Finding the beauty in every breath.
Music lives
within every one of us. The most beautiful part about music is that our sheer
love for it can be the same, but it can manifest itself within every one of us
so very differently.
While in
Minneapolis for a few days, a dear friend took us to Nye’s Polonaise Bar. As I walked
through the doors it was as if I was transported back into another lifetime. Time
suddenly stood still. The red shimmering vinyl bar stools had seen many
visitors over their lifetime, the wallpaper was soaked with the songs of generations
past, and the stage telling a million stories of the people whose footsteps had
caressed the same path. Never have I experienced a place where one stage
would be playing pop classics while in the next room a reggae band was
serenading the crowds. People from every walk of life were together sharing in the
simple love of music, and I suddenly became a part of that community. Music
transcended the generations. By walking through those doors of Nye’s the world
outside no longer seemed to exist: the stresses, the demands, the chaos all
seemed to vanish to the sounds of the piano. Outside of those walls we all
faced our own battles, worries, and anxieties of life, but for a few hours we
could just merely bathe in the beauty that life had to offer and be renewed by
the timelessness of Nye’s.
I’ve never
sung at a piano bar in my 28 years of life. I’ve always been an avid listener.
Nye’s changed that. I thought to myself, “why not?” So, Vera (the 70 something
staple of Nye’s) and I sang a little Judy Garland. My life has continued to
take on a type of “if not now, when?” mantra as I see the impact and realities
of CF confront me and those I love. Life is too short to not truly live: I must
reach out and grab every experience with both hands. The simple fact was that a
few months ago I couldn’t even sing at all, and for only a couple short months
have I been given the gift to sing again. So you see, I had to sing. I couldn’t let that moment pass me by, because I may
never be given the chance again. It didn’t matter how good or how terrible I
was at singing, all that mattered was sharing in the love of music with the
people I was surrounded by.
My night at
Nye’s will be something I forever cherish: the people I was with, all the life
I experienced, and all the music that was shared. It's a beautiful part of my life. Love to you all.
Let’s go singing.
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