I got one gift this year. Just one. Now, I am here to tell you why it was everything I could have asked for in all of my wishing. I got a guitar for Christmas! A beautiful black acoustic with a decorative sound hole and 6 perfect strings, it came with a shoulder strap and two picks. That’s it. Here are the reasons I do not want anything else this year (even with my December 30th birthday).
1. Music is my lifeline.
With this guitar comes a new challenge, a new experience, and a new way to connect to my own needs through music. Science has shown that when someone suffering from depression or anxiety (or a multitude of issues) takes up an instrument and gives time to learning to play it – they get better. This is because the reward of learning to play music is a core part of our brains. The success that comes with practice triggers hormone dumps in the brain that make you feel good about yourself. This is true for me as well. I play several instruments (Piano, Violin, Flute, Trumpet, Harpsichord, Organ, Cello, and Panflute) and every time I master a new instrument I feel validated and excited.
With this guitar comes a new challenge, a new experience, and a new way to connect to my own needs through music. Science has shown that when someone suffering from depression or anxiety (or a multitude of issues) takes up an instrument and gives time to learning to play it – they get better. This is because the reward of learning to play music is a core part of our brains. The success that comes with practice triggers hormone dumps in the brain that make you feel good about yourself. This is true for me as well. I play several instruments (Piano, Violin, Flute, Trumpet, Harpsichord, Organ, Cello, and Panflute) and every time I master a new instrument I feel validated and excited.
2. It’s an open door!
This guitar is a new venue for my creativity. It is something I can do when my anxiety/depression won’t let me leave my bedroom. I can pour myself into those strings and escape whatever triggers are holding me down. It’s safe passage out of my darkness and into something new and wonderful.
This guitar is a new venue for my creativity. It is something I can do when my anxiety/depression won’t let me leave my bedroom. I can pour myself into those strings and escape whatever triggers are holding me down. It’s safe passage out of my darkness and into something new and wonderful.
3. It was the only thing I requested this year.
This point is simple and beautiful. The $120 guitar that was on display at my local BiMart was the only gift I asked for this year (once my mind was made up to learn to play). No further explanation is needed for this: my wish list is all checked off, and that makes me feel like my family values my passions and my needs. I feel genuinely cared for, and that is priceless.
This point is simple and beautiful. The $120 guitar that was on display at my local BiMart was the only gift I asked for this year (once my mind was made up to learn to play). No further explanation is needed for this: my wish list is all checked off, and that makes me feel like my family values my passions and my needs. I feel genuinely cared for, and that is priceless.
My family didn’t spend $120 to get me JUST a guitar. What they bought for me was freedom, creativity, validation, and importance. They have opened a doorway out of my pain and fear and into a world where I can breathe again. I could never ask them for anything beyond that.
To my family, when you read this, thank you – so much. You could never measure the value of this gift. It is the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.
Peace, Love, and Bulletproof Marshmallows,
Mandey T
Mandey T
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