Saturday, October 16, 2010

Everything All the Time

I've been going through a particularly hard time these past few days because my two-and-a-half year relationship is pretty much on its last legs. No, this isn't going to be a sappy post about how sad and miserable I am. Instead, I'm going to use this as a lead-in for just how much music has always helped at times like this. More importantly, my love for music and how crucial, I think, art is for the well-being of a balanced person.

For those of you who have dealt with break-ups or mourned for a great loss, you're probably very familiar with that sinking feeling you get every morning right after you wake up. You know, that feeling like, "fuuuuck... this is only the beginning of yet another day of my long and seemingly never-ending journey to complete emotional recovery". Perhaps sleeping and dreaming temporarily eliminates your stress and sadness and having to come back to that once you wake up is simply too overwhelming -- like going back to a job you hate after a nice, long vacation. This morning, I woke up and just felt absolutely "UUUUUGHAAAAAHHH...." (we all know the "groan-scream") but I had the important task of getting my first aid certificate so I had to shake the feeling fast. So I immediately remembered Band of Horses, because that became my mantra and muse when I was dealing with a previous break-up. On the way to my training, I blasted Everything All the time through my headphones and the nostalgia just washed over me. Ironically, remembering my last break-up gave me comfort because I know that I have it in me to get through this one, like I did the last time. Furthermore, I find that it's not just listening to music that helps me but playing and actively engaging in any creative process is very therapeutic. Sometimes, I think it may even work better than drugs and therapy. Regardless, I truly believe in the power of music and art and their benevolent forces to inspire and heal during your darkest moments.

I really can't comment much on these two outfits except that I wore the stripe bodysuit and grandpa pants to my friend's birthday dinner and felt very self-conscious due to its "second-skin" appearance. The second outfit is my "Vancouver Commercial Drive grunge" style. You know what I'm talking about, Vancity folks.

4 comments:

Rianna said...

emotional recoverys are slow and painful, but gets better with time
Rianna xxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel said...

Good luck with everything Xuan, I'm with you in spirit!

CDG said...

Agreed, music and art in general can help you recover through the darkest moments. I love how your dealing with this. You are obviously extremely wise and strong and that is so inspiring.
Also, I am going to steal that stripe bodysuit and the amazing jacket that reminds me of something Rick Owens would design.

samantha said...

Count me IN. .It's okay and take care of yourself always.