Letting Go
Sep 24, 2007 sojourn
Interesting to see how a little persistence pays off. I was able to get quite a bit done this past weekend, including a gig with Rick Spreitzer Four-Oh at Summit Coffee Saturday nite. Seems no matter how much I get done, the pile just gets bigger. Balancing these efforts with caring for my family and myself can be daunting.
Enter grace. I choose to believe I can let go and count on things to happen. Sure, not always to my liking or expecations, but that’s not the key when we’re talking necessities. I best guide my kids and provide for my family, including my widowed mother, when I let go. Maybe another perspective is not forcing issues.
OK, so reel me back in, how’s all this relate back to writing? Well, I’m finding that letting go in writing, and all that goes with this “hobby” of mine, makes me more productive. I get hung up less on perfecting a song, site, plan, or project, instead I focus on doing what I can when I can, and moving on.
Last couple of weeks I was able to get three (3) new songs started, only V/CH each, but hey it’s a start. I not only got my site updated, I was able to make some key changes to streamline the presentation and even add a DIY (do it yourself) page. Right, nothing earth shattering, progress none the less.
Bottom line is I’m learning because I’m doing. This week I’ll take a SongU feedback course with an instructor I’ve no experience with. I’ll also finish a home demo for another song and post to my site, and work at getting our Charlotte Musician site converted… not to mention start working with the kids weekly on music lessons, take my wife out for a long overdue date nite, and finish mapping out some home improvement projects, to name but a couple of other “key initiatives”.
Only way I’ll get any of this done is by letting go. Letting go of striving for perfection to enjoy the process – whatever I’m attempting to produce, whomever I hope to serve… cheers
We Were One
Sep 11, 2007 hat box
I wrote this a couple of years after 9/11. This year, as the anniversary approached, I couldn’t let go of the memories, and the deep sense of loss augmented by our country’s fragmented state — so I decided to post this lyric.
That warm September morning started out like other days
A kiss goodbye a whisper gotta make the train by 8:00
The workday barely started when the tragedies began
America was under fire devastation gripped our land
Terror and destruction brought our country to its knees
Waking up the passion in a pride that runs so deep
In the matter of an instant we put differences aside
Boldly came together turning darkness into light
We were one
One nation under God
We picked each other up when the going got real tough
We were one
Stars and Stripes lay battered
Our lives changed forever on that day
We were one
I wonder how it happened seems it wasn’t long ago
We held each other crying sharing grief for those we lost
Now points of view divide us over who should bear the blame
So wrapped up in our differences we forgot how on that day
We were one
One nation under God
We picked each other up when the going got real tough
We were one
Stars and Stripes lay battered
Our lives changed forever on that day
We were one
Copyright (c) A. Melendez
Web Site v2.0
Sep 9, 2007 DIY
Though a couple of months behind target, I’m glad to have v2.0 of www.angelomelendez.com up and out there. I’ve been working on learning CSS, what a cool way to go, especially for the Indie DIY’er like me. I popped an email out to a bunch of folks, hopefully some will make their way to the blog and share thoughts, whether about the site or anything else going on musically.
With the release behind me, it’s time to sync up with some co-writers I’ve been slack with, and finishing a couple of songs long overdue. I’ve also commited to compiling an EP by year’s end… keep me honest now. It’s only going to be a half-dozen songs (or so), homegrown to boot (home studio), but it’s another milestone I really need to make.
If you’re reading this, you likely know me more than casually… I’m assuming most folks are too busy to fool with a website sourced by someone they don’t even know, esp. if it’s not myspace… drop a line or leave a note, if you like, if not, hope you’re well and you have a great song rolling around your heart.
Later… angelo