Posted on February 1, 2013
It’s the first of February. A brand new month, and I’m hoping it’s a brand new beginning. Because, frankly, December and January were tough.
I got a lung infection the first week of December that turned into bronchitis, which hung around for weeks and weeks. The Newtown news in mid-December dragged down my spirit and cast a pall over my holiday. In January, I got slammed at work and found myself dodging deadlines. I had to travel on business in December and January, and going through security and dealing with jet lag can get a girl down.
I kept telling myself this feeling of exhaustion and disconnection would end. Because I had an appointment with my soul doctor on January 31st.
Soul doctor?
Well, he isn’t really a doctor. He doesn’t have a medical degree. But he practices musical medicine. He’s a singer-songwriter named David Wilcox. David’s music is deeply emotional, wonderfully cathartic, and always optimistic. When he sings, he’s practically transcendent, and he can pull an audience right along with him. I never leave one of his concerts in a bad mood. His songs touch me soul-deep. There is nothing quite like a David Wilcox high.
Okay so I’m a big fan girl. But David’s music opens my eyes and my heart. He makes me turn away from all that crap that gets me down and reminds me of what is really important. And, to be utterly honest, he is my muse. His music has inspired plot lines, character traits, conflict, and resolution. If I’m stuck for an idea, I strap on the iPod and listen to David sing.
Last night he sang a lot of new songs, one of which just happened to give me the solution to a plot problem I’ve been worrying about.
He also sang a bunch of old songs, and one of them–“Show The Way”–a song I’ve heard thousands of times, rose up and grabbed me by the throat and almost brought tears to my eyes. He uses a metaphor in the song about writing a play that appeals to the writer in me. But the song is about so much more. It’s about the deepest kind of love. And it reminds me why love stories have always appealed to me. And why I chose to write about love above all other things.
So here’s a video of David singing that song. It’s not from last night, but from a performance taped in 2004.
