Emotional Rescue

"When all hope is gone, Sad songs say so much" - Elton John/Bernie Taupin
This morning as I was out running, listening to my mp3 player, I was struck by just how many sad songs I know. All the words, all the melodies, all the sorrow - and I took the time to transfer them to a digital mode for easy transport.
"If someone else is suffering enough to write it down, When every single word makes sense, Then it's easier to have those songs around" - Elton and Bernie again
Why would I want to purposefully set myself up for ennui and melancholia? As I continued to run with the strains of Pearl Jam's "Black" roaring through my headphones, it occurred to me that I must be giving myself the emotional equivalent of a workout as I continued to work up a sweat in my physical sphere. Anybody can push themselves to the next level while listening to "Gonna Fly Now" or even "Eye of the Tiger." It takes a whole different set of muscles to keep going while "Hasten Down the Wind" is trying to distract you.
Even after the exercise is done, sometimes I'll ask my wife to sit down and listen to the lyrics of a particular song - to see if it's just me. Sometimes a song like Green Day's "Good Riddance" will hang around the radio and become popular without a lot of consideration. It's my understanding that it has become a favorite at weddings, with the refrain of "I hope you had the time of your life." Irony isn't suited for top 40 radio.
"The kick inside is in the line that finally gets to you, and it feels so good to hurt so bad" - Bernie wrote the words, not Elton
I guess we're all just a phone call away from that kind of feeling. Sometimes feeling bad is better than not feeling anything at all.