Autumn Song
These are the words that stuck out for me in the fall of 2007 when I listened for the first time to Autumn Song a hit from Manic Street Preachers’ new album. It was early autumn, and I was home, at my parent’s place in Bucharest, spending there the months in between the end of my Erasmus and the start of my next internship abroad. I liked the song because it had a crescendo tempo and rhythm that inspired me as it was corresponding to my inner state at that time. So much so, that I ended up drawing the words – the best is yet to come – on a A3 sheet of paper and showed it to my mom. She liked the message, and we taped it on the fridge in the kitchen. Over the years, I would come home to visit my parents and still find the paper there, see it and know it meant so much to our family.
The thing is, my family and I went through a series of events back in 2006 and 2007. My brother had just married and started a family, I had left for Belgium to study year abroad, and then my mom was diagnosed with cancer and underwent heavy conventional treatment while I was abroad. By the time September 2007 came, I remember things were coming back to some form of balance, but we were all changed. We weren’t good at processing emotions back then, we were still adjusting to the aftermath of those life altering events, yet each of us was somehow better.
What I was able to notice was that even though we didn’t talk much about what happened (I guess we didn’t actually know how to do it without revisiting the emotions of the past months) something was clearly shifting for the better inside each of us, and that something wasn’t easy to put into words. There was a sweet knowing in the air, like a lingering golden ray of sunlight from the horizon, hovering over everything, announcing a new dawn. A heartfelt feeling that we’ve made it through and now everything can only go better.
The best was yet to come. And so it was! And so it has been…
A full-sensory experience
Over the years I noticed this phrase became an integral part of me. In many ways and in many senses – literally! When I now think about the future and connect it to the phrase the best is yet to come I live it fully. As I’m writing this blog entry I can see the handmade poster and I can still feel the texture of the thick sheet of paper with its tattered borders; I can feel those autumny temperatures on my skin and even in my body; I can sense that golden warmth within and without; and I sometimes still play (hear) the song in my head.
In NLP we call this synesthesia – a neurologically-based phenomenon in which stimulating one of the five senses (sight, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting) results in the stimulation of other senses. Yes, to me, the best is yet to come is more than a motivating phrase, it a full sensory experience that connects me to a deep sense of peace and trust, as well as agency over my life.
Why synesthesia?
Synesthesia comes very handy in day-to-day life as it allows us to link situations, stimuli, etc. to positive states and emotions through the five senses. Imagine if you could watch rain pouring down your window and feel revigorated and enthusiastic, instead of discouraged and depressed. Or hear your boss’s voice and feel strength, motivation or safety instead of frustration or fear. Or see a sunset and experience immense gratitude, joy and freedom.
Synesthesia, like all NLP practices, can be learned as a skill that immensely enriches your experience of life. It’s a skill that you can have!
