Did you know that the show “Cougar Town” used a Tom Petty song to title each episode? I know, what’s “Cougar Town”? That’s not the point. The point is that you can pretty much use music to explain/accompany any conversation, theme, world event, anything. Which is one of my favorite things to do/one of my most annoying qualities. I can be in an elevator and someone can say something really innocuous like, “Nice sunny day today”, and I’ll start singing “Gonna be a bright, bright sunshiney day” under my breath. I watched a lot of “Cougar Town” about a million years ago when I was going through a breakup and needed something mindless to tune in on, and I had already watched every “Friends” episode at least four or five times (don’t judge). People like to harp on escapism — people like to talk about the importance of being aware, staying informed, being hyper vigilant about the world, your country, your relationships, all of it, everything. And while I am a big advocate of being awake and firmly rooted in reality, I also believe that escapism is not only helpful to living a healthy life, it’s critical. Actually I don’t like the word escapism — seems kind of judgmental. Or maybe that’s leftover from my own self-judgment, worrying that if I take a break, somehow I’m trying to escape something I’m obligated to stay within. Our brains get so tired. The rest of ourselves follow our brains through every loop and winding curve of every thought, and the brain just keeps going even though it’s like a tired little kid who’s being told it HAS to keep going, otherwise we’re in danger, we’ll fall, we’ll miss something, the other shoe will drop!!! The truth is that shoes drop every day. The world is a strange brutal place. The world is also a loving, beautiful place. Therein lies the rub, as they say. (Cue “Rub You the Right Way” by Johnny Gill!) It’s a healthy thing to escape. Watch something sweet. Play a little guitar. Have fun. That’s not frivolous. That’s the thing that makes your battles worthwhile. What I’m saying, other than the fact that whoever created “Cougar Town” was a huge Tom Petty fan, is that I’d like to see folks tuning. Either tuning in or tuning out, however you look at it. Watch a movie. Read a book. Listen to music. Go to a show. Go to my show. The universe awaits.