My wife and I have been to the Grand Ole Opry three times over the years. While we are not especially big country music fans, it is an impressive show. And we have found the same dynamics in play with each visit.
1. The stars we are familiar with typically delight the crowd.
2. We usually put an unfamilar artist’s face to a song we knew.
3. Some as yet unknown group or musician steals the show.
This summer, we took our children while on a trip to Nashville, and these dynamics played out once again. Sharing our reviews on the way back to the hotel, we discovered that a different musician resonated with each of us.
My daughter loved Andy Gibson, while my son was most impressed with Darryl Worley. Meanwhile, my wife was wooed by Larry Gatlin and I got worked up into a frenzy with the music of Sons of Fathers, an up and coming group.
Different styles (and decades) resonated with each of us. At one level, we connected with particular musicians and couldn’t understand why everyone couldn’t agree that our favorite was the favorite. On another level, we easily agreed that these four musicians (as well as seven or eight others whose popularity peaked in any of about five decades) were all talented performers who combined to put on a great show.
Resonance. This term has a musical meaning as well as the definition of evoking a response.
In a sea of words and voices and messages, who resonates with you? With whom do you resonate?
At one level, we simply do not all resonate with each other. But at another level, we can easily find appreciation and harmony with what our unique fellow humans are saying.
And that’s what we were reminded of at the Grand Ole Opry.
Worth Repeating
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do, are in harmony.
-Mahatma Gandhi
