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Guest blogger Judith Whitehead is back with another inspirational positive blog. Many blogs especially mine are rants and raves. Judy is always positive and since Mondays are the hardest day of the week for many Judith has agreed to write something to help keep our glass half full every Monday. Check back every Monday for another promising blog to see how your glass can remain half full instead of half empty. Monday's will be "Inspirational Mondays" on dakinetalk! Judith is Happily married with two adult sons and lives in the suburbs near Buffalo, N.Y.
My son is living proof that dreams really can come true. My son would be unanimously described by all that know him including us, his parents, as a non-conformist. Ever since he was little, he marched to his own drum; always knowing what he wanted, demonstrating a strong will. These children are not the easiest type to raise, but none the less, we tried to stimulate his creativity and “go with the flow” as he began to mature. As little as ten years old, we began to see he had musical talent. He began to “pick” at my husbands’ old guitar at 10 years old, and when we heard him play “Stairway to Heaven” from “ear”, we knew he had talents. It became his outlet and his avenue to shine. From that point on, he began to develop that sense of music. He not only began to “collect” guitars, but also build and refurbish them. We encouraged his natural talent, although it was not the most economical hobby to nurture, and it became his life long goal to be a “rocker”. When Led Zepplin with Jimmy Page scheduled a concert in Buffalo, one of the last in the old Buffalo Aud, we had to attend. There we were, at 4 o’clock in the morning, standing in line at Record Theatre on Main Street, waiting for a number to get the best seats. The very place where his own CD is now for sale. It was a sell out, of course, and I know we were the only family of four, that went to that concert. My son was age 10 then, and he will remember that day for the rest of his life, as we all will.
Over the years, he has performed several places and composed several songs. But his finest hour came this year. After several months of recording and composing, he came out with his first professional CD release. He not only recorded the CD in a professional studio, but he also played all the instruments on every song, from guitar to drums. It has been a very long road for him, but he never lost sight of his goal to be a
musician. We are in the process of getting his music out there. Several music/book stores are carrying his CD now and hopefully some radio stations will give it a chance. It is a dog- eat- dog world out there for musicians, and through perseverance my sons’ dream is unfolding right before his eyes and ours. We couldn’t be happier for him. His working as a Chef does supplement his goal, but now the real work starts.
He is young enough to give his dream a good shot and hopefully he will be able to share his talents with many. It has been a group effort to get him thus far. As we get older, we often loose sight of our dreams and sell out for more conventional careers that come our way. We exchange financial security for happiness all too often. It becomes hard to follow your desires when financially things become more difficult and responsibilities grow. With a little help from his friends and family, my son was able to achieve this goal
thus far. We need to try and keep our dreams alive, for it’s what “living” is all about.
None of us know where this path will take him, but at least he can say he gave it his all and won’t have any regrets. Our lives pass us by so very quickly and if we don’t make an effort to fulfill the years with goals that make us happy, we spend our senior years regretting our decisions with “I should haves”. Take a chance on a dream if possible and enjoy each day as a gift.
If you would like to know more about Joel Whitehead and listen to his music go to; http://www.myspace.com/joelwhitehead221
