Be Who You Are

Music is essential to me; more than a necessity, it is vital to my well-being. My intense love of music started as a little one when a favorite activity was to put on my fuzzy pajamas, huge headphones, start up a record and curl up in a chair with my blankie. Which, come to think of it, is still a prime favorite activity! Except that I’ve traded the one piece polyester footed pajamas for yoga pants and nowadays my album choices are not Free to Be You and Me or Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hello, child born in the late 1970s. Music is my lifelong beloved companion, always there for me when I need comfort, encouragement, inspiration, fun, enlightenment or an escape. Tunes make life beautiful. Like a plant without sunshine, I can only go so long without music before I get droopy. Life is infinitely better because of music.

Jon Batiste describes music as a spiritual practice. This statement resonates deeply with me as a listener. (And I would imagine even more so if I were a musician.) Well, I thought I understood this concept until I actually had an unforgettable, life-shifting experience seeing Jon Batiste in concert. What happened in the concert hall did not occur to me in the singular, but to the whole audience. The show was profoundly positive, joyful, beautiful and downright spiritual. We were all present and together shared in an exquisite experience. All of us, from young families to elders, sang along to all of the songs, rejoiced with our arms in the air and shook our tails as much as the confines of the narrow rows allowed. Nothing quite like watching theater ushers break it down to “I Need You”! And you’ve never seen a crowd go SO bonkers to “If You’re Happy and You Know It” on the melodica! If that wasn’t a spiritual experience, then I don’t know what is

One of the many moving moments of the evening occurred when a few thousand people sang along to the repeated chorus of “Be Who You Are” guided by Jon and his remarkable band. This moment affected me on a cellular level and again, I was not alone in my emotional response. People openly wept as we were reminded of our own power, beauty and strength. All of us together celebrated our own uniqueness and the profound power that comes from a collective as we chanted “you can only be you are.” Just think what could happen if we manifested this kind of experience outside of the concert hall. Imagine a place where self-love and love for others conquered all. How beautiful would that be? And this experience was gifted to us by music.

Meanwhile, over on the sewing side of life, I recently received a most amazing gift from a friend in the form of 35 pounds of interior design fabric samples. (You should have seen the buff deliveryman stagger up our lawn with the package!) The assortment of colors and textures is astounding and oh so inspiring. Thanks to her generosity, the Quiltunes studio will be busy crafting with decadent fabrics – so stay tuned as the wheels are spinning with possibilities. Just one example is this gorgeous piece, the exact size of our backdoor window, which is now a curtain that looks like bespoke Art Deco stained glass and melds perfectly with our golden walls. Admittedly, all of the fabric is so beautiful that upon first inspection I thought, oh this is too good to cut up. And then I reminded myself that the reason she gave me the treasure trove is because she believes in my creative ability. Fear not the gorgeous fabrics! Janet, thank you oodles for the gift and for trusting me to give these fabrics a new life.

A week later, my cells are still fizzing and my heart is still smiling from the concert. I experienced an inner healing, akin to a giant vitamin IV infusion. The night was a reminder of just how much music means to me and the unquantifiable power of creative expression. The same impact exists when we create with our hands – what we make is transformative. Even our smallest acts of creativity have purpose and meaning. Collectively all of our individual creative expressions help the world glimmer, especially when they come from a place of love. And extra especially when they celebrate our individuality. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”