Sept 14-16

“I’ve got my head in a haze, feel like a cat in a cage. I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart… Digging a hole in my heart.” The song “Digging a Hole” by Big Sugar circles in my head. The last few weeks have been difficult ones, first, the boat broke. Then last Saturday my heart broke when my buddy left this world.

The river of life keeps flowing and all I can do is swim hard and try and keep my head above water. I know my life is good; I am one of the fortunate ones. I have a wonderful family, a nice home, and great friends and I live in one of the best places on planet earth. The oppressive, continuous smoke weighs down on me and I look forward to the day we can see blue skies and sunshine again.

Musical therapy is something that helps in these times. I turn on YouTube and play the song the haunts my brain, and then let the algorithms flow. The Pretty Reckless picks up my mood and I proceed to find more music to soothe my wayward soul.

Music has an amazing effect on a person’s mood. In the history of humanity, music has been one of the most constant, unifying things invented. Was it invented or discovered… I think it was in essence a discovery. Music is prevalent in nature, the songs of the birds and the buzz of the insects, music has been filling the air since the dawn of time. In the world of the coronaverse I find myself turning to music to keep me sane, to help me cope with the anxiety that can build inside.

Six Months ago the pandemic began its insidious invasion of our psyche. Canada and much of the world entered a stage of lockdown and restrictions. Now, much of life has returned to normal but the music that is played live to the world has been altered. Concerts are still in limbo and dance clubs have been closed once again. I dream of the day we can gather, ten thousand strong, and sing together, dance together. I hope that the day will come again soon when the music will fill the air and the fear of infection is a distant memory.

In the meantime, I will crank up the music and sing along with my favourite songs. Musical therapy is an amazing thing.