In honor of Dead and Company’s tour kicking off, I took some inspiring lyrics sung by The Grateful Dead and explained the lesson that can be gained from them. The band possessed a tie-dye glow of love, peace and happiness and the fans showed a great example of unity and togetherness. You do not have to be a fan of The Grateful Dead to hear the messages they sing about, but, through the long strange trip that we call life, it doesn’t hurt to learn a little and remember to just keep truckin’ on.

“Without love in the dream it will never come true.”- Help is on the way.

Throughout my freshman year of college I had a lot of people tell me to go after what will make me the most money. That advice was always very discouraging because I am someone who would rather chase her passions than chase the dollar. We are lucky enough to live in an age and country that we are able to do whatever it is we set out to do. So my question to you is why should we do something that we are not passionate about?

The happiest and most successful people are those who genuinely have love for the career and hobbies they chose to be apart of. You do not have to be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs to make your dreams come true, regardless of what people tell you, you just have to be passionate. You must love what you do and chase your dreams, no matter what they may be. The road will become rocky at times but if you put enough love into your journey you will make those wild dreams come true.

“Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.”- Eyes of The World

Be unique. Be expressive. Be one of a kind.

The Grateful Dead set out to make the point to stand out and try what no one else had. Fifty-one years later and now they are one of the most popular bands touring. Not only was the band unique, but so were their fans, the Deadheads. They dressed from head to toe in tie-dye, danced as if no one were watching and lived a life devoted to peace. This quote, that was sung by the Dead, as a reminder to realize that your life should only be your own. Google defines unique as “being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else”, so be whoever you want and don’t change because somebody labeled you as “different.” The fact is you are unique because you were born different from everyone else. You have your own look, thoughts, beliefs and values. You don’t have to be the same and the people who are your true friends will love you for those different, unique characteristics you carry. Your happiness only begins when you truly start being yourself.

“Every silver lining’s got a touch of grey.” – Touch of Grey

Life is very good. The trees are green, the dogs chase the bees and we are blessed to hear laughter and see smiles. We go to school to make lifelong friends and better our mind and body by educating ourselves. We are provided with endless entertainment and are free to be whomever we choose to be. However, sometimes our clear skies will become cloudy and our smiles turn to frowns. We will experience deceit, loss, sadness, anger and disappointment. Our emotions tend to control us and change the way we feel and act towards others. Take a second and reflect on the past few years and you will notice that the things that felt like the end of the world don’t seem to matter as much anymore. If it does still matter you have become a stronger person because of it. Remember the good times and strengthen yourself with the lessons you gain from the bad because life is what you make it out to be. Try to not sweat the small things because in the grand scheme of things the small is exactly that; a touch of grey.

“Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.” –Scarlet Begonias

Never give up on someone or something because, the fact is, you really can find the light anywhere. Do not give up without immersing yourself into your surroundings and taking advantage of what the world has to offer you. The grass may seem greener on the other side, but that side may lack the beautiful wildflowers you have on your own. Be grateful for life and believe in the good because a positive lesson can be gained from anything if you just open your mind and heart to it.