What is your soundtrack?
Music plays a huge role in my life, and especially in my writing.
Every time I sit in front of my computer, trying to find the thread of a thought that will manifest itself into the words I desire, I pick an audio accompaniment to help me find the right phrasing that will best explain the idea and emotions I want to share.
Sometimes it’s just a sound, like ocean waves or a howling wind with rain, but usually it is some kind of instrumental piece, without lyrics, that soothes my soul, and helps me reflect and find balance. If you are familiar with the works of Hans Zimmer, you’ll understand what I mean.
Music soothes, music quiets, music calms, music heals.
And music really tells the story of my life. When I was a teenager, the music of my life was loud, vibrant, rebellious, full of emotion and a desire for stimulus.
After I was married, my soundtrack changed, into what would be considered slower, more thoughtful and introspective, finding an outlet for my ideas and finding a kinship with those of the same thoughts and feelings.
But all that has gone.
Now the soundtrack of my life has become primarily instrumental pieces, which allow me to feel my own lyrics, rather than listen to the interpretation of others.
I seek for music that quiets my mind, and allows me to bring the emotions out of me, rather than seeking emotions to come into me through music.
And honestly, the greatest soundtrack of my life now, is silence.
In silence, I can hear the song of my heart, and the rhythms of eternity. Silence gives me the space to expand, allowing the emotions to naturally flow from me, rather than requiring music as a key to unlock and unleash all that I feel within me.
As I continue in my meditation practice, I find either silence or the gentle natural sounds of the world are those which resonate the deepest. The simple song of a bird, the rush of a waterfall, the rustle of the leaves in the breeze.
These have become my soundtrack, as I seek a greater presence with nature, and seek to leave all that is artificial or manipulative behind.
The song of my heart is audible only in the silence of my environment, and also within my soul. For the quieter I seek to make my mind, the louder my heart sings.
The simplest emotions become my crescendo, the quietest dreams my guideposts, and the most compassionate feelings my desire and drive to move forward.
For as once I sought noise, now I seek only peace.
And silence is a good place to start.
— Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings