2 ▫️ a playlist you won't find on Spotify

Last month my brother- and sister-in-law went on a road trip. They drove iconic Route 66, saw the Grand Canyon at sunrise, and stayed overnight in a covered wagon. It was epic. I imagined them laughing in their car, windows down, wind in their hair, and music blaring through the speakers. 

Of course there would be music. Every journey has a soundtrack, and just as the smell of crayons or modeling clay can take us back to our childhood, sounds can transport us too. Whenever I hear “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, I immediately go back a couple of decades, to that day when my little brother and I walked down the street, geeking out and singing that song like no one was listening. 

It occurred to me that metaphorical journeys have soundtracks too. This became an issue when, the day after my first blog post, I got in the shower and immediately began to worry about Post 2. ‘Do I even have another post in me? What have I started? Now I'm out there…now what?’ I decided then and there — right there in the shower — that I did not want negative thoughts to be the soundtrack for this journey. 

Negative thoughts have “helped” me in many areas of my life: they have deterred me from relationships that could have been bad (but they could have been good, I'll never know); they have held me back from adventures that may have possibly resulted in injury, but also possibly in experiences I would cherish forever; they have stopped me from pursuing dreams so that I wouldn’t get hurt by rejection or failure…nor would I have to endure fulfillment or success. I'm finally recognizing that now, and I'm determined to combat those negative thoughts, to parry them with positive ones. 

(There's a really great article in the New York Times on this subject, and I found it helpful. Click here if you're curious.) 

Now that I'm on the road and moving forward, I'm getting my Positive Thinking playlist together:

• I have friends and family who care about me — and I care about them. 
• My writing is for me, and it's ok if my friends and family who care about me prefer to read something else. 
• I'm on my own schedule and I can write when I'm ready. My blog is expectation-free. 
• Taking care of myself ensures going the distance. (This is a classic at my house.)
• I am making the life I want. If I want something else, I can make that instead. Or in addition. 

It's going to be a long-distance trip, so I'll have to add more to the list as I go. But it helps to get it started. If any of you have anything to add to my Positive Thoughts playlist, please leave it my comments section! I'll be sure to see it. And it will remind me of this adventure every time I think about it.