i am a lover of music - all music. i like rap, country (yes, country), classical, hip hop, pop, rock, neo soul - all of it! i enjoy listening to music to alter my mood. when i am running (ok, jogging), a little t.i. ("bring 'em out") helps me go a long way. as i drive home from work, norah jones ("the long day is over") helps release the tension in my shoulders. when i'm focused on a writing project, i enjoy listening to gospel music - israel & new breed ("live from another level") is one of my favorites. and sometimes, when i'm at home, i listen to God's music - no tv, no ipod, no radio - just the wind rustling the leaves, the birds chirping and children playing and laughing outside. that makes me smile. please don't stop that music.
the other day i was listening to florence + the machine's "shake it out," and i got all tingly inside, you know, inspired. i was thinking of all of my regrets and how dark my life used to be. no happiness at work, at home, in life. and i just really identified with the lyrics. they spoke to me - it is hard to dance with the devil on your back. and it is always darkest before the dawn.
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| Image Credit: Exsodus |
but somehow - heck, i know how - with God i found a way to shake him (the devil) off! as He most often does, He met me at my lowest and the most unlikely place, revealing Himself to me so that my relationship with Him became stronger (thank you). i got healthy - mentally and physically. i found joy. and now, some five years later, i've found happiness too. i have a new, awesome job where a great majority of my collegiate studies are being put into practice. i'm respected by my co-workers - peers and superiors.
to be fair and honest, i have had jobs that i enjoyed in the past but those positions weren't the professional dream realized. additionally, it's been nearly impossible for me to be content at work and at home simultaneously. however, i have somehow found happiness in love too. or maybe it found me. i'm with someone who is committed and true to me. and that, too, is a rare find today. so, yes, it really is darkest before dawn. but if you can see ahead, just pass that curve in the road - a brighter day is coming. joy does, indeed, come in the morning.
i don't know what i've done to enjoy all of this happiness and these blessings. i'm just a flawed and imperfect yet blessed person. but i am truly thankful. and i share my story, not to brag, but to encourage others; to encourage you. if you are in a dark place, keep fighting. keep pushing. find the strength to shake it out. a bright day is coming. life is worth living.
what's on my ipod right now:
"ho hey" - lumineers
"shake your tailfeather" - nelly
"say yeah" - wiz khalifa
"shots" - lmfao
"all this love" - leigh jones
"lately" - anita baker
"many the miles" - sara bareilles
"take me to the king" - tamela mann
"best of me" - tyrese
"i hope you dance" - lee ann womack
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