A couple of years ago, I got sick. I don't mean the flu or a cold, but really ill: too week to lift my hand to mouth to feed myself serious medical condition type of sick. I'll tell my story later, but turns out I was poisoning myself by eating gluten, and my body had become so malnourished that I couldn't function. Yay Celiac Disease. It was tiring to breathe. Fortunately, that part of my autonomic nervous system was stubborn enough to keep me going.
I spent quite a few months as a walking zombie. It would be a long road to diagnosis, and I was fortunate my wonderful family and friends stepped in to help. It was pretty tough to get out of the house, but it was a necessity to keep my mind from imploding while my body tried to figure out what's up.
When I was able to gather the strength to dress and get out, I was driven straight to Chorus Rehearsal where I sat myself down in front of my singing sisters to listen. Live music. Live music made by the human voice. The a cappella harmony massaged my bones, muscles, and organs and for a few brief minutes, I forgot my pain.
Recorded music doesn't cut it. There's something about being in the room with the warmth and the smiles and the resonant *ping* that heals.
Our chorus has seen each other through births, deaths, adoptions, divorces, marriages, cancers, strokes, dementia, unemployment, and anything else that happens to one-hundred women. We've laughed and cried about it all. The friendship is great, sure, but you can only talk so much about your problems. Taking a deep breath and joining together in song is where the healing happens. Especially when you can share that music to help heal others.
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