MONDAY MOTIVATOR
Today’s Message comes from Shane Rogers, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou, Writer & Civil Rights Activist
In these stressful times, while socially distanced, it is heartening to see our university community stand together for one another and for our greater community — we will not be reduced.
As many of you know, I find joy in the creation of music and sharing that music with others. I often find my voice in music, when words cannot express what needs to be communicated. Today was one of those days, so I spent some time in my home studio producing two songs to motivate you this week.
The first is a cover of a song called “Men Amongst Mountains”, by The Revivalists — a band finding a lot of spots in my iTunes and Spotify playlists these days, and who sadly had to cancel their concert event in New York City a couple of weeks ago where I was supposed to meet some dear friends. The song is about overcoming adversity and change, which seems fitting. Notably, the term “Men” was used by the songwriters as a “masculine generic” for all humans. I retained the original song structure out of respect for the songwriter.
The second song is an original that I wrote for my indie rock band (Bee Children) called “Spellbound”. It is a song of hope, love, and a little magic, and was inspired by my time in Norway. It will appear on our third album, which should release late summer.