Somewhere after coffee break at work the other night, I found myself the brand new owner of some unexpected energy, and damn it if it didn’t follow me all the way home. That really doesn’t happen very often, usually when 9 o’clock break comes around, I am scrounging up a little caffeine and hoping to wind down my day nice and peaceful like. That day though, there was something different indeed.

Maybe I got the correct amount of sleep the night before. Perhaps I had concocted the perfect storm of sugar and caffeine. Whatever it was, it found me being rather productive right up until the time I could leave. Walking home continued that feeling of energy and started to give it a creative bend, to the point that I knew I was going to have to write a blog entry. The entry I envisioned was not this one though, and that is where the curveball comes into play.

I planned on writing about a day I went and sat by the river, planned on adding pictures to it and everything, but first I had to find the right music to write by. That has always been something I have to get just right, not too distracting, not too engrossing, but something that sits perfectly and let’s me string words together.

That night my ears and mind conspired against me and decided I just needed to go through my musical library and listen to songs I hadn’t in a long time. I was hitting pop, rap, country, and everything else, all in alphabetical order. At first I thought I was staying on task, but soon I saw that I was just going to be drinking my beer and enjoying the tunes.

It was then that I realized I don’t do that enough, don’t just sit down with music and let it move through me, having an effect on me as it might. I am usually watching TV, reading, or doing something where it wouldn’t make sense to be also playing music, but I don’t seem to remember that I should also have my times where I do just listen.

Maybe I can apply that to life as a whole, because really, when can’t we do more listening?

I was reflecting on the whole thing as I lip synced the words, and kinda shuffled in place, reflecting on how music has an impact even in the background. Soundtracks for movies and TV shows really add to the overall experience. The music can surge, building the excitement within us. It can help us through the sad moments, comforting us as the notes are played. To aid that, there are the songs that are chosen to play throughout as well, and they can make or break everything.

The thing with actual songs is their familiarity to the audience. If we know a song well and have our own connection to it, the way it is used can be a surprise, and not always a welcome one. At the same time, though, it can be exactly right for the characters and the audience, and when that happens it can be amazing.

You can tell when you watch something and the effort behind the music and soundtrack are equal to the writing. You can tell when the person creating the show or movie has their hand in the music aspect as well, and that’s when the magic really happens for us.

I guess sometimes I forget that music can play such an integral part in our lives. Growing up, music was always there, but it wasn’t something that had a lot of importance to it, music was background for something else. I had a little Fisher Price record player, and that was something nice to have going while I played. There was an 8 track player in the living room that saw action when we were cleaning the house and such. The car’s tape player kept us busy on road trips to see dad wherever he was working that summer. The music had a place, but it wasn’t center stage or focused on.

I guess in a way, I am happy about that, because it allowed me to discover artists for myself. Discovering them for yourself can let them impact you in a way they might not have otherwise, and that might be exactly what you need and exactly when you need it.

Music keeps surprising me, and I think that is what I like about it. My tastes fluctuate as I grow a little older, and hopefully a little wiser. Music will always be there, and the perfect song will come along right when you need it, you just have to remember what music is, and what it can be.

I will be making sure to set time aside for it more often, time to take it in, time to let it see what it can make of me. Music and time, two constant companions that can intermingle to set things in motion for you, and that’s what I like about them.