Make Your Own Kind of Music
On summer evenings, when the sun casts long shadows across the sand, I like to sit outdoors with my laptop. More distracted, perhaps. More inspired, certainly.
Many young people ride by on their bikes, often with a portable speaker. They listen to the classic trap music, feeling rebellious, yet in reality, conforming more than they probably realize. But they're young, and this is the rite of passage for every generation, so it's perfectly fine.
One evening, like so many others, I hear a familiar tune in the distance. Summertime, in the Janis Joplin version. I look up, curious, expecting to see a cheerful older man, but surprisingly, it was a young man pedaling by, singing softly to himself, relaxed. I smile. He doesn't see me, lost in his pedaling and his own world. Serene.
The same scene repeats the next evening, this time with The Doors. The Crystal Ship, once again sung quietly but, from the movement of his lips, with clear intention. I realize it wasn't a coincidence. And so it continued for three more days, curiously always with classic bands or tracks that I also love: The Rolling Stones, The Mamas & the Papas, PFM.
On the fourth day, I didn't sit in my usual spot. Instead, my wife and I went to a nearby bar for a refreshing drink a little earlier. He was there with his group of friends, making plans for the evening. As they were saying their goodbyes, I overheard a classic teenage line: "Yeah, but just don't bother us later with that shit music of yours".
He replied calmly: "I like it".
I didn't hear anything else.
The next day, I was back in my usual spot, without my laptop, just relaxing and chatting with my wife. Suddenly, I hear a melody I recognized instantly: Child in Time. The young man was pedaling, smiling, pure, energetic. Free.
That same place. A cassette Walkman and those same songs, but many years earlier. A boy pedaling happily, with the wind in his hair and so many dreams to chase, while the music - his music - accompanied him on his journey.
I smiled. I felt a deep human connection to him.
Fly on, stranger kid. Let yourself be carried by the sounds you love. Don't be swayed by others, just live. Dream. Smile. Always be yourself, do what you love. And never stop saying so.
Make your own kind of music.