My soul craves music every second of the day. Whether I am taking a break from essays, walking to the train, or cleaning, I accompany the simplest tasks with music. I put my headphones in, open up the Spotify app, and take myself out of reality. It feels pretty good.

However, recently, I have been learning to plug myself out of my Spotify playlists and tune into the channels of the universe.

Channel 1: Mother Nature

Despite the polluted air our lungs breathe in and the tall buildings that tower over us, we are still surrounded by the beauty of the universe. One of my favorite parts about spring is the atmosphere that arises on campus. I think many would agree that Brooklyn College has a beautiful campus. One thing that I love to do is come on campus early just so I can peacefully sit by the Lily Pond and take in the subtle sounds around me. While sitting at the Lily Pond, I have grown to love the gentle crackling sound of the wind fitting itself between the spaces of the leaves on the trees, it gives me a peace of mind in the morning. The soft vibrations of the koi fish navigating around their home make the corner of the lips reach the bottom of my cheeks. I just find the koi fish really cute.

Even when I am not on campus, the beautiful sounds of the universe still follow me. Occasionally I am lucky enough to tune into an episode of Birds Got Talent and hear the various unique songs the birds sing one another. Sometimes their songs are better than the ones that I hear on the radio.

When the clouds are gray and the raindrops bounce against the windows, I look forward to hearing the drumbeats of the sky. Although I do admit that thunder does frighten me once in a while. Nevertheless, no matter how loud or how soft the sound is, so many wonderful sounds surround us and we have been so accustomed to them that at times we forget to appreciate them.

Channel 2: The People Around Me

I love the sound of people’s voices when they form their words with a smile. Words sound differently when you speak as you smile. They are fueled by radiant energy and they spread sunshine as they are spoken. So with that being said, I like making those around me smile as much as I possibly can.

I love the way you can hear excitement fill one’s vocal cords as they talk about something they’re passionate about. Whether they’re talking about their favorite show, movie, song, or band, I think it is really beautiful the way you can hear the fireworks exploding in their soul as they speak.

I love the sound of laughter. I love it when people laugh to the point that it sounds like they are whistling. That sort of laughter is really contagious. Even if you don’t know what they found funny, you are simply their joy with them.

I really love when people are happy.

Channel 3: Me, Myself, and I

I am a person who feels her emotions very strongly… A little too strongly. I tend to feel millions of strong emotions at once and sometimes it gets overwhelming. Sometimes, I don’t know what I should feel or if what I am feeling is normal. Everyone always says to listen to your heart, but sometimes the thoughts in your mind and the people around you fade out the messages your heart is sending you.

Recently I was asked out on my first date. When I was asked out a part of me was saying “YAAAAS SAM. Your first date. You’ve been waiting for this to happen,” meanwhile another part of me was saying “Sam, you don’t really know him. You know your heart is not in this, don’t do it.” I knew deep down I felt it was wrong to agree to it, but I didn’t listen to the messages the depths of my soul were sending me. I didn’t pay any attention to the sound of the heavy sigh my lungs out when I agreed to go on the date. I went against the subtle sounds of my soul directing me the correct way.

However, the day of our date, I paid a lot of attention to the deep breaths I was taking to avoid having an emotional breakdown in the library. The day of our date I paid a lot of attention to the sound of my rapid heartbeats as I sat there asking myself what I got myself into. The day of our date I paid a lot of attention to the sound of my friend’s voice as she comforted me as I was crying because my feelings were so conflicted.

Two hours before our date, I paid a lot of attention to the ding my phone made when the boy texted me: “Hey I caught a fever last night. I can’t hang.” When I read the words I paid attention to the sound of a sigh of relief I let out, and the feeling of light that entered my soul. Considering that it was my first date, I should have been upset that he canceled, but I wasn’t. I felt relieved, and I felt relieved because deep down, right from the start, I knew I should have never agreed to it. However, I learned that when you don’t listen to your heart and soul, there will be prices to pay.

So with that being said, always listen to your heart. Or else you’ll end up crying in the library cafe like me.

A lot of the time I like to get lost in my thoughts and escape reality, but recently I have been learning about the importance of tuning into the channels of the universe. Take a moment or two to listen to the rustling sound of the leaves and the soft raindrops, always listen to your heart (even if there are other sounds blocking out the messages), and don’t forget to check out your neighborhood bird’s mixtape on Soundcloud.

– Sam