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Calming

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Work can be a lot of things. You could be working to earn a living, pay your bills and keep annoying people off your back (creditors, courts, mothers, etc.). You could be working in your back yard to cut the grass, water the lawn, pick up the dog crap or any number of other things. Because I'm wheelchair-bound and have a progressive, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder called Friedreich's Ataxia with a bunch of other health problems (diabetes, sleep apnea, BPH, etc.), just livin' is work - HARD WORK!

Whether I'm writing for Helium, treating my health or spending a while in the bathroom, I find music to be comforting and soothing. I like a lot of different kinds of tunes but admittedly, after 37 years, I'm still a Metalhead. I still like Punk, Hard Rock and Classic Rock, too. I like to work and live alone, but music is the ultimate calming companion to both.

I can remember when I was working at Nobody In Particular Presents, a concert promotions company in Denver. I would usually have the radio on during the day - usually KBPI (which usually plays current rock, metal, alternative, etc.) - or listen to local demos (my main job at that time was booking local bands). I helped book shows for The Bluebird Theatre, The Ogden Theatre, The Lion's Lair and The Colorado Music Hall in Colorado Springs. It wasn't always music I enjoyed, but that's another story...

Even on the nights when I didn't have to go to a Nobody In Particular Presents show, there were many times I would stay late at the office. It was usually just me. I did the typical things someone would do after hours. I went through mail I didn't get to go through during the day, made some phone calls to people I couldn't reach earlier, and sometimes ordered pizza or Chinese food (I think I even ordered Japanese food one night while working in the front office at the Ogden Theatre.). While doing these things, I would usually listen to the CD's that I brought in from home. That really helped make the time worthwhile.

While music has always been important to me, I have really felt how calming it can be when you experience your health going downhill. It's not easy to soothe that savage beast. Music has always been a best friend and never judges me. It's always something positive to look forward to. You know, Simon and Garfunkel once sang about the "Sound of Silence" (Great Song). Silence is the most deafening sound and always distracting.

Learn more about this author, Russ Austin.
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