It's just been one of those weekends. I don't like death. Don't do very well with it. But there have been two to deal with to some extent this weekend (one for me, and one for my wife). As such, the quest to find something to bring me back to a place of contentment has been priority #1 this afternoon (even as my wife is still away at one funeral).
I was strolling through some old pictures this afternoon when I came across the one you see above you right now. It's one of my favorite pictures of all time. I'm not very photogenic. I accept that. In fact, I typically hate taking pictures period. But something about this one (excluding the subject matter) has always made it a favorite of mine. At any rate, it was taken on December 19, 2008 on my tenth wedding anniversary while my wife and I were celebrating at The Mirage in Las Vegas. Kind of apropos, no?
At the time this picture was taken, I had just been really introduced to the Beatles' music the summer before. Now, I do pride myself on being educated to a large degree (no pun intended), and I like to think myself pretty well-rounded at any rate. So of course I knew who the Beatles were, and I already had a pretty healthy respect for their place in musical history without really knowing much of what they did (I've since come to find out that I knew a lot more of their music than I thought I did). But a friend had introduced me to their 'Love' CD during that summer (basically the soundtrack for the entire show), and since it was our 10th anniversary and we did want to do Vegas fancy, I figured that taking my wife to see a show (a Cirque show, no less!) called 'Love' was probably just the way to go.
Sparing all the boring and often gory details, suffice to say that the Beatles have since become my favorite band. I listen to them. A lot. When the remastered boxed set came out in conjunction with The Beatles: Rock Band on 9*9*09, well, you get the idea.
I've indulged myself in my fair share of conversations about the Beatles over the past couple of years, and I've found that people are pretty much divided equally over three spheres: the Beatles are overrated, ambivalence, and the Beatles are the greatest band ever. There really doesn't seem to be much gray area at all. But that ain't what this is about.
Rather, it's about just being happy. The truth is, I could probably come up with about a thousand reasons (okay, exaggeration I admit) why I like the Beatles. Why I think they're great. Blah Blah Blah. But all of those reasons aren't why I like them. I'm a firm believer that sometimes humans just need something to make them smile; something to make them happy. Something to click for them. The Beatles do that for me. It really is that simplistic.
When I'm having a dreary day and I hear "Here Comes The Sun", I can't help but feel a little bit brighter. When I'm driving down the street and "Hey Jude" comes on, and all the people in the car start singing I can't help but laugh. When I hear "All You Need Is Love" I think about my wife. The list could go on and on. But that would be boring.
The point is this; I can't help but wonder what kind of a world it might be if everyone had something, just that one something, that just clicked for them and made them happy. Something that wasn't predicated on rhyme or reason. Something they could just enjoy without other people making them feel foolish or whatever for doing so. I'm content knowing that this makes me happy simply because it does.
What makes you happy?
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