The experiences in life, translated…
A Life , Accompanied by Music
Growing up, I couldn’t read the music, and I couldn’t sing on pitch, until the year I graduated from elementary school, I was moved by the music I heard. On the graduation ceremonies, all my classmate sang that song of farewell to the school, “The green trees of our school, each and every grass in the schoolyards……I’m so sad, to leave you all behind…when, will we, meet again…”, there was NO scent of nostalgia, in their childish voices at all, only I, couldn’t get a word out of me, because my father got a transfer, we must all move to another place with him, thinking of how I was the only one, “Who will leave today behind”, I’d started to cry.
In the summers, my oldest cousin got married, she had a snow white gown, on the arms of my eldest uncle, walked down that red aisle, I enviously gazed at her, tiptoed and swayed my body to the sounding off of the Wedding March, imagined, how when I marry, I will be like a princess too, held tightly, to my own prince in the music, dancing with him.
I’d gotten into middle school, my music teacher was young and energetic, and, I’d started, loving the music lessons. Although, I’d still get stressed out when I see the music notes, nor did I dare sing in front of everybody, but I’d loved singing along with the piano accompaniments to the songs, and, these songs, are seemingly, a final farewell to my childhood years, it’d helped soothed the emotional ups and downs of my puberty.
I’d squeezed into the narrow doors of college, and, music became the most easily got entertainment to me. On the dances, there would be an assortment of upbeat and slow songs; and, on the nights we’d camped out as a class, some handsome guy would have a guitar, sang and played, and, I’d have a total crush; even after I got my heart broken, I’d still, hid under the covers, and, allowed those songs of heartbreak to accompany, into the depth of the nights.
As I married, because my in-laws were faithful Christians, the ceremonies were held, in their church. My husband who majored in engineering has knowledge toward classical music, he said, that as the newlyweds came down the aisle, Wagner’s Wedding March is to play, and, as we marched out, Mendelssohn’s Wedding March should sound off, the former sounds majestic and beautiful, the latter sounded extravagant and romantic. I couldn’t recall the difference between the two now, but, I’d recalled, how, as the music started sounding off, my father who’s a level one manager, his hands shook, lightly, as he, gave my hand to my husband, and I’d, bitten my lips down, forced, my tears, to stay inside of my mind.
The Melodies Illuminated the Darkened Corners of Life
As the years passed by too quickly, my father-in-law passed away two decades after my husband and I married, very shortly after my father-in-law died, my mother-in-law started showing signs of dementia, although we’d hired a foreign person to help her with her daily living needs, she’d still, looked all alone, I’d decided to retire early, so I could be by her side. Every day after her nap, I’d drank tea with her, held conversations, and listened to music, my mother-in-law especially loved the old songs, and I’d loved the folk songs, my husband specially bought a ton of CDs for our listening pleasures. And, this time became the most leisurely, since after college graduations, after I’d started working, got married, and raised children.
But, at this time, I was diagnosed with macular disease, after a little over a year’s worth of treatment, my sight deteriorated, to nearly blind. My feelings are, at an all-time low, but I’d still, managed to get my spirits up every afternoon, for my music sessions daily, to help alleviate my depressed moods. One day, my mother-in-law told me, to NOT put on the CD, that she was going to sing “Amazing Grace” for me. My mother who’s slowly, overcome with dementia had, sang out the words correctly, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved, a wretch like me…”, I’d sang along, I knew, that my mother-in-law is now, with my father-in-law now, and, they must be up in heaven, smiling down, as they’re listening to me sing now.
As I got older, I’d gotten over the fears of not being able to sing in tune, I could now, sing, with my heart out on my sleeves in the karaoke bars, and I’d visited the hospitals, performing the tunes, with my church for those who are terminally ill. There would be patients who hummed along, those who nodded as they listened, seeing their pale, but smiling faces, I was moved on the inside.
I was influenced by my husband, started listening to classical music, and gone along to concerts with him. After many years, although I still couldn’t differentiate between a sonata and a concerto, couldn’t understand the musical difference between Mozart and Chopin either, and still, I no longer cared about all of these professional knowledge. Whether it be popular music, classical music, the music I loved deeply had brought happiness, passions, sorrows, as well as healing, they’d become stars in the galaxy of time, decorated or lightly, illuminated, my life.
And so, this, is the effect of music on someone’s life, and, even IF you can’t sing in perfect pitch, you still shouldn’t let that prevent you from enjoying music, like how this woman kept her love of music constant throughout the 
years.
Life, the Obstacle Course 