As I worked in my home office, a sound forced me to stop and look around. It was a melody I had not heard for quite a while.
Humming — a bass voice humming.
My son, who has a lovely voice, was marching up the stairs while humming.
I smiled with a prayer of thanks. After a season of illness, personal questions about his destiny, six months of training — he was finally beginning to move forward.
Applications submitted. Hope for a new beginning.
The hum of restored joy.
Scientists tell us humming and singing create the following health benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Creates a meditative state
- Releases nitrous oxide which unclogs the sinuses
- Oxygenates the blood
- Releases endorphins which make us happier
- Initiates a workout for the body
- Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
- Improves breathing
- Lowers the heart rate
- Increases the glandular and intestinal activity
I know these facts to be true. When I feel the shadows of discouragement, I often force myself to sing something or at least to begin humming.
Sometimes an old hymn.
One day, it was Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
Or a rousing chorus of the Kansas state song, Home on the Range.
I sometimes surprise myself, standing at the stove scrambling a couple of eggs. A sudden hum. A phrase from a song.
It feels good.
Hope hides in the notes of a familiar song. And the energy used to expand the lungs and force a voicing of joy moves me in a more positive direction.
So the next time you’re looking for hope, try to prime your pump with a song.
You might surprise yourself with a bubble of sudden joy.
©2019 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
Check out my Amazon Author page for books and resources that include some flavor of hope.