To all the music-lovers out there
There’s nothing quite like music. Sure, it’s fun to get into watching movies, TV shows, or sports, but nothing has caught my attention more than music has. It’s stayed so consistently present in my life, and has almost become a dependency for me – but a healthy one. I’m sure many can relate, but I listen to music when doing almost anything: there is rarely a time when I’m not wearing my AirPods.
Music is a truly powerful thing. It has the ability to evoke some of the most raw emotions and can dictate your mood, whether it’s in a positive or negative way. I think that’s why so many people resonate with music: it makes them feel something more than just surface level. It can also influence the way you feel about yourself and others, and allow you to take on perspectives not considered before. Perhaps one of the best things about music, though, is it can flood you with so many senses of nostalgia. Some of those senses may hurt, some of those senses may make you smile, and some may leave you feeling empty. However, that’s what makes music so addicting.
The way in which music can transport you back to one single moment in time is something that has always intrigued me. It taps into a part of your brain you didn’t realize you had. One strike of a chord and you can remember the very moment – or moments – in your life that you listened to that song.
That is why I choose to organize my music by monthly playlists, and why you should too. The other day, I was a bit bored with my usual rotation. For some reason, I had the urge to scroll all the way back to some of my first playlists, just to feel something. My first one dated back to April of 2018, which put me at the spring of my sophomore year of high school. I couldn’t believe the number of songs I had completely forgotten but remember absolutely loving at the time. It was all a rush of nostalgia.
Listening back to those times made me reflect on my past self and assess how much – and in what ways – I’ve changed. It also reminded me of the great times I’d listened to that exact chorus with people I may not even talk to anymore or places I no longer frequent. Although it may seem like it stings, it’s only a reminder of how much I’ve grown.