When I was going through treatment, I took an especial liking to the Weather Channel. My future was so uncertain. Live or die? In or out of the hospital? Sickness or health? It was a toss up. But no matter my situation, there was always tomorrow, and I was fairly certain I’d make it to at least one more day.
The Weather Channel was confirmation there was going to be a tomorrow. News programs discussed the past, the Weather Channel discussed the future. And the future was going to be hot or cold, sunny, cloudy, maybe rainy. But there was going to be a future, and thanks to the Weather Channel, you got a peek at what it was going to be like. Watching the Weather Channel re-assured me, in its way, things were going to be OK.
Recently, I’ve taken more a liking to classical music. I’ve got a handful of classical CD’s, but never really invested much time in really listening to it. My life is stressful again, thankfully only due to something as silly as a job (nothing life and death). I’m in a whole new line of work, and I’m learning as I’m doing. Now that a month has passed, I’m sleeping better. I’m not awake every night, like I was, thinking about what I did wrong, what I need to do right, all the ‘What if’s’ that I might have to deal with. Classical music helps me chill out when my brain is needlessly in overdrive.
Classical music, for me, is the opposite of the Weather Channel, because it speaks to the past, not the future. Some of this music was written hundreds of years ago. It’s outlived empires, kingdoms and countries. Despite all the wars, diseases, political upheavals and disasters the world has seen, this music lives on. It shows the resilience of people (and their music), it shows our lasting power. Classical music is evidence to me that people can overcome all kinds of challenges, and survive, if not thrive. It’s reassuring to me that what I’m going through can be survived, and I might just thrive, in spite of myself.
So, if you find yourself all wrapped up, stressed out and worried, turn on the Weather Channel or listen to some classical music (or do both at the same time if you’re a multi-tasker). Things are going to be all right. There was a yesterday, we survived it and there will be a tomorrow.