Often, we start a journey believing we understand our destination. But as our trip unfolds, we may realize Life has a way of letting us venture down paths with breathtaking scenery. More often, though...we humans rush and assume the best route is the shortest distance from point A to B at the speed of light, often missing possible joys & rewards.
Sometimes we get lucky, and an event slows us down so that we get a taste of the riches around us. The sad part is, these times don't always fit into our plans or predictions.
Recently, life slowed me down from a constant focus on designing & building cabinetry. A profession that has often been directed at getting the job done and leaving the client smiling at the results, then rushing on to a list of wants & challenges for the next project.
One constant distraction from the world of creating & building has been the search for my great-uncle John Bartee. So a few months back, when my body made me listen.... No longer could I continue to fix bleeding hands & fingers with duct tape, or a bad knee with a brace, and ignore all other health issues just to complete a day's work. I had to finally realize what was going on inside me could do two things... kill me or lead me to a stroke, unable to care for myself. I could deal with death, though it's a done deal... It's a new beginning. But the possibility of being unable to explore and live, even if you're still breathing, just didn't seem like something I wanted to try. I stopped right then... and let Life take control of my journey.
And it was weird that the stuff I had searched for answers about in John's life finally had a chance to find me. Now my body had created a situation that let me sit down and pull out all the notes & research, trying to make something of them.
This blog seemed like a format that would let me take one subject at a time and organize what I found, without feeling overwhelmed. I didn't know that it would also start to unveil what I had learned about myself.
I am not a Writer... At my expense, I failed to learn sentence structure and punctuation in school, and I know that this alone probably drives readers away from my words. Still, I try to convey the thoughts and images that reside within my heart & mind, even if I am my only reader.
The search for John has opened many new doors I may have never walked through. One new door I have arrived at is Chris Albertson's... His blog, Stomp Off, opens the door for readers and listeners to the many lives and voices of the music world. In my previous post, I tried to express my ideas about John's music... and the world he lived in, as it has started to make itself known to me.
Through Chris... I feel I have been shown the lyrical Voice of Life's Music... Susannah McCorkle... A name that crossed my path years ago, but apparently I was too busy planning my life to truly hear her. She not only gives Music a voice by vocalizing the poetry of her lyrics, but she also breathes heartfelt emotion into her songs, allowing us to be part of them. Watching a partial interview she did with Charlie Rose, one can easily see she was her Music. The music she felt guided her journey, letting the influences of others, travel, and language all become part of her voice.
I can understand how a person's life could have been enriched by crossing paths with her, sharing a conversation, or maybe just a glance into her eyes... she was beautiful in so many ways... I so thank technology for creating the means to save her feelings for us to enjoy... She truly speaks to life's emotions in her Music.
The Love of Susannah McCorkle is truly part of Life's journey, and I think we all should make time to experience it.
Start your experience now... feel Susannah's love of music.
My Beginner's Playlist:
Felicidade (Happiness)
No More Blues
One For My Baby
Something to Live For
Nuages
Laughing At Life
The People You
Never Get To Love
Along Too Long
I'm Pulling Through
Sabia
If I Only Had A Heart
Better Luck Next Time
P.S. I Love You
Susannah McCorkle - An Interview with Charlie Rose / May 1990
The Music of Life fills Everything...
Update 8/8/2010: After posting the above, I found the following broadcast on NPR's Fresh Air with Host Terry Gross on May 25, 2001.
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