This Little Light of Mine

I had a dream the other night about Sister Coronavirus.
​
After much head scratching and befuddlement by scientists, it turned out that the only cure for the virus was to sing! That somehow the act of singing would vibrate the chest cavity in just the right way to open up the deep lung passages to prevent fibrosis. In fact, as it turned out, the simple act of singing was literally the only way to ungrip the deep lung tissue to move through the illness – better than any drug, better than any ventilator, better that any piece of equipment available. Sick people wanting to live were encouraged to sing their way through it. People who had COVID19 and even those who didn’t have it started to self-organize and go around to neighborhoods and hospitals in “street choirs” to encourage singing; to help absorb people’s self-consciousness about their singing voice. Because the other amazing detail was that singing turned out to be the best preventative for the virus too!

As the dream wore on, these rogue street choirs moved from one hospital room to the next, singing and singing and singing. Beatles songs worked well for many people, specifically All You Need is Love. Others resonated better with show tunes.  But hymns, it turned out, were a particular favorite and had uncanny potency to heal. Most especially effective were the simple classics from childhood memories. They were found to be the most uplifting according to the researchers. And This Little Light of Mine, it turned out, was particularly effective. More than the Beatles. More than show tunes.  

As researchers continued to study how singing both prevented the virus and cured the virus, the simple act of singing This Little Light of Mine was actually put into hospital protocols for ongoing treatment. And some people resisted – NO YOU CAN’T MAKE ME SING AND I’M NOT GUNNA’ – they would say, digging their heels in. I WILL NOT BE HAPPY AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ME! I WILL NOT SHINE ANY LIGHT! And you know what, the vast majority of these people died because their lungs got all hard and gripped up and it was really quite sad!
 
Weird dream, right?

​Either way, singing seems like a good idea these days. Perk up friends! A new day is dawning on humanity!  Happy Easter!

This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine!
I’m gonna’ let is shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! ​
 
May it be so.