I’ve pretty much always liked writing. Even before I knew how to write, I would scrounge sheets of paper to fill with line after line of squiggles that looked like writing to me.
But in other ways, my tastes have definitely changed. This past weekend my husband and I stumbled on a UNC-TV program featuring Balsam Range, a bluegrass band out of Western North Carolina. We were enchanted by the music, the lyrics and the harmonies. What’s funny is that I HATED bluegrass when I was a teenager in WV. Didn’t think much of it for a long time.
But somehow, in the last decade or so, I’ve come to LOVE bluegrass music. Bluegrass can be so wonderfully melancholy and the feeling you get when something is so sad it’s sweet is one of my favorite emotions. Plus, the lyrics are often just good writing. “Well no glass of whiskey can tell me you miss me. I’ve been gone too long for that.” Perfect. (From “Blue Mountain” by Balsam Range.)
I think part of not liking things when I was younger had to do with rebellion. I didn’t like bluegrass music, ramps (an oniony spring green), being stuck on the farm or tending the pigs/chickens/cows. Now I think all of that stuff is wonderful (though ramps are still pretty stinky). Growing up let’s you see the value in your growing up.
Q4U: What do you love now that you hated as a kid?
Meet Sarah
