Usually people gauge how their year is going by their success at school, at work or by what’s happening in their personal life. While I also take all of those things into consideration to calculate my happiness, they’re not as pivotal of factors as other things happening in my life. For me, I’ve yet to determine if this is a depressing realization, or me being in control of what gets me down or doesn’t.

For instance, I would say this year has been great. It’s all because of one little thing-music.

In the past, and now, it always seems the best years of my life have been when my roster of favorite musicians and bands release new music or go on tour. And this year, it’s been happening rather

frequently.

Maybe it seems weird that I judge how things are going by the music I’m listening to or the shows I’m seeing, but listening to certain albums over and over again gets a little drab. It’s like a breath of fresh air when one of my favorite artists releases something new and hits the road. But when they all come out the same year, it’s hard for me to rotate through my iPod, decide who I’m going to listen to or look at calendars and decide, can I go to the show in Chicago, and if not, should I fly out to see it?

I got into music when I was young. Since going to my first concert at the age of 9 and experiencing the excitement, the thrill, the monster vibrations from being so close to the stage, I’ve been hooked. From there, it’s gone from seeing shows in my hometown in Florida, to driving to other cities in the state, and then it escalated to me flying out to cities like New York City, Philadelphia or Los Angeles to see concerts. And it’s all because it’s what makes me happy.

Sitting in the front row of concert venues, having amazing seats, getting CDs signed afterward and exchanging meaningful words with the musicians you admire is an awesome feeling, and one that would make any person smile.

I flew to Philadelphia a few years ago to see a favorite artist. After the show, she came down, put her hands on my shoulders, and said, “Wait here, I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”

The show ended, she came out for an encore set, went backstage and when most of the audience had cleared out, she came back out, sat on the stage ledge and chatted with me for 15 minutes. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had with a musician, to have them recognize you and want to chat with you.

All the times I’ve flown out, taken buses, or bribed a family member or friend to drive me, it’s been worth it. Over the years, I’ve realized this is what puts that ear-to-ear smile on my face and what’s always there, despite all the other factors; it’s always playing and echoing my mood. It’s me knowing how to make myself happy without any outside disturbances.

It’s music.