Now my life is sweet like cinnamon
Like a dream I’m living in
Baby love me cause I’m playing on the radio
How do you like me now?
Like a dream I’m living in
Baby love me cause I’m playing on the radio
How do you like me now?
Radio – Lana Del Rey
I have already written this blog one hundred
times over in my mind. Many nights have been spent crafting what it was
that I wanted to say when it came time to deal out my farewells. Not
unlike the student who stayed up all night to cram before the next day’s
exam, though I have diligently prepared, I feel overwhelmed now that
the test is in front of me.
All
of my wit and stories fail me, as so far into this blog as all I have
written is a summary of my current goodbye angst and some Lana Del Rey
lyrics. Well that’s something at least. If I can’t find the right words
to sum up how I feel, then perhaps as Music Director it only makes
sense to utilize the words of artists I have followed closely during my
volunteer year. Radio by Lana, (yeah, we’re on a first-name
basis,) was a song that I listened to on repeat time and time again as I
prepared to leave for Nome. It tells the story of someone who is
leaving a life behind to achieve a dream; someone who desires so much to
use the magic of radio as a conduit for the love and passion inside of
them.
I guess you could say that I relate to its content.
When I was a kid I used to have pretend DJ
shifts in my room. As the other neighborhood children were outside
riding their bikes, I was compiling liner notes and developing playlists
for the benefit of an invisible audience. When I reached 16, I used to
drive home as many friends as I could fit into my car just so I could
play my newest mix cds for them. Something about sharing music with
people has always made me feel full inside.
I have been told, in one way or another,
that my interest in music was trivial and that without an academic
background in the subject, I would be unable to find my place in that
professional niche. I have also been told that my collegiate background
would likely place me in a fairly rigid career track with little
professional deviation. Three years after graduating from college, I’ve
worn more hats than I can count. In three years I’ve attained more
dreams than I could have ever though possible. I’m a wildland
firefighter, musician, construction worker, DJ, producer, videographer,
environmental technician, photographer, graphic designer, blogger,
social media guru, counselor, volunteer coordinator, music critic,
actor, costumier, teacher – and the list goes on.
Everything I’ve done and every little dream
I’ve captured in my glass mason jar of life has been thanks to service.
Three years ago I was a young person who had no idea what he wanted to
do with his life and felt hopeless. Three years later I’m a young person
who has no idea what he wants to do with his life who couldn’t be
happier. Service isn’t about an end. It isn’t about landing a job with a
non-profit or building your resume. Service is about the journey. It’s
about those you help along the way: those that say thank you, those that
don’t, and those that you didn’t even realize benefited from the work
you’ve done. It’s about trying scary new things in which you mind
screams, “This isn’t right for you!” and then finding out that it is.
It’s about throwing your hands in the air and accepting the beautiful
fact that you are more than one person. You are more than the sum of
your fears and hopes. You are a conduit that has the capability to send
your love across the community in which you live and the world around it
like energy through a phone line.
If my time spent in AmeriCorps and KNOM
Radio Mission are the best things I ever do with my life…then I’m okay
with that, though I know many more adventures await me. Service will
always be a chemical component in my bones, and these last three years
will always be something I behold as being more than special.
My time as a KNOM volunteer has been six
years in the making. I first came across a description of the work done
here when I was a freshman in college. For years I placed the dream that
had sprouted in my head by simply reading a small paragraph of
information on the highest shelf until I felt ready. To this day I feel
amazed that it would become a dream come true. KNOM spoke to me and here
I am. Words can’t do this part of my service journey enough justice. I
don’t know how to say thank you to Western Alaska. I don’t know how go
about counting my lucky stars for making this happen.
Soon I will play my last song and my
selection will travel across Western Alaska one last time. I must have
played thousands of songs in my time here, yet it never stops feeling
magical. I just hope the music that I am leaving behind can speak of all
the gratitude I can’t seem to shake off my lips.
American dreams came true somehow
I swore I’d chase them until I was dead
I heard the streets were paved with gold
That’s what my father said
I swore I’d chase them until I was dead
I heard the streets were paved with gold
That’s what my father said
Now my life is sweet like cinnamon
Like a dream I’m living in
Baby love me cause I’m playing on the radio
How do you like me now?
Like a dream I’m living in
Baby love me cause I’m playing on the radio
How do you like me now?
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