"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."--Plato

It doesn't matter the genre or the era in which it was produced, because to me, music is everything. It's hard to describe because of how personal I view music to be. It's almost as if when I listen to a song, the artist and I share a hidden language that only I can decipher; the beat keeps me sane and the lyrics speak to my soul.

Whether I'm feeling upset and need the guidance of Adele through a heartbreak or I need to get pumped up on some Childish Gambino before I go out for the night with my girls, I feel connected and understood through the story that the lyrics illustrate. It never mattered to me what the genre was, the only thing that mattered was the way I would feel as soon as those first few notes echoed through the speakers. In fact, I'm so versatile with my tastes, I can be listening to the Backstreet Boys (my fav!) one minute and the next be jamming out to Florida Georgia Line or Falling in Reverse or Kiss or Bon Jovi...the list is endless, just like my love for music.

When I was younger, I would always tell my parents that I rather them take away my cell phone than them take away my iPod whenever I got in trouble--even though they obviously never gave me the choice. I felt that if the bond that I shared with music on a daily basis was taken away--even if it was only for a short period of time--I would experience a disconnect to the only thing that could relate to me; the only thing that would keep me sane in times of insanity.

Below is a quote that accurately deciphers the bond that I have formed with all of the people and their stories that inhabit my iPod:

Music is the one thing that has never disappointed me, betrayed me, or in any way let me down. In fact, music was always there when I needed it the most. In 7th grade my passion for music grew when I picked up my first guitar and attended my first lesson. The excitement I experienced when I nailed my first note...then my first chord...and then my first song is something that I will cherish forever and never forget. Playing the guitar and writing my own music, my own story, became an outlet for self-expression and a place I could escape to whenever I felt stressed or in need of comfort, and for that I am grateful.

The beauty of music will forever continue to be my safe haven. It will continue to lend me a shoulder when I need to cry and it will continue to expand my mind in order to let me grow into the woman that I'm meant to be. So thank you music, thank you for being the most important constant throughout my life.