Merry Go Round

Merry Go Round is the first track off the EP Of Course It's Personal. It is written in the key of Ab, in 6/8 time, at 105 BPM.

Background

In 2022 I began volunteering at the Boysville Children's Home, a shelter for foster children in San Antonio. As part of my work, I signed up to mentor one of the children, a twelve-year-old boy, who we'll call K. My job was to be a positive role model for K, who was struggling to get along with the other kids. K was tough and liked to play it cool, behavior he'd learned as a result of his troubled childhood. He rarely smiled or laughed, and hardly ever let himself act like a kid. It was hard to know what he was thinking.

I visited K every Friday evening for a few hours. Mostly we played video games and watched TV. But sometimes, K would ask to go to the playground on campus at the shelter and have me push him on the merry-go-round (that spinning metal disk with the bars to hold onto). He always wanted me to push him as fast as I could, so fast that he struggled to stay on. Then, and only then, he would smile, and he would laugh, and he would holler joyously. When we was spinning fast enough to go flying any second, he acted like a kid again.

Over time, the merry-go-round became a symbol to me of what I could do to make K's life better. And, several months later, K's case worker was able to track down a family member who was willing and eligible to take him in. K left the shelter in 2023. He still texts me most weeks to tell me how school is going, to show me his report cards, and to ask for advice. And every once in a while, we hang out and play video games.

The experience had a profound impact on me, and I continue to volunteer at Boysville to this day, as the music teacher. This experience is the reason that all proceeds from Of Course It's Personal and related sales will be donated directly to Boysville. If you'd like to make a donation directly, you can do so here.