for people who genuinely love what they do – who open a restaurant to make magic instead of money, who know the names/interests/moods/diagnoses of kids that pass through the hospital every week, who step up to each day without complaining about its challenges and with respect for every piece of their work.
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for spaces and people, and spaces in people, that are dedicated to connection. People who help you lift speakers on top of 4-foot barrels to get the best sound, who tell you about the artist they loved in college who died too young, who grin and clap when you have to start a song over, who thank you for singing your heart out.
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for the chances I’ve taken and the mistakes that followed. For the spring where I found music gigs on craigslist and went to them alone, figured out how to do my own sound, unplugged my guitar too soon and made the room wince, forgot my cds, forgot my mics, forgot my set list, for the places it opened in me that were filled with humility and the ability to talk to other humans who connected to those moments of mortification.
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for being able to see all of these tiny steps as wonderful. To surrender all of the worry surrounding the details of who will come to the gigs, what songs I will play, and just be my very truest self without fear, doing the thing I love best.
.
(for tonight.)