Something That Makes Me Feel Better

Music. I did a whole post on how much I love music.

One of my older cousins used to have an amazing CD collection. I aspired to have as much music as she did, when I was younger. I used to go to her house and sit for hours just listening to her records. Hearing "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" by TLC made me fall in love with music. I can't tell you what it was, but I distinctly remember that moment, on my cousin's couch, reading the liner notes and lyrics (ya'll remember when artists gave a sh*t and put lyrics in their liner notes?). SWTWC was the last song on the album, but by the end of Andre 3000's verse, I was in love. Without fail, music makes me feel better every time. I don't care if it's a song that is slow or fast. I don't care about the genre (for the most part). Music does it to me every. time.

Sometimes music says something for me in a way I'd been trying to, but couldn't. Sometimes I hear song lyrics that perfectly describe my feelings and I had no idea I was feeling that way. I love it when a song reminds me of a good moment in time and even the songs that remind me of less than stellar times are good to me. I love how I can be in one place and hear a song that acts like a time machine and takes me to another place.

On Day 1 I mentioned how J and I used to use music to communicate with each other. I have CDs upon CDs upon CDs that I made for him or he made for me. Sometimes it gets hard for me to put into words what I'm feeling, good or bad, and it's always nice to be able to send someone a song and say "here. listen to this."

I'm always amused when I peep someone else doing it. I've definitely been in the car on multiple occasions with many couples who had entire conversations using the radio in the car!

I love using music as markers in my life. Destiny Child's first album (which is self-titled) reminds me of the move my mom and I made when I was 14 because I would bring that CD with me and sit in what was to be my new room while she did work on the house. When I hear "No More Rain in This Cloud" by Angie Stone, I think of my first year at a new school. Hearing just about anything by Helen Baylor or Michael Bolton from the early 90s makes me think of trips to AL to see family.

I love making my own ringtones out of what I'm listening to and assigning them to friends based on what makes me think of them. Sometimes it's ironic, other times it's on point.

Music isn't far from me at any given moment and I rely on it to get me through most days. Some folks use drugs or alcohol; they ride a bike or swim; they write (which I do as well) or sing; I listen to music to get away from what's happening right now and to feel better.