Music and my life... Laura Atema

In my random moments of deep and/or shallow thinking it helps me clear up my muddled thoughts, in other words music has got through some sh**. Good and bad I associate a lot of my memories with music. As I remember my dad teaching us silly songs to sing along to on road trips to my grandmother’s house upcountry or whatever random location we were going on holiday. Or my mom singing her lively hymns on Saturday as we all spring cleaned the house (take note we don’t have spring) the cleaning was tedious and cut into our play/chill time but we did it anyway and ended up loving it because we bonded with our mother in the process of getting the windows spotless. Or my siblings and I singing the songs that my dad taught us for the road trip but were now getting on his nerves because we were lost. Or making a playlist for my friend to listen to who is going through her umpteenth break up with that asshole (read ‘love of her life’). Or just good old fashioned dancing to the beat because it’s catchy.

That’s how much I love music; my father was convinced I would end up in the industry. As a dancer, singer, rapper, producer something of the sort. But I couldn’t. I love music, I live music but I never wanted to do music. It’s my haven; if it became my profession too I think my love for it would get suffocated and die.

But as I live and learn and grow I realise that a good song that relates to where I am at can get me through most situations in life, I mean who needs love or happiness? I have music hahaha!!

Right now as I write this, I am listening to music, well my sister is and I just happen to be in the room. It’s not my favorite genre or artist but as I type I’m bopping my head. It’s an involuntary action I guess.

Music makes a lot of things easy to deal with in my life. That long unanticipated walk is made much easier by plugging in my earphones to my phone (iPod for what?!) and blasting a few tunes as I walk, that deadline I have to meet that I procrastinated against is achieved much easier with some jams in the background, music makes passing time seem seamless (see what I did there?), heck I even use songs to time myself in doing activities (three songs is enough for a shower).

I have my graduation, engagement, wedding and even funeral songs picked out. That’s how much it matters to me, and how much I want it to feature in my life or how crazy I must seem.

Ok I’m going to stop now… I could gush all day about my love for music, and I know I’m not alone in this love.  Because I am sure there is at least one of you nodding and smiling in agreement, I see you and all I can do is gush some more and whisper “isn’t it wonderful?”