Much of what has been discussed on Music Mondays is the power of music – how it can single-handedly affect your mood or set the tone for the day depending on that first song you hear in the morning. What isn’t always discussed is how music can change your life.
Four years ago, I was on the cusp of my thirties with two young children, a husband who had moved us all over the world, and a history of low-paying, entry position jobs because of our frequent moves. I knew I was smarter and definitely capable of much more than I had accomplished to date, so my frustration levels were extremely high.
About this same time, I discovered the Twilight series and started investigating Stephenie Meyer a bit more. I was fascinated by her playlists she had for each book and how music could have such an influence on her. I also read quite a bit about Muse, her favorite band. So, I started with one or two songs I had heard on the radio.
Before I knew it, I was completely and unequivocally hooked on Muse. They are absolutely my favorite band.
Now, I love music, always have and always will. But I’d never gone all fan-girl on any band to the point where I bought all their music or hunted down articles. I didn’t put up any pictures or posters on my childhood bedroom walls when growing up. I haven’t been to many concerts. I liked music, but I never loved a band…until Muse. I turned to them when I was at a low point in my life, depressed about how little I had gotten done in my first thirty years, upset about the baby weight that still clung to me, and concerned about my future prospects. Because we had just made another move, I didn’t have any close friends, and my husband’s job kept him working late hours. Discovering Muse and their music made me feel inspired; it was the first time in my life that I had gone away from the mainstream radio hits and discovered something that made me feel alive.
Their music gets the blood pumping, and their lyrics are powerful and inspirational.
Within a few months, I started running to their music. I hate running, but I could do it when they were playing on my iPod. I became even more serious about my graduate studies and started having discussions with my manager about what I wanted to do with my career. As I started feeling better and becoming more comfortable with me, opportunities started falling into my lap. My dead-end job disappeared, and my future prospects are unlimited. I have responsibility, authority, and respect whereas before I was literally an unknown. I have fabulous friends who I can and have called in a pinch and who have supported me unequivocally. I love who I am and I am loving life, living it to its fullest. I didn’t have this before I started discovering this little band from Teigenmouth, England.
Muse was my muse. They changed my life. They gave me the freedom to discover my individuality and accept me as I am, at a time when I didn’t like me very much. They empowered me to stand up for myself and for my beliefs. They gave me the strength to be me. “No one’s going to take me alive.” Absolutely.
