Day 25 - Breathe Bravely Challenge

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.