Lullabies

I suck at lullabies.  Not really something I'm ashamed of or upset about, just kind of a fact.

I have many other fine skills. Lullabies just don't happen to be one of them.

I'm fun, outgoing, personable, and, overall, a reasonably good dude.

HOWEVER -

Anyone who knows me and my personality knows that, by nature, I'm not exactly what one would call "low-key."  In other words - my effect on the people around me is less than soothing.

Even when I try to sing them to my one year old, the outcome is less than desirable.  She wants to get up and play. She climbs to her mom. She jumps up and down.  She does algebra.  You get the picture.  The one thing she absolutely does not want to do is, as Samuel L. Jackson or Adam Mansbach might say, Go the F to Sleep.

Deb Talan (www.theweepies.com) does not suck at lullabies.  In fact, whether she means to be or not, she is, in my opinion, the world champion of them.

I've been listening to Steve and Deb's music for well over a dozen years.  My wife and I have seen them all over the country - from Phoenix, to DC, to Atlanta.  We never miss a show. We already have tickets for their show in September in Atlanta.

When we started listening to them, we appreciated their music, lyrics, and general demeanor.  Their interaction and stories are fun and inspiring.  But our appreciation now has reached new levels.

On a recent drive to the beach from Atlanta, our daughter was having a hard time falling asleep.  We rubbed her tummy, read to her, and I (brilliantly) even tried singing her a lullaby.  No bueno.  She was pissed. Wanted out of that car seat.  Wanted to look out the window. Wanted to drive.

Then it hit us.  The fail-safe, perfect sleeping pill for our daughter.

Weepies time.

I put on the "Say I am You" album - she was out cold by then end of the first song.

I want to make it clear that the music isn't boring.  It's fun, witty, musically solid -- all around great stuff.  It just happens to put my kid to sleep.  Hallelujah.

Just a simple reminder that, if we focus on our strengths and know our limitations - if we know the strength of those around us and aren't afraid to use our resources, our lives can be better and easier.

Oh -- and a chance for me to throw out a plug for some of my favorite tunes.

AD