How Music Inspired Me During The Coronavirus

There I was – finished with assignments, homework, and tests. School was out. Summer vacation for me was about doing the things I never had the chance to do during the semester. From running a marathon to going shopping, the list went on. But the pandemic forced me to stay at home, with the biggest marathon I would run now being the one in my backyard. Everything was canceled, from hangouts with friends to late nights outside. It felt like the pandemic struck at the most inconvenient time. I specifically remember that night’s family dinner, the day school ended, when my dad showed me the article, “Coronavirus is threatening America’s blood supply and food banks. Here’s how you can help.” At the time, I just finished exams, a year’s worth of schoolwork, got an uncomfortably low amount of sleep, and was honestly burned out. The thought of volunteering after all that didn’t immediately cross my mind. In fact, my original plans were to just lay back and relax through the summer.

After dinner, I put on some headphones and just winded down for the night. I shuffled my Spotify playlist, and the cool outdoor breeze ran past me as “Heart Eyes” by Coin played. Coin is that one artist that suits every occasion or mood. Whether it’s for an all-nighter, to get an extra boost, or during a workout, Coin fits in perfectly. Whenever I came home after an exhausting day, it was Coin that motivated me to grind the rest of it out. With nothing else to do, I pulled up the article my dad showed me, and just scrolled through it on my phone. It was more heartbreaking than I thought – even organizations like the Red Cross were losing 40,000 pints of blood on a frequent basis. The U.S. surgeon general even announced that a lack of blood was making surgeries, transfusions, and more procedures nearly impossible to perform. At the same time, the song started. “Yeah, so unaware of danger.” My brain multitasked, like it was pointing out my being “unaware” of the impact on blood donations. “Not like the others,” I heard next. For me, it felt like the song was literally talking to me. Of course, the Coronavirus was like no “other” disaster that I’ve ever lived through.

As the song went on, it only connected with me further. “What’s another night out? Well, call it what you want”. I scrolled through some other articles. In countries around the world, people were dying because blood donations were at an all time low. Even though everyday just seemed like another “night out,” or in this case another day, it was definitely more than that. It seemed that every additional day that the pandemic stretched on, more and more people would be affected. Then, it struck me. I used to volunteer at a local blood donation center, but due to schoolwork I recently stopped. In that moment, it felt like “Heart Eyes” was telling me that amid everything that was going on, I had a responsibility to help by going back there. It wasn’t really blaming me but was more like a call to action to help alleviate the problem right in front of me. The last line I heard before I put down my headphones was “Take a little time out. Darling, have you had enough?”

From listening to one song, my entire perspective was changed. I no longer felt burned out from school work, but motivated to do my part. In all honesty, I felt happy to make the change. The next day, I woke up early and headed to the local blood donation center. On the way there, I played “Heart Eyes” one more time, happy that this four-minute song had such a big impact on me. When I got there, the nurse asked me if I had any song recommendations to play while the donors waited in the lobby. I smiled. “How about ‘Heart Eyes’?”

I spent the rest of the day volunteering and drove home listening to the same song. But I soon realized that it wasn’t just about the lyrics, the beat, or anything like that. It was about the message. Sure, I could relate to the lyrics, but it’s the power that music has to move us from being tired to motivated that I wouldn’t forget. Everyone I know has a different song that gets them enthusiastic and full of energy. It’s so great to see that so many people have a simple song that can completely change how they feel. For me, whenever I was tired, exhausted, sad, or even just unmotivated, I put on my headphones and played the song I knew best.