I am working really, really, really, really, really, super really, really-oh-really, beyond really hard on this record. The reason you haven’t heard me talking about it lately is because I’m working on it instead of talking about it. Which isn’t to say I don’t want to talk about it, it’s just hard to squeeze in journal entries on top of the MOTHERLODE I’ve got going on.
Which leads me to several quick realizations:
This a.m., I realized all my life I have been compared to someone else. My sister, my friends, other female musicians. This sounds like a late realization (and, perhaps, a complaint), but it snuck up on me. Like that. Out of no where. I realized that because of all those comparisons, I, too, have compared others (not intending to be cruel, much like I know others weren’t intending to rob me of who I am, either)…but I can think of many times where I have, over the years, said, “You know, you remind me of….(stick celebrity or friend’s name here)”….
One of the greatest things we teach in the parenting classes of RCB is NOT TO COMPARE. It lessens the person.
I think what has me thinking about this is that Lance and I have tried very consistently NOT to compare our children with one another or others. I heard a great, sad example of why not comparing is a must… in a children’s clothing store the other day when I overheard a mom say to her four year old,
“Stop acting like a baby! Do you see your sister? She’s acting like an angel, and she’s younger than you! Why can’t you act like her? You’re too big to be acting like a baby!”
Oh, gosh, I was putting a dress back up on a rack and my eyes just got weepy. The four year old became very sullen, and, after a moment, started acting out. You can guess why.
So, this is why I continue to work hard. I want this record to be a continuation of my life’s journey, of who I am, and to speak about what I want to speak about in my life. It’s selfish to be a musician, or an artist, because it is all about sharing what’s important to this soul. However, on the other hand, I take being a musician/artist very seriously, and I always, always try to do my best because it is who I am, and sometimes, what I have to say brings people together, and that is what God has asked of me…I have no doubt about that…to use my music and art to bring people together. Whether it is one person reading my blog, or a group of thirty listening at a show, or thousands in a theatre, the size and number is not what is driving me….it is God that is driving me.
As Robin’s dad said, “Paradise.” I want to bring people closer to the paradise inside them; I want my journey to help them be themselves, too.
Next thing:
I love gyros. Man, they are so tasty.