Snow. Chilly temps. High winds. Rain. More rain. The dreary weather we’ve had in the Northeast this winter has been getting me down. Then this morning the news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan put me in an even darker frame of mind. I decided I needed to turn my negative thoughts into positive motivation.
First, I’d help the people of Japan by contributing to earthquake relief efforts. If you’d like to do the same, here’s a list of relief organizations compiled by The Huffington Post.
Then I’d help myself shift into more optimistic thinking by putting together a positive playlist. After all, music is one of the quickest and easiest ways to lift your mood. And what better to counter the mood-dampening effects of the weather than some sunny songs?
I’ve got to give credit to our awesome former editorial assistant Alice (now in grad school at KU), who started this playlist back when we were working on Positive Thinking magazine together. Here are some of her picks:
“Sun Comes Up” John Legend
“Pocketful of Sunshine” Natasha Bedingfield
“When the Sun Goes Down” Kenny Chesney
“Warmth of the Sun” The Beach Boys
“Another Sunny Day” Belle & Sebastian
“Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” Bruce Springsteen
“Keep on the Sunny Side of Life” The Whites
“Here Comes the Sun” The Beatles
And some of mine (I thought I’d pick up where Alice left off with The Beatles):
“Good Day Sunshine” The Beatles
“On the Sunny Side of the Street” Louis Armstrong
“Island in the Sun” Weezer (This version of the video is so odd and quirky, it puts a smile on my face.)
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” Stevie Wonder
“Seven Days in Sunny June” Jamiroquai
“In the Sun” Michael Stipe with Coldplay (cover of Joseph Arthur’s original)
“Sun Is Shining” Bob Marley
“Walking on Sunshine” Katrina and the Waves (If this is way too 80s for you, check out the mash-up with Beyonce’s “Halo” from Glee. I couldn’t find the video on the show’s website but here’s a version from the Glee live tour.)
What’s on your positive playlist? Let me know…I’d love to add to my list of sunny songs!
