I felt lonely and depressed today. It was a heavy and empty feeling that I couldn’t seem to shake. Finally, after a walk, I lied down and listened to Haydn’s 45th symphony. It was so beautiful. My depression didn’t lift immediately, but I felt considerably better upon getting back up.

I’ve been doing similar things in the afternoons lately. I start getting pretty sore after returning from my five-day-a-week physio appointments and, after standing for awhile and getting increasingly sore, I’ve been putting on a symphony and lying down for half an hour or so.

I was reluctant to lie down much outside of bedtime because in previous years dealing with this physical condition there were periods of time in which I’d spend almost the entire day lying down. I spent a lot of time in bed and I’ve just wanted to avoid it as I’m able. However, I’ve found that lying down in that fashion has resulted in taking less pain medication, and that is good. Listening to the symphonies has been a treat and I find myself delving deeper into the music’s texture the more familiar with it I become.