i need back up, i need company, i need to be inspired

So little time for anything these days...what happened to lazy summer days of porch sitting and catching fire flies and going to the swimming pool? They have been replaced by rushing around, trying to keep up with bills and house cleaning and rehearsing and day jobs and working on my "real career" and the myriad adventures that adult life presents me with on a daily basis. I've never really been one who yearns for the past -- honestly, I'm usually delighted and surprised I made it this far! -- but lately I've been reminded of the carefree days of my childhood, and my heart aches for them. Perhaps it's these trips to the suburbs, be it for a voice lesson or a housewarming party, as was the case this weekend. The abundance of green, the smell of freshly mown grass, the cornfields (nevermind the urban sprawl or ridiculous SUVs), it all reminds me of being a kid. The responsibilities of adulthood have been rather overwhelming lately, particularly because I'm choosing a life that isn't down the beaten path of Corporate America and the amenities that come along with it. Every day I seem to hit some sort of road block, a slap in the face for not being like everyone else. But I take it all in stride, and I keep moving forward -- every day that I get slapped is another day that I meet someone who is doing what I do, who is making it work. And they inspire me.

After spending several hours at my friends Adam and Stasi's new house in Aurora, we drove around the suburbs a bit, stopped in downtown Geneva, and just sort of...wished. And hoped. Atleast I did, and I think Nick did, too. For me, moving to the suburbs and having a house will be sort of like re-living my childhood, albeit as one of the heads of household this time around. I will run and frolic in my yard with my dog, grow things in the garden (herbs! and tomatoes!), plant flowers and trees and rose bushes, sit on the porch, and do all the things I did when I was a kid. It will be glorious, and I can't wait. In the meantime, you can find me here in Chicago, battling the "man" at every turn, finding a way to make beautiful music that touches people while being paid what I'm worth. Paid enough so that some day I can frolic in the garden of the house I OWN.

So I can stick it to the "man."