Published March 19, 2024

How did it get to be the second half of March 2024 so soon? Never mind. Let’s move on.

I’m still here is the point. Still here, and more determined than ever to stick around awhile. And as it would be impossible for me to catch you up on everything, let me say that for the first time in years, I have something resembling hope and optimism about my future.

Some big mysteries remain to be solved, but I am letting myself be guided by advice that an editor friend shared from her mother.

(That’s me, or a version of me that I made to go with the quote.)

Thank you, Sarah and Sarah’s mom.

I had an idea. This is me acting on it. What if I shared a song of the day that earned its way onto one of my editing playlists, or was already on one but spoke to me on a powerful level as never before? Or reminded me that it was a loyal friend?

My brain can’t handle listening to music with lyrics while I edit, because who wants to risk accidentally adding “De do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to you” while working on a quote in a news story? That’s why I listen only to instrumental music while I’m editing.

As I have said before, there is a fine line between songs that engage me and songs that pull me out of a story. The balance is tricky, which is why only certain types of songs make it onto my editing playlists. If I happen to put a song on repeat and discover later that I’ve been listening to it for an hour or longer without realizing that, it’s done its job. Like an umpire calling a great game, you only notice they’re there if something bad happens, and when you get in that zone, nothing bad is happening.

Every now and then, I find a song that gets inside of me and finds a home, yet allows me to do my job at peak levels. “Sailing Home” by Tracey Chattaway is one such song that I’ve welcomed to my 2024 rotation.

The way it often works is I listen to an Apple Music Radio station in iTunes or on my iPhone, and when a song grabs me, I take a screenshot of it to help me remember to add it to one of my playlists later.

That is how I discovered Tracey Chattaway and “Sailing Home.”

The way it worked a decade or more ago is I would have on one of the music channels on Dish Network or some cable system, and I would write down the name of the song and the artist if a song got my attention. I don’t know much, but I know when I’m going to want to listen to a song again and again and again.

Some songs I discovered in 2010 after moving from Louisiana to Oregon to start a new life are still on editing playlists of mine. I am sure some of them will appear here someday. And if I don’t have time or the words to tell you about why they are still meaningful for me, I can drop them here anyway.

I don’t expect to be able to do this daily, but it seemed like a pleasant check-in with you.

Keep in touch! I hope you are well. If you are reading this, there’s a good chance you are part of whatever home is for me.