Biff Henderson and the Tiny Chipmunk Elevator Band

The summer of 2006 was a weird time in my life. I was getting ready to leave home for two years to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

There are a few songs that remind me of this time, because I heard them frequently during this period.

1. Mojo Pin, by Jeff Buckley
2. Brothers on a Hotel Bed, by Death Cab for Cutie
3. How to Save a Life, by the Fray
4. Silent Lucidity, by Queensryche
5. I’ll Never Leave You, by Harry Nilsson
6. Three songs by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Homeward Bound, Suo-Gan, and All Through The Night
7. Pretty much every song on Radiohead’s Kid A and The Bends albums.

I do not know why I’m explaining all of this in a blog. I didn’t know what I was going to write when I opened up the computer just now. It’s an odd assortment of music. Is there something in common between all of those songs, something that speaks to somebody who is about to leave the comforts and familiarity of home for a very long time and is quite frightened by the prospect?

“Frightened” is a good word to describe it. It describes me quite accurately, the night before I left, laying on my back on my bedroom floor, bawling my eyes out. But there is also an upside to this. Because with every frightening thing that happens, there is a chance for us to proceed, to step into the dark, to take the leap of faith.

“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” — Edward Rickenbarker

So I went. And I was scared many times. I was charged with a difficult task, one which required me to knock on doors and approach total strangers on the street and try to sell what I believed. And I was never very good at it. But at least I tried, right?

The purpose of this blog post has temporarily escaped my mind, so I will end it there.