A Day’s Journey

Porto, Portugal — June 2022

Two months in Europe down… 10 more months to go around the world. As a very nostalgic person, I’m sad that my European travels are over. However, I’m also very excitable. So I’m excited for my Africa, Middle East, Asia, and South America travels to come. Reflecting on the past two months, I am proud of how much I’ve learned, shared, and grown as an individual. Overall, Europe was a great way to start my trip. It was very easy to navigate, and it gave me a higher degree of flexibility and freedom. Lessons I learned in safety, preparedness, and budgeting were best learned here so that I can apply it to the world at large.

It is difficult for me to articulate how I feel in the moment closing one chapter of my travels and beginning to open another. I have so many different emotions coursing through me that how can I possibly put in words what my mind and body feel? So brings my next health topic- music therapy.

Music is therapeutic, hence why there is a whole field dedicated to Music Therapy. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Music therapy is the clinical use of music to accomplish individualized goals such as reducing stress, improving mood and self-expression. It is an evidence-based therapy well-established in the health community.

Music therapy may help you psychologically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, cognitively and socially. A short list of benefits includes:

• Lowering blood pressure.

• Improving memory.

• Enhanced communication and social skills through experiencing music with others.

• Self-reflection. Observing your thoughts and emotions.

• Reducing muscle tension.

• Self-regulation. Developing healthy coping skills to manage your thoughts and emotions.

• Increasing motivation.

• Managing pain.

• Increasing joy.

For even more information on the psychological benefits of music — check this out! The Surprising Psychological Benefits of Music

I ended my Europe travels at Primavera Soundfest – in fact that was how I spent my final hours, as I went straight to the airport from there. I needed to see Tame Impala live. I love music and spend hours everyday indulging in it. Like most people, I’ll listen to music sometimes just to vibe, mostly as background noise to the thoughts in my head or during a workout. However, Tame Impala is not one of those bands for me. Kevin Parker creates poetry through his words, instruments, and beats. Every word, every sound creates an experience. It changes how you think, which changes how you act, therefore changing how you perceive the world. Tame is one of those bands that I feel understands me. I can always find a song that articulates what’s going on in my mind.

I will forever stan that Currents is the best album of all time. However, the album Lonerism possibly best describes me. Ironically the album cover is from Paris- the first stop on my Europe trip. I spent much of April alone. It’s not that I like being alone- I just wasn’t making friends (I did eventually change this lol). But initially seeing groups of people hanging out while wandering alone, gave me a bad case of Lonerism. Tame Impala’s latest album- Slow Rush takes on Time, embodying how time is constantly in motion, yet also “seemingly standing still.”

My trip now feels like the Slow Rush album. A juxtaposition word play. I went to 14 countries and about 40 different cities in 70 days. The first song off the album – One More Year- was Tame Impalas opening song at the show. The song begins with a slow lyrical beat that increases in pace, and is overlayed with a faster drum beat. “Do you remember we were standing here a year ago, our minds were racing time went slow.” On April 1, I had so much ahead of me. Now it’s June 11, and I’m wondering where the time went. Gentle reminder how time can seem vast, but will pass in the blink of an eye. Bringing me to another Slow Rush song – Patience.

“Drive straight, don’t be late because time it waits for no one..It should be flying straight … because time it takes from everyone.” How quickly two months passed me by…will one year pass me that fast? “I’m just growing up in stages..living life in phases..another season changes..I’m running out of pages.” This song is my nostalgia cure. Applying patience to appreciate my growth in each of life’s phases and being open to what is to come without holding onto the past.

Now onto my next venture with a very grateful heart. Gentle reminder to “Breathe deeper.”

A Tame playlist of my April & May mind:

1. One more year

2. Why won’t they talk to me

3. Solitude is bliss

4. Beverly laurel

5. Less I know the better

6. Why won’t you make up your mind

7. It’s not meant to be

8. Reality in Motion

9. Patience

10. Yes I’m changing