Two different worlds
...was the title of a great pop song done originally by Jane Morgan in the 1950s, and done even better in the 1960s by Lenny Welch(that record is one of my secular favs).
It also describes my life to a great extent, and maybe it does yours as well. Let me explain what I mean in my case.
In my 9-to-5 existence, I serve as utility man for a highly rated, heritage news/talk radio station. In that existence, I am regularly in contact with area(and national)newsmakers, a general public that never hesitates to vent their feelings about issues of the day to me during our talk shows, and in station e-mail correspondence. Along with that there is interaction with my co-workers, assorted salespeople, all of whom seem to be in a manic rush to get their jobs done...with or without my help.
As you can imagine, under such circumstances, I am bombarded with almost every point of view on anything(the news, politics, sports, the economy)that is out there. Once the workday is done, there are the inevitable errands to do, where I run into more of the same. It sure seems ironic that in this high-tech age we live in, where everything marketed purports to be for our greater convenience, that people seem to be busier and more in a hurry than ever before.
I do get pockets of time to relax in the midst of all that, but on some days they really seem too few and far between.
All that changes, though, once I finally escape that world, and retreat into the shelter of my own home, where I usually am in far more control of my existence(barring the occasional breakdown of car or home appliance).
It is there I can catch up on my reading, stop and take a deep breath, or even turn on my computer and interact with good friends, or type missives like this to all of you! Truly this is a far less demanding and frenetic existence.
But most of all, I can regain my emotional and spiritual equilibrium by playing(and singing)the kind of music that means the most to me.
Sometimes that music is classical, and I am calmed and stirred inside by the marvelous melodies and the tremendous abilities of the musicians...sometimes it is the innovative techniques of jazz, and sometimes it is even of the joy and liberation expressed in the rock n' roll and R&B of the 1950s and 1960s.. I enjoy all of that.
But most of the time, it is the music that praises and exalts God.
For that is what makes my life have any meaning at all...and the gospel and other Christian music I enjoy both affirms and inspires me to stay on the path of life I know is best. It is, as the old hymn says, my "balm in Gilead". If I wasn't able to spend a significant part of my day in the midst of that music, it would make my life harder to live..
In other words, the world I come home to is just as important to me as the world in which I make my living in, if not more so.
I need both worlds, for different reasons. But they're both there, and the sum of those two worlds is my life, for better or worse.
I seldom talk about my radio life away from it, and most of the people in my work world are totally unaware of what I do in my time away from the station. Yet both together make up who I am.
I suspect that it is much the same for most of you as well.
Posted on Jan 14, 2008 - 12:13 AM | [0]
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