A crescendo is defined as a musical term that requires a gradual amplification of sound. It is often found near or leading into the massive impact of a musical piece.
I feel like my life, at this moment, is in a massive crescendo leading to the impact that will decide whether my music goes unheard or soar to greater lengths. Yet, a crescendo isn’t just found in a part of a song, but riddled throughout it, leading to several minor impacts that can improve the climax of in the piece. I experience crescendos all throughout my life, whether it’s the excitement of meeting someone new, the arguments I get into, or even in playing video games online.

When thrown into a crescendo, you gain unexpected energy, your senses become more alert, and you can just feel everything. It almost feels like a shot of adrenaline is rushing from your heart, through your veins, and to the rest of your body leaving nothing but excessive power in its wake. Unfortunately, when that feeling ends, when the crescendo stops building, the climax is reached and nothing more is left, as all good things come to an end, the decrescendo sets in. It slowly returns everything to normal, boring, mundane. It returns all to existence, not really living, but not quite dead either. All you can feel is a small remembrance of that crescendo, kind of giving a little bit of magic back into your life, but that’s just not enough to keep you sustained or content.

Performing is my greatest crescendo. The lights flooding the stage, or field, the roaring crowds, and the magnificent thunder emanating from their claps as you bow breathlessly. The emotions pulling on their heartstrings caused by the beauty of the music, or the ferocity of the piece. Pouring your heart and soul deep into the music and knowing that it’s you that can create such a beautiful thing.

It is for this crescendo, I do what I do. It is for this crescendo, I perform my music for all who care to listen. It is the purest form of life! Life, you see, is just a performance. We may not get a rehearsal, but we all must go on with the show.

When I was not even a minute old, my life was nearly cut short. Fluid-filled lungs, umbilical cord wrapped around my throat, yet my parents and doctor provided the grand crescendo that not only spared my life, but gave me a chance to go on and experience even greater crescendos of my own. Sure, throughout my life damage and danger pursued me like unwanted stalkers, but that is still a part of life. Nearly getting hit by a tree, a house struck by lightning twice, a file cabinet piercing my forehead, nearly fatal bike accidents, but that was life for a former Air Force brat.

Within rage lies perhaps the worst and possibly deadliest crescendo. Have you ever blown up at someone just because they happened to be there? That is a prime example of a crescendo. It all starts with something so small, easily overlooked, but still part of it. Let’s say you forgot your homework, then you missed the bus or got to school late, then there’s that awkward moment you get when you walk into your classroom and everyone stares at you, then on your way to your desk you trip and your backpack falls oddly and the soda you had tucked away for lunch explodes and ruins your entire meal, your teacher then hands back a test you thought you easily passed, but sadly you didn’t, and then there’s that one student that sits behind your desk that won’t stop talking, and, just like the soda, you explode. Yelling, swearing, even threatening lives to just have them shut up. That is rage, all started from a single small, insignificant incident, gradually built upon by other incidents that released into a sweltering rage, but rage, much like crescendos, are still an everyday part of life.

We all feel that the climax is always what we should aim for, but no one really pays attention to how we got to the climax. Without crescendos, Mario would just have Peach and Bowser wouldn’t exist, Mufasa would have never died, Simba wouldn’t have met Timon or Pumba, and Hakuna Matata would be defined by urban dictionary as some sort of sexual term that probably involves nearly impossible positions only achieved by being flexible and playing super extreme twister. Crescendos are the reason you go and watch movies, the reason we read stories, the reason you play video games, and even the reason you wake up to start your day. Without crescendos, our climaxes would never come. Crescendos epitomize the very essence of life itself. Never take the path to climax for granted, because once its passed, it’s gone and all you’ll have is a tiny memory of what used to be.