In this New Year, like many of you, I’m searching for my resolution/word/target for the year. It has been a real pleasure / treasure hunt this year. I’m listening to friends’ ideas, reading lots, watching interesting documentaries and commentaries on the world and still… no word.

This week one of my friends and I were enjoying an evening hot tub and we got onto the topic of music. I have always enjoyed music, grew up with a music teacher for a mom and still enjoy playing the piano, mostly by ear.

I was reminiscing with him about the music that came out of the 70’s when I was a little boy and how it transformed my life. I vividly remember one moment:

It was a typical Sunday morning, at the little country church. Sunday School for kids included a singing time. It was a formal choral format, standing in little rows, with an old lady conducting. I seemed to fall into trouble in this environment. But this particular Sunday I walked in the room and one of my older brother’s friends, a long haired teenager, was sitting on a chair with a guitar. Over the months he taught us how to play guitar using the new songs of the 70’s.

To borrow a phrase, I “died and went to heaven.” I went from getting in trouble with the strict choir conductor to sitting right next to the teenage guitar player soaking up the musical moment and learning to play guitar.

As I was telling my friend in the hot tub about this moment. It surprised me but I got all lumpy in the throat and couldn’t talk for a minute. His comment was, “there it is.” I think what he meant was there’s the window to the soul that might give you your word for the year.

My friend doesn’t have any “churchy” memories as a kid but much later as an adult he volunteered in kids’ camps. Wouldn’t you know it, he knew the song I was musing about. Without any fanfare we quietly sang the song, shared a moment, finished the hot tub with a roll in the snow and called it a day.

I’m definitely one step closer to my word for the year.