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Coaching
and
Success with
Kevin Sloan,M.S |
Just like food, music provides nourishment to
our mind and body. But, just like some foods, not all music provides
the quality that we need. Some foods we eat simply because it tastes
good or because it entertains us, but because the quality is not
good it results in us having health problems or becoming overweight.
Music can also be like this! If we are listening to music solely
because it sounds good or makes us want to dance then we may be
cheating ourselves of the full potential that music can have. Inspiration,
empathy, consciousness, hope, joy, optimism, are just a few of the
emotions that quality music can provide. But what is quality music?
This is obviously subjective, but, quality music has a message,
quality music tells a story, quality music helps us relate to other
people going through challenges that we may or may not be going
through ourselves. Quality music shows us the beauty in life as
well as the pain and the struggle.
It seems today that the more provocative a song is the more commercial
success it attains. Life has it’s share of materialism, but
it also has a spiritual foundation, simply pleasures that do not
require much money. So, like food, a little sugar and fat sometimes
becomes an appreciated pleasure, but if we have it all the time
we can forget how good food tastes and makes us feel. Music is the
same way; a nice beat and some suggestive lyrics are interesting
every once in a while but too much may cause us to forget what good
quality music sounds and feels like. Listen well and prosper.
How KEM's Music Inspired
Me...
I… had my own little listening
party with my daughter (age 13) and my mom last night! Just the
three of us, big smiles on our faces, anxiously anticipating each
song! Later that evening, after I was home and listening all by
myself, I was very surprised at what happened. This album brought
about some "life reflections" of my own. My husband of
13 years passed away in January, 2000, after a heart wrenching,
courageous battle with cancer. This album brought memories of the
prior 20 years of our life together back to me, things I thought
I'd forgotten, but happy to realize that I really hadn't! Each song
brought about different memories, songs like Heaven, Without you,
Set You Free, Each Other...all of them! THEN...When the album ended
with "I Get Lifted"...I was smiling and crying at the
same time! Although my life is moving on, Kem's music sends me a
message that it's still ok
to feel the way I do about the past, and yet ok to make new memories.
A reminder that things do happen for a reason, reasons we may not
understand until we FIND OUR WAY to HEAVEN. Therefore, on that note...tell
the one's you love that you love them, and live your life so you
have no regrets! Thanks for being here for me to share that experience
with you! Blessings,
~Cindy
(An excerpt from the Kemistryinthemix Fan Club website)
KEM's
Music Saved My Life
Music
has always played a major role in my life. From infancy
onward, I have always been humming or singing or scatting something.
Music cheers me up when I'm sad, comforts me when I'm melancholy,
and helps me celebrate when I'm very happy. Even so, I never
thought that it would be music that would play one of the most important
roles in my life. It was music, KEM's music specifically,
that literally "saved" my life.
The
year 2003 began with so much promise. After five and a half
years into my career, I was finally about to open my own business
that January. I was stepping out on faith, and starting from
scratch. It was an extremely exciting, yet scary time for
me. What if the business fails? What if I can't pay
my employees? What if I can't pay my mortgage? All of
these issues brought a ton of stress and worries to my life.
The night before my opening day, my maternal grandmother died.
Her death was a huge blow to our family. The next month, my
cousin who was only 24 years of age, died suddenly of congested
heart failure. And you've heard the saying "Death comes
in threes." Well, that was true for me: three weeks
after I attended the second funeral in as many months, a long-time
friend was killed during a tragic motorcycle accident. I was
so emotionally drained, that I could not even attend his funeral
services. Instead of helping, this made me feel even worse.
I was mourning, exhausted, totally stressed out, and depressed.
But it gets better...the gentleman that I was dating decided three
days later that we should end our relationship. I remember
his exact words, "You are going through things that I can't
help you with, and I feel helpless. So, maybe we need some
time apart." He decided to walk away, right when I needed
him the most.
On
the outside, I looked the same. I walked the same, I talked
the same, and I even laughed occasionally. I pretended that
I was stoic, and was handling all of the deaths and pressures of
the business "just fine." But I was anything but
fine. I was numb and depressed inside. I shut everyone
out. There were nights I would cry myself to sleep and pray
that I didn't wake up. I just didn't want to be depressed
anymore. I was spiraling deeper and deeper down into a well
of despair. I felt like I couldn't turn to anyone. I
had that "Strong Black Woman" syndrome down pat.
Looking back now, I know that I could not have gone on much longer
than I did. It scares me to think that I would have done
something to harm myself, but there were thoughts of just ending
the pain...even if that meant ending my life.
A
few months later, an employee brought a new CD into my business.
It was sent to her from a relative in Philadelphia. She put
it in and said that she knows that I enjoy smooth jazz and mellow
R & B, so she felt I would like it. It was a black and
white cover...it was Kemistry by KEM. I put it in and the
first notes of "Matter of Time" began to play. I
knew that I would like it immediately. And then I begin to
listen...and listen...and listen.... I ran out on my lunch
hour and purchased a copy for the house and for the car. And
I listened...and then I began to cry. I cried so long, that
one of my employees had to retrieve me from my car. The employee
had thought that I received some more tragic news. But I wasn't
crying from sadness. I was crying because finally...FINALLY...there
was a person who was singing about
HOPE. There was
a person singing about what is POSSIBLE...that true love
is possible, that redemption is possible, that spirituality
is possible. No one, and I do mean no one, was conveying such
a beautiful, positive message through their music. The music
and lyrics of Kemistry was a cool, healing salve on all of my hurts
and cuts and bruises that life had given me recently. And
I felt KEM's sincerity through every note and melody. The
more I listened to KEM, the more I was able to take from his music.
I began to read articles on KEM and his previous life. When
I read about all of the adversities and trials that he had been
through, everything began to make sense. I further understood
just how and why he could write such beautiful, healing songs...through
God's grace, he had been through "healing." As I
lifted farther and farther up from the darkness of despair, I knew
then that I would be a supporter of KEM for life.
Many
people will tell me that I'm KEM's number one fan, and I correct
them immediately. I do not feel that I am, because there are
thousands (maybe even millions) of individuals whose lives have
been touched by KEM's music as well. However, I feel
that it is important for me to share the gift that I have received
from KEM's music. Whether it's buying several copies
of his CDs or attending live shows, I will show my support and love for
KEM and his music in any way possible. I believe with
all of my heart that KEM's music "saved" me, and for that
I will be eternally grateful.
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