Thanksgiving has already been mentioned in last month’s Melodic Autumn Series, in honour of the Canadian date, so it might seem a bit redundant to mention another one, but I think everyone should take a minute to step back from the worries of impending finals, dooming research papers, and rushed deadlines, and simply be thankful.
To some the word thankful might come off as slightly corny… it might remind some of the boring lectures their parents gave them in the past, which they’ve by now learnt off by heart… But to me, the word thankful, is one of the most modest and humble words that I know. To me, the word ‘thankful’ is not enough to describe the feeling that it hides… It doesn’t come close to representing the relief, joy, and peace that the true feeling of thankfulness actually brings about. Unfortunately (yet somehow naturally too), it seems like many things, and in particular the notion of being thankful, are not clearly understood until they forcefully become real to you, until you can no longer ignore their presence. Rather than being understood as the primordially important word (or even, notion) that ‘thankful’ is, it humbles away and becomes something that many take for granted, a notion that people sometimes forget to appreciate.
Shamefully, I sometimes have to count myself as one of those people (I’m pretty sure we all admittedly have to!). A few days ago, that changed… And I made a promise to never stop being thankful, to always take a minute out of my day to close my eyes and appreciate what’s around me. Be thankful for the past, with all the best memories tightly wrapped up in your heart… For the present, however terrifying it might seem to be… And for the future, for you must always remember to love everything you still have.
I won’t say much about what’s in the playlist this time, I’ll let you do the exploring yourself… Exceptionally this month, the Melodic Series playlist isn’t living by the rules, it’s living by the jazzy swing of life.
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder
This Beat – The Jazzual Suspects
Something To Believe In - Aqualung
Dedicated to Olivia Robertson, Valentine Leborgne, Rachael Stronach, and my dear sister Savannah Vogt.