Being Famous

I hope you're ok with me being completely fantastical here...

It cracks me up when people ask me what it's like to be famous. I wish I had a better answer. I usually say, quite humbly, "I really don't feel any different than you." But what I really mean is, "It's frickin' weird!" Seriously...weird. Like, life becomes a fight to hang onto what used to be normal, because everything and (most) everyone around becomes un-normal.

I can't tell anymore if people look at me from across the room because they recognize me, or if they think I might be someone they should recognize, or if I actually used to know them. Heck, maybe they're justing trying to be nice! It's become nearly impossible to consider people's actions toward me as someone who is just being nice, because I've trained myself to constantly be evaluating people's motives.

This is all not to mention how crazy busy life gets. There are people everywhere pulling and tugging and begging and even (gasp!) crying...for attention. I can't help but get a bit cynical about it...wondering why certain people don't have more of a life. I used to think, "If you only knew the real me, you probably wouldn't like me anymore." But I don't think that anymore...mostly because the impression that most people have of me is very, very close to who I really am. Of course, strangers can't know me completely, thankfully so. But I've worked very hard to make sure that I don't advertise anything false. For instance, if someone likes my heart, or my sense of humor, I can be grateful for that. They've probably seen a glimpse of it somewhere along the line. Even still, some strangers think that they know you better than they really do...and that's a little scary. Or some people have carved such a huge place in their life for their fantasies about me that they have lost all sense of personal boundaries. That's a bit frightening.

This is why it is so important for me to have a great family and an amazing group of friends surrounding me. People who know everything about me (I mean EVERYTHING), and still love me deeply. They are cheering me on, but at the same time, they don't care if I ever accomplish anything more. They actually would prefer if I was home more often. Their phone calls and emails mean the world to me when I'm away, and our times together over coffee or dinner are priceless.

I hope I don't sound ungrateful. I truly am grateful for all the amazing opportunities I've been given and the chance to get to know some really fascinating people. I just wanted to take a minute and try to write down some really honest thoughts and hopefully help someone understand better what life is like, not just for me, but for other people whose faces they see or voices they hear everyday.

I am very blessed, not because I'm famous, but because I'm loved. I'm loved deeply by people who I love deeply, as well. We are walking together, sharing life, in all its glories and disappointments. My family, my friends and I, we all need each other to continually point out the truth about ourselves, not some fantasy world that we all tend to gravitate toward. That's a kind of success I'd wish on anyone.

My Declaration of Independence

I'm now officially free to let other people respond to me the way they want to, and it doesn't need to affect how I feel about myself.

I'm free to let other people love me in their own way, in their own time, without me taking anything personally.

I'm free to let myself make mistakes in the ways that I communicate my feelings, because I am free to be misunderstood.

I am free to not be liked by everyone around me.

I'm free to allow the love of God and those who know me well, actually be enough to get me through today.

I'm free to not be entangled by the quest for acceptance from strangers, no matter how good looking they might be.

I'm free to be optimistic about the future, even if my present circumstances appear stagnant, knowing that the only thing that's certain in life is change.

Still, I'm free to not be ruled by the allure of "what might happen" in the future, because I am choosing to focus on the beauty of the present.

I'm free to be surprised by what might come my way, because I'm entering into today without any expectations.

This is my declaration of independence.

Here's Your Life

"Why must my life be so hard?" I ask myself because I can't find a spare stamp and still don't have a record deal. Things are pretty quiet around here. Inquiry emails sent out rarely get responses. Phone calls are useless. How in the world am I supposed to have an amazing life if people aren't willing to do their part to help me out? Sometimes, I'm just baffled by the amount of potential I seem to be drowning in.

About two years ago, in conversation with a friend, we decided that we could waste our lives waiting to be invited to all the cool parties. Meaning, sometimes it seems like the "people that have" in the music industry keep getting, and the "people that don't have" don't get anything. I'm talking about opportunities here, pardon the difficult analogy. But me and my friend decided that if we were tired of waiting to be invited to other people's parties, the best answer would be to throw our own. So...

I'm throwing a party.

What it looks like is me investing in the lives of people around me. It looks like me taking time to care for myself: through physical exercise, rest, entertainment, good food & drink. It looks like creative risk-taking. Loving, laughing, listening. Calling people out of the blue to see how they're doing. Finding and listening to music that I love. Reading great books. Drinking coffee frequently. And more that I can't even put words on. But what it ultimately comes down to, is living for today...not waiting or hoping for what I'd like to see happen. There's incredible beauty and joy being offered to me today. Sometimes I just have to take my eyes off of my own navel to see it.

The sky is really blue today. The air is crisp. I am loved well by many people in my life. I have great hope and optimism for the future (Jer. 29:11), but even better...today rocks. I am a very rich man and I'm throwing a party.

And you're invited.

New song lyrics...maybe

Sometimes man writes songs for others, sometimes for himself...

I KNOW

VERSE ONE:
It's a long way down from cloud number nine
Just a day ago it all seemed so fine
Seems the fall has got the best of you
Climbed the mountain only to lose the view

I promise, it's not time to give up
Even if the promised land feels so far away

CHORUS:
Cause I know, I've got plans for you (Hold on)
Working it out, only for your good
There's hope on the way, and a bright tomorrow
I know, I know, you can trust me (Hold on)

VERSE TWO:
Your yellow brick road's turned a bit grey
Can't see past all that's in the way
But every step is taking you closer
To where your heart knows you're not alone

I promise, if you don't give up
The promised land won't seem so far away

CHORUS:
Cause I know, I've got plans for you (Hold on)
Working it out, only for your good
There's hope on the way, and a bright tomorrow
I know, I know, you can trust me (Hold on)

Postcard From My Journey To Me

Wow. Cindy Morgan has a great CD coming out after the first of the year. She should be the most successful artist in the world because she's so amazingly talented. Check out her LISTEN project if you haven't heard of her. Regardless, her new project has a song called "Postcard From My Journey To Me" -- actually it's just called "Postcards" - but I like the long title. It has amazing lines like: "If you can't find the answers from anyone else, you just have to see for yourself." If I wrote a postcard from me, this is what I'd write today...

HELLO MY DEAR FRIEND! How are you? Hope this finds you swimming around in the blessings of God and feeling His love. I'm having an amazing time here. Even though it might not look exactly like I had hoped it would, there is much beauty to be seen. While I'm here, I'm discovering that I can either focus on what I don't have, or what I hope will happen in the future...or what probably won't happen in the future...OR I can dwell in a place of gratitude for what is right here in front of me. The view is amazing from here. Why do I still desire different mountain vistas or other glorious sunsets? It's pretty much a waste of time and grandeur. Yes, it's great to be here. Still, I'll be home real soon. I look forward to our time together. See you then! Love, me

"I'm searchin, I'm travelin, my life's been unravelin, and still don't know where this will lead. Enjoying the weather, I'll get it together, so don't worry I'll send you a postcard from my journey to me." -- Cindy Morgan