The item that connects me to myself and others is my earbuds. They are white with a three foot cord and a volume control button on one side, which is a pretty basic design for earbuds. For me, the sight of  white cord is comforting because my earbuds let me listen to music almost anywhere I want. I listen to music all the time because it helps me understand my emotions, which I struggle with on a daily basis. Even before I had my earbuds, finding a song to match my mood  was my go-to method for analyzing how I was feeling- I vividly remember that for most of my life, the far corner of the playground was mine to sing whatever I needed, as loudly as I wanted. The lyrics and rhythm of a song’s emotion helped me understand the essence of my own. In fact, it was through a song that I managed to describe my social anxiety to my mom. We were in the car one night, and a song about anxiety came on. Even though I was only in fifth grade, and I didn’t understand all the lyrics, it resonated with the anxiety I couldn’t name. In a similar vein to the unnamed unease, an unnamed freedom escaped my soul via playing in the school band. I play trumpet and French horn. Both of the instruments display very different parts of my personality; the trumpet is loud, brassy, and demands attention, while the French horn is mystical, cinematic, and melodic. The music the band plays connects me to the other band kids, even if we don’t always realize it. All and all, earbuds represent my connection to music and everyone else who connects to it.

– MW

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more