Elevator music….I’m sure that you are used to it. Some of us travel in elevators almost on a daily basis. At work, the mall, our apartment buildings. Some have popular tunes and stuff that changes with the season. Over a particular holiday they may play music and songs that are a custom during that festival or day. My office building had elevator music that is usually hit songs, sometime even rock songs.

It should be common and the only time you would pay attention to them is when a song you love is playing and you want to sing along. I’ve done it and I’m sure a lot of you have too. In my building we had an older elevator which didn’t play music at all. In April of this year they had the elevator replaced with a more modern one and one that plays music. Initially it was an instrumental version of a classic Hindi song (I forget which one but I do know it) and it was ok. As you exit it says “Have a nice day” and you smile as you leave the building. Well ……

A few weeks ago they changed the music to one that is more melancholic and sad, a piano piece with some keyboards as well. It makes me sad. It’s also because I’m a lonely guy who comes home at around 4:20-4:30 am after my work shift. It’s also because I find myself in the rather embarrassing situation of being in love with a girl – yes a girl – who is waaaaay too young for me. And she is close to me, works in the same place as I do and I infact I trained her for a several days and gave her coaching and feedback for a while. So we also chat on our phones almost on a daily basis and as we leave the office (she leaves 30 minutes before me) and before she falls asleep at her home, I text her and await her texts back.

And as I look at her texts and wait for replies this music plays so I associate this feeling and her with that music. As I enter my room and feel all longing inside me and know that I can never tell her how I feel about her, I feel even more lonelier and sadder about the way my life has gone. So I can’t sleep for about an hour or so and I watch some tv until I finally fall asleep.