Finding Joy in Everyday Moments: Finish the Song

There is a very specific kind of magic that happens when you’re pulling into a parking space, mentally checking off the seventeen things you still need to accomplish before dinner, and a song comes on the radio that absolutely refuses to be interrupted. You know the one. The song that makes you stop reaching for your purse. You forget why you came to the store in the first place. Suddenly you become completely unavailable to the rest of the world.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about finding joy in everyday moments, and honestly, sometimes those moments arrive when I’m sitting in a parking lot with a really good song playing on the radio. You put the car in park, leave the radio playing, and sit there. Maybe you turn the volume up a little. Maybe you sing along, completely off-key and with the kind of enthusiasm that would make your children question whether you should be allowed out in public unsupervised. Or maybe you just sit quietly and let the music wash over you because something about those particular lyrics reaches a place inside you that you didn’t even realize needed a little attention.

And you know what? I think that’s a beautiful thing.

We spend so much of our lives rushing from one responsibility to another that we’ve practically forgotten how to simply enjoy a moment without feeling the need to turn it into something productive. But sometimes, my friends, the most important thing on your to-do list is to sit your happy ass in the car and finish the damn song.

The Sacred Pause We Didn’t Know We Needed

Our lives are ridiculously noisy. Between the notifications, appointments, family responsibilities, household chores, and the endless parade of things demanding our attention, it’s a wonder any of us can hear ourselves think. I don’t know about you, but there are days when my brain feels like it has seventeen browser tabs open, three of them are playing music, and I cannot figure out which one is responsible for the noise.

Living here on the farm certainly hasn’t made my days any less busy. There are gardens to tend, chickens to supervise (although I’m fairly certain they’re the ones supervising me), dogs who believe every trip outside should involve an elaborate adventure, and a house that apparently refuses to clean itself no matter how nicely I ask. Add in writing, teaching yoga, and the ordinary responsibilities of being a functioning adult, and sometimes it feels like I’m moving from one task to the next without ever really arriving anywhere.

And then a song comes on.

Not just any song. That song. The one that makes your shoulders relax, your breathing slow, and the running commentary inside your head finally shut the hell up for a few minutes. Suddenly, nothing is required of you. Nobody needs an answer, nothing needs watering, and whatever you came to the store to buy can wait another three minutes.

It’s a tiny pocket of peace in an otherwise chaotic day. And if you’ve spent any time around Glimmers in Chaos, you already know that finding those little pockets of happiness is pretty much what we’re all about.

Music Has a Funny Way of Finding Our Memories

One of the things I find absolutely fascinating about music is how quickly it can transport us to another time in our lives. I can hear the opening notes of certain songs and instantly remember exactly where I was, who I was with, and how I felt when that song was part of my everyday world.

Sometimes it’s a song from my teenage years, and suddenly I’m young again, full of questionable fashion choices and completely convinced I have the entire universe figured out. Other times, it’s a song that reminds me of falling in love, raising my babies, or one of those chapters of life that I wouldn’t necessarily want to repeat but wouldn’t trade away either.

And sometimes, a song brings back someone we miss.

Those are the moments that can really catch us off guard. One minute you’re sitting in the grocery store parking lot wondering whether you remembered to put coffee creamer on the shopping list, and the next you’re blinking back tears because a familiar melody has brought someone you love right back into the passenger seat of your memories.

I’ve written before about how grief and remembering can catch us when we least expect it. Music has a particularly powerful way of opening those doors. Sometimes it hurts a little, but sometimes it also feels like a gift.

There’s actually some fascinating science behind this. Researchers have studied how music can trigger autobiographical memories and evoke strong emotions, often bringing back experiences with remarkable vividness. If you’re curious about the connection, this research article available through PubMed Central explores music-evoked autobiographical memories and the brain.

Personally, I don’t need a scientist to convince me that music is powerful. I’ve been emotionally ambushed by enough songs in grocery store parking lots to have gathered plenty of my own evidence.

A Tiny Act of Rebellion Against the To-Do List

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about more and more as I get older. Somewhere along the way, we started treating every single minute of our lives as something that needed to be accounted for. We measure our days by how much we accomplish, how many tasks we cross off, and whether we’ve managed to squeeze every possible drop of productivity out of the hours we’ve been given.

And listen, I love a good to-do list. I’m the woman who still uses a paper planner despite having enough digital calendars and automated reminders to practically launch a small spaceship. I’ve even written about my ongoing love affair with paper planners, because apparently organizing my life requires both modern technology and pretty stickers.

But I’m also learning that not every minute needs a purpose beyond simply being enjoyed.

Sitting in the car to finish a song is such a small thing, but there’s something wonderfully rebellious about it. You’re choosing to stay right where you are, even though you could be moving on to the next responsibility. You’re allowing yourself a few minutes of pleasure without needing to justify it to anyone.

The grocery store isn’t going anywhere. The laundry will still be waiting when you get home. And I can personally guarantee that the chickens will continue acting as though they haven’t been fed in seventeen years regardless of whether I arrive home three minutes earlier.

Sometimes choosing joy means allowing yourself to linger a little longer than you planned.

Finding Joy in Everyday Moments Doesn’t Require Fireworks

I think one of the biggest misconceptions we have about happiness is that it’s supposed to be some grand, spectacular experience. We imagine vacations, celebrations, accomplishments, and those beautiful milestone moments that deserve photographs and enthusiastic social media announcements.

And don’t get me wrong, those moments are wonderful. I love a good adventure, a family celebration, and any excuse to gather the people I love around a table full of delicious food.

But some of my favorite moments in life have been remarkably ordinary.

A quiet morning on the porch with my coffee. The way the late afternoon sunlight filters through the trees here on the farm. Watching the dogs chase each other through the yard without a single concern about tomorrow. Standing outside after dark and looking up at a sky so full of stars that it still takes my breath away.

And yes, sitting in the car because a really good song came on the radio.

These are the moments I think of as glimmers. Those small experiences that offer us a little spark of joy, comfort, connection, or peace in the middle of ordinary life. They’re not necessarily life-changing, but they can certainly be day-changing.

The concept of glimmers has also gained attention in discussions of emotional well-being and the nervous system. They’re often described as small cues that help us experience feelings of safety or connection. I love that idea, although I think there’s room to appreciate glimmers simply because they make life a little sweeter, too.

We don’t have to turn every pleasant experience into a wellness assignment. Sometimes something can just feel good, and that’s reason enough to enjoy it.

The Beautiful Art of Lingering

I’ve been trying to become more intentional about slowing down and actually experiencing the life I’ve worked so hard to create. That’s not always easy for someone who has spent decades operating in full-speed-ahead mode. My natural instinct is to finish one thing and immediately start looking for the next thing that needs doing.

But I’m beginning to understand that lingering isn’t the same thing as wasting time.

Lingering is how we savor things. It’s how we notice the details we might otherwise miss. It’s the extra few minutes spent sitting with someone we love after dinner, the chapter we finish reading even though we probably should be getting ready for bed, or the time we spend wandering through the garden simply because the flowers are beautiful.

And sometimes it’s staying in the car until the last note of a song fades away.

There’s even a concept in positive psychology called savoring, which involves intentionally paying attention to and appreciating positive experiences. Researchers have explored how savoring can support our sense of well-being, and I find that particularly interesting because it reminds me that enjoying life isn’t necessarily about adding more wonderful things to our schedules. Sometimes it’s about giving the wonderful things already happening a little more room to breathe.

Maybe we don’t need to manufacture more happiness. Maybe we just need to stop rushing past so much of it.

Take the Song With You

Eventually, of course, the song ends. The final notes fade, the radio announcer starts talking about something completely unimportant, and reality politely taps you on the shoulder to remind you that you did, in fact, come here to buy groceries.

So you turn off the car, grab your purse, and head inside.

But something feels a little different.

Maybe you’re smiling because you just spent four minutes singing your heart out. Perhaps you’re feeling nostalgic about a chapter of your life you haven’t thought about in years. Maybe you needed a good cry and didn’t realize it until a familiar melody gave you permission to have one.

Or maybe you’re simply a little calmer than you were when you pulled into that parking space.

Whatever it is, those few minutes mattered. Not because you accomplished something or checked another task off your list, but because you allowed yourself to be fully present for a moment that made you feel something.

And isn’t that what so much of this beautiful, messy life is really about?

We don’t always get to control the big things. Life can be complicated, unpredictable, heartbreaking, hilarious, and occasionally so ridiculous that all we can do is laugh and pour another cup of coffee. But we can learn to recognize those little invitations to pause, breathe, and appreciate the good things that find us along the way.

So the next time you’re pulling into the driveway and your favorite song comes on, don’t rush to turn off the radio. Stay a little longer. Sing along. Remember something wonderful. Let yourself feel whatever that music brings to the surface.

The rest of the world can wait until the chorus is over.

And for the love of all things holy, if it’s a really good song, you are absolutely allowed to listen to it twice.

Something to Ponder Over Coffee

Now I have to know, because I refuse to believe I’m the only person who has spent an unreasonable amount of time sitting in a parked car listening to music.

What’s the one song that will make you stay in the car until it’s finished, no matter where you’re going or how late you might be?

Is it something that reminds you of your teenage years? A song that brings back someone you love? Or one that you simply cannot resist singing at the top of your lungs?

Tell me in the comments! I would absolutely love to know what songs make up the soundtrack of your lives. Who knows, we might even end up creating the most wonderfully chaotic Glimmers in Chaos playlist together.

I’ll even go first. Mine is Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Every. Damn. Time. Now it’s your turn. What song keeps YOU sitting in the car?