By Juan C. Ayllon COVID-19 hit us with the ferocity of a large ocean wave upending, then slamming a distracted wader headfirst into the submerged sand. We are disoriented, choking on the horror and chaos, and all the political and media wrangling, like a tossed floatation ring, just doesn't help. My wife, Belle, who's a receptionist at a retirement home, now has a twitch in her right eye and the occasional hand tremor, no doubt due in part to the stress of working in an upscale petri dish chockfull of vulnerable, elderly people she's come to love. Yesterday over our online meeting, one of my students noted that texting and playing on his cell phone no longer holds the same fascination as before. He's bored and grasping for something -- anything -- to distract and entertain him. Commiserating, I shared that music, as much as I previously looked forward to listening to after my workday, didn't feel the same, either, and that for several days after the Shelter In Place order was issued in Illinois, I couldn't indulge my sound system. Cloistered away in our basement family room, acoustic curtains covering the windows, it felt like a dark dungeon. Stepping back, I am reminded of a sage friend's advice when I grieved the abrupt ending of my first marriage in the 1990s: you need to find your balance between processing and distracting; you work, you process, and distract. And rest. Then repeat. Clearly, we need to do all we can to keep ourselves and others safe. And, yes, we need to mourn the loss of life, as well as the loss of a lifestyle we took for granted. We need to take stock, make plans, work them, and find our anchors -- family, meaningful relationships and, perhaps, ultimately, faith in a Sovereign Being who can help us find our way. But then, afterwards, we also need to find energizing diversions. For me, it's been working around our home, building a rock garden with Belle, cooking savory meals, writing, and -- yes -- listening to music again, but with occasional fresh variations. Yesterday morning, I dragged out a box of old dance mix records from my days as a mobile DJ and played several on my VPI Industries Prime Scout. It was a lot of fun, and I especially enjoyed the Depeche Mode remix song featured in the YouTube video at the beginning of this article. And although our goldendoodle, Liam vacated the room with great haste at the loud, thumping bass, only to return after I streamed the Anthony Wilson Trio later (he definitely likes jazz!), I enjoyed it immensely.. Spinning vinyl jump started my workday, conjuring Dean Martin's famously crooned lines from "Ain't That a Kick in the Head": My head keeps spinnin' This is not to make light of our current situation; my heart grieves for the unspeakable loss inflicted on some of us. Yet, in the midst of reflecting, processing and working through these hard times, we can also find some high points as we seek to ground ourselves. And, we just might find that in spinning, we find ourselves winning.
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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