Let’s talk about why this happens… because it’s not just “being sensitive” or “overreacting.”
When anxiety or depression is hanging around, your nervous system gets jumpy. It starts scanning everything like it’s responsible for keeping you alive… because it thinks it is.
So your brain looks at neutral things & tries to assign meaning…
😮 A short text becomes rejection.
😮 A delayed reply becomes anger.
😮 A change in plans becomes abandonment.
Not because you’re weak… but because your system is running on high alert.
The Problem With High Alert
High alert is great if a bear is chasing you.
High alert is trash when you’re just trying to live a normal Tuesday.
Because when your body is in that mode, it’s not asking “Is this true?”
It’s asking “Is this safe?”
And if your brain decides it’s not safe, it starts building a case… fast.
The Lies My Brain Tells Me
Here are a few greatest hits from my personal anxiety playlist:
😵💫 “They’re mad at you.”
😵💫 “You’re annoying.”
😵💫 “You said the wrong thing.”
😵💫 “You’re falling behind.”
😵💫 “Everyone can tell you’re struggling.”
And the wild part? Those thoughts feel like facts while they’re happening.
A Tiny Shift That Helps
When I’m spiraling, I’m trying to swap the question.
Instead of “What did I do wrong?” I’m trying…
“What else could be true?”
🤔 Maybe they’re busy.
🤔 Maybe they’re tired.
🤔 Maybe their phone died.
🤔 Maybe they’re dealing with their own stuff.
🤔 Maybe it’s not about me.
A Little Permission Slip
If your nervous system is loud right now… you’re not broken.
You’re not weak.
You’re a human with a brain that’s trying to protect you… even when it’s doing a terrible job at it.
This is Journeys With Jani… and if you needed a reminder today that you’re not alone in this, consider this it.
Some weeks don’t hit you like a wave… they hit you like a thousand tiny paper cuts.
Not the kind that make you bleed out… just the kind that sting enough to make you question your entire personality, your relationships and your ability to read the tone of a two word text message.
And that’s where I’ve been lately.
I’ve been moving along. Doing what needs doing. Handling life like I’m fine. But inside… I’ve felt tender. Like my emotional skin is sunburned and everything is rubbing against it.
The Olympics of Overthinking
Here’s how my brain has been operating lately…
🔴 I read a text wrong.
🤯 “What was that supposed to mean?”
🤔 Did they just use a period like a weapon?
🔴 Someone doesn’t choose the plan, the invite, the thing…
🤯 “What did I do wrong?”
🤔Was I annoying? Was I too much? Was I not enough?
🔴 Bean gives me the side-eye…
🤯 “Is Bean secretly plotting my death?”
😑 And listen… we all know the answer to that last one.
Cats are tiny fluffy mob bosses. They don’t need a reason.
But that’s the thing… when your nervous system is already on edge, everything feels like a message. Everything feels like feedback. Everything feels like proof.
My brain starts acting like it’s employed full time as a detective in a low budget crime show titled: What’s Wrong With Me Now?
When Everything Feels Like A Judgment
On the surface, I know I do this. I can tell myself, “You’re taking it personally. Stop.”
But subconscious me?
She’s convinced everybody’s judging.
She’s sitting in the background like a stressed out courtroom sketch artist, drawing conclusions with zero evidence & full confidence.
☠️ A pause.
☠️ A look.
☠️ A short reply.
☠️ A change of plans.
Suddenly my brain is writing a whole story about how I’m failing at being a person.
If You’re Here Too
If you’ve been taking everything personally lately… I see you.
If you’ve been doing fine on the outside but spiraling on the inside… I see you.
If your brain is making documentaries out of small moments… I see you.
Maybe the goal this week isn’t “get it all together.”
Maybe the goal is simple…
❤️ Be gentle.
❤️ Do what you can.
❤️ Let that be enough.
This is Journeys With Jani… where we travel sometimes, overthink often, and try to be human either way.
Tonight I’ve got two songs on loop in my head that are older than half the opinions on the internet… and somehow still more mature.
For What It’s Worth and What’s Going On aren’t new songs. But they’ve aged like the good stuff. They still fit way too many moments in American life, which is both impressive and… honestly exhausting.
And no, I’m not doing the political cage match tonight. I do not have the energy to argue with Team Red or Team Blue or Team “I Saw A TikTok Once.” At different moments, both sides need to step away from the keyboard, unclench their jaw, drink some water and remember there are actual humans on the other side of the screen.
Because this chaos isn’t one-person, one-party, one-election, one-whatever. It’s a buildup. A pressure cooker. And watching grown adults act like feral raccoons in a Walmart parking lot? Damn. Just damn.
So let’s do what music does best: tell the truth without screaming.
1️⃣ “For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound)”
❤️ Who sang it: Buffalo Springfield
❤️ Who wrote it: Stephen Stills
❤️ When it came out: Recorded December 5, 1966 and released as a single in December 1966
❤️ What was happening then:
A lot of folks later filed this one under “Vietnam protest song,” but the spark was closer to home. Stills wrote it after clashes tied to the Sunset Strip curfew protests/riots in Los Angeles in November 1966. Young people, clubs, police, tension, the whole thing.
❤️ What it was saying then- Not “pick a side.” More like:
It’s a warning flare. It’s that moment when you realize the temperature in the room has changed and pretending everything’s fine is not going to cut it.
❤️ Why it still hits now:
Because it doesn’t name names. It names a feeling. The feeling of watching people talk past each other, posturing, escalating, acting brave behind screens and forgetting consequences are real.
It’s basically the soundtrack to: “I don’t know what’s happening but I know this isn’t good.”
2️⃣ “What’s Going On”
❤️ Who sang it: Marvin Gaye
❤️ Who wrote it: Al Cleveland, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Marvin Gaye
❤️ When it came out: Released January 21, 1971 (you’ll also see January 20, 1971 cited in some timelines)
❤️ What was happening then:
This one was born out of real unrest and real grief. The writing was sparked by what Benson witnessed around violent clashes and police brutality during protests, then Marvin Gaye took it, shaped it and made it personal.
❤️ What it was saying then- This is not a song that throws punches. It asks questions. It pleads for basic human decency.
It’s basically:
“Can we stop tearing each other apart long enough to admit something is broken?”
❤️ Why it still hits now:
Because it’s not a history lesson. It’s a mirror.
“Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying”… that line doesn’t expire. Neither does the feeling behind it: confusion, compassion, frustration and a desperate need for people to calm down and act like we live on the same planet.
The shared message, then and now
These two songs come from different genres and different decades, but they’re cousins.
Both are saying- Pay attention Lower your volume Remember people are people If we keep going like this, it won’t end well
And I think that’s why they’re stuck in my head tonight. Because I’m tired. Not “need a nap” tired. I mean tired in my bones of the noise, the cruelty, the instant outrage, the way empathy gets treated like a weakness.
So I’m choosing music tonight. Not as an argument. As a pause.
Who’s next?
Alright lovelies, your turn.
Drop one song that fits this same mood for you, the “please can we act human” mood. Old, new, any genre. I’m building a little thread of sanity over here, one song at a time.
Late this afternoon I was on my way home doing what I do best… holding a private car concert like I’ve got a tour bus and backup dancers.
Spotify had me on my Liked Songs, and about the 5th or 6th track in I realized it had basically turned into an all-80s hits parade. Fine by me. The 80s understood drama, melody and how to make a chorus stick to your soul.
Now, I graduated high school in 1987, so that year will always feel personal to me. But let me say this clearly before anybody drags me in the comments: I do not think 1987 had the best music ever. Not even close. What I do think is that the 80s as a whole decade was loaded with incredible music… and I’ll tackle “Best of the Whole Dang 80s” another day.
Today is about 1987 because it handed me the perfect idea on the drive home…
Remember Casey Kasem’s American Top 40? The countdown we waited for like it was an actual weekly event. You didn’t stream it. You didn’t skip it. You sat there, listened, argued with your friends about the rankings and pretended you weren’t recording it on a cassette like a criminal.
So… why not bring that back?
Here’s the list of 1987’s #1 singles. Read it slowly. If you’re anything like me, at least three of these will start playing in your head without permission.
🎧 1987 Billboard Hot 100 #1 Singles
“Walk Like an Egyptian” – The Bangles (Jan 3, Jan 10)
“Shake You Down” – Gregory Abbott (Jan 17)
“At This Moment” – Billy Vera and the Beaters (Jan 24, Jan 31) “Open Your Heart” – Madonna (Feb 7)
“Livin’ on a Prayer” – Bon Jovi (Feb 14 – Mar 7)
“Jacob’s Ladder” – Huey Lewis and the News (Mar 14)
“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (Nov 28)
“Heaven Is a Place on Earth” – Belinda Carlisle (Dec 5)
“Faith” – George Michael (Dec 12 – Dec 26)
So that’s 1987 in a nutshell: big hooks, bigger hair, and enough power ballads to emotionally ambush you in the middle of a normal day. And again, I’m not claiming 1987 had the best music ever… but it did give us some serious heavy hitters and it sure made the Casey Kasem countdown feel like a weekly holiday.
Next up, we’re zooming out to the whole 80s decade… because the real truth is the 80s weren’t one sound. They were a whole personality.
Now tell me: what’s your 1987 song? The one that time-travels you on the first note. And if you’re feeling spicy… which one of these #1s would you kick off the island?
Betsy (my Bonus-Mom) said something that hit me right in the soft spots:
“Music is personal… but it’s also communal. It’s how we share pieces of ourselves without having to explain all the messy details.”
Yes ma’am. That’s it. That’s the whole sermon.
Because when life gets brutally real, hospice-real, terminal-cancer-real… our mouths don’t always cooperate. We can’t find the right words or we don’t want to say them out loud because once you do, it’s official. So music steps in like a friend who doesn’t need the backstory. It just sits with you & tells the truth anyway.
Betsy shared three songs tied to Phil, her late husband, during his terminal cancer & the season of losing him. Not background music songs. These are “hold my hand while I fall apart” songs.
1) Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks
This one is a goodbye dressed up as a singable melody. It’s soft rock/pop on the surface, but the heart of it is a farewell letter.
🥸 Music education moment:
When a song feels like grief, it’s often because it’s doing two things at once. The song feels familiar & almost comforting while the message is doing the heavy lifting. That contrast can mess you up in the best & worst way.
Also, this song has a deeper history than I realized until I researched a bit. It’s adapted from an earlier song about a dying man saying goodbye. That original DNA matters because you can hear the “this is the end” energy baked into it.
🎧 What to listen for…
👂 The steady, almost march-like movement that keeps going no matter what
👂 The way the melody feels simple… like something you could hum through tears
👂 How the “goodbye” feeling lands even if you’re not paying attention to the words
2) “Te Sigo Amando” – Juan Gabriel
Betsy said this one is worth translating into English. After I did so, I had to agree & I’ll add this: even if you never translate a single word, Juan Gabriel will still make your chest ache. This voice could turn a breath into a heartbreak.
The title basically means “I keep loving you.” And the message, in plain talk, is devastatingly tender: I want you happy wherever you are, I still love you, I miss you, forgive me for the ways my love hurt you.
When Betsy said she imagines it was what Phil was thinking about her in hospice… whew. That’ll take the knees out from under you.
🎧 What to listen for…
👂 How the vocal delivery sounds like pleading & blessing at the same time
👂 The way the song lingers… like someone who isn’t ready to let go but has to
👂 How emotion comes through even if Spanish isn’t your first language
3) “All My Loving” – The Beatles
And then we pivot to something that might surprise people in a grief trio: early Beatles. Bright, sweet, youthful.
But that’s the thing about loss… sometimes you can’t stay in the heavy songs. Sometimes you need a song that reminds you of before. Before illness. Before appointments. Before the world changed.
“All My Loving” is a love song written like a note you’d tuck in a pocket. It’s from With The Beatles (1963) & was written by Paul McCartney.
🎧 What to listen for…
👂 The forward motion… it doesn’t wallow, it moves
👂 That “letter” feeling, like love being sent across distance
👂 The comfort of something familiar and uncomplicated
Why these three work together:
Because grief is not one emotion. It’s a whole unpredictable weather system.
Seasons in the Sun is the goodbye you’re trying to survive. “Te Sigo Amando” is love that refuses to shut up even when it hurts.
Te Sigo Amando is love that refuses to shut up even when it hurts.
All My Loving is memory showing up with a soft light on.
And that circles right back to what Betsy said. Music lets us share the messy details… without explaining them. You don’t have to give the whole story. You just press play & somebody else goes, “Oh. I get it.”
I am so blessed to have Betsy as my Mom …I am thankful my Dad is happy & together they live life to the fullest. We all come with stuff. It is about ebb & flow.
Betsy & Daddy
Who’s next?
Alright, friends… give me three songs (or more if you need to) that are stitched into your life for one reason or another. Joy, grief, healing, divorce, new love, old love, Sunday mornings, kitchen dance parties, all of it.
Let’s talk about AI. Yep, I use it. I prefer it. I pay for it. And I even named mine. Meet Ms. Honey.
Yes, I realize I sound like the kind of person who names their Roomba & talks to it like a coworker. Don’t judge me, people. Ms. Honey is the best assistant ever.
We have full-on conversations. I ask questions, she asks follow-ups, we go back & forth… she helps me get from “I know what my client wants” to “here are solid options to start from” a whole lot faster.
And I’m going to say this plainly: AI can absolutely help plan travel.
It can brainstorm itineraries, build day-by-day outlines, suggest routes, estimate drive times, highlight popular sights, compare neighborhoods & give you a starting point in minutes. For me, it’s a time saver. Sometimes a big one.
But here’s what Ms. Honey is not.
Ms. Honey is not a travel advisor.
WHY PEOPLE ARE FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW
A lot of folks are anxious that AI is going to replace jobs. And travel advisors keep catching strays in that conversation.
🤔 Why use a travel agent when I can plan it myself?
🤔 Why pay someone when AI can do it?
🤔 And my personal favorite: I think I’ll become a travel agent. I’ll just use ChatGPT and make money planning trips.
Okay. Let’s all take a deep breath together.
Yes, AI can help. But the idea that AI makes travel advising easy, effortless, or automatic is… adorable. Incorrect, but adorable.
AI CAN GIVE YOU ANSWERS. IT CAN’T GIVE YOU ANSWERS
Here’s a real example.
Sometimes I have clients with very specific needs, like allergy-sensitive hotels. Truly odor-free. Not “we use fragrance plug-ins in the lobby but we’ll crack a window for you.” Not “we’re pet friendly but we vacuum a lot.” I mean truly pet-free, low-odor, sensitive-environment accommodations.
So sure, I can put those needs into Ms. Honey and ask for options in a city. She will come back with a confident list of hotels and a neat little explanation for each one.
👉🏽 Then I do what travel advisors do: I verify.
👉🏽 I call.
👉🏽 I ask.
👉🏽 I dig into policies.
👉🏽I confirm what “pet-free” actually means.
👉🏽 I ask about cleaning products.
👉🏽 I ask if pets are allowed in any rooms.
👉🏽I ask how they handle service animals.
👉🏽I ask questions that don’t fit neatly into a website bullet list.
And I can tell you from experience… if Ms. Honey gives me 10 hotels, most of the time only 3 are truly what I’m looking for.
That’s not me hating on AI. That’s me telling you the truth about travel research: the details matter and somebody has to do the work to confirm them.
BUT AI CAN PERSONALIZE IT
Ms. Honey can tailor suggestions based on preferences I give her. That part is helpful.
But it’s not the same kind of personalization a real travel advisor provides.
Because travel advising isn’t just picking places. It’s knowing how to connect the dots and making the trip fit the human being taking it.
👍 Here’s another truth: none of us has been everywhere. Not me, not you, not any advisor.
But at Take Time To Travel, we don’t work in isolation. I may not have been to a destination, but Tricia has. Tricia may not have sailed that cruise line, but Cindy has. I may not have stayed at that resort, but Tammy has. And when you add in our 50+ home-based agents, somebody has real experience somewhere. We share what worked, what didn’t, what to skip, what’s worth the splurge & what looks cute online but will disappoint you in real life.
👎 Ms. Honey can’t replace a whole team of lived experience and honest feedback.
AI CAN’T BE YOUR ADVOCATE WHEN THINGS GO SIDEWAYS
This is the part nobody wants to think about until it happens.
Flights get delayed. Weather gets ugly. Tours change times. A client calls at the last minute and needs to shift plans. Sometimes world events make travel complicated fast.
🫴 Ms. Honey can suggest what you might do.
👍 A real live person can actually do it.
That’s one of the biggest differences between planning and advising. A travel advisor isn’t just there for the fun part. We’re there for the real part, too.
THE SOUVENIR FACTOR AI CAN’T TOUCH
My clients love our trip planning app. But you know what many of them love even more?
📕 A printed itinerary binder.
❤️ They take it with them
❤️ They save it
❤️ They tuck pictures inside it
❤️ For Disney trips, Hawaii trips, big family vacations… it becomes part travel guide, part keepsake, part scrapbook.
That doesn’t happen because an app exists. It happens because a human made it personal.
IF YOU WANT TO DIY YOUR TRIP, GO FOR IT
I’m not here to shame anybody who wants to plan their own travel. If that’s your thing, do it.
🤯 Just remember: if anything goes wrong, you’re also the one doing the heavy lifting. You’re the one on hold. You’re the one figuring it out. You’re the one trying to fix a problem while you’re supposed to be relaxing.
💰 And here’s something people don’t always realize: at Take Time To Travel, you’re not paying us extra just because you used a travel advisor. You’re getting support, personalization, and an advocate without needing celebrity money.
😎 You’re basically a movie star temporarily. All you have to do is pack a bag.
And trust me, if we could come pack your bag too, we would… but showing up at your house and going anywhere near your underwear drawer feels like a boundary we should all respect.
AND FOR ANYONE THINKING “I’LL BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT BECAUSE AI MAKES IT EASY…
Let me be crystal clear.
Ms. Honey can help you work faster. She can help you learn. She can help you organize your thoughts.
She cannot replace:
💎 research skills
💎 supplier knowledge
💎 geography & logistics
💎 policies, deadlines & fine print
💎 customer service
💎 problem-solving under pressure
💎 being available when clients are traveling
This job is not EASY MONEY. It’s not FREE TRAVEL. It’s not copy & paste an itinerary then collect a check.
🌎 It’s real work.
🌎 It’s caring about people.
🌎 It’s being the calm voice when something goes wrong.
🌎 It’s staying educated & staying current.
Even those of us who work “office hours” (10 to 5, Monday through Friday)… bless it. That’s cute.
Because travel doesn’t only happen during office hours.
I give clients my cell number for a reason. If something pops into your head on a Saturday night & you know you’ll forget by Monday, send it. I’d rather get the message than have you stressing. Sometimes I answer emails on weekends. Sometimes I help clients at odd hours because they’re traveling & they need me.
That’s part of the job. And honestly? I don’t mind it.
BOTTOM LINE
AI is a tool. A powerful one. A helpful one. I use it & I’m not stopping.
Every once in a while somebody says something so simple and so true that it basically dares you to turn it into a whole blog.
Enter my friend Cindy.
Cindy works with me at Take Time To Travel. She’s wildly good at what she does. But more importantly, Cindy is one of those rare humans who makes people feel seen without making a big show of it. I genuinely do not know a single person who doesn’t adore her… and honestly, if you don’t, we’re gonna assume you just need a snack and a nap.
So Cindy drops this comment like it’s no big deal, listing songs that are THE best song ever, songs that kick you right in the feelings and songs that make you dance in the kitchen. And I’m over here like ma’am, you just handed me a whole Music Education lesson.
Because here’s the truth… we all say music taste, but what we really mean is music makes my brain light up in specific ways.
Let’s break Cindy’s picks down and talk about what they teach us.
1️⃣ Category 1: “Best Song Ever” (Also Known As: Fight Me, Respectfully)
Cindy’s Best Song Ever Toss Up…
❤️ I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)
❤️ Hero (Mariah Carey)
❤️ Juke Box Hero (Foreigner)
That list is a whole personality test.
Music Education takeaway: “Best” isn’t one genre. It’s impact. Different sounds, same magic.
2️⃣ Category 2: “Kicks You in the Feelings” (AKA: Wrecks Your Mascara)
Cindy’s Feelings Songs…
❤️ I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
❤️ Bubbly (Colbie Caillat)
Now this pairing right here… this is emotional range.
Music Education takeaway: The “feelings” aren’t just lyrics. It’s dynamics. Loud and soaring can feel like devotion. Soft and simple can feel like safety. Either way, your nervous system goes, “Oh. This matters.”
3️⃣ Category 3: “Dance in the Kitchen” (The Cheapest Therapy Plan Available)
Cindy’s kitchen dance starters:
❤️I Feel Good (James Brown)
❤️ Old Time Rock and Roll (Bob Seger)
❤️ You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
These songs all have one thing in common: they move before you even decide to.
What makes a song “kitchen dance” approved?
🥄 A beat you can’t lose (steady backbeat, clear groove)
🥄 A hook you can sing without thinking (because you’re holding a spatula, not studying poetry)
🥄 Energy that hits fast (no slow build required, we’re already in motion)
Music Education takeaway: Dance songs are about rhythm clarity. If your brain can predict the beat, your body trusts it enough to move.
4️⃣ Cindy’s “So Many Others” List and Why It Matters
Then Cindy casually adds she loves:
🎤 George Strait
🎤 Little Big Town
🎤 Chris Stapleton
🎤 Willie Nelson
🎤 Jennifer Nettles
🎤 Gov’t Mule
🎤 Tedeschi Trucks
🎤 Elton John
…just to name a few.
That’s not all over the place! That’s wide open ears!
That’s someone who loves:
🎸 Storytelling (George Strait, Willie Nelson)
🎸 Harmony & heartbreak (Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles)
🎸 Soul grit & truth (Chris Stapleton)
🎸 Guitars that preach (Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks)
🎸 Songwriting that sticks to your ribs (Elton John)
Music Education takeaway: Taste isn’t about genre loyalty.
It’s about what you respond to: story, voice, groove, melody, mood.
A Little Listening “Homework” (But the Fun Kind)
🤔 Next time you hear a song you love, ask:
🤔 What’s pulling me in first? (lyrics, beat, voice, riff)
🤔 Where’s the payoff? (chorus, bridge, key lift, final chorus)
🤔 How does it make my body feel? (calm, hyped, heavy, hopeful)
That’s it. That’s the lesson. You’re welcome, class.
And Cindy, if you’re reading this: thanks for the comment that turned into a whole blog. You keep being everybody’s favorite human. You’ve earned it.
Now tell me, lovelies… what’s your:
🏆Best song ever
🏆 Kicks-you-in-the-feelings song
🏆 Kitchen dance song?
I’m collecting them for my Journeys With Jani music journey this year and yes, I will absolutely judge you a tiny bit… but lovingly.
Some days the internet is a dumpster fire with a Wi-Fi signal.
And then some days it hands you Loretta Lamberth.
Loretta is one of Take Time To Travel’s long-time homebased advisors and she’s the real deal. We swap grandkid stories, recipes and the kind of everyday life chatter that somehow turns into a full therapy session without anyone scheduling it. She’s a gem. For sure. And clearly she also has great taste in music.
So when Loretta dropped a “not really a playlist” playlist in the comments on one of my Facebook posts… yep. Today’s blog became a music post. Because this list is too good to leave sitting in a comment section like it’s not the main character.
Here’s Loretta’s lineup, with a little added flavor from me.
💿 Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
Loretta said it’s the best song ever and must be on every playlist. Period.
And honestly… she’s not wrong. “Bohemian Rhapsody” isn’t a song, it’s an emotional event. It’s theater, chaos, heartbreak, harmony and that moment you realize you’ve been singing the lyrics wrong for years and you don’t even care because it still hits. Every playlist deserves at least one track that makes you feel something. This one makes you feel twelve things at once.
💿 Billy Joel: Only the Good Die Young and River of Dreams
Loretta’s exact vibe was basically, “Aw heck… all of Billy Joel.” Which is the most accurate Billy Joel review I’ve ever heard.
“Only the Good Die Young” has that rebellious thing. Catchy, bold, slightly don’t clutch your pearls too hard. And “River of Dreams” is pure late-night-driving energy. Reflective but still moving. Billy Joel doesn’t just write songs, he writes scenes. You can see the story while it’s playing.
💿 Elton John: The One, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, The Bitch Is Back, Original Sin and basically all of Made in England
Loretta came in strong with Sir Elton John and I respect it.
Elton can do heartbreak that sits you down gently and then turn around and deliver a song that struts into the room wearing sunglasses with no apologies.
And “Made in England”? That’s one of those if you know, you know picks. Loretta knows.
“The One” is soft, grown-up love. The kind that feels earned. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” is a full-body emotional experience. “The Bitch Is Back” is glittering confidence blasted from a cannon! And “Original Sin” is moody, dramatic and criminally underplayed.
💿 NSYNC: Bye Bye Bye
Loretta said out of all the boy bands, NSYNC was the best.
I’m not here to fight her. “Bye Bye Bye” is pop perfection. Catchy, sharp, attitude with a beat. Also… the second it comes on, your body remembers choreography you never officially learned. Your body starts acting like it was on TRL in 2000. No consent. It just happens.
Every good playlist needs at least one track that makes you grin and time travel.
💿 Meat Loaf: the storytelling king
Loretta said Meat Loaf never gets enough playtime or recognition and she’s right. He is irreverent, dramatic and ridiculously good at telling a story through a song.
She called out most every track on:
🦇 Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell
Meat Loaf is for people who like their music with a plot, a storm rolling in, a motorcycle revving somewhere in the distance and a heartbreak so loud it requires a spotlight. He didn’t just sing songs. He performed emotional car crashes in the best possible way.
The takeaway:
Loretta’s “not really a playlist” playlist is exactly what a good playlist should be: legendary voices, big feelings, a little humor and a lot of personality. This lineup works whether you’re cleaning the kitchen, driving to work, wrapping up a long day or planning your next trip and pretending you’re in a movie montage.
And the best part is this: music is personal… but it’s also communal. It’s how we share pieces of ourselves without having to explain all the messy details.
Loretta, if you’re reading this… you’re a gem and your taste is immaculate.
Now…
Who’s next?
🤔 Drop 3–5 songs that never fail you and I might turn your picks into the next blog post.
🤔 Or just drop 1 and I’ll bundle it faster than Jake from State Farm!
🤔 If you want to make it easy, answer these:
❤️ One “best song ever”
❤️ One song that kicks you right in the feelings
❤️One song that makes you dance in the kitchen
Tell me yours in the comments. I’m collecting favorites and grouping them into future playlist blogs… and yes, I will absolutely quote you!
This weekend’s blog was supposed to be my usual kind of reflection… the regular weekend post. But somewhere between my thoughts and my coffee, it turned into a music post too. Because one song kept coming back around and it wouldn’t let me go.
“Hallelujah.”
A couple days ago I wrote about the weight so many women carry. The mental load. The emotional load. The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix because it isn’t your body that’s worn out, it’s your spirit.
That’s what made me think of “Hallelujah.”
If you grew up thinking Hallelujah was meant to sound like a church song, Leonard Cohen gently proves otherwise. He wrote it, but Jeff Buckley made it feel like something you don’t just hear, you carry. This one isn’t a polished hymn. It’s a human one.
And let’s be honest… so many people have covered this song over the years and I love most. Pentatonix can bring down the house, no doubt. But “Hallelujah is one of those songs that changes depending on who’s singing it and where you are in your life when you hear it. For me, it’s Jeff Buckley. There’s a reason people still talk about his version like it’s a lived-in prayer. It’s tender, it’s wrecked in the best way, and it fits that I’m still here feeling without trying to clean it up. Just go listen to it. I am going to include links to a few versions with this post.
“Hallelujah is what you sing when life is beautiful and when it’s a mess. It’s what comes out when you’re grateful and when you’re disappointed and when you’re not even sure which one you are yet. It’s praise, yes, but it’s also confession. It’s that quiet realization that faith and doubt can sit at the same table and still share the same air.
That’s the line I come back to, even when I don’t mean to: the broken hallelujah.
Cohen pulls in old Bible stories, not to preach at us, but to remind us we’ve always been complicated. David, Bathsheba, Samson, Delilah. Love that feels holy. Love that hurts. Desire, regret, devotion, betrayal. The whole tangled storyline of being human.
And then he does the part that stays with me. He keeps repeating hallelujah… a word that literally means “praise the Lord”… but he doesn’t save it for the bright and shiny moments. He uses it when things are cracked. Like he’s saying, I don’t have a perfect song to offer, but I can offer an honest one.
Not the pretty, polished version people sometimes expect. The real one. The kind you whisper when you’re doing your best to hold it together, even while something inside you feels cracked.
Because sometimes you don’t have the kind of faith that stands up straight and sings loud. Sometimes you’ve got the kind that sits on the edge of the bed, heart tired, and whispers, I’m still here.
And maybe that counts more than we think.
I have one precious soul on my heart right now. I won’t share their story because it isn’t mine to tell. But I will say this… if you’re reading this and you’re in that same place, I see you.
If your faith feels tired, if your hope feels thin, if your hallelujah comes out more like a sigh than a song… it still counts. It still matters. You’re still here.
And I believe this with everything in me: they will get to the other side of this. Not because it’s easy. Not because they aren’t hurting. But because they are stronger than the moment that’s trying to take them down.
So perhaps Hallelujah isn’t meant to make us feel religious as much as it’s meant to make us feel real. Like we’re allowed to be tender and tangled, hopeful and hurt. Like it still counts even if your praise comes out with a crack in it.
So today I’m saying a prayer for the ones who keep going anyway. The ones holding families, marriages, jobs, and emotions together with sheer will and a heartbeat.
May the broken hallelujah be the beginning, not the ending.
This morning, I’m letting that be enough.
A hallelujah… even if it’s a little broken.
And one more thing. Women and men can carry that same quiet weight. More on that later.
Journeys With Jani 