Answer: as many musicians as want to provide light. The lightbulb changes all the time. Music can light up the world. Just think of Pete Seeger. He died not too long ago, was famous and politically active for most of his life, and used music as a great shining beacon to point towards change in the world, and shared music for pure joy. Most musicians are more like fireflies. We twinkle individually and collectively, brightening a dark landscape. I am actually shocked by how many people can play or create music well worth listening to. Today I was at a songwriting workshop. I almost typed in song writing worship. It’s like that.
If you can manage not to feel competitive and not put yourself down, the light shines on us all. In any field of endeavor, very few people become famous. This includes the millions or billions of good, average people all over the world who go to work, who parent, who are neighbors, who help each other in times of trouble, who try to survive. So many try to let “this little light of mine” shine. I was blown away by the talent in the workshop today. It’s really humbling. I know that being humbled is good for the soul, but sometimes it feels bad. You start to think you have something special to offer, and then you notice that so do more people than you can count. Well, it’s all special. Individual snowflakes was the metaphor we talked about today, with no two alike. Here is a song I wrote shortly after my dad died at 97. If he were still alive, he would be 104 on April 15th, tax day, and also the day the Titanic sank.
I Woke Up
Susan Rose: Singing Grandma 