Of all places,
I found this picture inside
the Manila International Airport Restroom.

And you know what?
This statement is not true.

Well, I thought it was at first.

You see, I am a musical person.
I am in love with music.

I am one of those people who have music constantly churning in their heads.
If I hear a song, I do not have much ability to get it out of my head.
I grind my teeth in a melodic rhythm,
and spontaneously tap my fingers into a beat and tap on any surface.
It will play on a constant repeat inside my brain.

I thought, when I saw this picture,
this can’t be true.
Because like I said,
I have this background music in my head all the time.

But then again, there has to be some truth
with what this statement claims.

Because as much as music plays in my head,
I also think about all the stresses in life.
The daily struggles we go through day after day.
My head is full of silence at this particular time.

I have to shut off the music, just so I can concentrate on what I am doing.
This is very helpful when I am getting too overwhelmed.

Not to mention I think about 100 things I would like to eat for lunch.

So I pondered more on this statement,
where of all places, I have seen while I was draining the main vein
in an airport men’s room,
10,000 miles away from where I sit right now.

Then what “IS” the background music of my life?

Here’s the answer.

Within the last 2 weeks, I have gone through a wide range of emotions.
From anger
to grief
to happiness
to love
to pain and sorrow
to contentment
to acceptance.,
and everything in between.

While all of this happened to me, simultaneously,
I began to think that this statement is not true.

Because
that whole time I was going through a big part of life,
I was with my family and friends.

Supporting me as I was supporting them.
Caring for me as I was caring for them.
Loving me as I was loving them.

“They” are the Background Music of my life.

And what a magnificent opus they are.