The power of pomp and circumstance
|
Dear Reader, June is often full of transitions and this year I’m feeling it more than usual. Rather than being distracted by the chaos, I am trying to embrace these pivotal moments and see what there is to learn. Last week I was at what could have been my last baseball game as a parent. For the last 14 years I have enjoyed (at times in the early years more like endured ) cheering on both of my sons at baseball games. At the game last week, our team was down one run at the top of the final inning. A friend whose son is a Junior was lamenting the end of the era on my behalf. “I’m going to be a mess next year!” Her comment gave me pause. While I recognized the significance of the moment, I was pretty unemotional about it. In typical mom fashion, I started berating myself internally for not being choked up. “Wow. I’m a bad mom.” Um… of course that doesn’t make me a bad mom. But it did make me think – I have gotten choked up in similar moments, so what was the difference here? Turns out there is a clear answer. MUSICMusic is the thing that nudges me right over that edge. And there’s a scientific reason for that: Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.
The chills you feel when you hear a particularly moving piece of music may be the result of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers sensations of pleasure and well-being.
Source: https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/why_and_how_music_moves_us
If I think back to the times when I was a tear-filled mama bear, it was always a time when I watched my kids doing something accompanied by music. The richer and deeper and more beautiful the music, the more tears emerged. Interesting. And as someone who grew up making music, not really all that surprising. Back to the game. They won that could-have-been-last game in an epic two out rally. And then the next one as well, in extra innings. This afternoon (well, yesterday by the time you read this) we will again watch Timmy play baseball for *possibly* the last time. It will be a special day, but I won’t cry. Friday morning at about 10am I predict another story will unfold. Pomp and Circumstance will be playing, and tears will be shed. Does music make you cry, too?
Parental transition“It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
Elizabeth Stone, A Boy I Once Knew
This quote, in context, is about the idea of becoming a parent. But it strikes me as an accurate description of what it feels like when your kids leave home. This fall two parts of my heart will be walking around outside of my body. And I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for them. Wishing you a peaceful and purpose-filled week, Beth
|