Back in Time

Early yesterday morning Amelia and I went to the store. Originally I was going to the store to get half and half and milk. This family can pretty much make do with whatever we have in the house except when it comes to three things: cream, coffee and milk. Kyle and I cannot live without cream and coffee and the kids cannot live without their milk.

However, upon further investigation it turned out that we did have cream, enough for Saturday and Sunday, or so I thought. In the end I went to the store anyway for milk, banans, cereal, and eggs; but now I wish I had purchased cream as we only have enough this morning for one cup of coffee each. But I digress.

As stated, it was quite early and very overcast, slightly rainy, and a little foggy. I didn't shower before going and just threw on some pants and a hat. I still felt groggy and unattractive as I had just recently woken up.

As Amelia and I were driving home "Where is My Mind" by the Pixies came on; I promptly turned it up as I love the song. For a moment, I was 24 again. I was 24 and driving home or to breakfast from whomever's house I had crashed at the night before. I was hung-over and gross yet somewhat exhilarated by my life and independence. At that time in my life the Pixies were a permanent fixture.

This brings me back to the incredible awe I have for the medium of music. Music doesn't just induce memories, it can literally take you back in time to a moment or an era in your life. Sometimes, like yesterday, it is literally a moment, you feel exactly like you did at that moment in time. Other times music just induces a feeling that is exactly the feeling you once experienced in the past. At those times you might not always remember the exact moment you had that feeling, but you know the era it came from. You're not just remembering the era, you are literally experiencing the feelings again, if for just a moment.

It just blows my mind and it happens to me all the time. Sometimes it is good, meaning the feeling, era, or moment the music recreates is a positive one. Other times negative past experiences or feelings are felt, but I don't mind. I like that there is something that can *almost* take me back in time, something that keeps me from completely losing those experiences, good or bad. Otherwise those experiences and feelings would only exist in the form of distant memories.

So, yeah, I enjoyed rocking out to the Pixies for a moment, regardless of being 36 and heading home from the grocery store with my child in her car seat behind me. I prefer my life now to when I was 24, but those experiences are still a part of me, made me who I am and taught me everything I know. So, I want to be able to tap into every single moment from the past. Only music enables me to do that.