door. Fortunately for us great and beautiful songs have left there mark as well. Thank you, all you musicians, singers, and song writers out there for your wonderful contributions that have been the sound track to this fabulous movie that is our lives. Oh, and by the way, to paraphrase Paladin of Have Gun Will Travel fame, I have Karaoke machine and will travel upon request. I do weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events. Just kidding, but hey when I retire from my day job in a few years who knows.

Your Fellow Traveler,
David White