5 - In the sound of your Delightful voice

It's in the sound of your Delightful voice when you decide to sing along

Transcript

Current Episode Introduction

This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter:

• D

• It's in the sound of your Delightful voice when you decide to sing along

It includes a brief description of the verse, a personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with Doses of God in my life, a statement of gratitude, and a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.

Description

Here is description of the verse:

• It’s in the sound of your Delightful voice when you decide to sing along

• You hear your favorite song in the car and then allow yourself the freedom to sing it. You don’t just hear it; you become so present with the moment that you are now a part of it, contributing your unique, delightful voice to the tune. When you sing along, you let your voice be heard with confidence, absent of any fear. The moment feels perfect. Life allows you opportunities to “sing along” in countless environments beyond the car. Life plays many songs for us; we can choose to become part of the songs by singing along; or, we can let them play while we simply observe. Sometimes we are meant to be observers, but when our favorite song is playing, we have the opportunity to sing along with all our passion and soul. It is the song that resonates most deeply with us and therefore we can offer our greatest contributions to the tune and feel good about our participation. When life grants you opportunities to follow your passion, it’s like life is playing your favorite song. Let your delightful voice be heard. Sing along with confidence and soul.

Reflection

Here is my personal reflection on the verse:

• To me, this verse is about immersing myself in the moment -- or being an active participant in the moment -- when I have an opportunity to do something I love doing. I believe allowing myself to be immersed equips me with an ability to navigate life in a manner that is right for my journey. The practice of being an active participant in brief moments, such as allowing myself to sing along to my favorite songs in the car, enhances my capacity to actively immerse myself in a series of moments that represent longer stages of my life, such as a career that I enjoy or a cause that aligns with my passion. In a literal sense, I love singing along to my favorite songs in the car. There was a time when I hesitated to sing in the car; I would merely listen. I’m not sure why. I think I was embarrassed by the sound of my voice and animation of my accompanying mannerisms, even if I was the only one in the car. Now, although my singing voice still doesn’t qualify as delightful, I allow my bashful inhibitions to dissolve and happily sing along, often at the top of my lungs. Belting out a tune in the car is an exhilarating experience, especially if I know the words; however, even if I don’t know the lyrics, it feels good to mumble sounds that sort of replicate the words. I would say the majority of my loud singing occurs when I’m driving solo; some passengers aren’t too fond of my out-of-tune, off-pitch voice and/or simply prefer a more peaceful ride. In terms of singing along to songs in places other than a car, I’m becoming more comfortable singing during a church worship service, although I am a bit apprehensive due to the quality of my voice. I’m not sure why I’m apprehensive about singing at church because I find extensive enjoyment in singing karaoke, especially “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground, “Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G. or “Moondance” by Van Morrison. In a metaphorical sense, a “song” may represent any sort of circumstance in which there is a rhythm, pace, or flow, and “singing along” may represent your active participation in the circumstance. Here are a few additional examples of immersing myself in various moments.

• I love to dance. When music is playing, in much the same way that my voice wants to sing along, my body also wants to move to the beat. I used to be extremely hesitant to bust a move, especially in certain settings; however, I’ve become more comfortable dancing along to the music when my body feels the urge. For example, during a social event for parents and dancers at the studio where my daughter danced, the kids were having an informal dance session. They were having a ton of fun. I couldn’t help but want to get out there and cut a rug, too. The energy was contagious. Adults weren’t dancing, but as soon as a song started playing that I knew, I couldn’t resist it any longer. I asked the instructor if I could dance, too. She said “of course,” so I immediately made my way to the dance floor and let the music move me. It was as exhilarating as the feeling I experience when singing at the top of my lungs in the car. Although there are still plenty of places where I’m hesitant to dance when music is playing, I have become much more comfortable letting the music move me in a variety of settings, even if I’m the only one dancing. During and following most instances when I allow my body to actively engage with the music, I sense a degree of rightness that is greater than the degree I sensed when the music was playing and I wasn’t dancing.

• It feels good to move with the flow of traffic or pace of a line. When driving a car, if traffic represents the song, I sing along by actively driving with the flow of the traffic. When standing in line at a store or the airport, if the line represents the song, I sing along by moving forward at the same pace the line is progressing. Granted, these experiences aren’t quite as exhilarating as singing along or dancing to music, but in most cases, unless there’s an emergency that requires greater urgency, there is a sense of rightness that exists when I proceed in sync with the rhythm of the traffic or line.

• I enjoy being an active participant in reflective discussions stemming from sermon messages during LIFE Group. As indicated in my reflection on the verse “It’s on the radio in the Car when you hear your favorite song,” LIFE stands for “Living in Faith Everyday.” A LIFE Group is a group of 6-10 individuals from the congregation of the church where I’m a member who meet weekly during certain periods of a calendar year to reflect on the message of the most recent sermon. If the LIFE Group discussion represents the song, I sing along by actively listening and contributing my perspective when appropriate. I attempt to “sing along” in a similar way when actively listening and contributing perspective to discussions at “Greater Good Devotional Gatherings,” which are “informal devotional meetings designed to enhance the spiritual consciousness and application of spiritual principles in the lives of those who attend.”

• I find value in resonance with insights I glean from podcasts, TED Talks, books, and lectures on YouTube. If these examples represent various types of “songs,” I sing along by allowing insights gleaned from the “songs” to validate, shift, or completely disrupt my perspective and embedding insights from the “songs” into my life.

• In a way, if we are always actively participating in the moment by taking the right actions at the right time and remaining still when appropriate, we are always “singing along” to the “song” of life.

Gratitude Statement

I am immeasurably grateful for:

• instances when I am an active participant in the moment and will attempt to “sing along” to the types of “songs” in my life whenever they are playing.

Guiding Questions

Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse:

• It’s in the sound of your Delightful voice when you decide to sing along

Take a moment to reflect on:

• times when you allow your delightful voice to actively participate in your experiences.

For example:

• What are examples of when you have sung along to your favorite song or otherwise engaged as an active participant in the natural flow of your experiences?

• How do you feel when you sing along or engage in the natural flow of these experiences?

• In what ways do you express gratitude for the opportunity to immerse yourself in your favorite song or flow of other moments?

• What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to sing along to your favorite songs or embed yourself in the flow of other experiences?

Closing Statement

In closing:

• When you let your delightful voice complement your favorite song or your passion in life, you receive a Dose of God.

Next Episode

The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter:

• E

• A dose of God is Everywhere even in your darkest day

Positive Vibes

Thank you so much for listening. May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the Doses of God that are ever-presently here for you.