the meaning we attach
This time of isolation has made me feel even more connected to the world. Maybe it’s because there’s more time to feel and to BE since so much of the doing and going has been put on hold. Or maybe it’s because the social side of social media has gone back to its roots of community instead of just selling and signaling. Lately, I’ve been loving seeing everyone supporting each other and sharing their gifts with the world in a real and vulnerable way.
Even artists, the ones who seem almost untouchable, are inviting people into their homes via social media so they can freely share their gifts with them and man, this is something I don’t take for granted. When someone is on stage performing there’s a different level of positioning and transparency than when they’re sitting in their home with a guitar. Layers of “showmanship” fall away and we get to see and hear and feel the raw nature of not only their art, but also themselves.
Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers did an in-home show over IGTV. It felt better than a live show because it felt so personal, like we were sitting across each other and he was just sharing what was on his heart.
He opened with a Bruce Springsteen cover. Cue tears. Then a Tom Petty cover. Cue more tears. Before he played A Long Way From Home, one of my favorites of his, he shared a story about the death of his father. Cue all the tears. His dad died on 7/7/07 at 7:07 am. Wes took an old letter that his dad signed with “Love, Dad” and he tattooed the word love on his forearm in his dad’s handwriting. Around it he added a 7 on both sides because he didn’t want seven to be an unlucky number. Now, every time he sees the number 7 he remembers the love he shared with his father. He took something sad and brought a positive meaning to it.
This is what I try to do through all of the struggles I’ve encountered in my life and continue to find in my path—bring love and light to an otherwise dark situation. Thank you Wes for this beautiful reminder of love, of how it’s the meaning we attach to something that not only shows us how we see the world, but also shows us who we are.
What meaning are you attaching to your world today?