Mindful Music Thursdays: The Power of Reflection

(liquid hisses) (button clicks) (gentle music) Headspace Studio. (gentle music) (birds chirping) Hey there, it's Kessonga and welcome to "Radio Headspace." It's Thursday. Let's now get into our mindful music segment. Okay, here are today's lyrics. "Slip inside the eye of your mind. Don't you know you might find a better place to play?" So I really, really love these lyrics. For me, it's all about mindfully reflecting back on your life experiences and pulling from these experiences life lessons. Or maybe just getting a sense of gratitude for having made it this far as a whole human being. As the lyrics state, "Slip inside the eye of your mind. Don't you know you might find a better place to play?" I'm a very nostalgic type of guy, and I allow myself the time and space to actually indulge in mindful reflection. I think if we allowed ourselves the time to dissect the various adventures that we experience in our lives, we would find a wealth of wisdom and also an improved level of self-awareness. And this can be very helpful in areas like emotional regulation or just an overall clarity of thought, just so we can make better choices in life. Well, recently I had the perfect opportunity to indulge in some fantastical mindful reflection, my university's homecoming. I attended North Carolina Central University. It's a historically black college or university, or HBCU, and it's located in Durham, North Carolina. One of the very first fond memories that I have was when the Legendary Rootz Crew, or The Roots, used to throw free concerts on the quad of a neighboring university. They were fairly new back then, and it was their way of getting their name out there, and it worked. They are now the band for "The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" show. And I thought about them during that homecoming weekend, how, back then in 1996, they were actually a struggling band, and they stayed consistent with their craft. And now look at them, multiple platinum records, a Grammy, and now holding sold-out shows around the world. But it didn't happen overnight. They had so much faith, strength, and perseverance. So very inspiring. So yeah, that was my first memory after stepping on campus for homecoming. Seeing more of my old friends and colleagues brought back so many more memories. Another memory that hit me hard was my very first day of stepping on NCCU's campus. If I could bottle that feeling and sell it, I would be a billionaire. (chuckles) It's the most liberating and powerful feeling I've ever felt, to be in such a vast environment of Black scholars striving for excellence, on top of the fact that it was my very first go at true independence. It was actually priceless. It just made me wanna be my best self. So seeing all of my old colleagues at homecoming every year consistently makes me feel this way. As the lyrics say, "I slip inside the eye of my...