Late last summer and fall, I watched The X-Factor, one of many talent-related reality shows on television. One of the performers really stood out for me when he sang his own composition, "Where Do We Go From Here." He was a sweet kid with a great voice and the song was poignant without being sappy.
Tonight, I was thinking back on the show and the kid (Chris Rene - check him out) and the chorus of the song has been the background music to all this evenings' musings and meanderings. Where exactly do we go from here? As a retail worker, it sometimes feels like all I hear, see, and talk about every day is prices. Groceries are through the roof. Gas is through the roof. Wall Street is up, and then it's down. The world is shaky.
Last time I checked in, I wrote about how great it has been to play music at The Cottage. At that point, I didn't really know what was going to happen next musically. I had gotten to where I felt very safe, and now I'm back to facing my personal thorn: I get horrible stage fright. I was starting to feel like I was gaining control; now, the last few months I've barely sung.
Until the last week or so, that is. Now, I'm feeling energized. I'm getting more exercise. I'm reading and doing some writing, working on a couple of stories I started a year or so back. I'm picking up my guitar and playing around with new melodies and searching out lyrics to go with them. Songwriting, my passion, is reignited. I bought a Spanish language program and started working on yet another lifetime dream - being able to speak more than one language.
I'm finding that change is good, and, praise God, it isn't scaring me like it used to. Oh, I still get scared - just not overly so. Whatever the future holds, I intend to live my life to the fullest, and hopefully that will include being creative. These are truly random thoughts. I'm feeling totally happy tonight and I'm grateful. I feel very blessed.
You - if you're reading this, I want you to know that you are a blessing in my life, too.
When all is said and done, I sincerely hope my life will have proven useful to God and that my presence will have blessed others.
