In that Old Violin

I apologize in advance. Normally, readers come to this blog for light-hearted giggles and... whatnot (really, I have no better word to describe this blog than "whatnot"). However, every now and then you get a post that's a bit more heavy... something a bit more what it is NOT instead of whatnot. Know what I mean? 

This is one of those posts.

Sometimes I will find a song that I immediately develop a deep, spiritual connection with. I'm not just talking about Motab here; in fact it may happen just as much with "secular" songs as it does with "spiritual" songs. This particular secular song:

Regardless of whatever message--if indeed there is a message--that Amos Lee wanted to put forth in this particular song, this is the message I got (and it's kind of meta):

Amidst the financial, social, and spiritual struggles of life, it really helps to just reconnect with divinity. Here we get a song about a man who faces the selfishness of the world every day and manages to do just that (reconnecting with God) through the simplest of means: an old violin. Whether this violin holds memories of a simpler time or it provides a talented musician with an emotional outlet that puts everything back in perspective, he doesn't say. For me, it doesn't matter. I have my own "old violins" when I face bills, seemingly unpayable debts, loneliness, family distress, hitting my funny bone on things, etc. The piano is an emotional outlet for me almost as much as writing in my journal is. Unfortunately, it didn't become such until late in my highschool years so I never got really good at it. I still have other music that can reconnect me to my God, even songs like this one here, so this song becomes itself an "old violin" for me. It's not the only one, of course. I can remember many such tumultuous points in my life where my soul rises from despair (whatever relative tumult and despair I have faced) through a seemingly miraculous blend of lyric and melody. Additionally, even without getting me through hard times music has played an integral part in building who I am. I truly believe that the Spirit has built every good aspect there is about Todd Martin, from whatever acts of compassion and diligence I have occasionally done to having the wits and creativity to type up inane posts about nothing and everything at once. Music like this strengthens my connection to that Spirit.

I always thought that if you want to take a look into someone's soul, go through their iTunes playlist or their CD case. If those randumb excerpts from my journal weren't enough, here's another peak for all you readers.

Gross. Enough of wading in the kiddie pool of the soul of the man of little consequence. Let's get back to silliness!