Repeat!!!

You know one of my favorite things in life?

When I hear a song, stop, and think, I ADORE THIS. I rewind a little to the beginning and let the melody sink in. I listen to the end. Go back to it. Or I forget the song until I play the list again. And again I feel my ears prick up. I think, OH... THAT SONG! Play it a few times again. I half-joke that the dopamine rush of discovering a good song is superior to one gained when doing scrolling sessions on the interwebz.

I love music. One of the ways I soothe myself is by blasting it as loudly as possible in my ears. It seems to drown out the anxiety. I don't indulge often though because I worry that I won't hear my daughter or miss an important call from school. but today I decided to put my earbuds on transparency and run with it. I can see if someone calls so hopefully that will put my mind at ease. I'm blasting my K-pop list and a new song I love. Yes, I want to mention that I am extremely indiscriminate about my musical tastes. I enjoy most music and don't feel like any genre is under me or I am too old or too young for it. I am an omnivore for many things in general, enjoying the contrast of experiencing different things. Anyway, in my eyes, music is music... universal and awesome. Regardless of genre, language, mood. I don't feel compelled to be precious about it. It's yet another way to broaden my world. As I mentioned before, I am a voracious reader. I am also indiscriminate about what I read. Of course, in this day and age, it's not a bad thing to curate one's content. There is a lot of music and there are a lot of books, movies, shows, games. Content balloons, but time remains stubbornly the same, thus necessitating some curation. In my case, I decided to focus on very few criteria:

• The thing should bring me a lot of joy

• Engross me fully; or at the very least,

• Provide lessons or a new perspective that will have a deep impact on my life

I'm too old and too busy to read bad prose, or suffer through a weepy story, or play a clunky game. Sometimes, when I'm stressed, I simply skip the unfamiliar and replay, reread. Familiar content seems to tip the scales closer to homeostasis when I feel upset and depleted. I think that's why I've been loving Stardew Valley lately. I've done maybe 300 hours of it through the years. But it's repetitive and comforting. There's no pressure to do anything. I can choose to expand the game's content as quickly or slowly as I desire. A luxury real life seldom offers! So I am playing at a snail's pace doing the same routine over and over on repeat. It feels good.

P.S. I'm obsessed with the song below lately. It makes me smile and want to dance ^_^