Diamonds Rising Up Out of the Dust
Today, I'm going back to the original vision of Friday Freewrites. Fifteen minutes, no edits, just whatever words spill out. Happy Friday, friends!
There's something about live music that captures your very spirit. There's something about the first low thump of the bass drum, the first sharp strum on the guitar, the first quick inhale of breath and first pure note and word. There's a magic coursing through the room, a breeze of cool air so alive, carrying each chord like a gift, wrapping you up in this reverie.
The way the room seems to shake and shiver with every pulse of the song, the way your heartbeat seems to align with every kick of the drum and snap of the snare. The way two voices can combine so exquisitely, each so strong and raw, flowing together in harmony that enchants you. The way these two humans in front of you, this couple, these artists, the way they look at each other with adoration and appreciation as they pour out their souls on that stage as I stand and soak it up.
It's a remarkable thing to experience, when art is shared so genuinely and honestly like that. When voices run ragged because they've sang every note with all they had. When sweat drips down faces because they've put all they are into every word, every note, every strum, every move.
That kind of thing makes you feel so alive, so electric. The chemistry so evident: a sparkling, sizzling, cracking kind of love between two halves that were radiant together as a whole.
The simplicity of the scene, the unassuming way they entered the stage and left it, the quiet resting of the rest of the band as they let these two take their time and shine, all of it whispered to me: this is how you make a good thing, this is how you open up your heart, let it leak and spill over, this is how you breathe deeply and inhale all the promise and hope and then release it out loud, full of all you were meant to do, meant to be. This is how you take this passion from in your bones and put it on like a flowy dress and twirl around your little stage with it and let it all seep out of you and into others. This is how you tell the stories of the weaknesses, the heartaches, the romances and the memories, and you leave at the end feeling poured out but full again. This is how you, so simply, let your light shine.
JOHNNYSWIM, you are wonderful in every way. Thank you for sharing your hearts and your art.