Getting Away From the World

Back in the 1960s, the Drifters sang about going up on the roof to escape their troubles.  

This has been a rough week for me. Rough, of course, is a relative term. What may have seemed rough for me is nothing compared to what the people of Ukraine are enduring. I am so fortunate that I don’t have to live through what they are facing. But for me, this rough week included snow, which I hate; very cold temperatures (overnight temperatures in the teens); a fall that left my face somewhat battered and scraped up; and an extremely annoying dog. So what I decided to do, after having my fill of watching the news and some mindless television, was to put on some music as a distraction. Music has always been a great comfort and distraction for me. Often I listen to classical music. After that, perhaps I’ll put on some smooth jazz. I am particularly fond of saxophone music. Enya, despite the fact that she frequently sings in Gaelic and I have no idea what the words mean, is another favorite.

The nice thing about my Amazon Echo is that I can choose the music I want to listen to. Sometimes it’s saxophonist Richard Elliott or Mindy Abair. Sometimes I want to listen to Tchaikovsky or Mozart, my two favorite classical composers. At  other times I will listen to 1960s rock music, the music that was popular as I was growing up.

I never sleep well, and recently with the Ukraine crisis on my mind, I’ve had even more trouble sleeping. So tonight I told my Echo to put on music by ABBA. This group’s music always lifts my spirits. Most of the songs are very upbeat. I mean, who can help but smile when they hear such classics as ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Take a Chance on Me’? Years ago, before I gave up running, I would listen to ABBA as i ran. The music is so full of energy and it’s so upbeat that it kept me moving at a good pace.

The other thing I do to unwind is to read. I have been an avid reader since I learned to read. My mother used to kick me out of the house and tell me to go outside and play rather than staying inside with my nose in a book. The only thing that has changed over the years is that i now read on a Kindle rather than in a printed book. My favorite genres are historical fiction, history, biographies and an occasional mystery.

It’s not quite time to sleep, so I think I will listen to some ABBA as I get ready for bed, put my dogs to bed, and then read for a bit. Perhaps things will be better tomorrow. Or perhaps I will feel better after getting a brief respite from the daily challenges of life.