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<strong>This past Sunday, I biked to a nearby town to my college ... and visited a small vinyl store in a man’s garage.</strong> The bike ride was long and tiring, but <strong>I did not know what to expect</strong> when I reached this man’s house on a suburban street. <strong>Once I arrived, I was instantly surprised by this man’s collection of vinyl, turntables, and jukeboxes</strong> that reminded me of the music I grew up listening to. It was <strong>a welcome sight</strong> to see a place not seriously affected by the Coronavirus. I asked him how he manages to have a small business like this during COVID; <strong>he said sales of turntables rose as people stayed inside more</strong> and saw an influx of people asking him to fix their machines.<strong> He seemed in excellent spirit, singing along to the music and showing off individual records.</strong> <strong>I thought about this experience and the joy it brought him</strong> to discuss music and show me his turntables and it reminded me of the power of these compositions. <strong>The music itself has become increasingly important to sustain my mental health and let me for a second forget what we are going through</strong> and be submerged by the music. And as I reflected on my music dependence, I realized how important it has become in a Pandemic. We listen to music to remember the past and the times that things were normal; we listen to music to daydream, remind us of people, and marvel at the artist’s talent. Once an artist releases a song, it becomes a constant, does not waver or die, and is cemented in history.<strong> We should recognize this with all the uncertainty in the time of COVID; we are provided with a haven that can take us out of the current crisis.</strong>
October 20, 2020