ROLE MODEL – "Harmony"

“Harmony” attached itself to a moment before I realized it was happening.

Last week, Tyler and I were driving along the coast in Mallorca, windows down, with the kind of scenery that makes you question whether someone turned the saturation up. “Harmony” came on during the drive, and by the time it was over, the two had become permanently linked. Now the opening notes are basically a return ticket.

I'm always playing new music, so when Tyler asks, “What song is this?” I pay attention. It usually means one has broken through whatever else we're doing and earned another listen. He asked during “Harmony.” Into the rotation it went.

The lyrics make that memory feel even more fitting. Tucker Pillsbury is singing from a place of arrival, looking back at the second-guessing, healing and years spent wondering when peace might finally show up. Happiness here doesn't come crashing through the ceiling with fireworks. One day you look around and realize it's already sitting beside you.

I've never completely bought “happiness is a choice.” Life is messy. Anxiety is real. Timing matters. People get sick. Hearts get broken. Happiness can be a lot more difficult than deciding you'd like some.

The part we do get to choose is whether we notice it when it's here. The stretches where you've been smiling more. Making memories without thinking about making memories. Driving along a coast with someone you love while a song you didn't know you needed finds its way into the car.

That's where “Harmony” lives for me now. A few minutes of ROLE MODEL reminding me to look around while the view is good.