Black Beauty

Black Beauty

Back in 2007, things were bad.  

Well, we had our health, we had our family, we had each other... 

But we were not happy.

Has that happened to you?  Everything looks fine from the outside, but on the inside, when your alone with the reality of your heart and soul and *ehem* checkbook, things look a little on the empty side?

We were there.  We were so there.  We were 5 miles past there, take a left and go further kind of there.  Yeah.  Far out.  And not in the groovy kind of way.

So we had a "Come to Jesus" talk.  You know the one.

"Why is nothing working?  Our marrige, our bussiness, our finances, our LIVES.  Why is everything so hard?  So what can we do to change that?"

Turns out, we could change everything.

We rented out our house, Brett sold the business that was making him miserable, we asked for help from our family, we asked for help from God, we started going to marriage counseling, and we sold all of our earthly possesions.

All but one.

Black Beauty.

Oh how I loved that piano.  I knew I could sell her for a few grand, but... I'm a musician!  That piano will be our meal ticket one day!  "It will be a family heirloom!"  "IT IS SO PRETTY!" 

Really, the excuses just write themselves.

So my holding onto this beautiful piano was silly for so many reasons.  We were living on love and camping out in my folks house.  Brett was gone 80 hrs a week working and at school, and I was prego.  Again.  Did I mention my folks had a great piano in their house already?  yeah.


And honestly, keeping the piano would have been OK, if it had not represented something bigger for me.


I did not want to let go of the life I had, and that was keeping me from this new life I had chosen.


Not a life without music, but a life without attachment.  Specifically, attachment to things.  Things that don't have a heartbeat or a soul. Things that cannot make you feel better when you are in that "far out place" I was talking about.


I learned my lesson.  I sold the piano.  I got a keyboard that is much less beautiful and much more practical.  But more than that, I put my things in their proper place, and my dreams in theirs. 

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

joseph campbell

Each of us, each one, has a beautiful life waiting for us.  Letting go of the plan and embracing the real life story you are living is terrifying and sometimes painful, but it leads to a beautiful place.  

be brave,