Day 30: Singwalking

Finally found a form of exercise that I can stand behind. I call it singwalking and basically the name about sums it up. You create a playlist of songs that you love to sing along to. In my case, that also means learning how to sing them. Then you plug your earphones in and step out into the world. The idea is to sing along, loudly enough so that you feel your lungs working, while you transport yourself from point A to point B.

My current playlist is one that I put together for vacation with the Sweeties last summer and includes such diverse artists as Krishna Das, Maroon 5, Dixie Chicks and Jason Mraz, among others. Most of the songs have lots of lyrics...there's something I find particularly satisfying about mastering all those words. And the more words per measure, the more fun. The exception is Krishna Das which is all about sounds, harmonies and taking flight with others in song.

Singwalking is fun, requires a surprising amount of stamina and can also expose you to some interesting situations. It's interesting to watch people's reactions on the subway, for example, as I stand in the standing area of the car and continue practicing my song. Perhaps more interesting is noticing my own reactions. I am taken by how easy it is for me to get off track as I notice people noticing me. The antidote is focus and allowing my inner performer to come front and center. After all, I am not doing anyone any harm. All I'm doing is singing and what's so wrong with that?

In junior high school, I was in the school chorus. We were a close knit class who took chorus for three years running. In our last year, our teacher, Mr. Patterson, invited us to sing with another chorus he led. We traveled to rehearsals and the concert together and sang our songs on the subway on the way to Brooklyn. We always got applause. Such a formative part of my youth those three years were.

Singing at Jannike's Birthday Party

Somewhere along the way, I lost the spontaneity of singing while in public. Not performing, mind you. Just singing for the sake of singing. Time for my inner songbird to take flight. Who knows where she'll land next :-)