If anyone could be accused of embodying the rebellious son struggling to become anything but his parents…it’s me.  Try as I might, though, one legacy my mother has passed on to me is the Saturday morning thirst for public radio.  Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Car Talk, and This American Life characterized my childhood car rides, and I now find myself returning to them in my adult life (via the more generational-appropriate medium of the Podcast).  As the aforementioned maternal unit said upon learning that I now know who Carl Kasell is: “Thank goodness, I have succeeded as a parent!”

While running today, I exercised this new-found hobby and flipped the iPod to one of my favorite NPR shows, On Being.  The show aims to “explore meaning, faith, and ethics amidst the political, economic, cultural and technological shifts that define 21st century life.”  In other words, right up my alley.

The most recent episode was an interview with Bobby McFerrin, the vocal improvisation wizard behind “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and – as I soon discovered – spiritual mastermind and life coach.  He talks about how the book of Psalms conveys every human emotion, and how singing makes us remember who we are and what we can do.  That’s not my topic today, but stay tuned for a post on music and faith.

What really stayed with me was his commentary on improvisation as the center of a well-rounded musical life.  For him, reading notes and staying in tune is secondary to the “courageous act of opening your mouth and simply singing something.”  Improvisation is a way of communicating meaning in its purest form.  In fact, he often improvises with sounds rather than words, because ‘I love you’ only has a finite number of meanings – but the melody that comes from our individual souls will generate infinite significance for its listeners.

I am wondering how we might extend improvisation to the rest of our lives.  If improvisation is the key to a good musical life, then can it also be central to a meaningful emotional life, relational life, or spiritual life?

At first, I wasn’t sure how that might look:  Do I start wearing different colored socks or driving an alternate route to work?  Maybe I will wear boxers instead of briefs!  Ooh, courageous…and a bit too personal?  No, I think improvising your life has a subtler tinge to it.  Maybe it’s talking to the person next to you in the awkward elevator ride, instead of pretending to text.  Who knows, you might find a new companion to join you on this often-lonely ride.  Maybe it’s finding a different way of expressing whatever form of worship or spirituality you best relate to – read a new book, pray through breathing, sing the syllables you feel.

I would try and put into words precisely what I mean, but that defeats the purpose.  After all, it would only obscure your own ability to interpret it for yourself.  So, whatever it means to you, go forth and improvise your life!