Maybe you are in charge of an instrument. Maybe your decisions direct a sound, create a melody or maybe you are so powerful you designed an entire song. Or a series of songs.
Maybe you just like to listen. You never go a day without it, letting it sneak into your consciousness at the grocery store as it echoes from another room. You can’t see it, you can’t taste it and you can’t hold it. You are entirely blind to its existence and you are a slave to its movement.
But you can hear it.
Have you ever thought about what music means to you? Think about the first time it truly became important, when it snuck into your life as slowly as you began to grasp your own independence. You decided which candy you wanted, what movie you wanted to watch and which crayon was perfect for the coloring book. You marveled at the way your words held the power to inspire reactions from others. Music creates the same influence.
I remember my CD player and the way it popped open with purpose, obediently waiting for a disc of my choosing. I remember wandering the CD aisles in many bookstores, examining the words and pictures that struggled to define what hid in those shiny cases. Then there was the boombox, who was heavy and clunked on the floor when moved it from room to room, its antenna lopsided and useless. And my eyes followed the first ipod with envy as it was passed between my family members. What was this white brick that held more mystery than all of my CDs?
I started thinking about music on a seven hour drive to Atlanta this past weekend. My friend and I shuffled through my phone on full volume for the entire journey, exchanging light-hearted conversation here and there, our eyes glued to the passing trees and endless highways. Each song that played transported us to a memory, some stronger than others.
I saw my brother and sister asleep together on a quilted bed, exhausted from a long day of walking on a family vacation. I saw a table scattered with makeup and a floor decorated in clothes. I squinted at the sun and felt the sand beneath my toes. I looked at a hand holding mine. I saw the back of a boathouse and felt the springs of a trampoline.
Has music ever taken you to a memory so powerful that you felt compelled to return to another? The kind of good memories that deliver such a powerful wave of nostalgia that you must desperately hit the next button? They float up without warning and send your emotions spiraling out of control. And what you are listening to right now will one day bring you right back to this very point in your life, encompassing everything you were doing, thinking and feeling.
Via: huffingtonpost.com
Music’s ability to capture a moment often goes unnoticed. Yet remains constant, like inhaling and exhaling. It will constantly be in the background, bringing us joy and bringing us sadness. It will scare the daylights out of you in a movie theater, power you through a grueling gym session and guide you through countless hours of boredom. It will help you understand a little bit more about the way people think and it will create an even stronger connection with those you love.
As long as you listen, those memories will never leave you.
Featured photo courtesy of: DreamsResideWithin
