I don't know about you, but lately I have been overwhelmed by the expectations of reality. I have found myself spinning in circles trying to keep up, and wishing for nothing but a moment to be somewhere else. Somewhere where there is nothing but the moment I am in, a moment where I can breathe and feel with the sole purpose of living. In my desire for this, I have been reminded of the power of a song and where it can take you -- a feeling that I want to remind you of.

My instructions to you for reading this article are this: sit down, close your eyes, and feel the music. There is a narrative for each song -- read these words and feel what they say, feel the moment they put you in. Let the music and the words take you somewhere else.

Let life amaze you.

"Honesty" -- Pink Sweat$

It's the kind of cold that reaches in and grabs your bones with an icy grasp, trails a frozen finger down your spine and steals the breath from your mouth. You're walking through street lights with your head down, the sound of cars echoing in your ears -- splashes against the concrete that wash the glow from the lights over your head. It's that middle-of-the-day dark that makes you want to wrap up in a blanket and watch the storm rage outside. So, when you see high windows, low lights, and a crooked "Open" sign hanging from a wood-paneled door, you fight through frozen wind and push open the door. A soft bell rings as if to welcome you in, and a wave of warmth washes over you to hold you tight. The smell of fresh roasted coffee floats through the air and breathes you in, and the heat lifts your chin, puts its hands on your shoulders, and relaxes your soul. It seeps from the cup into your hands, and when you take a sip, you feel it flowing through your veins to thaw your frozen bones. You settle into a chair that hugs you from every side and watch rain droplets slide down the window, frost cling to the glass, and people go by. You close your eyes just to take in the glow of a nearby fire and breathe in as if to try and take the moment to hold in your lungs. Every worry melts away with the snow on the ground, and you are left with nothing but the warmth in your bones. You sit in this coffee shop with your hands wrapped around a steaming cup, and you know that nothing could compare.

"Sober" -- Mahalia

You're walking down the street with a groove because you feel too good to sit still. Walking with the rhythm, dancing with the cracks in the sidewalk and the poles on the street like they were left there just for you. It's the kind of day where the wind is welcome, where its breeze blows through beams of sunlight to scatter warmth across the ground. Your hair is pulled back off your neck to feel the heat, and you walk like the whole world can feel the beat. You smell someone cooking out -- fire and food intertwining in the wind to dance with you. Voices carry through the air with the smoke and the burger-scented laughter is as contagious as the life moving around you. You can feel the sun on your back and it moves with you as you bob and weave your way down the street, moves with you like a spotlight straight from the sky. The rhythm of the song has seeped so far into your bones that it radiates from your skin and your feet move only because the song tells them to. It feels like a path was paved just so you can dance, like the world was made just so you could live. Life is so good.

Life is so good.

I hope that you were able to feel these moments in a way that let you be there, even for just a few minutes. And when life feels like it's running you over, remember that you can take a moment to escape. Take a moment to let the sheer power of living amaze you. :)