30 Days Of Thanks - Jacob And The Sound Of Music

The Sound of Music

By Jacob Kebe

I have once again been summoned to *grace* bottled ponderings with my own blog post.If you don’t know who I am, I am on honorary member of the B family by merit, not by blood. (Sick burn on literally all the B's). This time, it was requested of me to write about something I am thankful for, and after giving it some thought, I decided to focus on music. I am so thankful for music because it allows for so many things. Today I want to talk about it especially in the lens of mental illness. I personally have tendencies toward anxiety, depression, and hyper-sensitivity. What is interesting about these tendencies is that, while making life more difficult at times, they also allow me to be in tune with my surroundings at a deep level.

Where does music fit in? I am glad you asked. I am blessed to have a very strong relationship with music. We have been together for twelve years now (although we knew each other practically since birth.) Our relationship is mutual, in that I give to music and music gives to me. I don’t just consume it, I create it as well. Now I want to connect music with mental illness. Music, for me, is rehab.

When I listen to certain pieces on youtube, (check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-jdl9hcCeg  -this orchestra has lovely arrangements of The God Father and The Good the Bad and the Ugly) I have an existential experience. As a highly sensitive person, the music takes a deep toll on my soul and affects my mood. It is gratifying for me to experience the beauty of this art form and just take it in. It’s like oxygen. But, for me, it is also a gift to create music, and this has been one of my most used tools in battling depression and anxiety. I love making music on the piano because it allows me to focus on creating something beautiful and take my mind off of harmful thoughts. I think that self expression is so important and it really blesses me to be able to do so in such a beautiful way. When I am sad, I pour my soul into a song. When I am happy, I dance to the beat. Music adds a depth to life that is wonderful to experience. I try not to take it for granted, and neither should you. 

*Jacob's previous guest post is here - https://bottledponderings.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-bff-guest-post-life-lessons-from-jacob.html