May 30, 2015
“Rebel Music”

In Daniel Felsenfeld’s memoir titled, “Rebel Music,” he probed into the inspirational music that he heard as a child. Growing up, Felsenfeld had taken mandatory piano lessons from a woman named Ms. Shimizu. He still lacked a lot of experience but was learning. During his piano lesson, Ms. Shimizu was amazed with his performances, because he played really well. Felsenfeld said he never had a connection to the music, because he did not understand it. He was able to recall himself, (1)“Feeling a personal drought and an acrid lack of culture of all kinds, especially music”. One day while visiting a friend, Felsenfeld heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which became an eye-opener for him. It was at that moment, Felsenfeld felt as if he heard music for the first time; that was the beginning of Felsenfelds journey and love for music. Just as Felsenfeld found his inspiration in music, I found some of my inspiration from the television show, “The Care Bears”.
Watching the Care Bears taught me compassion. When I was young, I would see how they all worked together to achieve things they needed to do. Such as, “Cheer” bear would bring happiness to the others when they were having a bad day. Or, how “Friend” bear would always have a shoulder for someone else to lean on when they really needed Woods 2

it. I would play with my dolls in the same way the Care Bears interacted with one another, teaching them how to be there for each other. Now, as an adult, compassion still plays a major role in my life every day. I care for my children, my family and my friends. Even in my workplace, compassion is necessary to make sure people feel welcomed and safe. If someone is having a difficult time in life, I am there to help and show that I care what is going on in their lives.
Not only did the “Care Bears” teach me compassion but they also taught me how to be patient. As I would watch an episode on television, I would see “Grumpy” bear giving the others a lot of trouble at times because of his bad attitude. And, although, he was being so grumpy, the others such as, “Love-A-Lot Bear” would show such patience and understanding for him. I would always say to my siblings, “Now don’t be like Grumpy bear” when they were in a bad mood. Now, I see that even though sometimes other people’s attitude may be bad on certain days; I must be patient with them and still keep my own positive attitude rather than let them bring me down. No matter what day it is, patience is definitely a useful tool to keep level headed.
As I think of the Care Bears, I realize they also taught me hope as well. In one episode, “Wish” bear really wanted to be an amazing dancer. She would hope and wish that she could glide across the meadows. I would put on my Mom’s slippers and slide across our kitchen floor, pretending I was a famous Ballerina. I would hope for many things like, candy for supper, no specific bedtime or that I would be famous one day. Although, none of those hopes came true when I was younger. I did love to hope, wish and dream. Now, Woods 3

my hopes may have changed to more mature things such as; my family staying healthy, my bills being paid and my career path moving forward. I always still hold on to hope for better things in my future.
The “Care Bears’ may have been a childhood cartoon but, it taught me many lessons I still carry on today. As an adult, it is very important to have many characteristics within my own personality because it helps me with every day decisions. Such as, compassion for others during times of need or patience for people that may be having a bad day and help them to become in a better mood. I also see the need to hold on to my hopes and dreams so I can teach my children that life is what we make it.

(1) “The Norton Field Guide to Writing and Reading” Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly Godding, “Rebels Music”, Daniel Felsenfeld, Page 57