Delicate Melody is designed to improve the lives of others through sharing the experience, strength, and hope of someone in recovery. Delicate Melody started out as a photoblog, but when I was released from a rehabilitation center, I decided to make blogging my new form of “cheap therapy,” as MereWisdom (dad) puts it. Ultimately, Delicate Melody contains my memories and whatever I’m going through in search for inspiration and help others through helping myself, because working with others (in whatever way we can) is what keeps us sober!

Delicate Melody is also designed to be about my music in recovery. My music has changed a lot as I change and like my tagline says: Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Every day, we do things we don’t want to and trudge on through life. Work, school, etc. etc. Music, I believe, is the ultimate reliever. No matter what kind of day you’ve had, one can always sit back and relax to his or her favorite music. It’s the ultimate American past time. Creating music, however, is something all together different. When I play with a group whether it’s just a garage band or a full symphony, I feel a part of. Everything that happened that day melts away as I make music.

I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.
- Virgil Thompson

Feeling like we belong somewhere is the most important feeling we as humans can feel. God created us to love and to thrive. A lot of the books in the Bible were written as songs, as means of worship. I was writing an editorial for Journalism at school the other day and I wrote about music’s capability to brainwash. What we feed our subconscious thoughts can determine the outlook of a person. I’ll post that later, once it’s graded and I feel it’s good enough. The point is that for me music is how I keep myself sane in the insanity of the world.

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Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, opus 129
Intermission
Bloch: Schelomo, Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra
Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser

Siegfried Idyll was gorgeous. It was very delicate and peaceful. The Schumann Concerto was absolutely amazing. I listened to it before going online and hearing it live was so much better! The concerto consisted of three movements, including a cadenza at the end – a chance for the performer to shine. A cadenza is where the player of the concerto writes their own bit of the music, using the composer’s scales or whatever else the player wishes to use. Not necessarily improvisation, but the performer does compose that part of the concerto, unless there’s one already written that they choose to use.

My favorite thing about Yo-Yo Ma would have to be his expressions and behavior while performing. I noticed that during the concerto (and when I saw him in 2007 perform a Dvorák Cello Concerto), Ma will be performing, swaying back and forth, and when he finally ends a section or comes to a rest, he will watch the rest of the orchestra play, such as the first chair violinist or perhaps the other cellists. I think that’s what true musicianship is – being aware of not just what the you are playing, but what’s going on around you too.

Schelomo by Bloch also included Yo-Yo Ma. I read up on it a little bit, and it turns out it was composed near WWI or WWII. For a piece that is “modern,” or written in the 20th century, it was a very pretty piece. I’ve always enjoyed that type of music – it had a Russian sort of flavor, like Bartók would write.

The ending Wagner piece I enjoyed as well, although MereWisdom could probably rant and rave more about it than I. He calls it his “Funeral Music.”

Overall, the concert was absolutely fantastic, not to mention the dinner at Birra Poretti’s. The night was phenomenal, and I was really happy to spend time with my dad and go see Yo-Yo Ma perform. I would definitely recommend ANY Houston Symphony series to the music lover, for their music is truly professional and all-around great!

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My schedule isn’t half as jam-packed as it used to be in my past sobriety and I don’t necessarily think I’m wearing myself too thin… yet. I feel it coming on if I don’t try to stop adding things on. So far my schedule looks something along the lines of this: On weekdays, I go to school from 7:30-2:30 and catch a meeting around 8pm. On Mondays, I have orchestra rehearsal from three o’clock until five, which is when my bass teacher then picks me up from school and we go back to the house for an hour long lesson. UIL contest is in a week on next Saturday, so we’ve really been preparing for contest with our picked pieces as well as sight-reading.

Wednesdays, I report to my Probation Officer, followed by a women’s meeting on that side of town with my sponsor and then I go out to dinner with them. For now, that’s my set schedule aside from the TAKS tutorials on Saturdays. Sunday, I try to go to a meeting as well. Next year is going to be a struggle though. I have the rough draft of my courses picked out and it seems like it will most definitely be a challanging year, but I’m up for it.

My year should consist of Orchestra, Newspaper (I’ll be a reporter, next year I’m an editor.), Chemistry, US History, English IV, and Algebra II. It’s flexible, so that’s a good thing, especially since next year in August, I REALLY want to try out for Volleyball. Plus, after this first month of probation (which I have a week left for it to be a full month), I’m allowed to go job hunting! Yay! I’m thinking retail for now just to get me on my feet. Fast food is not an option, simply because it’d probably make me super sick to my stomach.

I’m also trying to get some college credit before I actually apply, that way I’ll have a good start. In Texas, we have dual-credit high school courses, which is where you can take ONE class and it counts as both high school and college credit. I’m doing that for US History and English IV. So yeah, next year will definitely be intense but I’m looking forward to staying busy with school, work, and orchestra. That way I’ll have structure and be pretty grounded.

Lately, a lot of old people from my past have been popping up. Mostly ex-boyfriends. The boy I was so anxious to see that came back to school last week and I are alright. I’m trying to keep our friendship strictly at school, and so far it’s working. I guess it helps that I’m on house arrest. A really good friend of mine I’ve known since I was 12 also popped up out of nowhere the other day and we had a really nice talk and we plan to keep in touch. Now that he’s 18 and I’m 17, we’re bound to see each other soon because I’m planning a road trip to go see him once I get my license. Eventually. All things will happen in good time.

Then there’s the biggest person of all that’s back around. I hadn’t heard from him in year, due to being locked up. He lives near me and him and I were REALLY close. We went through a lottt of things, including relapsing together. Well, I saw some of his family at a meeting the other day. It was actually the same meeting where I had met him. Long story short, his family’s trying to get back on their feet again. So I exchanged numbers with his sister and when I called her, he picked up the phone. We talked for less than a minute because he was fixing light fixtures, but it was so nice to hear from him…

He’s not “completely sober” in his words, but he said it’s working for him. I’m not quite sure if it really is or not, but I really hope it is for I wish him ONLY the best in life. After we talked, I had a lot of old feelings come up. When I first saw his family there, I almost cried. Seriously. It was so weird, because I hadn’t seen them in SO long and I was just scared of what they would think. But I shared and after the meeting, they said I looked and acted SO much healthier. Yay. I just wish things could change for him like they did for me. And they might… They might not. Whatever happens, it’s God’s will.

The feelings I felt regarding him were most along the lines of guilt and shame than of happiness and joy. That bothered me. I really don’t know what to think right about now… I’ve had thoughts of calling him, but I’m still undecided. I do, however, remember that when I saw his family in that meeting, all I could thing was: “Okay, God, you can STOP throwing crap at me now!!” And it was funny at first until I realized that now I have to deal with my feelings. Real, gut-wrenching feelings, not just superficial “Oh, I’m mad. What am I really feeling?” feelings.

I have a lot of old resentments coming up recently, and I’ve been working my hardest to deal with them along with God. I do, however, know that resentments are the number one offender and they lead only to a life a unhappiness and futility (page 64 of the Big Book). I have yet to talk to my sponsor about it yet. I’ve been waiting for her to be available for us to go over some step work so I can talk to her. Lately she has been very busy. I saw her today at a meeting and she had to go straight to work. After she chewed me out about not calling her last night.

Last night, I went to a Geek Gathering at Coffeegroundz. It wasn’t bad. I got to meet a lot of my dad’s friends who helped him with putting up posters from when I had ran away. It was kind of a celebration of my homecoming, was what dad said.

Tonight, I’m going to a play about a teenage girl and her venture through the social media world. It’s called Wallflower. I’m excited to see how it all goes, and I’ve promised to blog and review it afterwards. I have lost of ideas for what I want to do with this blog, it’s just putting into action that is the hard part.

I want to start doing music reviews not only because music is my number one passion, but because I need practice for Newspaper next year as well as it’d be a GREAT opportunity to combine both my main passions in life – writing and music. So I’ve got some things in mind. I actually really want to do a Self-Injury article again after watching The Secret Cut that came out this year for Self-Injury Awareness Day. It was really good, and I really want to reach out to other self-injurers.

Like I said before, it’s just a matter of putting my plans into action. There’s a lot of things I want to happen here and they should be happening soon.

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The boy I was so anxious, nervous, and scared to see did end up coming back to school yesterday. I had a LOT of feelings, and it’s amazing how feelings can change from bad to good. When I first saw him, I walked right past him. He was in an administrator’s office and didn’t see me. I saw him again around lunch and I called him over, which was exactly what I said I would not do. I talked to him and asked him how he was doing and he gave me a HUGE hug. Afterwards, I felt like I had quite literally relapsed. I was confused as to why I felt that way – I felt a sense of loss.

What we had can never be again merely because I don’t want to be that same person again, and that’s my choice. Now I face the consequence like there are to every choice that every person makes. We’ve had a lot of memories and that will never change. But what can change is how I handle myself and how handle being around him. I hung out with him a little today and discovered he was still smoking marijuana. I realized that some things change, and some things don’t. After that realization, I thought, “Well, maybe this relationship isn’t meant to end if he’s back in my life.” And today, I mean relationship as friendship, not a physical, sexual relationship. Then I had the master idea to invite him to an AA meeting. We connected on a level today where we both really related to coming back to school after being gone for a while and no one really wants to be around him or me because of our past. That kind of hit me hard.

Then I wondered about how I’ve been doing as far as friends. I still have some old friends I still talk to and hang around even though they’ve seen me use. Even though they never used with me, they can still see a change in me. That’s comforting. Then I wondered how on Earth can I have all these awesome friends — Where did I meet all of these people that are with me today?!?! The answer was recovery. Not necessarily all my friends are from recovery, but most of the ones that still stick around are. That’s when I thought, “He was in the EXACT same position as me a week ago. What can I do to help him?” And that was when I realized I could share my recovery and knowledge with him. In AA, we talk about sharing our experience, strength and hope. Because I’ve been through so much and am now on the other side of it, I can work with others and help other people.

I have yet to actually invite him to a meeting, but after school, I told the boy that I had to talk to him and to give me a call after school. He hasn’t yet, and I don’t know if he will, but if he does, I’ll be here. All I can do is try, for you can lead the “horse” to the water, but there’s no way you can make him drink (my latest aphorism for the day).

I spent a lot of the day reminiscing about all the things he and I have been through. I remember the night he called me around 2 or 3 am, telling me he had just told his mom he was addicted to meth He was crying and I still remember his exact words, “Victoria, I need you.” Granted he might not still feel the same way about me (or I do about him), I still want to be there for him like I was before… Just without the drugs and other risky choices. Whether that’s my compassion for the human race, or me still wanting to hold onto the last little strand of our friendship, I have no idea. I do, however, think it’s for the greater good. Not just for me, but also for him. I realize today, that I can be there for people without getting extremely involved. I want to help and if he declines, I know that through God I WILL get through this, even if I do have to make it clear that we can’t speak to each other anymore.

I went to a meeting last night and got everything off my chest about him and how I felt like i had relapsed maybe not in drugs, but in old behaviours.. Now I realize that God can pull us through anything and bring us to the other side. I journalled a lot about the situation yesterday and even talked to my sponsor about it. I’ve decided to only keep our friendship at school, unless he wishes to attend an AA meeting with me. All in all, I’m here for him if he wants recovery and sobriety. The Victoria that he knew is no longer a part of me and I refuse to let that girl back in my life. I know that everything works out for the best according to God’s will and granted MY will says that I should be happy in ALL situations, I have to learn that some things don’t go the way we wish they would.

Today, that’s okay with me.

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“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Have you ever loved something such as a hobby that it made you a better person? Have you ever lost that one special ting? If I didn’t have music in my life, whether it be creating music or just listening to it, I would not be here today. Music is my number one passion, my confidante, and the only thing that has kept me alive besides the Grace of God.

I think it’s crucial for everyone to have something they love – whether it’s a person place, hobby or idea that keeps them going and gives them guidance. For me, that thing is music. Music and performance have been in my life since I was a baby, still in my mother’s womb. My mother used to put headphones on her pregnant belly with me inside. I would jam out to Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Vivaldi. Once I grew older, I found the joy of my life. In middle school, I joined orchestra and started playing the double bass.

Really the double bass found me. I went to orchestra orientation and my new orchestra conductor asked me what I wanted to play. At that point in time, I had an attitude problem and I told her I really didn’t care. So she pointed at a big wooden instrument, bigger than a cello. I picked it up and even though I was tall, it still stood taller than me from the ground up. I experimentally plucked a string. It was actually the E string, the lowest string on an upright bass. It had such a deep, rich tone. I immediately fell in love. From there, I learned how to read music and taught myself piano, guitar, drums and the violin.

There have been times in my life where I have felt a lot of regret, shame and guilt over the things I have done in my past as well as things that have been done to me. These things affected me in such a way that I started to act out. I began using drugs and started cutting myself with razorblades. Because of this, I lost my music. I started getting locked up, sent to rehabilitation centers, and was arrested on a consistent basis.

Music in my eyes is the Universal Language. My double bass carried me not only physically to other places, but also through my trials and tribulations. Yet, at the same time it showed other people how I was feeling. That’s just something one musician can see in another.

The way one creates such a melodic, melancholy vibrato is beautiful to me. I believe my emotions flow straight through my fingertips onto the fingerboard and strings of my bass. Have you ever heard an instrumental duet? Notice how each instrument’s voice battle each other, loves each other or even cajole each other. I also believe musicians communicate through their instruments – a language of love and passion or anger and strife, a language of happiness and joy, or sadness and depression.

Loving music so much and then having it taken away from me has definitely taken a toll on my spirit; however, I also believe this test has made me stronger and merely love music even more. Music has always been there for me when nothing else had been there, aside from the love of my higher power. I believe with all my heart that God and music are the only things that really, truly make me happy. Music keeps me going no matter what and for that I thank God!

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