The Santa Claus of Grief
I believe that all of us experience at least one difficult moment in our lives. That moment normally can be described as shocking and earth shaking. The thought, “I never thought this would happen to me….never.”
I started having to deal with painful events and life shock at the early age of eight. I never knew why life had to be so hard, but as I reflect, I believe that grief can either be an internal weapon or channeled into an instrument to be used towards something great. For instance, I believe that if I hadn’t experienced what I had, I wouldn’t have the emotional capacity to write the music I do.
But to be honest, it’s taken me a long time to re-channel my pain. For a long time, I felt like I was the Santa Claus of grief—happy and jolly on the outside—but carrying a heavy load of pain in a sack on my back. Interestingly though, every time I would pick up my violin to play, it seemed as if someone took a spoon and shoveled out a little bit of pain out of my sack. So, I just kept practicing and kept writing music—and every day, I felt my burdens get a little lighter.
If you are like me and have experienced your share of hardships, don’t let that pain sit and fester. It’s not good for you. Channel that energy into something good—like your music!
