A song to remember me by

There's something about music that sets the tone for living. While downloading another CD in my vast collection, I heard a song that instantly put me in the mood to sit in quiet reflection as I sip a cup of herbal tea. Probably because this is what I have often done while listening to this particular CD, which is a collection of soothing classical songs, aptly titled Dream Melodies. (The song, if you're interested, is Kinderscenen: Traumerei.)

It got me to thinking about how songs can affect our moods, and even how they can bring feelings and memories to mind as we listen to them. This song carries with it an atmosphere of peaceful contemplation. It also instantly brought to my mind the overall sensation of sitting and thinking about life.

The next song, Two Elegiac Melodies: No. 2 Last Spring, continued in that same strain: the utter tranquility that comes with a soul at peace with the world. There are times where I long to feel like this, and it is so comforting to know that I can find it in the transcendent sounds of a song.

There are other songs that, when played, bring forth memories of certain people or events or places. Listening to the opening lines of one song takes me back to driving down a road with a friend in Quebec. Every time we'd make that particular journey, often once a week, we'd listen to that CD, talking and laughing, watching the sun set over the river dividing Montreal from the island where we lived. Those were good times.

Some songs remind me of my mother, though one in particular I doubt she'd appreciate. She absolutely hated the song I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred, but every time it came on the radio my siblings and I would play it really loud so she could hear it. She was such a good sport about it and never got frustrated with us, or at least never let us know if she was. It's sad to say, but that song reminds me of her every time I hear it, which if fortunately seldom.

And the list goes on, song upon song that brings with it a feeling of contentment, gidiness or even sorrow, but as I listen I can remember how I felt at different stages in my life. There is a power in music that I can't even begin to understand but one I cherish. Without music, life would be void of one of the most important senses we have. Just as the smell of baking bread elicits a sigh of pleasure and a return to a childhood filled with warm bread and even warmer hugs, music can transport us back to where we came from.

I needed to feel that today, the peace and comfort a graceful melody brings. Now, I think it's time for that cup of tea.