Happy Songs for a Rainy Day

I planned to get up early and go on a nice long ride with Owen but two things happened that got in my way. One - I stayed up too late last night so slept in really late this morning. Two - by the time I got up it was raining like crazy.

I can't do anything about the rain. I'm hoping it clears up enough that I can get out and ride later today and log some miles towards my 50 miles of cycling per week goal. I could have done something about going to sleep earlier and waking earlier but I can't do anything about it now so will not beat myself up for it and let it go.

It's easier said than done though, this not beating myself up and letting things go, and between not riding and the weather I'm feeling a little low this morning. So, you know what I did? I turned on my iPod and played my "Happy Songs" playlist.

What's a "Happy Songs" playlist? A few months ago my friend told me to make up a playlist of songs that make me smile so I could play them when I'm feeling down. So I surfed through my tunes and created a playlist of songs that make me smile, that get me singing, that make me dance, that lift my mood.

The songs on my "Happy Songs" list are all over the place as far as style goes - but they all make me smile!

Here's a sampling:
Hey, Soul Sister - Train (first on my list, I always smile when I hear this song)
Say Hey (I Love You) -  All Rebel Rockers (rocking fun)
Ahla Menhom -  Ehab Tawfik (belly dance music. I have no idea what the words are)
The Hampster Dance Song - Hampton the Hamspter (makes me laugh)
Hangman's Reel - Karen Mueller (autoharp like you've never heard it before. Karen is my mandolin teacher)
Bobby Shafto - Bonnie Rideout (my kids ask me to sing this to them before they go to bed)
Guitar Town - Steve Earle (need I say more?)
Mary Blaize - Kate Rusby (a lighthearted silly song - and Kate Rusby is awesome)
Newry Town - Katie McMahon (that's Katie of Riverdance fame. She's also my voice teacher)
Did you Sleep Well? - Crooked Still (great bluegrass - love Crooked Still)
Fireflies - Owl City (just plain happy music)

So I slept in too late. I'm tired of the rain. I haven't ridden my bike and am behind in reaching my 50 mile goal for the week. I'm still in my pajamas and don't feel like I've done anything constructive yet today.

But maybe I have. I'm writing. I'm home with my family. I'm listening to some music. I'm smiling and feeling pretty happy on this rainy day - and some days I think that's enough.

Comments

Joy Riggs said…
I love the idea of a "Happy Songs" playlist. It's perfect for this weather. I would optimistically add "Walking on Sunshine."
June 12, 2010 at 6:03 PM
Myrna CG Mibus said…
Oooh, that's a good recommendation. I'm downloading it now (the Glee version) along with Safety Dance.

Owen told me he heard a story on NPR about Walking on Sunshine and how it is one of the most popular songs. Here's a link to the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127091908
June 12, 2010 at 6:33 PM
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