In mindfulness practice we have a saying that self is not a noun. It’s a verb. The idea is that nothing about us is actually a set thing, but an ever shifting collection of energy reacting to other elements around us over time. Science appears to be proving this more and more every day. As the study of subatomic particles continues, it becomes harder and harder to measure anything beyond its probability of moving from one place to another.

To me this feels a lot like music. Music by its nature is never really stationary. It’s constantly reverberating and being absorbed by other energy around it. Sure you can hold a record in your hand or a folder of sheet music, but like waves on an ocean, music is essentially dynamic in that it is always moving… always changing.

I like to use music as the model for the self because even though like music we can feel beginnings and endings, technically from moment to moment, both are never exactly the same. Even a “finished” piece of music sounds different in every room that it is played in. Much like music, when I consider my life an ever evolving field of energy my options for happiness seem boundless.

Below is a playlist of songs that have resonated with me in the past month. I hope they bring more joy to your life. Thanks for listening, MMM

Included are songs by: Congotronics International, Deerhoof, Commodores, Modern Nature, Regina Spektor, FredAtlast, KEVIN MORBY, Skull Snaps, Toro y Moi, The Clash, Ranking Roger, Alex G, Prince, Thomas Patrick Maguire, The Weekend

(Subscribe to get a new playlist every 1st Monday of the month. Click on my user link or search: Major Matt’s 1st Monday on Spotify to cruise past playlists and discover more music.)