Did you guys know that one of my favorite flowers is the azalea? Let me tell you about it. It comes every spring, showing colors of pink, purple, white, and red. Ever since I was little I've been in love with these flowers. I couldn't wait for spring to come so I could see them bloom one more time. When I became a homeowner, I figured it was time for me to plant my own garden of azaleas so that I can have a piece of the beauty to keep for myself. That was back in 2004. Spring after spring, I waited to see the flowers bloom. But for many years, nothing came. We (me and the hubbie) watered them, fertilized them, pruned them...but once again...nothing. Thinking that our efforts were all in vain (or so we thought), we left our barren azalea bushes alone, only providing it with the bare necessities. We kept it free of weeds and allowed God to water it whenever He chose to do so.
Over the past couple of years the bushes grew in mass and many of the spaces in the garden where you use to see dirt and mulch were now covered with shrubs. But still, no azalea blooms. We stayed faithful to our dear azaleas. We wanted to give up and pull them out of the ground, but we knew that one day that the unseen will soon show itself. And that day came.
You guys are smart enough to connect the dots and see how this story pertains to my personal journey in music and the pursuit of self-actualization (google it if you don't know what that is; it's good reading). You may dream over night...but dreams don't come true over night. It's not just about the destination, it's also about the journey. The journey is a grooming process that shapes and molds you so that you may be ready and prepared for what you're going to face once you reach your destination. You might have to cut some things off and let them go in order to grow properly, and it may hurt. But as my religion and philosophy professor, Dr. Ural Hill, said, "Pruning leads to blooming." By the way my father, one of the best leisure gardeners I know, told me after the fact that it takes azaleas at least 3 years to bloom. Maybe I should have talked to him in the first place. Go figure LOL!
I've also learned in this musical journey that sometimes, you gotta leave stuff alone in order to move forward. There have been times in this music project where I tried so hard to rectify bad situations to no avail. Some things we simply are not in control of...and we leave those things up to The Creator to handle for us. That's what I mean by love it and leave it alone. If there is a situation where it seems things are not working out no matter how hard you try to make it work, blow it a kiss and send it up to Him. Your sanity will thank you.
If you feel it's time to prune, then prune. If you think it's time to hand it over to a higher power, do it. Trust your gut; it's your soul trying to get through to you and it won't let you down if you just listen. Everybody is in charge of his or her own whip, with divine help of course; stay on your path and pay no attention to backseat drivers. One luv.
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