Just Listen

by Sarah Dessen

“Some people think they like music, but they have no idea what it’s really all about. They’re kidding themselves. Then there are people who feel strongly about music, but just aren’t listening to the right stuff. They’re misguided. And then there are people like me.”

“The kind who live for music and are constantly seeking it out, anywhere they can. Who can’t imagine a life without it. They’re enlightened.”

“I mean, when you really think about it,”

“music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who

differ on everything and anything else can h...

“Plus there’s th...

“that music is a total constant. That’s why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else has ...

just like that moment. Which is pretty amazing, when you actua...

“In my experience, when people I’m close with have gotten upset with me, that’s it. It is forever. Everything changes.”

“maybe you weren’t as close with them as you thought.” “Meaning what?”

“Meaning that if someone is really close with you, your getting upset or them getting upset is okay, and they don’t change because of it. It’s just part of the relationship. It happens. You deal with it.”

Like a word on a page that you’ve printed and read a million times, that suddenly looks strange or wrong, foreign, and you feel scared for a second, like you’ve lost something, even if you’re not sure what it is.

All you could do was take on as much weight as you can bear. And if you’re lucky, there’s someone close enough by to shoulder the rest.