About the Author
The first time I thought about writing a book was during my college years. I was with my friends Sheila and Patricia and, after hearing some of my stories, they told me I should write a book. But I wasn’t ready, and although I wrote a few pages, the project was shelved and literally lost— consequence of losing a computer backup.
I realized it wasn’t the right time, because since then my perception of everything I went through has completely changed. I learned that growth and the refinement of our perceptions are benefits of our evolution as human beings and the accumulation of new experiences.
In any case, the seed was planted, and after two particularly impactful situations, I decided to pick up the pen again.
​
The first episode happened when I helped someone struggling with depression. He was my first reader. And if it helped him, why not help others too?
The second episode happened when I was having coffee with a friend of mine, and after I said something that apparently touched him, he told me I should be a life coach. Who, me? It’s true that it wasn’t the first time I had heard that, since many people came to me for advice. However, I don’t see myself doing that right now, so writing may be an alternative way to share my mindset and life experience with a larger number of people. It’s well known that writing has the power to reach and help others. And I understand that I am not particularly prepared to give life advice, since I easily lose patience with resistance to change.
​
Ultimately, the desire to help people who struggle to see the positive side of our challenges gave birth to this book.
I must say right away that my life is neither better nor worse than anyone else’s. I’m sure there are people out there who had a worse childhood than mine, or who have had just as many hard times in life as I have. I don’t see myself as someone special for everything I’ve been through, and I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I don’t let those challenges make me give up. What I did differently from what many people do was focus all my effort on overcoming all my fears and the pain of my traumas. And that’s what I still do. I understand that publicly sharing my experience also means accepting vulnerability and potential judgment.
​
If there’s something I’ve never allowed myself to do, it’s to see myself as a victim or feel sorry for myself longer than necessary. Many times, I thought about giving up, and there were many moments when I couldn’t see the light, but my faith in better days guided me to calmer waters. I believe in God, in energy, and in a greater purpose behind everything that happens to us.
I’ve always believed it doesn’t matter what your faith or beliefs are; this book is not intended to discuss that in detail. I understand my beliefs won’t be shared by everyone, and that’s not relevant.
It doesn’t matter what you believe in or how you practice your faith — I am simply telling my story, and the stories of people I love, in the hope of creating a positive impact in the reader’s life. Let me say from the start that it is not my intention to shock or embarrass anyone. On the contrary, I decided to capture the music of my life, hoping it might be useful to you.
​
Music has always been important to me, and there were many times when it helped me get through difficult times. That’s the origin of the book’s title.
At the end of each chapter of the book, you will find a recommended song. If you pay attention to the lyrics, you may be surprised by the amount of beauty and support you can find in the poetry of the words.
Sometimes, when I’m feeling sad, I know exactly which song I need to hear to lift my spirit.
​
If you, like me, can feel lifted by a song, you may enjoy the book’s playlist on Spotify. ​
