Tim Alyson: A Brief Narrative Analysis

When he returned to the United States in the early 2000s, Tim was entering late adulthood. He had just moved to Tucson, Arizona with his wife Alyson, where he continued to teach. Once again, Tim noticed a distinct shift of interests during this stage in his life; his love for academia was transforming into his love for music. This alteration in interests prompted him to begin playing the violin in a local orchestra. Tim played the violin since he was a little boy and always loved music but was constantly too busy to focus on art. As his responsibilities decreased at the University, he began playing more frequently. Tim spoke about his fascination with art and the neurological pathways ignited by the sound of music. He described how the neurology of music sends signals straight to the amygdala, causing pure emotion even with a decline of cognitive function present in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia. Approximately 10 years ago, he decided to take a course on composing at the University. Tim stated, “there is a similarity in music and science. You put something …show more content…
Tim was terrified by the thought of death when he first discovered his Leukemia. I asked Tim if he discussed this fear with his loved ones. He replied, “I had a Ph.D. in denial at the time, I was not willing to say out loud that I could be dying.” Tim did not start truly exploring what death meant to him until after the drug had been approved and he was feeling somewhat back to normal. Once death was no longer imminent, Tim recalled he had a distinct desire to leave something tangible behind for his children. He thought of many things he could leave for them, but ultimately decided he should write his memoirs. He recognized his motivation to write the memoirs was not purely driven by his children. Tim stated he was selfishly motivated to explore himself, reflect on his life, and leave something behind so he would not be