the cathartic refrain
"Where did you learn to walk?
Where did you learn to run?
Away from everything you love."-Brandi Carlile
In college, music was my background noise. I didn't properly respect the tunes coming out of my computer alongside homework night after night. It was a filler to remind me that this work wasn't boring. It set a mood to my night and the papers I wrote - yet I never had to opportunity to marinate over the meaning, emotion, or lyrics of a song the way I wanted to. I only listen to avoid the silence. I really probably should have shut the music off and focused on my work or my listening to music - instead of giving both worlds half my heart; simultaneously.
Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. Yet, I have to say post-grad life has redefined my listening life. It's been a gift. In the beginning, I found it difficult to listen to the volume of music I did in school. Then I sat down every night for at least 2 hours, now my time is different. I began to notice that all the music I had filled my playlist was music I didn't know, or even feel much less. I had just been half-consuming melodies and not taking time to examine the content.
Being out of school has allowed me to listen again. It's refreshing. I've been able to sit down and let a melody talk with my heart. I have the opportunity to be present in my listening again. I could have done this in school - I just didn't realize I was doing it. With new ears, I listen. It's like I am listening as I did as a 12 year old - who just wrote down lyrics so I could memorize them quicker.
I bought a personal CD player. Yes, they are still in major stores. No, you don't have to order them - just don't anticipate a wide selection. I did it because I had listened to so much music on Spotify or playlist generators that I never learned a song. I have difficulty sticking with a playlist or artist - so I restricted myself. Now I have the option to listen to a set of 10-15 songs and simply enjoy the collection as it as meant to be enjoyed - in order, no skipping, just playing the album.
Now, this may look different for you. Maybe you've been listening well along. Either way, I've rediscovered the catharsis that music provides and it's nothing short of beautiful. There is such a sweet release in a melody written by a distant heart that understands you perfectly. It's like a language God gave us to be able to reach past the commonality we lost a the Tower of Babel.
When hope seems miles and miles and miles away - I promise it's not. All we need to do is to learn to listen again. Someone is singing. There is a story... The weary world has a reason to rejoice. Music is a mere reminder of the cleansing that awaits us. And until then, with bated breath and focus, we wait. But it's not just about waiting, there's a refrain in the middle.
Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. Yet, I have to say post-grad life has redefined my listening life. It's been a gift. In the beginning, I found it difficult to listen to the volume of music I did in school. Then I sat down every night for at least 2 hours, now my time is different. I began to notice that all the music I had filled my playlist was music I didn't know, or even feel much less. I had just been half-consuming melodies and not taking time to examine the content.
Being out of school has allowed me to listen again. It's refreshing. I've been able to sit down and let a melody talk with my heart. I have the opportunity to be present in my listening again. I could have done this in school - I just didn't realize I was doing it. With new ears, I listen. It's like I am listening as I did as a 12 year old - who just wrote down lyrics so I could memorize them quicker.
I bought a personal CD player. Yes, they are still in major stores. No, you don't have to order them - just don't anticipate a wide selection. I did it because I had listened to so much music on Spotify or playlist generators that I never learned a song. I have difficulty sticking with a playlist or artist - so I restricted myself. Now I have the option to listen to a set of 10-15 songs and simply enjoy the collection as it as meant to be enjoyed - in order, no skipping, just playing the album.
Now, this may look different for you. Maybe you've been listening well along. Either way, I've rediscovered the catharsis that music provides and it's nothing short of beautiful. There is such a sweet release in a melody written by a distant heart that understands you perfectly. It's like a language God gave us to be able to reach past the commonality we lost a the Tower of Babel.
When hope seems miles and miles and miles away - I promise it's not. All we need to do is to learn to listen again. Someone is singing. There is a story... The weary world has a reason to rejoice. Music is a mere reminder of the cleansing that awaits us. And until then, with bated breath and focus, we wait. But it's not just about waiting, there's a refrain in the middle.
"It really breaks my heart
To see a dear old friend
Go down in the worn old place again
Do you know the sound
Of a closing door?
Have you heard that sound somewhere before?"
Brandi Carlile, "The Eye"
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