For 17 minutes, I remembered what it felt like to be alive. How? This video came on, and I closed my eyes and listened.

Even as a writer, I understand that words can often fall short of capturing the things we want to express. That’s where art and music come in. They’re both languages that (in some ways) are far more advanced than the written or spoken word. They have this ability to reach beyond the walls we build around ourselves. Through closed doors and closed hearts, they penetrate with vibrations that shake us from our waking sleep and force us feel.

The older I get, the more I need reminders to be present, to breathe, and to be fully engaged in this baffling, heartbreaking and exhilarating experience called life. It’s easy to get stuck in auto-pilot. It’s easy to get lost in the past or future.

When this happen, meditation, music, and art have been the keys to reconnecting with myself and interconnected world around me. They resonate with the chords of my humanity, and I’m happy that even in my 30’s, I can vibe with them the way I did when I was a kid.

Words That Resonate

“Language can become a screen which stands between the thinker and reality. This is the reason why true creativity often starts where language ends.”

― Arthur Koestler, The Act of Creation

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“This song is not a business plan.

We’re losing hope in the world.

Create something you love.

Follow the formulas.

What does it take?

Say what you mean, and not because someone else said it,

but because it’s what you feel.”

– A Song is Not a Business Plan, The Rocket Summer

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