Finding the Melody

If you are like me, there are hours, days, or even weeks where it seems like things just aren't going to go your way. Sometimes even when they are going your way it just seems like you had to struggle to get to a point where it finally works out. When this happens what do you do? I know for me, I find ways to cope, ways to free my mind, and just let go.

Finding Ways to Cope:

There are people who believe in therapy, those who believe in meditation, some who believe in an honest days work, and others who believe in a healthy fitness regiment. While these alone are all healthy ways to deal with stress and "wash away the day" as they say, there are those like me who believe that if you take all of these options and combine them in some way to the tune of a great song you will reach the pinnacle of peace.

There is absolutely nothin wrong with any of the above methods and any one alone can be a great stress relief tool. But for me, I find the melodic bars of peace and soul cleansing joy when I spend a day working hard in the great outdoors (the gym of life) while listening to my favorite playlist and jamming out. I find that this allows me to recenter myself and align my thoughts with my goals and adjust according to life's challenges.

I currently find myself in a seemingly no win situation professionally. While I do this as more of a hobby, my professional roadmap is getting a serious overhaul right now. Due to some changes in the Government, I have been forced to re-evaluate my strategy in a career sense. The early onset of this made it almost seem like my family and I just couldn't catch a break. Almost like no matter what our plan was or how good our intentions, we were destined for this crossroad. However, a few days later, after a rewarding day at work, I found the melody on the long drive home. I found myself satisfied with that days work, cruising and jamming out to my playlist and genuinely enjoying the ride.

For anyone who might read this, I encourage you to evaluate things at their perceived lowest. I emplore you to truly consider all factors in that moment, weigh all options and outcomes, and determine precisely what you need in that moment. Then pull yourself up by the bootstraps, turn on your playlist with the volume cranked, and let the chips ride. Whether you dance it out, sing it out, or cry it out, none of that is important. Just look for the melody in life, look for the silver lining in the down times, then push forward. Just like the crest and trough of a sound wave, life has ups and downs, as humans we can choose to find inpiration and innovation in the trough even moreso than the crest. It is when you stop to listen that the rythm appears most. Be blessed, and as always be mindful!

~The Mindful Musician