In order to tell a story through words, an author places terms in such a way that it allows us to visualize the experiences of the characters even when we cannot see what is happening. To do that very same thing through songs, the sounds of the instruments as well as the vocals unite to create a theme that gives a voice to the emotions that have been or are being felt from an encounter in life. Accompanying those forms of sharing an account is also the utilization of various mediums in order to reproduce a person’s view onto canvases or sculptors that express the color, beauty and powerful emotions seen in people, places and things. We are the readers, the listeners and the admirers of those finished products but as with everything, there are unseen details that surround the creator of each narrative that plays a role in bringing life to those venues. Have you ever thought about what it takes to complete the journey of a work of art or even the context of what the author of it may have been carrying for it to become the authentic interpretation that it did? Or have you thought about how a rapper uses words in a rapid rhythmic way when talking about a pounding heart while an orchestra employs intensified sounds to express that exact feeling of palpitation? There are a multitude of ways to say the very same things but what changes our perception of each expression is how a work of art is emitted, whether we are able to connect to that way or not and the value that we place on it based upon our own beliefs. In your epic tale that is being uttered through your feelings, terms and actions, are you able to find the worth, those out of the blue wins, in how you are expressing yourself even if those things have not been in the best interest of your work of art? In other words, the fear, anger, addiction, grief and “flipping out” are the visuals and the voices of your particular narrative that needs you to sit down with it and if your focus is on the detail of how yours is being emitted, especially in contrast to someone else’s, you won’t be able to hear what your heart is really trying to say. Imagine if a flower could only be painted in a particular style with one color or that all songs were played on one instrument with the same vocalist singing the words or all epic tales could only be about an exact kind of mystical creature or that the story of a field meant only one product ever grew or that the word beauty was defined by a single detail. If life were like that it would appear to make everything easier but then there also wouldn’t be any reason for us to be on the edge of our seats or to admire a work of art or to have hope and goals or to believe in the value of who we each are. Learning to perceive that my grief over the loss of Ryan doesn’t always show up in the tears that require tissues but can also be felt in my laughing until my stomach hurts has helped me to understand that the tale of a smile doesn’t just mean someone feels joy and that the tears that come from breaking a glass cup occur because the door to pain decided it was the perfect moment to throw itself open rather than that the broken object mattered. Even the pitch of a moment or a day can turn the word impossible into “I’m possible” and then force those letters back together again to form impossible in the next moment or day but the more you have knowledge on what your work of art carries for you, the more you will understand what brings life to all the ways you feel and live each and every day. After all, the art of living in heavell isn’t just about the flowers but rather about how you sit with yourself in the weeds while looking in the mirror and giving yourself that reassuring smile that you so easily give to others. Have the best day POSSIBLE for you as you lean in to hear you. Love Always, Heavell