Soundtrack of My Life

Does anybody else associate songs with certain periods in their life?

Because I find that I REALLY do.

For example: today I was surfing around on MySpace. Lots of fun. Somebody's profile I was looking at had a song on it... and just hearing the first few words, a few of the opening notes, took me back to this summer. Randomly. Because the summer was not that long ago. Hm, I thought. Weird.

I decided to experiment. How far back could music take me? So I whipped out the CDs. Oh yes. The mixed CDs. CDs that, dare I say, haven't been listened to in quite a while.

I randomly put one in, and... BAM! I am a sophomore in high school. I find myself humming along to the music, I know EVERY SONG TITLE, and I know all the words to every song.

And... I find that I know exactly why I put each and every song on there. Each song reminds me of something or someone or somewhere. It's more than just hearing a song that you remember is from a certain year and then suddenly remembering that year. I created those mixed CDs. With a purpose. And every song has a purpose... a nuance... an emotion.

Suddenly, high school doesn't seem so long ago. Did I really already graduate? Go to college? Get married? Graduate from college?

I know I randomly create mixed CDs and, now, playlists. I throw songs together that I love, that remind me of something, or someone, or somewhere. But, they are more than just assorted songs on a playlist. Given a few years, they turn into something SO much more.

They tell a story. They create a mood. They remind me of times I loved, people I loved, emotions I felt...

They paint a perfect picture of my life at that moment. They're like my journals, only in musical form-- and only I know their languages. Only I know what each verse, each melody, each word is saying to me.