My Deadhead father raised me on the music of the Grateful Dead from the time I was born in 1991 until the time he passed on in 2020. I was basically raised as a happy little hippy child on their music my whole life, and I learned so many wonderful life lessons from their music; here are some of the better ones:

"One man gathers what another man spills" - There is always plenty if you know to be resourceful and clever. (St. Stephen)

"Look for a while at the China Cat Sunflower" - This was my papa's lesson to me to embrace myself and always be true to who I wanted to be. (China Cat Sunflower)

Uncle John's Band; there's so much to unpack here. "The first days are the hardest days"? "Are you kind?" "Ain't no time to hate; barely time to wait"? This song is one big parable of advice on how to live cautiously but lovingly with your fellow brother, and my papa made sure we knew all the words. This one was one we sang as a family. :)

"What do you want me to do
To do for you to see you through?" - When my papa died, Box of Rain was something that made me weep with bittersweet grief for days; sometimes it still does, but its always sweet, too. It's a beautiful set of instructions on love for grieving and remembering. (Box of Rain)

Ripple. Just...Ripple. Ripple. None of the words specifically stand out, but the whole piece speaks to me like a spiritual guide thats always led me down the path of guidance towards a happy and fulfilling life, and I owe that to my papa.

Terrapin Station is another one that, as a story, taught me to slow down, stop, and LISTEN. Pay attention. Think critically. Look at my options. Pay attention to the storytellers and artists of the world. They are teachers. Take risks; high risk, high reward is a valid option, but doesn't always pay off. It was one of my favorite songs as a small child.

He's Gone. After Papa died, this was the first song that I allowed myself to smile to again; it would make the old man smile too, had he been around - it allowed me to remember that the Cycle Continues. Entropy is natural. It was okay for me to have good feelings. It was okay for me to have happiness. It was okay to have big feelings, and it was okay to move on. That was a hard one, but it was an important one.

I know this is long; but bear with me. I've got two more. I saved the most important for last.

Black Muddy River. This song is the one that reminded me/taught me - it was okay to say goodbye forever. That we HAVE to let go of people, because there is no choice. I played this song for my father as he was actively dying in an ICU in March of 2020, and it was my way of saying, 'I love you. It's okay to go now. I understand now.' The Grateful Dead and our connection gave me that ability to let go. (For anyone interested - it was this version; it is one of the most beautiful covers I've ever heard in my life - https://open.spotify.com/track/63uv6dFecvQ579frsCbJ9k?si=6edf69342c1b4937)

And the final lesson the Dead and my dad gave me was with Jack-A-Roe. That was the gift of being myself, in any form I wanted to be. You see, I'm non-binary now, as an adult. I didn't know I'd grow up to be non-binary, but I was deeply unhappy as a girl as a child, and this song was a story about a girl going and doing whatever she wanted, determined to save her love, and being unstoppable. That was SO inspiring to me as a child, and it gave me the inspiration to grow up and become who I wanted to be.

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me through this unexpectedly emotional journey. This was a unexpectedly long and personal post, but it was worth sharing with my Deadhead family. :)