It’s funny how much my music habits have changed since the pandemic forced me out of the daily commute. Thankfully, I have the ability to continue working from my dining table. My 17-year-old daughter sits across from me working on her final semester of high school. Meanwhile, the little one, the four-year-old, is bouncing around the living room. She has that unmistakable energy of a toddler when “tired” is not something they understand. She is constantly switching between playing with toys and puzzles, to coloring with water colors, to hitting notes on our electric keyboard, to playing on an iPad, to sometimes sitting quietly watching Sesame Street or a Disney movie.

In the background of the work and play going on at home is the sound of music. Unlike before the pandemic, the music that is playing is not usually new. In this crazy time, I have turned to music that feels comforting to my soul. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Tupac, N.W.A., Prince, Nirvana, and E-40 are examples of the music that’s been playing throughout this time. Where last year I was hungry to find new artists, this year all I want is to listen to the people that helped me get through my youth all those years ago.