I listen to Country music for two reasons. The first is when I am feeling rowdy and need something that inspires a little outdoor wildness is my heart. It's perfect for late spring drives, and for every adventure to be had in the summer. It is the soundtrack to winding drives through the forests, to football games on the beach, to campfires and trudging through the woods. It provokes adventure.
The second reason is for wistfulness and emotional exploration. There is something raw and honest in the music written in this genre that can be so hard to find in other artists. There is the standard junk you find in every genre of course, the cheese and the pop and the shallow lyrics that are written only to manufacture hooks, but the genre lends itself so well to the ugly and the painful, and the beauty that can be found within the unpleasant. I love Gary Allan because lately he has been recording songs that can be nearly painful to listen to. It's tragic that he does so because of his circumstances, but it makes it real. His voice is perfect for conveying a torn heart, and with a torn heart fueling the singing, it's impossible to ignore it. I cannot imagine being in his place, with the pain he has suffered, but I have a heart that sympathizes. It is often so hard to find the right words to explain emotions, to voice thoughts and even understand the self, but when you hear someone else say what you are thinking, or summarize your feelings, it becomes possible to express what was previously inexpressible.
Pain is so often an opportunity to seize upon joy. The world presents us with difficulties daily. We are attacked and impeded, but if we choose- if we dare- our greatest struggles will become our greatest victories. Our lowest depths give rise to His greatest heights. And the journey is always worth the travel. Hold fast hope.
We touched the sun
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