Daily Prompt: The Little Things

There are so many little things in life that make life worth living.  So often we overlook them, or take them for granted.  Today’s daily prompt asks us to describe a little thing that defines our world, but is often overlooked.

It was difficult for me to decide which of the little things in my life I wanted to talk about.  And then, it wasn’t.  To so many people, music is just a part of the background, part of the landscape to their life.  But for me, there is no life without music.  In every part of my day, there is music.  Whether I am making music, listening to music, having songs fly around in my head, or just experiencing the music in the background at work, it is present.  And I appreciate it.

I was born with a congenital hearing loss.  A profound loss, affecting only one ear, meaning that I have about 50% of the hearing of the average person.  People always ask me how I can be a musician with my ears the way there are, but to me the answer is simple.  I couldn’t not be a musician.  It is in my blood, running through my veins.  I don’t choose to love music, I just do.  It’s a part of me that I couldn’t remove if I tried.  My hearing is a blessing, not a curse.  I could as easily have been born not hearing at all as having the hearing that I do.  As far as any doctors can tell, my hearing loss was caused by a virus before I was born. This means that really, I’m lucky to have the hearing I have as the virus could as easily (and probably by all scientific explanations should) have affected both sides.

In the long run, I think that this means that I appreciate my art more, and pay more attention to the details.  I thank God every day for the blessing of being able to hear, and being able to make music.

Music to me is life.  It illustrates the best and worst of humanity, and it is the soundtrack to our days.  It can express any feeling, any thought, any moment.  It is ephemeral, yet enduring, and it fills our hearts and minds with inspiration.

Can you tell that I’m an addict? I can’t get enough, and I don’t think I ever will.  I pray that I can always connect with music, and that nothing happens to my other (good) ear.  That is my greatest fear.  I could never live in a world of silence.

What does music mean to you?

Thanks for visiting!

Nat xx