I love live music. I love the way it brings people together—the way it transports you to places you’ve once or have never been. I love the look on a performer’s face—the way their happiness is so obviously portrayed by the curve of their lips and sparkle in their eye. Their concentration rests just so on their brow. Their true self transpires across their skin, glittering in the spotlight.

I love the way music seems to go straight into the center of your brain like a thought coming to be. There is nothing in between you and the music. It’s there inside of you, running across neuron pathways, igniting trails that were previously hidden in darkness.

I make a point of listening to music as much as I can—and without limiting to any one particular genre. I think of it as an exercise of the mind just as one would of reading a poem or learning a second language. It’s transformative and a vital part of my thought process. Music is capable of bringing so much joy, contemplativeness, and understanding. And I am forever grateful for it.