The animated series Steven Universe has been a joy and a comfort to me for years.
It's a challenge trying to describe it and do justice to how astonishing I find it. At first glance it's a cute, silly show about a boy and his three alien guardians -- sentient "Crystal Gems" who appear as women with magical powers -- having adventures in an idyllic beachfront town, with its donut shops and pizza joints and quirky locals. But alongside these slice-of-life vignettes, it's also an audaciously-imagined unfolding saga about an ancient spacefaring civilization, an intergalactic war, and the fate of the universe.
And somehow, while juggling all of these elements, it also manages to be one of the wisest, most compassionate stories I've seen about the fundamental quandaries of being human. What does it mean to grow up, to find your chosen family, to be a true friend? How do you process trauma and abuse? How do you grieve a shattering loss, and move on? How much does the troubled history you've inherited define who you are? The show wrestles with these questions and much more. It emphatically rejects toxic masculinity, celebrates love in all its combinations, and holds fast to a bedrock philosophy of healing self-acceptance and radical empathy. And all this while still being fun! It's an absolute wonder -- like a birthday cake you cut into to discover that its layers are chocolate, strawberry, emotional catharsis, and the meaning of life.
More to the point of this post, Steven Universe is stuffed with wonderful music. Series creator Rebecca Sugar composes and co-writes songs that beautifully embody the story's themes; one of the best, "Here Comes a Thought," offers a message about how to cope with anxiety -- through meditation, self-forgiveness, and seeking out the help of those who love you -- that seems particularly necessary these days.
Here's the song as it appears in the show (with sing-along lyrics added). Some context (though the track can really be enjoyed on its own): the song is a duet between the Crystal Gem known as Garnet (voiced by singer Estelle) and the genderfluid young human Stevonnie (voiced by AJ Michalka). Both are "fusions," or personifications of an emotional bond shared by two or more characters: Garnet is an amalgam of two smaller Gems (the hot-tempered Ruby and the cool, one-eyed Sapphire), while Stevonnie is the combined version of human children Steven and Connie (a fusion made possible by Steven's half-Gem heritage). These characters appear in montages without dialogue, acting out their distress, while Garnet teaches Stevonnie how to deal with their anguished thoughts: by acknowledging them and letting them flit away, like butterflies released into the open sky.
I think it's a lovely song, and I hope you find it as calming as I do. There's much to be legitimately distressed about in the world today, which makes reminders like these all the more necessary: to "take a moment to find yourself" and break the cycles of spiraling thoughts and self-recrimination; to be gentle with yourself; and to turn to the ones you love for mutual support, whether they're beside you or over the phone or on a screen -- for love crosses any distance.
BONUS: Nicole Clark of the NY Times finds another aspect of the show to appreciate, and writes beautifully about it.
And the company Headspace, which offers a meditation app, has partnered with New York State to provide free guided meditations in this time of common stress. It's addressed to New Yorkers, but it's accessible and applicable anywhere. Please also feel free to share in the comments any meditation tips of your own.
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Listen to the Spotify playlist here.
Watch the YouTube playlist here.