Ongoing depression. Bad breakups. People pleaser. Stressed about money. Estranged relationships. Anxiety. Burdened by the suffering of others. Having to move, a lot. Balancing life and motherhood. Mild OCD. Letting fear keep you from your dreams. The death of loved ones. Feeling misunderstood. Placed in a job you're unqualified for. Do you relate to any of those struggles? I can relate to all of them because those are some of the pieces of my life, past and present, big and small. I don't share about my struggles to complain or induce sympathy. In fact, my list seems mild compared to most. I'm fortunate to have a lot to be grateful for and often I feel guilty when I think of the many hardships I know other people have faced. I share my struggles because we all struggle. We all experience pain and suffering of some kind. We all search for answers as to why suffering is even a part of life. And although suffering often makes us feel isolated and alone, it should do just the opposite, because there isn't one of us who has lived a life without suffering.
But we all learn to cope with suffering differently. And unfortunately in an effort to cope with and cover up our pain we often create an atmosphere of false perfectionism and unrealistic expectations that says life will be easy and pain free. These false pretenses are often exacerbated by our use of social media. This summer after an especially difficult year with my depression I started a song blog with the intention of helping to counteract the artificial way in which we present ourselves in the online community. I want to be a part of the changes that I desire for our society. I want others to experience the hope and connection that I have felt from opening up and sharing my story, sharing my pain. I want people to feel more comfortable being their authentic selves. I want us to love and accept each other for who we are. Sadly it feels like an unattainable dream to look towards a future in which all people will be safe and free, but when I think of those who have dedicated their lives to work towards that same goal I am always reinvigorated. So I will keep putting myself out there and doing what I can to make a difference. I hope I can pass along the same inspiration that I have felt.
Join me as I sing and share each week. I create these blogs with as much transparency as possible, which means that I learn the songs, but don't rehearse them to be performance ready. It is an opportunity for me to focus on the heart of music, which is passion, as opposed to perfection.
This week's song is a tribute to some of those heroes who have bravely shared their lives with us and fought for the freedom we all deserve.