We’re in a world now where everyone seems to be measured by the severity of the challenges they have to overcome. I believe that the intensity of these hardships is less important than the fact that there are hardships at all. We all face challenges and hardships in life. Even the person you perceive as being the most privileged has had some rough passages in their life and will likely face many others in the future. I believe we owe it to ourselves to go about our daily lives knowing that most of the people we pass on the sidewalk, stand next to in the elevator or sit next to on the bus are having a tough time of it right now and if we can bring just an ounce of light into their day with a hello or a smile that you can make someone’s day. The act of random kindness philosophy is nothing new and has been touted by karma enthusiasts for some time. Though that does not make it any less true or effective

The song Just Roads is about stories; each of our individual stories more specifically. We are all on paths in many ways alone but most of our paths are going in the same direction. It helps to know that many of the hardships we face we do not face alone. Many people have gone through them, will go through them and are going through them right now both the next block down the road and on the other side of the globe.

In this song, 3 distinctly different stories are told by 3 very different instruments, though the foundation is always the same and the stories all start similarly. In between these 3 stories is a point where the 3 stories or “roads” cross and join together. During the 3 stories that are told, the piece seems very somber and sonically thin but when the stories intersect and the “experiences” are shared amongst the storytellers (instruments) the piece suddenly gets thicker and more present. The story during these intersecting points is still sad and dissonant to a degree but feels less lonesome than the solo elements of the stories. The piece ends on a positive chord in the end symbolizing that bad experiences are always less so when you have someone to be with you through these times, and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sink down into these stories and think of a time recently when you were going through a rough patch feeling alone and remember that there are always people out there that can understand your pain and friends that are willing to fight those battles with you. Just like roads, you can’t travel along one lone road for too long until you hit another with many of the same features. And just like every road, you can’t keep going on the same roads forever. Pain always lifts over time and at some point, you’ll reach that right-hand turn in your life that you’ve been waiting for.