Soulshine

Quote of the day: “Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don't rent them out to tomorrow.” —Jerry Spinelli; author

I’m allowing my moment of yesterday to inhabit me today, creating a new moment, now, in the present.

Last night, I had the joy of experiencing the music, beauty and inspiration of Alicia Keys LIVE. Oh yes, my friend Jill and I attended her sold-out concert at the Turning Stone Events Center. She easily exceeded any expectations I had for the evening and I got the feeling she did so for the other 4,999 people in the audience. There wasn’t a soul in the arena who didn’t leave feeling uplifted. It wasn’t just a concert; a form of entertainment. It was also a rejuvenation; a retreat.

Jill and I originally fell in love separately with Alicia’s music, but this past summer when I went to visit her on the island of Prudence, which is off the coast of Rhode Island, where she rented a home for a few months, we deepened our love for her music together. Alicia would serenade us with her deeply soulful love ballads and songs of personal power and reflection as we drove the few miles of dirt road around the island. When we would sink ourselves into camping chairs on the grassland of the western bay, enjoying a front-row view of the day’s sunset with a beer and snack in tow, Alicia would intensify the beauty of the moment. Together, as Jill and I were falling in love with the island and its wondrous nature, we were also falling in love with our soulful selves through her music. It was a special time for both of us.

Clearly, when the news of her stopping to play on her Freedom Tour at a venue less than 30 miles from our homes dressed the headlines of our local newspaper, we knew it was a given for us to attend. All we needed was to purchase tickets, which we did the day after they went on sale.

Jill travels a lot for her job. She can be gone for weeks at a time, only to stop back home for a day or two before the next trip. Whenever she is in town, we normally arrange our schedules for some girl time. She had been gone all week on business and took the super-duper, excruciatingly early flight yesterday morning to give herself plenty of time to make the show. It’s always better to be safe than sorry with air travel. I have had a strange week of physically not feeling so great. After about 20 minutes on the road of catching up on the ins and outs of our week we officially shed our exterior layer of “work mode” and shifted into our “carefree, music-loving, free-spirited” mode.

We enjoyed a light dinner fare accompanied with a tasty beverage, or two, before we made our way to the grand event. We joined the giant mass of concert-goers heading towards the theater. It was a sea of young and old men and women of all different ethnicities. It was beautiful.

After about 30 minutes of an opening act and 20 minutes of a stage change, the lady of the night made her appearance, and boy was she worth the wait. She captivated us early with upbeat, high-energy dancey songs followed by slower, more soulful, sultry, piano-playing ballads. Throughout 90 minutes on stage she managed to play some of her biggest hits and personal favorites, while delivering a powerfully optimistic, hopeful and inspiring message to the audience which affirmed we all are able to do, be and live our hearts’ dream and desire.

Her message was beautiful and her music complemented it perfectly.

Even though this all happened last night, I am still basking in the glory of it. My thoughts are more positive. My body is more comforted. And, my soul is more alive. I am, in this moment, as relaxed and confident as I’ve ever been about who I am and my decision to leave my job in hopes to give my Self a chance to come to life.

Thanks, Alicia, for sharing your talents. And, thanks Jilly, for sharing your soulshine with me. :)