Why is there singing?

My grandfather was one of the first participants in the early iterations of the Uplift Notes Toolbox. For context: he is a wise man of few words, and has a calm and grounding presence. One of our prompt cards said “What is a song that  you listen to when you’re happy?”–

And to my surprise, my grandfather started singing, not a line, but several minutes! In my 20 years of being alive, I had never heard him sing until that day. There was a childlike joy that was new, yet familiar. His words oscillated in a mix of English and Taiwanese, and although I didn’t understand all of it, I felt a deep happiness in that moment.

I hope that you are able to create those moments for your intergenerational conversations too :).

P.S.-it is absolutely ok if you are bad at singing, or drawing, or any of the other activities included in the toolbox. The depth of shared experiences comes from the stories that are crafted, not the results.