Matisse

There Are Stars Above You — 10 Songs For Feeling Better Even if You Already Feel Good

Starry Night Over the Rhone, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888. Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France.

We can always count on music to enrich us and connect us to each other, no matter who we are or where we are from. Some songs are especially good at making us feel better, no matter how we are feeling.  Here are a few favorites from my very long list. They bring up different moods and they are all mixed up, so don’t expect any kind of emotional theme or evolution. And please share some of your own!

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Rowing the Boat Ashore, For Now

After five years of travel, I am not on an extended vacation. The road is my home. It is like religion to me because it helps me fill in some of the gaping holes in what I know and believe. It feeds my spirit and challenges me. But now, I realize I may not be able to travel for what could feel like a long time. Although I don’t know how, my life is going to change.

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White Nights, Imperial Splendor and Veggie Burgers in St. Petersburg

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

I am spending the week in beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia. It is a city designed by and for royalty, full of large palaces, giant churches, gold spires, and grand boulevards.  The feeling of the historic center is formal and aristocratic, and the city seems all about the buildings. No graffiti or garbage or village dogs.  Continue reading