Music makes the world go round.

I once said, “Love makes the world go round,” but I have realized that, in fact, music makes the world go round.

I turn the key and hear the roar of the engine as I reach over to the passenger seat to grab my sunglasses. The sun is shining, which makes the car feel a thousand times warmer than the cool spring air.

I roll down the windows and move the gears to drive as my foot gently steps on the gas pedal. The scent of the freshly cut lawns enters the open windows, and my lips turn upward at the thought that summer will soon be here.

I admire the dogwood-lined street as I make my way out of my development. As I’m at the stop sign, waiting for traffic to clear, I reach my hand to the dashboard to turn the radio on.

The first note of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” blares through the speakers as I turn right onto the main road that runs through the center of my suburban town.

The song instantly brings me back to my 20s. I’m reminded of my canary yellow 1984 Chevy Cheviot. I think of all the dreams I once had. I think about all I have accomplished since then.

I sing along as loud as I can while drumming my hands against the steering wheel to the beat of the music. Nothing can compare to this moment. It’s me, the open road, my memories, and the music.

Music has a magical way of making us feel alive. It is found in every known part of the world; it is considered to be a cultural universal. Dating back approximately 43,000 years, it came before language and, most likely even, before love. And over the years, it has been an essential part of healing my soul.

I’m that person who completely loves her job. But regardless of how much we love what I do, work is filled with super stressful days. Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed that I am forced to take small walks outside to get some fresh air, even when it’s 20 degrees outside.

But over the years, I have noticed that when I play music while working, it helps calm me down. I might still be stressed, but there’s just something about having music in the background that eases my mind, even during those overwhelming moments. I am simply able to hum along to the beat of the music and keep pushing forward.

Music can also reduce our heart rate, lower our blood pressure, and improve our mood. Listening to music that matches our mood can be helpful in releasing emotional tension. It is said to encourage the feeling of being understood and connecting with other humans on a deeper level. Whenever I feel deeply sad about something, I’ll put on a sad song that will make me cry like a big baby. In that way, music enables these emotions to come forth and brings out all my sadness.

All human beings are born with the innate ability to actively focus on and contemplate the details of the world around them. And since life has rhythm, it makes so much sense that we are able to connect with music as it keeps us in touch with the world.

Music also improves our memory. I can still remember the most random songs, word-for-word, years later after I first heard them. All it takes for me is to hear that certain beat and everything comes back to me, including moments in my life that I have long forgotten.

An environment where music is played out loud brings people together without the need for words. For example, I’m one of the quietest people I know. I’ve tried to be more sociable but I just can’t find the words. It’s like my mind goes completely blank and words escape my vocabulary. But whenever I’m out dancing to the beats of music, I can dance with a complete stranger all night long without any fears.

There are moments in my life when I feel like the world is crashing down on me. I feel like I’m on an island, and I’m stuck there alone. But one powerful song will have me swimming toward the shore with a tool belt to reassemble that crumbing world.

Saturday mornings are when I tend to clean my house. But after a long work week and running errands all morning, the last thing I want to do is to clean. So I’ll yell over to Alexa on my phone to play something upbeat. As she complies with my request, within seconds, I’m dancing around the house like a fool while cleaning for hours.

Music is a language of emotion that people turn to when they feel misunderstood. It has no boundaries or limitations, it makes no judgment, and it helps us connect with what’s inside us, no matter how we currently feel. It can literally take our feelings away.

Music can ease our pain, not just mental pain, but also physical pain.

So as you see, music is pure magic. When we’re feeling happy or sad, when life kicks our butt, or when we just need a little something to get us moving, music is always there to give us that little beat we need in our lives.

Let the music heal our souls, and let’s dance like nobody’s watching.