Wallitner Weekly 8
Hello everyone!
A lot of productive things happened this past week.
I have been corresponding with my mentors about publishing. They all think it is a good idea and now I just need to send out my work. Fingers crossed somebody likes it!
I sent off my ideas for the “Song of Hope” to the director and he liked what I had, so it’s time to start writing. My idea is to use a collection of words that describe that feeling of darkness. Words like doubt, fear, loneliness, pain, loss, ect. And then I’ll transition and use words that describe hope. The idea being that I will use the notes more than the words to tell a story of hope.
When I told my dad about this idea he really liked it. He then suggested that I write a poem to be read before the piece, or perhaps on the inside cover of the music, describing the relationship between hope and fear. He said, “Hope is a fickle thing that can be overshadowed by dread if you let it.” So me, being the excellent son that I am and always listening to my parents’ ideas and thoughts (Okay maybe not always) wrote a poem!
Hope is a fickle thing.
Fickle in the way your keys are
Always where you left them,
Until you’re running late.
Fickle in the way your eyes are
Dull and heavy,
Until it’s time to sleep.
Fickle like your chapstick
Hiding itself from your lips.
To be found days later under the couch.
Fear is like a shadow.
Beneath all things it lingers.
One step behind.
One glimpse away.
Sometimes we sit in it’s shade.
As a reminder that we are human.
Our heart begins to race.
It’s darkness can make us cold.
Can hide monstrous things.
Can make us question what we know.
Hope is a fickle thing.
Fickle like a flashlight
That you can’t find
when the power goes out.
But the moment we do,
The shadows slip away.
Like there was never any doubt.
I have a lot planned for next week too!
I hope to have some more solid ideas written down for this song of hope. I am hoping to put together a massive collection of words that describe that “darkness” and words that describe “hope” so if you have any suggestions please don’t hesitate to email me at
Chris.wallitner@gmail.com
Life needs a soundtrack.
My fiancee asked me if I would want to go on a road trip this summer with her and I said I would love to, but we need to make all the proper preparations. This mainly includes snacks and a playlist. The snacks/playlist are important for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to go hungry on a road trip. And we both love to sing songs in the car.
But there is a subtler reason for the snacks and playlist. It is something my dad taught me. When you have a playlist, especially one that is unique to the trip, then when you hear those songs later you’re reminded of the journey. His favorite example of this is from a trip to Alaska that he did with my brothers. They had a specific CD for the road trip and now when he hears those songs he thinks of that 4 day long drive in that beat up old car. They’re good memories.
One of those songs in particular was a John Mayer tune. The story goes, my oldest brother was passed out in the backseat. They’re driving along, the only sound is the quiet singing of John Mayer saying how he doesn’t think he’ll go to LA anymore. Then the chorus comes in and my oldest brother, eyes still closed, starts singing along. The notes were really high and he was really sleepy, but he sang his sleepy little heart out. Now every time my dad hears that song he thinks of his oldest son and smiles. (And I mean EVERY time he hears that song. I’ve heard that story a lot).
Music really is a special thing. I wasn’t even on that trip, but now when I hear that song I think of that story too. I’ve witnessed the power of a good soundtrack first hand, so now any trip over an hour long needs its own playlist. One of those trips for me is the drive from the house I grew up in, to my grandparents Christmas tree farm. Now that Ive gotten older and moved across the state the soundtrack doesn’t line up the same way. However, I remember a certain spot on the road where a particular song would come on and it was perfectly timed so that when we pulled into their driveway the song would end. That song was Neon by John Mayer (My family and I are John Mayer fans) it had to be the live in LA version of the song too because the intro was a little longer. And now whenever I hear that song, or even someone saying “Good evening” the way he does in the beginning, I think of that drive. I think of my grandparents. I think of my dad.
Music is a powerful thing. I highly recommend that the next trip you go on you make a specific playlist for it. It makes the memories more memorable. It makes life a little more interesting. It makes traffic not AS annoying.
