Life Through Song: Part II

***Please note: the following is a true story, but names and events may have been changed to protect all participants.

It was a soggy, but rainless day, somewhere in the winter of 2010.

I threw on my running shoes, threw some new tunes on my iPod, and hit the road for my periodic “urban run” of Seattle.

My urban run would vary in length and route, but would generally start in the south end of downtown (this was before all the construction started in the city, so I no longer can take this route, due to lack of parking. Looks like we’ll need to bus it!)

Anyway, I settled in to my run. Taking the waterfront out of the Sodo district. I remembered at that moment that a quirky accapella song by Reggie Watts had snuck on to my playlist. His vocals-only looping, layering and smooth sounds sunk easily into my head through my headphones.

I ran the waterfront and dodged people in this very touristy area. I enjoyed the street life and people watching immensely. I listened closely to the music. Something new appeared in the mix. This melodic treat started threading an instrument (quite nicely) into the mix.

Where did THAT come from?

Reggie was now singing along with a horn. I enjoyed the ‘new’ undiscovered version of this song, and wondered how Reggie snuck it by me—I always knew he was a crafty devil.

I looked to the left at the water, and the ships coming in. I then looked to my right to spy a lone sax player. This street-performer was playing for tips, and having a grand ‘ol time. He had somehow managed to infiltrate my mix with his improvised saxual prowess. He was in the right key, the right tempo, the right feel, and even managed to swing his head along with the music in my headphones just right. At NO point did he get in the way of Reggie’s (multiple) voices. It was true perfection.

I did not stop running, but I did run in place until the end of the song playing in my headphones. I cherished that connection for the next 4 minutes.

Amazing.

I have never felt such alignment and synchronicity like that. It gave me increased energy for the remainder of my run, and to this day I try to pay attention to not only my environment, but how sounds, music, myself, and my environment all intertwine.

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