Follow the wind that pushes me West

There is something about live music. If anything makes hearts skip beats it is that. Being part of something, losing that need to 'look good' even for a few seconds when the music takes you over. It is about connection, to the music, to the people around you and to something deeper. Maybe it is a connection to that place deep in our chests that tells us that there is something more. It is the lights, the darkness, the music that fills your ears. It is the sticky floors and expensive drinks. It is looking to the person next to you and seeing that they feel the same way.

I feel like inspiration and clarity hit me in the midst of show like that. It is hard not to be in the moment and where you are becomes very clear. Standing at the back of the bar last night as one of my favourite bands played one of my favourite songs I was acutely aware that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Exactly where I had wanted to be all those years ago. I remember hearing that same song, all those years ago at university. I wasn't happy where I was and all I dreamed of was going West, always pulled by heartstrings across Canadian shield, prairies and when that wasn't far enough, across the Rockies to the coast.

Music is something that is tied to memory. It hard to hear a song and not be pulled back through time and place to when it started to mean something to you. It is something that I pick up in all the relationships in my life. My music collection is a testament to all those who have held space in my mind, in my life. It is something I think, that is so necessary these days when our fast paced lives sometimes squeeze out room for connection.