Back On Earth It’s All You Read About

Everyone’s brain is wired a little differently.

We are bombarded all day by a million pieces of sensory input, firing neurons that crash into our mind like artillery fire. For a variety of reasons, no two brains absorb this information in exactly the same way. Some brains get hit with a neuron from the taste buds carrying the sensory input from a bite of broccoli and react with revulsion; others get that same piece of info and jump for joy. Some people can have two drinks every day of their lives and never become an issue, other people go crazy with the first sip. Some people thrive on conflict, other people run screaming from it.

Our brains are imperfect, leaky machines. We have some influence over how our brains react to stimuli, but it’s far from perfect control. A lot of our lives center essentially on three activities – seeking out the good neurons, avoiding the bad ones, and trying to have some impact on which is which.

Knowing this, there is something I will be eternally grateful for. My creator, whatever it might be, has given me many gifts. But none compare to the fact that my brain is wired in such a way as to be utterly overwhelmed by music.

Nothing else compares. Not even close. In my past I’ve been so drunk I couldn’t stand (horrible). I’ve tried drugs (not for a very long time, thankfully). I’ve had my heart broken. I’ve completed marathons. I’ve lost loved ones. Nothing has given me the depth of feeling and altered my mental states like music can. Even the things in my life that have made me truly happy, like the births of my children, made me happy in a serene and joyous way, but it didn’t feel like my mental state was actually altered. It was a rational happiness.

Music isn’t like that. The right song can bring me utter elation or hit me in the chest like a hammer. The right song can make me beat my personal best in physical activities or reduce me to tears. I’m completely at the mercy of music.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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