Spirit Matters: Time travel possible with modern technology

It’s days like these – cold, dark and wet – that I find YouTube most beneficial.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I discovered illustrated ambience music on the video website fairly recently.

I last had formal training in electronics 30-something years ago. It can be a challenge to keep up with advancements that the more technically savvy among us take for granted.

So when I discovered a few years ago that YouTube offers music and art designed for “rainy day autumn coffeehouse jazz” and such, I could hardly contain myself.

I “came of age” in Bloomington-Normal during my 20s and early 30s, as many regular readers of this space are aware. I remember these years with warm nostalgia, as they gave me the unique freedom, discovery and life experience that only happen when you leave the nest.

And although I do visit occasionally, it’s only for a few hours at a time. So, while I try to pack as many nostalgic experiences as possible, it’s never enough time to fully sink myself into any one thing.

One of my favorite evening and weekend activities back then was to haunt Barnes and Noble and its café, The Coffeehouse in downtown Normal, or Panera Bread.

I was easy to notice, hauling my tote bag filled with a journal, assorted writing instruments and books (because I was never quite sure which one or three or five I would want to dip into while I was out).

I would set up shop at a table with a view, settle in with a drink, and get lost in my imaginative world, all while taking in the atmosphere inside and out. It didn’t matter if there was rain, sleet, snow or sunshine. Each of those colorful experiences imprinted memories in the cells that compose my physical body and the matter that composes my soul.

Because now I can turn on “rainy day autumn coffeehouse jazz” in the comfort of my own living room or at my desk and again get that magical feeling of experiencing it in real life.

It brings a sense of indescribable calm and wonder that’s so fleeting when you try to hold on to it. For those of you who read last week’s column, it is “hygge” for me.

We all know music has a way of doing that: returning us to a time we shared with people and places only for a short while in this ever-changing journey we call life.

But when that music is accompanied with imagery, it gives you an enchantingly soulful experience that takes it to a whole new level.

I still love the idea of experiencing the real deal – of going to a café and exploring my inner world, leaving the rest of the world behind for a time.

But for some reason, these intricately illustrated YouTube videos capture something that living it in real time just doesn’t.

The mythical memories of yesteryear.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada Novak at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and community.