Music - One of My Ways to Stay Strong for the River

People often ask me:  “how do you keep going in face of all of the opposition and challenges you face every day?”

There are a lot of ways I keep my passion and strength up to face the daily challenges and attacks I face in my job.  One of them is music, good music about protecting the environment. 

Before itunes and the like I had a cassette of songs I put together.  I’d listen to it all the time when in the car on the way to a hearing or a meeting or just to and from work.  Eventually it wore out.  And so for a long time I was without my environmental protection/social justice music.  But once I learned how to use today’s modern technology to amass this kind of music again I got to work. I haven’t found all of the songs I had in my original collection, but I found a lot and recently have found much more.

I’m always looking for good songs to add to my play list so if you have ideas please share them as a comment to this blog.  I need to expand my repertoire.

And for those who are interested, here are some of the songs that really help keep my mind and heart focused on taking on and winning the daily challenges for the River:

• Of course: “Maya van Rossum’s Blues” by the Donuts (a song about the Athos I oil spill on the Delaware River)
•  “Clear Blue Skies” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
•  “The Rape of the World” by Tracy Chapman – listen for the part where she urges you to “stand up and testify”
• “Nature’s Way” by Spirit
•  “We Bought it” by Brother Tree
• “Help Your Mother” by Brother Tree
• “All Over” by Brother Tree
• “Earth Song” by Michael Jackson
•   “Not Ready to Make Nice” by the Dixie Chicks as I see this as a song about speaking for what you believe is right despite the opposition you face
•  “If a Tree Falls” by Bruce Cockburn
• “Way of the World” by Chante Pierce
•  “Good bye to a River” by Don Henley
• “Simple Living” by Fred Small
• “Treehugger” by J.P. Taylor
• “Rise to the Challenge” by J.P. Taylor
• “Down along the River” by J.P. Taylor
• “Hug the Earth” by J.P. Taylor
• “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver
•  “Don’t Cut Me Down” by Olivia Newton John
• “Silent Ruin” by Olivia Newton John