Snow, cold and music

I don't usually listen to music on my way to work. Well--I guess I don't really listen to music any time unless it's on a movie, or a TV show or someone else is just playing it and I happen to be there.

It's not that I don't like music. I do. It was a big part of my life from 6th grade until my second year of college. I played the tuba and trombone.

But I don't choose to listen to it on a regular basis. If it weren't for others in my life, I probably would not listen. My students enjoy listening to music when they are working on their assignments. And my wife likes listening to music.

So whatever she listens to, I usually listen to.

Anyhow, I was planning on listening to an audiobook this morning as I walked to work. I walked up the stairs to the Metra platform and as I waited, I got out my ipod, put the headphones in, and turned it on. My wife put a few songs on there for me.

Snow was coming down. It was cold. There was not much wind and the snowflakes were quite large. Cue the music.

And it was like I was transported to an emotional scene in a movie. Snowflakes dropping all around. As each snowflake landed on the platform it would immediately melt. Music was playing loudly in my headphones. No one else could hear it. I was alone. (Is this why teenagers put on headphones? To be alone and in their own world?) I was waiting for the Metra to zoom me off to school, but for those 4 minutes I was engulfed in a world where all was perfect. I was existing in a perfect world. Perfect in the sense that I felt it was perfect.

Sometimes I think that emotions are what life is about. I know this is not true. But sometimes I feel like I don't feel anything. I want to feel.

This morning on that platform, life was good. Great. Perfect. I was standing outside with snow coming down on me, cold, and listening to a song.