I like to curate my own playlists for my morning walk with my mp3 player.  (No Spotify for me, thanks).  Right now I’ve been hitting my ‘inspire” playlist.  These are songs that give me a push, lift me up and encourage me through some current challenges.

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Some of them are connected to a specific trial or triumph in my life but others are just songs I picked up randomly in my travels. I was in a supermarket in Newport, Rhode Island helping my friend shop for their annual July 4th blowout. I heard the refrain from “Fighter” by Christina Aguilar on the PA system and I was hooked.

Naturally not all the songs are a perfect fit, but “Fighter” reminds me my mistakes make me stronger and smarter. The other songs get pulled into heavy rotation depending on circumstances.  Here’s what I”m listening to now.

My Inspire Playlist

Right Now by Van Halen. The winner and still champion, guaranteed to get me off my ass.

Tubthumping by Chumbawamba This makes me want to kill dragons.

2 Legit 2 Quit by MC Hammer; I love that refrain!

Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder. This mainlines hope right into my very being.

Hold Your Head Up by Argent.

Light and Day by Polyphonic Spree.   An absolute antidote to dark moments.

Second Wind by Billy Joel. 

Waiting is the Hardest Part by Tom Petty. (This helps keep me out of the snacks when I’m waiting for the results of a diet to kick in!)

Break my Stride Matthew Wilder An ode to moving on.

I also get goosebumps from this version of “Stars and Stripes Forever” – especially as we approach Veterans’ Day.

…and last and not least by any means….

The Finale to Beethoven’s Ninth “Ode to Joy.”    It was written by a deaf man, and yet it’s the aural equivalent of joy buzzers all over me.

Want to dish about music? Join the Music Appreciation Group on Senior Planet Community…info is here. 

YOUR TURN

But that’s me.  How about you? What’s on your ‘inspire’ playlist?  Share your picks in the comments!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send  Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.