January 24, 2024

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Do you have a theme song?

This morning when I rolled out of bed, I felt every bit of twice my age. My knee--the good one--was aching, my back was stiff and my head was throbbing. Dedicated to my morning workout routine, I convinced myself to get down on the floor and do my first set of 15 push-ups. I collapsed. My mind was willing, but my body wasn't. I laid there for a moment, let my dog bite my fingers and then rallied the strength to do the 15 push-ups. They were unenergetic with horrible form--but they were done. I moved on to the last two of my exercises and quickly went downstairs to get my cup of morning elixir and some ibuprofen.

After the caffeine and painkillers kicked in, I shook off a few decades and was ready for a shower. I turned on the water when it occurred to me, I need some music. I opened my Spotify app and quickly selected Beyonce's RENAISSANCE album. It was right there in my short list of recently played items.

As my shoulders started bounce to the bass, I suddenly locked eyes with myself in the mirror. The lyrics were explicit--but that didn't bother me. I chanted, "These motherfuckers ain't stopping me! These motherfuckers ain't stopping me!" over and over again. I stood in the bathroom, shower-ready, dancing my heart out. I didn't feel the aches, the pains or my age. All I felt was power. I thought about Beyonce's confidence. I channeled it. As the beat broke, I found myself slow flossing (the dance)--and laughing at myself for thinking, damn--I'm pretty good at this!

As I got in the shower, I thought about who are these motherfuckers? Who are these people--real and imaginary--that are trying to stop me? In my mind, I made the following list:

• That pesky voice in my head that pretends to be me--always judging me and telling me I don't belong in the world I'm building for myself.

• The people who hate me because I'm black.

• The people who hate me because I'm a woman.

• The society that judges me because I'm 46 years old and a single mother of two children without a husband.

• The jobs that won't hire me because they can't get past the uniquely, different name listed at the top of my resume.

• The people who don't know me and judge me.

• The people who know me and judge me.

• The seemingly perfect people living their fake perfect lives that I've never spoken to, but they somehow convey that I am unworthy of living my best life.

With the rhythm of Beyonce's lyrics still echoing throughout my home, I stepped out of the shower feeling like I could conquer anything. I felt so good--the dance party didn't stop. I immediately knew I had to write a blog post about using music to invite energy into our lives, and having a particular song that wakes us up and motivates our spirit.

As I got dressed, I was in defiance against the invisible--but very much real--forces that sometimes try to hold me back. My party was a declaration of resilience and self-empowerment. It was a rebellion against the doubting voice in my head, the prejudices society throws my way, and the unwarranted judgments from those who don't see the real me.

So, fellow warriors, find your theme song, let the music play, and let it drown out the noise of those who ain't stopping you. Keep dancing, keep believing, and keep living your best life. Cheers to the power of a song that becomes the soundtrack of our triumphs.

Haven't heard the song, here's the link: I'M THAT GIRL.

If you have a theme song, please share it with us in the comments.