The Magic Of Music

There are a few tasks around the house that seem to get pushed into the chasm of “maybe I’ll tackle it tomorrow.” Even well-intentioned lists go into the basket of “..if I have time.” Such is my repulse of shredding old copies of paid bills, letters, documents and other saved paperwork that I probably will never need reference to find. The task sits idly in my conscious knowledge that the unnecessary stock piles of paper need to be trashed. So today, I vowed to tackle this dreaded removal of clutter and lessen the useless proof of yesterday’s importance. 

I positioned the shredder for easy access. Then I arranged my record player to let the soothing, vintage songs of Nat King Cole, Jerry Vale, Dean Martin and others comfort my spirit and camouflage my work in progress. I opened the overbearing file drawer, grabbed a handful of old documents from the back of the stack and sat down to work. The task involved going through several files at a time and accumulating a pile of discards to eventually run through the hungry shredder. The usually perfect and dreamy recorded songs washed over me and were a distraction from the job at hand. After a few long playing records eased my comfort zone, the shredder had its chance to eat a hearty meal. By repeating this regimen over and over, the first file drawer shrunk to half its size, thanks to the melodies that filled the air. 

Doctors and dentists use this method of diversion in their waiting rooms to calm patients and obscure notice of time slipping away. In today’s busy world we are offered musical devices to enhance our workload and earphones to enjoy the miles we might walk every day. I know some family members whose radio plays music in the garage when a car needs repair or a broken item needs fixing. Teenagers have wide access to various methods of listening devices to hear the latest in musical hits. Outside activity might require ear buds to make light of mowing the lawn or weeding the flowers. Cooks in the kitchen can hum along with taped recordings of favorite choices to enhance their tireless work. Music soothes the blues and brings smiles to hospital rooms and shares space with some who live alone. Who can resist tapping their toes to the sound of a marching band, sing softly to a sleepy baby or bow in reverence to church music? The magic of music can soothe heartache to some, bring tears of joy to others and share time dreaming the day away. Silly tunes can cheer up a sick child or get the party going when a group needs to interact. Good times elicit fun melodies and most couples have a special song with a unique meaning meant for them alone. 

Besides many individual ways to enjoy music and absorb the magic, I find that specially selected songs on tape enhance my miles of driving and create a relaxing distraction of time. But at home, I have quite an assortment of long playing records. They remind me of years gone by and school dances that bring sparks and deep, precious memories to my smiling face. Even now, I enjoy those songs of yesterday and reward myself with time well spent listening to history. So, excuse me now, I believe I have earned a reward of sorts for finishing my dubious paper-shredding chore of the day. I’m celebrating a job well done by listening to some of my favorite Bee Gees, Eddy Arnold and Barry Manilow albums.