My Gen X Playlist: Sunshine on My Shoulder – John Denver

I spent some time in the mountains this past week. This is an annual trip with the guys. We’ve been going on this trip for almost 20 years. This one came at the perfect time. I needed to hang out with nature to clear the clutter in my head.

Our intentions were our usual – camping, hiking and fishing. It morphed a bit. We fished in the morning but the afternoon took a turn. We had cell reception at our campsite so we were able to watch college football at lunch. That replaced our planned hikes. We fished a different lake in the afternoon. The following day was more of the same, except swap out college football with pro football. Both days we cooked what we caught over an open campfire. In the last hour of fishing, I reeled in a four pounder. What a great way to end the trip.

There is something about being immersed in nature that helps you realize what is important and what’s not. It’s the beauty of nature staring at you and once you lock eyes, it’s mesmerizing. Each morning we saw the sun rise over the mountains and enjoyed the sunshine and quiet stillness. The lake was almost like reflective glass. My buddy caught the moment below.

In the afternoon, we fished until sundown and I snapped a few photos right before we ended each day at the lake. I love the fiery glow beneath the clouds. It was magnificent and the photos don’t quite do it justice. It’s amazing how the fiery reflection could still be seen on the water.

It was a long car ride home but it was a good time to process the weekend. The past few months I seemed to lose my glow, inside and out. I needed Mother Nature to cast her spell and shake me out of my funk. She did just that and I’m feeling renewed. It’s funny how something so simple can be so powerful. I feel well again. The sunshine and mountains were just what the doctor ordered.

I was thinking about the effects of the sun and John Denver’s Sunshine on My Shoulder came to mind. Yeah, this is another song that shouldn’t be in my catalogue but is influenced by my mom. When we were young kids, she would play John Denver records or pick up her guitar and sing to us. It’s interesting that this was initially supposed to be a melancholy song.

This song was started by Denver in the midst of a grey wintery Minnesota day when it was too cold to venture outside. He wrote this song while missing the sunshine. He was aiming for a melancholy sound but ended up writing an ode to the sunshine.

Soundscapingsource

Simple lyrics soften melancholy to warmth. Just like me on this trip. I entered with a little darkness and came out renewed on the other end. Mother Nature has a way of resetting the course. I’m grateful we reconnected.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you
I'd give to you a day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I'd sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I'd make a wish for sunshine all the while

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high
Sunshine almost always