This afternoon I received a call from St. Jude‘s hospital in Memphis Tennessee. They are a great organization that does incredible work with children battling cancer and provide family support. The woman on the other line was named Megan. I could tell from her voice she had a bright personality that could shine. But I could also tell that she was reading from a script on this phone call. As soon as I recognized she was reading from a script I experienced a loss of connectivity and was just waiting for her to finish reading. At some point I became more interested and empathetic that I was listening to somebody trying to communicate through a pre-written script, written by another human being. It almost became like this barrier or, as we’ve experienced so much in Covid, a plastic partition between two people. I think a lot of times we forget the importance of true connectivity. I think sometimes people lose site of the fact that the other human being we are communicating with might recognize and feel our vibrational energy even over the phone. When she was done with her script I said “Megan you sound like you have a great personality, but you are reading from a script and I am not connecting with you or your purpose of this call. Jump off the script and let your personality shine. You’ve got this. I want to talk to you, not your script.” I believe that St. Judes purpose was to help donors feel good about their contributions and in turn raise their vibrational frequency so as a result they donate further. But when I got off that call her intention/St. Jude‘s intention was not achieved. I have been a long-time donor to that organization because I believe in there cause and in this world they are doing good work to help. I got the sense through her vocal tone that she was positively trying to do her job and make a difference. She was trying. St. Judes is all about helping people. When you raise the vibrational energy of those around you, that engagement and connection leads to the recipient wanting further vibrational energy of feeling good. When I hung up the phone I asked myself what was the purpose of this call. Why were they spending money to connect with the donors when the method of connection was so disconnected. The purpose and delivery was out of alignment. Ironically, I was just leaving an appointment with a chiropractor because my neck and spine was out of alignment. So alignment seemed to be the theme for the day.
In my work as a professional musician I always excelled at preparation. I was never the best bass player in town. Not by a long shot. But I could play and I could prepare even better. The saying that always stuck with me most is amateurs learn something till they can play it right, professionals learn something till they can’t play it wrong. To me, when I walked in a room to play music and do my job, I was not there to remember parts or be thinking about sections, i.e. my script. I was there to flow with music and communicate with fellow human beings towards a common purpose. I knew my best work was done when I was fully present and could listen how other human beings feel the music and time, as opposed to trying to remember parts. We were there in rehearsal to communicate through our individual instruments to create a common flowing outcome/result. A clear idea that is well executed with the intention of connection. And the ultimate purpose being to present that to other vibrational beings, an audience, so they could feel and experience something that hopefully resonates with them. Because of my level of preparation, my script was so internalized that it allowed me to stay connected to the true purpose and achieve the best outcome/result. I needed to be present with the moment, not focusing on remembering the script. I needed to be present and flowing with the vibrational energy of the other musicians in the room, not trying to remember parts. It also gave me a higher and vibrational energy and confidence in my execution because I wasn’t feeling that tinge of guilt for not doing my homework. It almost brings me back to my school days. I think we all have felt that at some point, or even often. If there was a section that the artist wanted to alter, I would try to be so well prepared that I could flow with new changes that came up without having to refer to my script. I had a credo that I always wanted to know the music better than the artist themselves. It was a standard I lived by in that line of work. And one that allowed me to do my best work and be fully present and connected to the purpose.
