and the night shall be filled with music

Without music life would be a mistake. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

People are, in essence, emotional beings. Whether or not they express it, the current of emotions runs just below the surface like a wellspring. Some people manage these feelings well, emoting at appropriate times; others emote often and at the wrong times (or for the wrong reasons). Then there are people like me...a true product of a very emotionful mother and a stoic father. My emotions run like a hot knife through butter all day long, just itching to be expressed...but I work to stay reserved and maintain objectivity. This can make it difficult to be expressive when I need to be because then it's like the dams were released.

Emotions can make people do damn near anything - good, bad, stupid, funny, and all that remains in between. Sometimes it makes people turn to vices to cope with it...food, drink, drugs, sex. My vice is music.

I am not musical, mind you. I can't read a note to save my life, nor can I sing one. But the kind of music that has been borne and created into the peaks and valleys of sound waves, buzzing out of a set of speakers...I turn to this when I need celebration, a soap box, solace, meditation...direction.

My cd and digital music collection, though not as expansive as some, is eclectic. This is because as wide-ranging my emotions can be, correlates to vast array of musical genres, eras, and popularity (in some cases, a lack thereof!). Sometimes, I keep songs on my iPod for the sake of nostalgia even if I don't actually like the artist or song itself (aka all the "slow dance" songs from 6th grade dances).

Music makes me feel young, old, happy, sad. I go through withdrawals without it. Sometimes I don't know how to be until I find the right song to listen to in that moment of time. It can put me to sleep or keep me awake; it can make me cry or help me share a laugh with a friend. It has even helped me fall in love.

My favorite musician/song/album depends not on the month, week, or even day. It varies by the hour or as often as my mood changes and how quickly my mood can be satisfied by the 3.5 minutes of orchestrated sound and lyric.

What does music do for you?

Regina Spektor - Us from The Staus House on Vimeo.