"We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are."

Walking the dog through the wooded streets of my neighborhood, through the creek, across the bridge over the lake, and past the horse pasture is my favorite way to end the day and start the evening. It's better when I have music, though. Epic music surrounding my head while gazing at the trees and sky...ahh. I've just recently come to accept the fact that it's okay to listen to music outdoors. I don't think it's acceptable in many other places, but walking outdoors..it's okay. I've always been paranoid that anyone seeing me walking with an ipod would label me as another teen so desperate from being forced out of their indoor recluse that they have some freakish need to wire their head with tasteless media the mass market has produced.

But thankfully I've gotten over it. They can think what they want, but if I want to listen to Sigur Ros as I walk with the sunset..then goshdarnit, I will! Probably the best thing about these walks, aside from the music, are the colors of everything outside. I've noticed there's a certain time this summer, anywhere between six and seven, where all colors come to life. It's as though someone flicked a master power switch and vamped up the vibrancy to extreme levels. Remember, we're talking 6-7pm here. Isn't that strange? The sun is never shining, there's no real light pouring in, yet everything just becomes highly saturated. And it's glorious.

Playlist last night:

Fireflies
Laughing With
Absolute
Dance Anthem of the 80's
It's Only You pt.2
Saeglo'pur
Big Shot (Hands in the Sky)

Obviously the flow was a bit awkward. And I didn't allow for transition time. But it was amazing how quickly my mind and heart jumped from theme to theme, fully taking it in. But because I took it in so quickly, I saw how drastically my surroundings adapted to my newfound mood brought on by the song. I mean, how can you follow the electro pop of "Fireflies" with "Laughing With"?! And the ponderings of being absolute...with dance anthem! Except I can justify that one...Dance Anthem is more than a happy song. Best line: And I am/One of your people/But the cars don't stop

But the craziest emotion jump of all? Going from Saeglo'pur to Big Shot. I don't know how many people can follow through with that, but I sure did. And it was an amazing and stunning feeling...One second I'm humming along to a...sad, somehow uplifting lullaby, and the next I'm pulsating with the numbing beats and screams of Big Shot, and my envisioned 1984-esque tension. Not only did my moods change in the blink of an eye, but within two seconds the scenery around me changed from beautiful and serene, to dark, deep and tempest filled. I found it both amazing and intruiging how quickly my perception changed just based off of how I felt. hm.

We don't see things as they are...

ps. This sounds awful. And tech-reliant. But the worst thing to do is turn of music in the middle of a song and just listen to nature. Nature seems much less fantastical. (sorry, nature. I love you.)