O, sweet cartharsis

I know, people think I'm really weird.
Of course there are a lot of things about me that you could say that about, but what I'm thinking of right now is the way I deal with grief and sadness. I listen to music.

Now, I know, everybody listens to music during those times, but to me it's so much more than that. It's something that really helps me to get the pain and anguish out.

Right after 9/11 I listened to my recording of Barber's "Adagio for Strings"--LA Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein conducting--over and over again. It helped me. The longing, sadness, and pain I hear in that piece of music resonates on a primitive level that goes beyond mere words.

With everything that's going on in my life right now I'm finding Draconian a perfect fit. The rage, sadness, unexpected beauty, the sheer power and agony in their music speaks to me in a way more profound than anything else could. I'm listening to "When I Wake" over and over again--the bridge to that song is one of the most incredible, overwhelming moments I have ever encountered in any piece of music. You just have to hear it for yourself. I can't describe it. Please, listen to it. All the way through. Just once. You can get it from Amazon, or ITunes.

Of course, people don't get that. They listen to music but they don't see it as the balm that I do. Different strokes, I know.

What do you do when your world is falling apart, or you find yourself grieving? What helps you get through those times?