Listening to Your Mystic DJ

I wake up almost every day with a song in my head, lyrics to ponder like a zen koan through my day. This morning, I heard, “I woke up at the moment that the miracle occurred — the most beautiful sound I ever heard.”

My first thought was that maybe it was referring back to those miraculous moments when someone is born, like my friend who’s celebrating his birthday today. Or something miraculous had happened in the middle of the night (should I turn on my phone to go look for some news?) The moment my son was born was certainly one of those wake-up miracles at quarter past noon, his first cry being the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. Some people simply come into our lives to wake us up. Thank goodness!

Still dark, at least an hour before the alarm would go off, I was too tired to get up and start to ponder in my journal. I have never had that song in my morning head before, although it is in my iTunes library. I was delighted and curious. What could it mean? I slept on it, and the words were still there when I woke up again.

After journaling awhile, I got up and googled the lyrics. I played the song while I showered, and again while I ate eggs and toast. And again just before taking out the trash. And one more time while I got ready to start my day at the keyboard. I’m laughing as I type this, because that need to hear it three times or more before I begin to understand the koan is a lot like life, isn’t it? How many times do I have to tell you!!

I laughed again when I saw that the lyrics in my head didn’t match the true lyrics of the song, not quite. I love that my Mystic DJ edits lyrics to suit my need to know. I often like my own version better. How often have you sung a song for decades, only to discover that the whole time you’ve had the words wrong? I believe we’re meant to write our own lyrics if the ones in the song aren’t quite what we need. And when we need to know the actual intended lyrics, we’ll find out in good time.

Creating a life of courage is like that. It’s about paying attention to the lyrics of your inner voice, singing along, humming over the words you don’t know yet. And trusting that you’ll find out, or rewrite, the words to your own song in your own time.

P.S. I’ve also discovered that the lyrics you find typed up online are most often provided by internet volunteers and not always more accurate than the ones you made up. It has to do with the scope of your inner vocabulary. And that’s always worth stretching.

P.P.S. There is some divine mischief going on with my inbox. Here is a poem that arrived, as if to affirm that I’m not crazy about this Mystic DJ and morning songs!

View the whole poem Check out the full poem and blog here at Christina’s Words. Thanks Christina!

2 responses to “Listening to Your Mystic DJ”

  1. Oh Shelley, I love this!!!! I love reading your entries, a balm for my soul this afternoon, so thank you!!!
    “Creating a life of courage is like that. It’s about paying attention to the lyrics of your inner voice, singing along, humming over the words you don’t know yet. And trusting that you’ll find out, or rewrite, the words to your own song in your own time.”

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