Just Add Soundtrack

4.22.2008

"No matter what happens now
I shouldn't be afraid
Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen..."

I walk through my neighborhood.. the same streets I've walked everyday for the last 2 months.. but this time-- tonight-- it's different. My MP3 player sends sound waves through my ears, through my mind, through my body, that remind me of life in America. Each step I take subconsciously synchronizes with each beat. The traffic, the honking, the bicycle bell ringing, the random Mandarin talking & shouting may as well be a million miles away.

"Today you were far away
and I didn't ask you why
what could I say
I was far away
You just walked away
and I just watched you
What could I say..."

I am viewing Beijing from a new point of view. The air seems crisper. The lights brighter. The streets cleaner. The buildings don't look so strange. For a few moments, I feel as if I could be walking in any large city-- New York, London, or even Paris. Even the people don't seem as foreign. And most important: I don't feel so foreign. With my earphones plugged securely inside my ears, I've created a musical force field that is now protecting me from the harsh sounds and hard stares I normally encounter. I can't hear them. They can't see me. It doesn't make any sense, but it feels this way. Guarded by my harmonic shield, I feel at home, happy, safe.

"This time it's on my own
Minutes from somewhere else
Hurry go on ahead
Good things won't let you wait
I'll catch up when we get home
At home..."

I imagine everyone hearing the same tunes and lyrics that I'm hearing. They walk in step as well. A bike turns, a light turns, a car turns-- all in perfect rhythm.

"Jigsaw falling into place
There is nothing to explain
Regard each other as you pass
She looks back, you look back..."


I learned an important lesson tonight: music is magic. In an instant it can turn the most alien of places into a familiar haven. Beijing isn't so different after all-- if you just open your mind... and add your own soundtrack.